The Jody Maberry Show

"Are you almost done?" With those four simple words, a young boy nearly knocked me off my seat. There I was in front of a group of campers, standing proudly in my park ranger uniform, giving my first campfire interpretive talk. But a young boy stood up and asked me if I was almost done. In this episode of the Jody Maberry Show, I explain what happened and why it matters and what it led to today.

Last week, Jennifer McClure joined the Jody Maberry Show to talk about developing a signature story. This week, Jennifer asks me 3 questions. The week after there is a guest on the show, they ask me three questions about anything. Business, life, parks...anything. I don't prompt them in any way. Here are the 3 questions from Jennifer McClure, with short answers. Listen to the entire episode to hear the whole story. What have I revealed about myself during my 10,000 steps per day walking streak? So far, after over 800 days, I have learned plenty. I even did a podcast episode focused on the step steak. But if I had to pick one thing I have revealed about myself it would be this; If I can do this, what else can I do? It has not been easy walking so many steps in a streak that stretches over 800 days. If I have it in me to accomplish this, what else can I accomplish? I look forward to finding out. What is my fondest memory of being a park ranger? Believe me, there are many. After being a park ranger for 8 years, I have enough fond memories to last a lifetime. But the best came during my first week as a park ranger. Jack Hartt, the park manager and the person who hired me into parks, told me to spend time falling in love with the park before I worried about doing the work. That advice served me well as a park ranger and I still practice his advice today, no matter what I am doing. What is my favorite National Park and why? Not a fair question, but I will give an answer. For many reasons, my answer should be Yellowstone National Park. But for some reason, I can't shake the thought that Glacier National Park is my favorite. I have spent much time in the backcountry at Glacier and seen things that most people who visit Glacier never see. Glacier is a backcountry park. As beautiful and stunning as the park may seem from Going to the Sun Road, you haven't seen the park until you walk into the wild.

If you want to make a mark as a speaker, you have to develop a signature story. Jennifer McClure joins the show to discuss developing your signature story and using it to connect with people. Jennifer is a full-time speaker following a career in Human Resources. In this episode, Jennifer will explain the value of a signature story and help you realize how you can use it to connect with people in the audience. Jennifer has been a tremendous help to me in getting started in speaking. If you are interested in speaking more often, or just want to understand how to do better when you have to give the occasional talk in front of people, you will get plenty of inspiration and ideas from Jennifer. Jennifer on the web - jennifermcclure.net Jennifer's podcast - Impact Makers Jennifer on Twitter - @JenniferMcClure Jennifer on Facebook - UnBridled Talent

Not long ago, I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel when I spoke the annual conference for Magical Vacation Planner. As I like to do when I visit anything related to Disney, I paid attention so I could see what I could learn. This episode is devoted to those lessons I discovered while staying at the Disneyland Hotel. Here are the six lessons: Create the environment for the feelings you want customers to feel. Make a great first impression. Magic is created by the small things. Tap into as many senses as possible. Your people are your brand. Find ways to surprise people. Special thank you to Jeff Noel for contributing to this episode.

Dan Cockerell was recently a guest on the Jody Maberry Show. As a follow up to that episode, Dan Cockerell asks me three questions. Dan recently left his role of Vice-President of the Magic Kingdom to launch his own business. His three questions are related to building a personal brand. What advice do you have for someone leaving the corporate world and starting their own business? Know what you want to be known for. Read and implement Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. Work with the right people to help you get work done. I work with a podcast editor, an assistant, someone to build sales funnels, and a graphic designer. What are some apps or programs you use to run your business and keep your life organized? Slack - This will allow to communicate with your team and cut down on email. ConvertKit - Start building an email list as soon as possible. Quickbooks Online - Keep your finances and accounting in order from the beginning. Grammarly - This makes sure my grammar is acceptable. Wunderlist - This will help you keep track of everything. iNaturalist - Unrelated to business, but I love this app. This app helps me identify plants, insects, and animals. What is your best 2 or 3 tips to create a great podcast? Position yourself as an authority on your topic. Gear your show to one person, not hundreds. Be willing to talk about small topics on your show. As an example, here is an episode I did about outgoing voicemail.

After 27 years at Walt Disney World, Dan Cockerell is leaving the Magic Kingdom for a home office. Dan began his Disney career parking cars at Epcot as part of the college program. He finishes his career as the Vice President of the Magic Kingdom. During his time at Disney, Dan had 19 different jobs and learned how to manage operations and culture from the parking lot to the iconic castle. Now, Dan is launching his own business to work with organizations to improve organizational structure, build a magical culture and select the right talent. You can find out more about Dan at dancockerell.com.

Lee Cockerell and I hosted a one-day Creating Magic Mastermind event in Orlando. In this episode, I share nine things I learned during the Mastermind. Here are the nine lessons; The opportunity is there if you are willing to take it. We are all surrounded by opportunities. You have to be open enough to see it and bold enough to act. Family comes first. Don't let your job get in front of your family. The work you do is not more important than the people in your house. An Organization will adjust to lack of clarity. If you aren't clear with expectations, people will adjust, and you probably won't like the direction of the adjustment. Make sure the right people know who you are. If people don't know who you are they can't help you. Don't practice on your customers. Make training a priority and don't practice on your customer. There are only 4 things to make people change. The only things that will lead people to change their mind or change their behavior are education, emergency, experience, and exposure. Beware of the HIPPO. The HIPPO is the Highest Paid Person's Opinion. Make sure everyone's opinion is heard, no matter what their position or pay grade. Treat a customer like a member of the family. If your mother was in the situation your customer is in, how would you want your mother treated? You will have to repeat your message often. When you are starting to get sick of hearing yourself say your message, people are just beginning to listen. Stick with it.

It can be scary to try something new. What if you mess up? What if it doesn't go as planned? No matter what happens, there is one way to gain value from any situation. Reflection. Reflection is how you get the most out of any experience. The insight you gain from reflection can be used for anticipation. Mess up today, reflect on it, and you are more likely to be able to anticipate what will happen in the future. Exerpeince isn't worth much unless it is ran through the wash of reflection.

Donald Miller built a reputation as an author with popular books like Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Through writing books, Donald learned the elements of a great story. Now, in his book, Building a StoryBrand, Donald Miller helps businesses tell a clear and compelling story. StoryBrand has had an impact on nearly everything I do with my business. Once you understand StoryBrand, you will get clarity in your message. When your message is clear, your marketing and content become clear. Listen to this interview with Donald Miller, and then get a copy of the book, and apply what you learn. It will be the first step towards attracting more customers. Get the book - Building a StoryBrand Donald Miller on Twitter - @DonaldMiller Donald Miller on Facebook - Donald Miller Donald Miller on the Web - Storylineblog.com Find out more about the StoryBrand workshop.

Lee Cockerell, retired EVP of Walt Disney World, and Carol Quinn, CEO of Hire Authority, team up to discuss hiring and employee motivation.