Storytelling School

“Black belt, don’t think!” Those deep, stern words from the Grandmaster echo across the dojo and ring in my ears like a loudspeaker at full volume. Eight fellow black belts surround me in a circle with weapons in their hands while I have none. We’re doing a dynamic circle knife drill exercise where, one by one, they attack and I have to disarm each weapon and take the attacker down while avoiding injury myself. When the exercise begins, I’m full of adrenaline and can feel my heart racing like a race car at the Indy 500. I’m trying to outthink my opponent, contemplating their next move, pre-planning my next move, and overthinking the entire scenario. I’m not trusting myself or my instincts.  While I manage to avoid what would be serious injury on the street, my movements aren’t fluid at all! Grandmaster calls me out and starts the exercise over. I take a slow breath and turn around in a circle to look at each of my eight opponents. “Begin!” the Grandmaster orders.  I… close my eyes.  Now that I’ve removed my sense of sight, I’m relying solely on sound, touch, and trust in myself.  Each black belt yells “Ki-ai” and initiates their attack. I respond and disarm the first one, then the next, and the next. The disarming goes significantly better, and I’m reminded of how powerful the senses are and how harder the others work when you take one away. In this next episode of the “So You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller” master series, I talk about how the five senses can enrich your storytelling. Once again, I have my interviewer extraordinaire (Mark) ask me some tough questions on this topic such as: How do you incorporate the senses into your storytelling and make your stories come alive? Do you even need all five senses, or will just one or two do fine? And can you overuse senses in your stories? What you will learn in this episode: -How you can use the senses to describe anything in a story -What sense tends to get overused and underused by storytellers -How you can use the five senses to evoke specific emotions in your story A little about me: Hi there. I’m Kymberlee. As a Speaking Strategist and founder of Storytelling School, I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 500 speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs worldwide for over a decade. No matter if those folks were getting ready to take the TED or TEDx stage or preparing for a high-stakes presentation with everything on the line, my specialty is High Stakes Short Form Communication. I’ve seen what works when influencing change and what doesn’t. It turns out storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal. That’s why I’m building a movement of master storytellers to affect change in the world on a global scale to help people tell real stories that have influence and impact. With effective storytelling, you change people’s lives. Since competition for potential client attention is fierce, a story can make the difference between being memorable or irrelevant. You’ll find me sharing my matcha tea mishap to discuss perfectionism, my quest for Bruce Lee and Hello Kitty art to explore kindness, or the six months of live blade training I underwent to illustrate presence. I spend my days showing the power of using stories to help cement ideas and bring lessons to life and teaching my clients to do the same. If you think business owners can’t tell stories or don’t have stories to share with their clients, staff, donors, followers, or investors, I invite you to reconsider your perspective. There’s no better place than in business to tell your stories so audiences, no matter how big or small, can understand how you think and what you value. Now it’s your turn... If you’re ready to become a master storyteller and effect change in our world, you’ve come to the right place. Links and Resources: Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram

I’m in high demand as a high school softball pitcher. Colleges want to recruit me like crazy to come play for their school. The all-expense-paid recruiting trips begin. There’s one to a college with snow on the ground which appeals to me because I’m a snow skier, too. There’s another college where the coaches are amazing, and another one with an unstoppable team. Then I get an invitation from a college coach I’m not familiar with. I’m a Southern California girl thinking of sticking close to home on the West Coast, and this school is a little far away. Yet since these recruiting trips consist of people wining and dining you - so to speak - for a couple of days, I figured there’s no harm in at least going out there for a visit. I’m thinking, “I’ve never been to the islands, so it’s fine. It’ll be a fun weekend.” When the plane lands and I get off, though, my body is tingling. I love the smell of the air, the flowers, the palm trees and the ocean, and right then and there, I decide, “Yes, I’m ready to sign and I’m going to the University of Hawaii.” Plot twist!  