"Your brain is a straight line machine" I Melanie Deziel, author and speaker

29 snips

Nov 25, 2024

In this engaging conversation, Melanie Deziel, a former branded content editor at The New York Times and co-founder of Creator Kitchen, discusses the essence of signature stories—narratives you’d claim ownership of. She shares her journey of emotional story evolution and the internal battle against imposter syndrome. The discussion also touches on navigating the intersection of storytelling and journalistic integrity, the value of personal narratives, and how marketers can thrive under pressure through compelling storytelling.

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ADVICE

Overcoming Writer's Block

Reframe "writer's block" as using the "wrong prompt."
Tell your brain what to focus on, shifting from pressure to gratitude and opportunity.

INSIGHT

Organic Storytelling

Melanie Deziel relies on memory for story ideas instead of a system.
This organic approach lets her discover stories she might have missed with a rigid system.

ANECDOTE

From Criticism to Collaboration

David Carr criticized branded content, causing Deziel anxiety as the Times' first branded content editor.
Deziel met Carr, he gave her feedback, and she used it to create successful campaigns, earning his praise.

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Signature stories aren’t just stories you tell a lot. They’re stories you’d sign your name to. In this episode, author and speaker Melanie Deziel shares a story that went from nerve-wracking to heart-wrenching the more she told it, as she found ways to tell it her own way (and as new details emerged from the story).

Mel is my cofounder in our Creator Kitchen membership, and this interview was part of the miniseries that helped me pilot How Stories Happen. The thing is, when you pilot something, you’re often piloting THREE somethings, so we should rethink the ways we actually test, validate, and improve those somethings.

That’s a lot of somethings, but hey, this episode has everything. Or at least a handful of really freaking good somethings.

We're putting on display the hidden details, tiny choices, and emotional moments, as we seek to go beyond telling stories to instead BECOME storytellers.

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Melanie at her website

Subscribe to Jay's newsletter at jayacunzo.com

Join Jay and Mel’s membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen

Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads

Produced by Ilana Nevins

Cover art designed by Blake Ink

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ABOUT JAY:

Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and differentiation-and-thought leadership consultant on a mission to help you make what matters to your career, company, and community. He's an advisor to experts, execs, and entrepreneurs who want to resonate deeper with others, not just reach them. To do so, he helps you turn your expertise into IP and your IP into differentiated messaging, exceptional speeches, and celebrated creative projects, equipping you with the communication techniques and power of today’s top thought leaders—because he believes in standing out through substance and stories, not hollow hype.

A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows.

Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain.