In this episode of Stories With Traction, Matt Zaun sits down with executive coach, keynoter, author, and Vistage Chair Danielle Baldwin for an honest conversation about inspiration, identity, and fear.
Danielle shares how losing titles in her life (mother, daughter, corporate leader, wife) forced ...
Let’s break it down. 👇
If you’ve been following my work, you’ve likely heard me discuss the importance of a StoryBank, a systematic way to document and organize your stories for maximum impact.
But the big question is: How many stories do you actually need?
The answer depends entirely on your “why.”
Why...
...it is about how every small detail can significantly affect customer behavior. 👇
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For example, consider how some brands have adjusted the positioning of their characters' eyes on packaging.
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Design teams have made subtle adjustments in supermarkets, where products are displayed on multiple shelves,...
...and his former office/meeting space in Ann Arbor, Michigan…
…and I’m excited to say it marked my 19th presidential site. 🇺🇸
Every one of these visits teaches me something different about leadership, decision-making, timing, pressure, and legacy.
Gerald Ford is fascinating because he’s often overlo...
Then he got laid off.
25 years at Johnson & Johnson.
Two kids in college.
One in high school.
And suddenly the story he had been telling himself about the future… was gone.
What hit me hardest in our recent podcast episode wasn’t just the career loss.
It was Ken’s honesty.
He openly shared that the experie...
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This time, I’m going back to the Detroit area.Â
Excited to work with leaders in Novi & Dexter.Â
We’ll delve into how to utilize strategic storytelling to:
-Boost salesÂ
-Transform company cultureÂ
-Radially improve internal communication
This week is going to be awesome!Â
P.S. if you have any restaura...
A journalist was investigating a group of people panhandling on a street corner.
Turns out…they weren’t actually homeless.
They were running a scheme.
So the journalist tracked down someone who had been giving money to one of them and asked:
“How do you feel about that?”
The response?
“I’d rather be a suc...
I remember standing in line with my dad at the grocery store (in high school).
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He leaned over, pointed to the magazine rack, and said, "wanna know why muscle mags like that are still in business? Even though working out can be boring, the magazines always make it interesting."Â
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He was right.
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These a...
Storytelling doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. It’s not about perfection or following a rigid "beginning, middle, and end" formula. Instead, it’s about tapping into emotion, identifying your "why," and crafting stories that truly connect.
Here’s a step-by-step framework to simplify your storytelling...
They have a clarity problem.
I recently spoke with Ricardo Gonzalez on my podcast, and he shared an exercise that you should be concerned about...
→ Put 10 executives in a room
→ Ask each one to define your company culture
→ Watch what happens
You won’t get alignment.
You’ll get 10 different answers.
And t...
Not as a gimmick.
As a strategy.
In my latest Stories With Traction episode, Tim Parkin shared one of the most memorable takes on marketing I’ve heard in a long time:
“Magic is the art of getting attention… and keeping it.”
That line alone is worth the listen.
Tim went from magic club kid…
to software dev...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with talent agent and founder Monique Sar to unpack what it really takes for executives, founders, and high performers to break into the professional speaking world. Monique represents speakers and influencers, helping them land deals and build speak...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Joshua Altman of Beltway Media to talk about why communication is a core function of business, not an afterthought you bolt on three weeks before a product launch.
Joshua shares what happens when companies call him at the last minute, how poor ...
SHOW NOTES:
Matt Zaun sits down with Todd White, founder of Clearpeg, to unpack the causes of organizational chaos and how leaders can reduce stress by clarifying decision authority, strengthening leadership behaviors, and aligning on values. Todd, a self-described “recovering engineer,” shares how...
SHOW NOTES:
Matt Zaun sits down with Malcolm Peace, who shares how his team at Tsetserra evaluates and acquires businesses through a lens that goes beyond numbers. Malcolm introduces a core question that guides their investment thesis: “Do you fit into the story?” Instead of assuming they can “rebu...
In this episode of Stories with Traction, Matt Zaun sits down with performance coach, speaker, and former pro tennis player Jeff Salzenstein to unpack what it means to “own your zone,” a powerful framework designed to help high achievers transform stress into strength and pressure into excellence wi...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode of Stories With Traction, host Matt Zaun sits down with John Welch, a B2B lead generation specialist based in Indianapolis, for a raw, unfiltered conversation about what actually works regarding lead generation and why most companies are playing the game completely wrong...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Ryan Hogan, Founder & CEO of Talent Harbor, to unpack what actually works in recruiting top sales talent today. They dig into why “keep it simple” beats complex hiring funnels, how to design a value ladder that moves buyers forward, and where AI...
SHOW NOTES:
In this practical, high-energy episode, Matt Zaun talks with Sean Garner, StoryBrand–certified marketer and founder of Sean Garner Consulting, about cutting through today’s 10,000-messages-a-day noise with a simple idea: clarity beats clever. They break down how to build messaging that ...
Show Notes:
In this high-impact episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Tom Schwab, Chief Evangelist Officer & Founder of Interview Valet, to unpack how leaders can use podcast interview marketing to beat obscurity, earn trust at scale, and convert ideal clients, and how to repurpose one 45-minute conver...
SHOW NOTES:
In this insightful episode, Matt Zaun talks with Marcy Sagel, CEO & Principal of MSA Interiors, a Baltimore-based commercial interior design firm with over 30 years of experience designing multifamily, student housing, senior living, hospitals, and more.
They unpack how Marcy built a d...
SHOW NOTES:
In this powerful episode, Matt Zaun talks with Natalia Zacharin, founder of Zacharin Consulting—an “accounting firm on steroids.” They unpack how fractional CFOs turn messy books into strategic insight, why AI speeds analysis but never replaces human judgment, and how Natalia rebuilt he...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Stewart Cohen, award-winning director/photographer and CEO of SC Pictures and Superstock, to unpack how brands can use video and imagery to stay on message in a chaotic, multi-channel world. From keeping large organizations aligned with the role...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Rob Black, Founder & CEO of Fractional CISO, to demystify cybersecurity for growing companies—without the fear-mongering. Rob explains how his team operates as a virtual CISO (security leader) to strengthen programs, enable enterprise sales, and...
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