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418 Mindful Presence

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

Release Date: 02/10/2026

429 Lynn Harris - Comedy, Creativity, and Community show art 429 Lynn Harris - Comedy, Creativity, and Community

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

429 Lynn Harris - Comedy, Creativity, and Community   In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Lynn Harris discuss the importance of comedy and creativity in the heart and soul of a community and how overcoming the doubts and assumptions of others can not only strengthen yourself but as well as the people around you.    Highlights How we defy the expectations and assumptions of others. If we can’t talk about a problem we can’t even begin to fix it. The power of community and contributing to it and encouraging others to contribute.    Quotes “As with all...

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428 Building Bridges Through Kindness and Compassion show art 428 Building Bridges Through Kindness and Compassion

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

428 Building Bridges Through Kindness and Compassion    In being human we are able to connect more authentically with people not just in the workplace but in everyday life, by allowing them to see us for who we truly are and what we are capable of.  In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Neal Foard discuss the importance of compassion and connection.    Highlights Being present and aware of your actions on others and the world around you. Building trust and genuine connection that lasts lifetimes as opposed to a quick and easy contract. The importance of working...

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427: Eat Your Feelings - A Cooking Show Demonstrating True Connection, Featuring Sam Nathews show art 427: Eat Your Feelings - A Cooking Show Demonstrating True Connection, Featuring Sam Nathews

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

427: Eat Your Feelings - A Cooking Show Demonstrating True Connection, Featuring Sam Nathews   Highlights from the show: Sam initially wasn't sure about cohosting the show with Cory! He can be shy about performing or entertaining people he just met. It didn't take long to realize how grateful he was that Cory was persistant in starting the project and about Sam joining the show. Sam shared how the show helped him process his grief over losing his mother, and how being able to talk openly about his emotions has been healing for him. He emphasized the importance of normalizing...

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426: Ending the Cycle of Family Trauma Featuring Sharon Weinstein show art 426: Ending the Cycle of Family Trauma Featuring Sharon Weinstein

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

426: Ending the Cycle of Family Trauma Featuring Sharon Weinstein "How did you ever come out of that household? How did you ever evolve into who you are and what you've become from that background?" We met in Washington DC at the final competition for the People's Choice speaker for the next TEDxUStreetWomen event scheduled on November 3, 2025. And when she won the coveted spot, all of us were thrilled. She earned it. In this episode we discussed her TEDx talk, "Think Differently to be Unstoppable", the use of the 4W framework to reframe personal trauma into recovery and growth. She...

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425 Something To Contribute  show art 425 Something To Contribute 

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Matthew Johnson discuss their work in their communities, from work with the city to their own personal endeavours as well as how this work helps the community grow and retain the character that makes it unique.   Highlights Why education in a community is important and how it has the potential to connect us. Loving to serve. Lead as those you look up to lead.    Quotes “It’s a delicate balance between community growth and character, because both are necessary.” “People don’t always know what questions to ask to even begin...

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424 The Art of Story Making and Being Present show art 424 The Art of Story Making and Being Present

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

424 The Art of Story Making and Being Present   In today’s episode Sarah Elkins talks about her recent vacation and the reminder to remember a past lesson from her son about learning from your past regrets and choosing to live in the moment instead of allowing expectations or worries for the future to take away from the joy of the present.     Highlights Being present for the stories you want to share. Learn to just go with the flow and to take ownership of your own happiness. Don’t grieve for the future, instead live for the present. It will still hurt...

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423 We Need Each Other show art 423 We Need Each Other

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

423 We Need Each Other   In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Cory Brown discuss their ideas and the influences in their lives that they have had that gave them the push to act on their ideas or to think them through, as well as the importance of putting something into the world that will make a genuine authentic change.    Highlights Eat your feelings, coming together over a meal to discuss your feelings.  The importance of mental health and reaching out to others for their sake and our own.  You must be the one to take the first step to make a change.  ...

