368 Choose To Step Up And Step In
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
Release Date: 02/11/2025
398 Everything We Do Can Create A Story
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
398 Everything We Do Can Create A Story Every living breathing moment, we contribute to our own story. Every job, every interaction with another soul, every moment we reflect, we write a significant line in our story and oftentimes we must take time to truly consider what we truly want to have in our story. Do we want exhaustion or loneliness to rule our narrative? Or do we want to forge our own community based on that which brings us joy and cherish the light within us? These are the questions we must ask ourselves. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Tracy MacDonald discuss the...
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397: Our Talents Are For Us Too
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
When you first take the Strengths Finder quiz, we often feel like those skills and talents are what you can use to guide and influence others, however if we forget to take time for ourselves, to turn our talents inward and focus on ourselves, we are failing ourselves by not acknowledging what we bring to the table. In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Lindsey Van Gorp discuss the importance of introspection, fostering and growing our strengths, as well as how we need to wield our talents and skills in order to be the best version of ourselves, not just for others but for ourselves...
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396: Curiosity and Authenticity
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
396 Curiosity and Authenticity It is in human nature to be curious, to ask questions, and seek out insight in an attempt to make sense of the world we are thrust into. It is when we craft our own personal board of directors do we get the opportunity to finally seek the answers we crave and in doing so find our own purpose. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Cole Mannix discuss how curiosity led them to find their authentic selves as well as the many paths their hunger for answers took them on. Highlights Curiosity and the questions it makes us ask often shape how we...
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395 Carpe Diem
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
395 Carpe Diem It’s easy to think we have all the time in the world to do something we’re putting off. Whether it’s changing jobs, or finishing your novel, or finally folding the laundry, we always think we’ll have more time. However time is a finite resource, and one day it too will run out. So we carry with us reminders of that which matters most to us and in doing so we remind ourselves to seize the day and to not take time for granted. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and George Schunk discuss their own collections of sentimental items, their own art they have...
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394 The Driver of Innovation is Curiosity
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
394 The Driver of Innovation is Curiosity Curiosity is in our nature as human beings, we crave knowledge and the answers to the how’s and why’s. Whether it be from a scientific standpoint, raising a child, or to work more cohesively with our coworkers, we must always stay curious so that we can always be growing. In this episode Sarah Elkins and Jeff Ikler discuss not just their vital work, but how they have maintained healthy relationships, and a positive mental state by always staying curious. Highlights Avoiding the after conference hangover by having a...
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393 Being Direct and Intentional in Conversations
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
393 Being Direct and Intentional in Conversations It can be far too easy to let yourself be passive in conversations, whether it be to let another person make a decision or to avoid conflict. However in doing so we rob ourselves and others of deep meaningful connection, which is why it is so important to be direct and intentional with your words. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins talks about these points while also bringing up times in her life where she was passive and direct in conversation, and why it is so important to her to be direct and intentional. Highlights Be direct...
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392 Intention and Mindfulness In Conversation
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
392 Intention and Mindfulness In Conversation Inevitably we will have to confront the reality of how certain comments, remarks, and individuals make us feel, especially when it is in a negative way. Unspoken expectations lead to resentment, and if we do not have the hard conversations and practice curiosity and active listening we not only do a disservice to them but to ourselves as well. In this episode Sarah Elkins takes us on a hike with her dog Jocko, while teaching us the importance of mindfulness and intention in conversations, and how important it is we talk to and listen to...
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391 Stories and Connection
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
391 Stories and Connection It is vital to our own communities that we remember our stories and share them with one another, not to dwell on regrets and what ifs, but to reach out and connect with one another so that we all can learn and grow together, and hopefully create more grand stories on the paths we walk together. In this revisited episode, Sarah Elkins and Lee Keylock discuss their own stories and how they have healed through sharing stories and listening to the stories that others share with us. Highlights Connecting with people through sharing stories. Healing from trauma...