I was going in one direction, playing it safe. Then I had this opportunity to step out in another direction. I knew nobody in Hawaii and was hours (and an ocean) away from home… and I was willing to take the risk. Doing so changed my life! My guest today, Candice Michelle, has lived her own life full of plot twists. And in this episode, she talks about the many facets of her story including acting out a story live in front of 100,000+ people, a lesson learned from pro wrestler Ric Flair, and more! Plus, she’ll answer questions such as: How does listening to your gut drastically affect or change the course of your life story? How does the professional wrestling world create stories and characters for its audience? And why does winning a WWE title mean so much, even in an industry like sports entertainment where the ending to the story is planned? What you will learn in this episode: How your intuition can throw plot twists into your story How the philosophy of wrestling matches resembles storytelling Why struggles are the best story gifts Who is Candice Michelle? Candice Michelle had to overcome the odds even before she was born. Due to complications from her father’s health, her mother’s doctors urged her to abort her pregnancy. But her mom braved the pregnancy anyway and gave birth to a healthy baby girl who grew up in Milwaukee as a Green Bay Packers fan. At 18, Candice Michelle followed her heart and moved to Hollywood to pursue modeling. She became a WWE Diva Search Contestant, was the first to win the wrestling organization’s Women’s Championship title, and even got to pose on the cover of Playboy. She also went on to become a WWE 24/7 Champion. You might have seen her in Super Bowl commercials every year, too, as the GoDaddy Girl. An injury ended Candice Michelle’s wrestling career, but it wasn’t the end of her championship reign. Now happily married for 20 years and a mother to three beautiful girls, she’s a champ coach who lives, eats, and trains 24/7 and focuses on helping others through crises and regaining their joy. Links and Resources: Candice Michelle @mrs_candice_michelle on Instagram Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

I’m preparing to teach my Mastermind class about being a premium brand. But there’s one issue: I’m tired of using the same old Apple, Ritz Carlton, Mercedes types of examples… As I’m sipping on my homemade matcha latte, it hits me. I have the answer right in the palm of my hand!  I remember being out of matcha and scouring the Internet looking at one site after another to find one that stands out. As I land on a particular matcha website, I see it has a STORY around the product. As I continue reading, I learn about matcha: all the different varieties, where a particular grade of matcha comes from, and the actual people who grow it. I’m hooked and I purchase it. When it arrives on my doorstep, I realize that everything about this experience is different. Right from the get-go, I’m unboxing this very carefully, noticing the beautifully tissue-wrapped product, and the invoice even has a handwritten thank you note on it. I can’t remember the last time a company hand wrote a thank you note on their invoice. This kind of detail, service, and interaction really illustrate what premium brand experiences are made of! Premium brands aren’t just selling products; they’re truly selling an experience. And this particular one changed my relationship with matcha forever. If you’ve listened to my show for a while, you know I can’t live without my matcha latte. So it should be no surprise that I’d eventually bring a matcha expert onto the show. This week, I talk with Eric Gower, the founder of the very company I just described, Breakaway Matcha!  Eric and his matcha business have certainly made me a customer for life! In this episode, he discusses how story infiltrates everything he does in his business and takes us on a deep dive into matcha tea. If you’re curious to know: What is matcha? How does it affect your external and internal story? And what about storytelling makes it one of the most effective things you can do for sales? Then tune in as Eric talks about how his introduction to matcha has influenced his life story, explains how metaphors helped him finally understand Bitcoin, demonstrates how he uses storytelling to sell matcha tea, and so much more! What you will learn in this episode: How metaphor makes the message of your story go deeper What two storytelling factors in sales provide the basis for repeat customers How all-around trust serves you in telling an effective story Who is Eric? Eric Gower is an author, editor, private chef, cooking teacher, and the founder of Breakaway Matcha. He developed an obsession with extreme-grade matcha while living and working in Japan for 16 years. He thought it should be much easier for people to find. A decade later, his determination paid off as he opened the doors to his company. The main goal of Breakaway Matcha is making great matcha accessible to anyone. Eric has formed close relationships with those in Japan who cultivate and process it. The company specializes in sourcing exceptional matcha, blending and distributing it worldwide, and educating consumers and food service professionals on matcha preparation and service. In addition, he works with local ceramicists and artists to create beautifully-designed, special teaware that brings the best out of matcha and enhances its enjoyment. So if you’re looking for a transcendent matcha experience, Breakaway Matcha stops at nothing to keep you as happy and healthy as possible! You can access it along with ceramics and other teaware through Eric’s website. Links and Resources: Breakaway Matcha @breakawaymatcha on Instagram Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

