...I’ve gotten questions on how to utilize storytelling in personal branding.
The problem is that most people lack strategy regarding the stories they share.
Since personal branding is incredibly important for business leaders, I did multiple episodes with MICHELLE B GRIFFIN on this topic.
You ca...
...Dan Mott so much.
Valid thought. 😂
He’s such a systems, structure, and statistics person; he can come off as a bit of a nerd. 🤓
Regardless, you need to understand your targets to tell the right stories.
I learned the most effective LinkedIn framework from Dan Mott.
This quarter, I hit a huge busin...
It took me a while to truly grasp the magnitude of these words, but here they are...
“𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.”
👆 Read that again.
No wonder you're so stressed.
In business, we often place unrealistic expectations on everyone and everything.
Stop doing that. ✋
...she made a decision that would change everything: The cycle stops with me.
Growing up in a dysfunctional home, Tami knew struggle intimately.
As a teen mom, she faced relentless adversity, navigating life with limited resources and overwhelming uncertainty.
But she refused to let her daughter exper...
Why?
Because you achieved all of your 2025 business goals, and it’s worth people hearing about.
The reporter asks you all you’ve achieved…
…and just like that, the floodgates open.
With each word, each milestone recounted, it’s as if you’re painting a picture of incredible triumph.
The challenges you ...
...knowing you still had a week until payday.
Now, imagine being in a new state with no support system, a newborn baby, and a husband deployed in the Air Force.
For Tami M. Cole, this wasn’t just a rough patch. It was her reality.
💬 “That's fear. That's terror. At times, I would ask myself, ‘How did I...
My response was, “I’m vanilla ice cream.” 🍨
“Huh?”
“Vanilla ice cream goes with peach cobbler or chocolate drizzle. I'm an extrovert when I need to be an extrovert, and I’m an introvert when I need to be an introvert.
I'm an ambivert.
I'm vanilla ice cream.” 😎
Stop boxing people into one of two camps; ...
The problem is a lack of strategy.
Since LinkedIn is such a powerful platform, I did a series regarding LI with RACHEL SIMON.
She shared many insights in these episodes to help you up your LI game.
*Check out all of the links below.
Also, it was awesome to meet Rachel in person while I was speaking ...
No joke.
Stalin thought Wayne’s brand was too powerful and was influencing too many Americans that he wanted him dead.
People often wonder how powerful a brand can be—case in point.
It was cool seeing John Wayne’s Academy Award up close.
Who are you influencing through your brand?
...thinking about our comfort when, in reality, we should be thinking about others' pain.
Having an impact on this world is impossible unless we get out of our comfort zones to help others.
Many people tout their number of followers, but I rarely see them passionately express why they want those fol...
SHOW NOTES:
SUMMARY: From overcoming personal struggles as a teen mom to leading a successful business, Tami Cole has built a career defined by resilience, determination, and leadership.
In this episode, Tami shares her inspiring journey from adversity to entrepreneurship, offering powerful lesson...
The documentary celebrating his life was one of the few movies I cried through.
During his 35+ year run, Mr. Rogers taught millions of children (and adults!) about what it meant to be a good neighbor.
He held our hands through some of the darkest times in U.S. history, telling us to “look for the ...
We all will, actually. Life is quick.
This is the first thing my kids are to do once I'm gone…
…whether I pass away in 5 years or 50.
They are supposed to listen to my podcast, Stories With Traction.
The content is built for leaders, and they are being raised to lead.
Every time I produce an episode, ...
If you were actually a numbers person like you claim, you'd obsess over how to tell better stories, knowing that doing so would boost your numbers.
Powerful stories boost your numbers in:
Sales
Marketing
Employee Retention
I'm a “numbers person," too; that's exactly why I share stories!
😎
—-
If you want...
15 years ago, I was at an event where I met Terence Farrell for the first time.
I saw people circling around him, shaking his hand, laughing, and sharing stories.
Naturally, my immediate thought was, "who is that?!"
I watched in amazement as I saw Terence "work the room" and shake every single hand i...
So far, I've been to:
-George Washington
-Thomas Jefferson
-James Buchanan
-Abraham Lincoln
-Rutherford B. Hayes
-Grover Cleveland
-Woodrow Wilson
-Warren G. Harding
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Richard Nixon
-Jimmy Carter
-Ronald Reagan
-George H. W. Bush
-George W. Bush
Each one fascinates me ...
A perfect example of that was when 3M decided to place money inside the advertising casing at a bus stop in Vancouver.
The case was covered at the edges with a 3M product, Scotchshield.
“If you break it, you can keep it!”
Hundreds of people attempted to break the glass, and none were successful.
Five...
Here’s something I see all too often: leaders delegating the tasks that make them uncomfortable. Social media? “I’ll let the team handle all of that.” Storytelling? “Not my thing; I’ll let someone else do it.”
But here’s the hard truth: Delegating discomfort is dangerous.
Imagine if Steve Jobs had...
At least, that’s what hundreds of people told him early on.
Bank after bank rejected the Mickey Mouse concept. Investors laughed him out of rooms. Critics said it would never work.
But today? Walt Disney is hailed as a genius.
This year marks Walt Disney Studios' 102nd anniversary, a global empire bu...
You could get a cancer diagnosis and live with the ripple effects for years to come.
You could close a massive deal in business and make your year.
You could make a stupid decision and embarrass your family.
You can land your dream job and get asked to start ASAP.
You could get in a major car acciden...
...and I’ll be going to every single one before I die. So far, I've been to...
-George Washington
-Thomas Jefferson
-James Buchanan
-Abraham Lincoln
-Rutherford B. Hayes
-Grover Cleveland
-Woodrow Wilson
-Warren G. Harding
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Richard Nixon
-Jimmy Carter
-Ronald Reagan
-Ge...
S - Stories
T - Thoughts
U - Urges
F - Frustrations
F - Feelings
…your S.T.U.F.F is what fuels your behaviors in the world.”
-Joy Rains
Wanna hear more? Check out the Stories With Traction podcast.
I took a financial risk, and it didn’t pay off.
Instead, it put my family in a difficult position.
The night it all came crashing down, I sat on my couch with tears streaming down my face, fully aware of the uphill battle ahead.
My wife sat down next to me and said something that changed everything:...
🟩I love public speaking.
🟩I don't mind public speaking.
🟩I don't like public speaking.
✅I would rather die than do public speaking.
Some people actually check that box!
Public speaking is scary. Most of us don't feel comfortable standing in front of people and taking responsibility for the...
Stories With Traction Blog