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390 Good Service Goes Both Ways
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
390 Good Service Goes Both Ways Anyone who has ever worked in customer service has at some point or another dealt with that one customer. You know the type, the huffy, irritable, “My issues are more important than your wellbeing and rules” that insist and demand everything, while demeaning you in the process. Unfortunately, these people will always exist, however what we can change is how we allow these types of interactions to affect us. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins tells the story of one of her own unruly customer moments, as well as how she chose to learn and grow from the...
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389 Identifying and Acting On Problems You Can Solve
Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will
389 Identifying and Acting On Problems You Can Solve We are surrounded by problems everyday of our lives, some manageable and others seeming too monumental to handle alone. Which is why it is so important to build a community of like minded individuals with the same goal of making a true difference. In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Tessa Clarke discuss the relationship people have with stuff, food waste, and how Tessa’s company Olio have been making a real difference in the face of the climate crisis. Highlights Our relationship with objects, like...
info_outline368 Choose To Step Up And Step In
It’s a strange and frightening world we are living in right now. With divisiveness and anger seeming rampant, it falls to us to maintain our community, to show up with a heart of love and understanding for each other and ourselves, to save our village from burning and refusing to let a lack of empathy and communication drive us to destruction.
In this episode Sarah Elkins and Erin Miller discuss the vital importance of community and taking care of one another, of building bridges and allowing our differences to strengthen us instead of divide us, as well as accepting when a bridge cannot be built and an olive branch is refused and trying to find peace with the results.
Highlights
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What is your moment of satisfaction or awe in what you do?
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Are you giving or just taking?
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Sitting down and talking to someone who’s different in some way. Building bridges as opposed to burning them.
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Celebrate our differences, do not let them drive us apart. But acknowledging when you cannot build a bridge, and seeking to find peace.
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The Cause and Effect of what changes individuals.
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It’s okay to sit down and let your community help you.
Quotes
“Yes we are individuals, but we are also a collective. If you don’t feed the collective, if you don’t nurture the collective, the collective won’t nurture you.”
“Give what you want to receive. If you want community, you have to give community. If you want patience you have to give patience, and if you want respect and so on and so on.”
“The problem is we’re not talking to each other, we’re not communicating, and we’re not willing to hear.”
“We need to be able to sit down. We’re adults, we can do this, I believe that we can, and we have the capability to sit down and have discussions.”
“Once I extend an olive branch, if the person burns it, I let the ashes fall where they may. I just let them fall.”
Dear Listeners it is now your turn,
What are you going to take from this conversation? Who will you reach out to, to go and have a cup of coffee without having the intention of changing their mind but with the intention of listening to their story? Find out what matters to them and have a conversation. I would love to hear what happens for you when you choose to step up and step in.
And, as always, thank you for listening.
About Erin (from her website)
Erin Patrice is the heart and creator behind The Breaking Bread Village, a space intentionally created for people to come together and have transparent conversations with no judgment so ideas and perspectives may be heard respectfully.
Erin is a conversationalist and a Midland, MI, resident and native to Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a mother and wife and has been a community advocate for twenty years.
Erin has an incredible gift of storytelling and connecting with others of all ages. She shares her story in a way that draws people closer rather than apart. She has a unique teaching style that resonates with all who experience it. Erin has years of life experience, training, and facilitating conversations through empathy, strategy, and storytelling.
Erin is dedicated to being a voice for those with no voice and helping the unseen to be seen.
She believes that everything we do within our small communities changes the world because every good deed causes a ripple effect that will eventually impact the world.
Erin shares her teachings as a community engagement ambassador by facilitating workshops, keynote speaking, panels, and conversations nationwide.
Be sure to check out Erin’s LinkedIn, and her website Breaking Bread Village! As well as the article about her from the Midland Daily News!
About Sarah
"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."
In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.
My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.
The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!
Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana.
Be sure to check out the Storytelling For Professionals Course as well to make sure you nail that next interview!