It’s showtime. I’m wickedly nervous as I prepare to deliver my monologue in my very first acting class. I’ve been rehearsing relentlessly and memorizing my script so that I don’t forget any of my character’s dialogue. I begin. And not two minutes into it, my teacher Peter stops me.  What he says next changes me--not just as an actor, but as a speaker, storyteller, and communicator. He tells me, “Kymberlee, I want you to live in the line you are in. Don’t worry about what’s going to happen. Good acting is when you risk losing the next line.” Whoa. What if we all lived in the line we’re in during conversations with loved ones at home or associates in everyday life? As a voiceover artist and actress, my special guest this week, Kate Marley, does this in spades. And in this episode, she’s here to talk all about it and answer questions like: What can anyone bring into a story character to give it life? How powerfully do shared stories affect you emotionally, both inside and outside of a community? What you will learn in this episode: Why purpose is such an essential storytelling element How story and art help you reconnect to your authentic self How shared stories shift previously-stuck perspectives and help others Who is Kate? Kate Marley is a full-time artist in visual art, acting, and photography in Los Angeles, California. She graduated and obtained her degree from Ithaca College’s Musical Theatre program and is a proud member of the Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Despite her musical days feeling far away, she still has a lifelong goal of telling stories and communicating with various audiences in her current fields of work. Currently, Kate spends most of her time acting and directing in voiceover and selling her artwork locally, always meeting new people and sharing new stories in the process. You can connect with her and find her work through her websites, Kate Marley and Jungmisul. Links and Resources: Kate Marley Jungmisul Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

I’m at The Groundlings Theatre for an Improv class. We’re doing two-person scenes when our instructor says it’s time for a drill. “This next exercise is a way to go deeper into your characters, fast.” For each pair, he instructs one person to start with a mundane statement about the other. The second person repeats the statement and adds something about what it means. Then it goes back to the first person to repeat the added-on part of the statement and add something else about what that means. Kymberlee: Carl, you look lonely standing here by the punchbowl all by yourself. Carl: I look lonely standing here by the punchbowl all by myself, and what that means is I’m not very good at social events. K: You’re not very good at social events, and what that means is you prefer to have fun where you don’t have to talk to people. C: I prefer to have fun where I don’t have to talk to people, and what that means is I’m really into gaming. And so on it goes, until the instructor says, “Scene!” to end the exercise. That simple made-up scene gives us lots of information about our characters in only a couple of sentences. In our world, we as communicators have so much we want to share. But sometimes we get stuck in expressing the meat of it in a way that resonates with our audience. When you tap into your feelings, you get to the heart of your story faster! My guest today, Jane Lui, knows all about storytelling in a variety of ways. She does it through singing, composing, acting, producing, and so much more. In this episode, she talks about how she brings stories to life through her work with emotion leading the way and answers questions like: In what ways can you start to build your story if you’re stuck? And how can you make your story more interesting for your audience? What you will learn in this episode: What really lies behind the magic of storytelling How you can structure your story to get people’s attention How you can bring out the layers and multiple facets of your story Who is Jane? Jane Lui is a singer, songwriter, composer, and actress who goes by the stage name Surrija (sur-rye-ya). Originally from Hong Kong, she grew up playing piano. She immigrated to the Bay area and started listening to everything from 1930s oldies to 1990s Bjork. After obtaining her Bachelor of Music in Choral Conducting, Jane released three albums on Youtube that gained a strong following. Then she evolved into her self-titled concept album SURRIJA based on Picasso’s lovers and demonstrated her own growth as both a woman and musician, from classical training to electro-pop artistry. The album, which received a 2021 Best Pop Album nomination at the San Diego Music Awards, features drummer Matt Chamberlain who has also worked with artists such as David Bowie and Fiona Apple. In addition to Chamberlain, Jane also collaborated with Kate Earl, Melissa Polinar, Son Lux, Tom Brousseau, Vienna Teng, and more. Currently, she’s a cast member and co-music director of Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band. She also composed for the theater productions All’s Well That Ends Well and Secret in the Wings. Links and Resources: SURRIJA @janelui on Twitter @surrija on Instagram @surrija on Facebook Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