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422 Experience Awe show art 422 Experience Awe

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

422 Experience Awe   The natural world is one of few places in the world where we can truly feel at peace. Whether it be to get away from the hustle and bustle of life, or even just to get away from all the screens and pollution, we can find a moment to center ourselves and find genuine awe in the world.  In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Thomas Reed discuss the importance of the natural world, finding awe, how we talk to ourselves, as well as finding our own courage to seek the paths that call to us.   Highlights How we interact with the natural world around us. The...

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421 The Lives We Live show art 421 The Lives We Live

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

421 The Lives We Live In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Kuti Mack discuss their unique experiences in being selected for a TED talk, the process in getting to their own important story they needed to tell, as well as the people who supported them along the way.   Highlights The benevolence of somebody else and admitting when you need help going hand in hand with not assuming people are capable when in reality they need help. Knowing we are all human and we all need somebody to lean on and to let ourselves lean on others as well.  You need to try things out of your comfort...

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420 Ted Talks: Let's Start Sharing Stories show art 420 Ted Talks: Let's Start Sharing Stories

Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will

420 Ted Talks: Let’s Start Sharing Stories   In today’s episode Sarah Elkins ruminates on her preparations for her Ted Talk, as well as seeing the need that had to be filled, and how she is filling that need in society with clarity and authenticity.    Highlights Seeing a problem and figuring out how you can fix it.  Let your ideas loose in the world, you never know who needs to hear it.  Bring yourself to whatever you do and good will follow.    Quotes “The answer wasn’t to explain away what was happening.” “I realized I wasn’t just...

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More Episodes

418 Mindful Presence

 

Being mindful of our presence in the lives around us is an integral part of the human experience, whether it be for our own personal comfort and growth or to ease the lives of those around us. Though we all have our own unique reasoning and paths to walk, it is important to remember we don’t have to travel alone and by working together we can all get to the finish line.

In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Renée Smith discuss the importance of community in becoming the best version of yourself as well as the importance of developing our problem solving skills to always be able to take action.

 

Highlights

  • There is no linear path, take your time and find your own.

  • Connecting with strangers through lived experience.

  • Teaching others your toolset and learning others toolset so that everyone succeeds.  

 

Quotes

“Being able to be present with them in a trusting way.”

“A problem is a gap between where you are now and where you want to be.”

“Maybe you don’t have what you need to take action.”



Dear Listeners it is now your turn,

I’m really curious to hear what was sticky for you in today’s conversation. Whether you’re thinking now about your presence, about how you demonstrate love and support and care for people especially those that are strangers, those that you might disagree with. I know how hard it can be, how challenging it is to feel love for people that have different perspectives than us right now, more than ever before. And I’m here to say that if you can allow that open moment where you express your own experience and they hear it and that you are sharing this to connect with them and not to change their mind, this leaves the door open for them to carry that forward.        

And, as always, thank you for listening. 

 

About Renée

Renée Smith, MSOD (she/her) is the strategist leaders turn to when they want to make their workplace more loving and human. As the creator of Love-Centered Leadership

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and the Human Workplace EX Roadmap, she helps people and results rise together. The founder and CEO of the consultancy, A Human Workplace, and the non-profit Center for a Loving Workplace, Renée promotes loving workplace cultures, primarily through research, education, impact projects. She led award-winning culture work as a state executive and served in the Governor’s Office as Director of Workplace Transformation for the State of Washington. Smith is a researcher, writer, and speaker who’s reached hundreds of audiences in eleven countries, making the business case for love. She earned a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Washington. She lives in Tacoma with her husband Jim in a multi-generational household with her son and his family. When she is not traveling, she enjoys sculling on the Puget Sound, watercolor painting, and hosting dinner parties.

Be sure to check out Renée’s LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram! As well as Loving Workplace, Renée Smith Speaks, and A Human Workplace!



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!