I’m about to deliver a Talk, and I want to open it with a really good story I remembered from a couple of months ago. The problem is I can’t find it anywhere! I look at my whiteboard, thinking, “Surely, I scribbled a little message about it somewhere there.” Nope.  I search my notebooks. Zip. I sort through my stacks of sticky notes, and still nothing. After spending over two hours hunting for this story, I decide, “That’s it! From now on, I’m putting all my stories in one spot, once and for all!” So I create a story arsenal where I can find all of my stories and never run out of ideas. Today, that arsenal is one of my most valuable business assets. How did I do it? Find out in this episode of the “So You Think You Want To Become a Storyteller” master series as I also answer questions such as: Why do you need a story arsenal? How do you use it? When do you add to it? And how do you keep it organized? What you will learn in this episode: How to record story ideas in your arsenal How to organize story ideas to find them as you need them What to do when you can’t immediately record a story idea in your arsenal A little about me: Hi there. I’m Kymberlee. As a Speaking Strategist and founder of Storytelling School, I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 500 speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs worldwide for over a decade. No matter if those folks were getting ready to take the TED or TEDx stage or preparing for a high-stakes presentation with everything on the line, my specialty is High Stakes Short Form Communication. I’ve seen what works when influencing change and what doesn’t. It turns out storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal. That’s why I’m building a movement of master storytellers to affect change in the world on a global scale to help people tell real stories that have influence and impact. With effective storytelling, you change people’s lives. Since competition for potential client attention is fierce, a story can make the difference between being memorable or irrelevant. You’ll find me sharing my matcha tea mishap to discuss perfectionism, my quest for Bruce Lee and Hello Kitty art to explore kindness, or the six months of live blade training I underwent to illustrate presence. I spend my days showing the power of using stories to help cement ideas and bring lessons to life and teaching my clients to do the same. If you think business owners can’t tell stories or don’t have stories to share with their clients, staff, donors, followers, or investors, I invite you to reconsider your perspective. There’s no better place than in business to tell your stories so audiences, no matter how big or small, can understand how you think and what you value. Now it’s your turn... If you’re ready to become a master storyteller and effect change in our world, you’ve come to the right place. Links and Resources: Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram

I’m running my software company in 2015 when this email comes in. As we open it, we’re beside ourselves with excitement because it represents the opportunity of a lifetime. We’ve been selected as one of the very few technology companies to present at the DEMO conference. I eagerly read the details, including how much time presenters have to speak. I’m looking for our company’s name, and I don’t see us among the slots for the 20-minute presentations… nor the 5-minute ones... nor the 3-minute ones. I get down to the 1-minute presentations and see us listed there.  Cue the freaking out.  We only have 60 seconds to get on stage and talk about our entire software company and everything we do to a roomful of the most influential people in the world! So what do we do? Something completely different of course.  My co-founder Mark and I get on stage and ask everybody in the audience to stand up. Then one by one, we ask for anyone belonging to certain groups of people to sit down until eventually only the investors in the room are left standing. Making a joke about how they’re the ones everyone else in the room wants to most meet, we quickly explain that that’s how our software works. It takes complex bits of data and narrows it down to the five people you need to meet. Our 1-minute presentation was a huge success! It opened so many doors afterward. And it happened because we chose to create an experience for our audience that built a relationship. My special guest today, Neal Bloom, knows all about relationship-building from both the entrepreneurial perspective and the investor perspective. In today’s show, he talks about story as it relates to the work he does and answers questions like: What deeper levels of connection can change the trajectory of your life or business? What money stories impact entrepreneurs when it comes to the investor industry (and vice versa)? And how does telling your story open up new avenues or doors of opportunity for you and others? What you will learn in this episode: How connections can be a life or business story game changer What makes for a great story in your business pitch How story pivots can make you more backable as an entrepreneur Who is Neal? Neal Bloom used to think he’d go into one of the family businesses. Instead, he graduated with an engineering undergraduate degree and worked on NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Since then, he’s obtained his M.B.A. with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and marketing. Neal co-founded a company to help new graduates visually brand themselves using their existing classwork as work experience. After selling the company in 2019, he went on to build Interlock Capital, an investment community of domain expert operators to close the gap between capital and subject matter experts. Now, Neal serves as the Managing Partner of the venture capital firm, in addition to being CEO of communication firm Rising Tide Partners. Additionally, Neal has launched multiple companies in the education technology and talent technology space, invested in over 50 startup technology companies, amplified the story of governments to help attract innovative businesses to their city, and mentored hundreds of founders to leap into or keep building quality businesses. Links and Resources: Rising Tide Partners Interlock Capital @NealBloom on Twitter Neal Bloom on LinkedIn Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

It's 2014. As the year draws to a close, all of my friends come up with their New Year’s resolutions, ranging from dropping bad habits to losing weight. But while I create my list of resolutions on the eve of the new year, I realize it isn’t going to work. Sure, I write them out every year with the best intentions in mind, but I forget some of them by February and even blow by others in January. At the end of the year, when reflecting back, it’s the goals I haven’t reached that make me feel like I’m failing. Walking on the beach that morning with my matcha latte, I wonder, “What if there were a new way to set intentions for the year ahead? What if those intentions actually made a significant difference in our lives?”  Then it hits me. Instead of doing the usual thing, I’m going to give the upcoming year a short, memorable, spicy name. I’m going to name my year based on who I want to become, not who I am today.  No more lists, no more forgetting, no more failing. I will live into what I’ve named my year with every decision I make and every action I take. What happens as a result? Everything. Outcomes change based on what I name my year, and it has such a profound effect on me that I start teaching others to do it and have incredible transformations of their own. Now it’s your turn! In this short but very special episode, I talk about changing your year (and your life) with one, simple word or phrase and demonstrate why it works better than your typical New Year’s resolution. What you will learn in this episode: How to create a new story of yourself and your life by naming your year Why you shouldn’t keep this new story of yours a secret from others How to check in daily to ensure your story stays on track throughout the year A little about me: Hi there. I’m Kymberlee. As a Speaking Strategist and founder of Storytelling School, I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 500 speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs worldwide for over a decade. No matter if those folks were getting ready to take the TED or TEDx stage or preparing for a high-stakes presentation with everything on the line, my specialty is High Stakes Short Form Communication. I’ve seen what works when influencing change and what doesn’t. It turns out storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal. That’s why I’m building a movement of master storytellers to affect change in the world on a global scale to help people tell real stories that have influence and impact. With effective storytelling, you change people’s lives. Since competition for potential client attention is fierce, a story can make the difference between being memorable or irrelevant. You’ll find me sharing my matcha tea mishap to discuss perfectionism, my quest for Bruce Lee and Hello Kitty art to explore kindness, or the six months of live blade training I underwent to illustrate presence. I spend my days showing the power of using stories to help cement ideas and bring lessons to life and teaching my clients to do the same. If you think business owners can’t tell stories or don’t have stories to share with their clients, staff, donors, followers, or investors, I invite you to reconsider your perspective. There’s no better place than in business to tell your stories so audiences, no matter how big or small, can understand how you think and what you value. Now it’s your turn... If you’re ready to become a master storyteller and effect change in our world, you’ve come to the right place. Links and Resources: Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram

As a 14-year-old, I’d rather do a million other things than clean. So I’m not happy when my dad tells me, “Our renters just moved out, so it’s time to clean the house before the new renters move in.” He notices the look on my face and says, “When I moved to California after high school, I put a down payment on a rental house that turned into two houses, then three houses, and many more. One day, you’ll appreciate these rental houses because making smart choices with your money today will result in financial freedom tomorrow.” Fast forward to today, and Dad was right. The financial choices we make now do impact our future selves, something my special guest today also knows very well. Dylan Bain focuses his life’s work on the stories that happen as a result of the financial choices we make. In this episode, he tells us all about it. So if you’re curious to know: How can you tell the difference between you writing your money story and the story writing you? How can money stories from your childhood impact you as an adult, even if you have very different financial circumstances? How do you unpack the emotional charge from your financial story to get different results? And why does storytelling garner success or breakthroughs when you do it in your line of work? Then tune in as we touch on the emotional factor of money, other life area stories resembling your money story, the power of storytelling in your profession, and navigating (possibly opposite) money stories between couples. Along the way, Dylan shares stories about a pair of rotting shoes, generational food culture, a bored CFO, a fraudulent principal, an uncomfortable wife, and how all that can have an impact on your money story or the stories you tell others. What you will learn in this episode: Why your money story doesn’t actually start with you How to adopt a different money story to replace the old one Why you should think again if you think storytelling won’t work in your profession Who is Dylan? Dylan Bain is a financial coach who specializes in helping others rewrite their money stories. His own journey began eight years ago when he left his job teaching math to pursue an accounting career in grad school while raising his family. Wanting to leave his former life of welfare and multiple jobs behind, he rewrote the script of his life and found peace in financial security. He discovered others wanted to follow a similar path, too, so he began coaching in earnest. Since Dylan quit his math teacher job, he’s gone from food stamps to financial sovereignty. He believes that people view money, at its core, with fear and mystery when it doesn’t have to be that way. So he brings a holistic approach when it comes to financial relationships. Working through his company Fiscally Savage, he focuses on coaching clients on the emotions of money, seeing a budget as a statement of shared values, and finding ways to control their financial lives and live freely. Links and Resources: Fiscally Savage @fiscallysavage on Instagram @fiscallysavage on Facebook @fiscallysavage on Twitter Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

I’m coaching a client on her TEDx Talk and she says, “Kymberlee, I don’t know if I can get through this story I’m telling. Every single time I get to a certain part, I start crying and I can’t even stop!” Having an emotional response like that means you’re very present in your storytelling - which is what you want! So I tell her, “Try refocusing on your audience while you’re telling the story. How can you serve them?”  In other words, focus on what the audience needs and take care of them instead of focusing internally on yourself. She tries it and… it changes everything! She can share her stories with minimal tears while in service to her audience.  My special guest today, Eric Hodgdon, is all too familiar with telling hard stories. In this episode, he’s here to share his incredibly valuable perspective on that side of storytelling and answer questions like: How do you know your story is the right one to tell? How can you conclude hard stories for your audience? And how can you prepare yourself to deliver a difficult story to an audience? What you will learn in this episode: How telling difficult stories can help you and others heal How to know when you’re ready to share a difficult story How to keep your story fresh and lively through repeated rehearsals Who is Eric? Eric Hodgdon is a speaker, author, and coach who knows first-hand the struggle after losing a loved one. After his 15-year-old daughter Zoi’s death to suicide in early 2014, he grew frustrated with grief support resources focused on survival as the endgame of a grief journey. So for the past 8 years, he’s made it his mission to change the way we approach grief support and coached and trained thousands of women and men on how to navigate one of the worst setbacks in life. Eric has spoken on a TEDx stage (with Kymberlee as his coach) and authored the Amazon bestselling book A Sherpa Named Zoi. Currently, he works 1-on-1 with clients to help them survive first, then get back up and ultimately live beyond the loss of their loved one. He’s most active on Instagram where he posts every week about how to move from struggle to strength in the face of loss. Links and Resources: Free Grief Support Guide A Sherpa Named Zoi by Eric Hodgdon @ericbhodgdon on Instagram @Getup8 on Facebook Free Facebook Grief Support Group: Let’s Walk Together Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook