
Stories With Traction
The Stories With Traction Podcast was created to empower leaders to elevate their businesses through the art of strategic storytelling. By engaging clients and inspiring team members, leaders can significantly impact the world around them. Each episode offers insights into storytelling, marketing, sales, company culture, and leadership, providing practical tools to drive growth and influence positive change. Tune in to transform your approach and lead with purpose.
Latest episodes

Apr 7, 2023 • 22min
The Stories That Build Your Brand
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Michelle Griffin and Matt Zaun talk about how to build a foundational personal brand that’s fused with your company.MICHELLE GRIFFIN BIO: Michelle is an author, speaker, and coach who shows professionals how to step out and be seen as leaders in their space with her authority-focused approach.For more info, check out Michelle here.EPISODE MENTIONED: Stories on a Massive Stage with Rachel SimonMATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Mar 31, 2023 • 30min
Irresistible Sales Culture
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Lyndsay Dowd and Matt Zaun discuss how leaders can create an irresistible sales culture.LYNDSAY DOWD BIO: Lyndsay is a speaker, and coach to executive leadership teams, where she shows them how to build an irresistible sales culture that drives results.For more info, check out Lyndsay here | https://heartbeatforhire.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndsaydowdh4h/https://heartbeatforhire.com/podcastEPISODES MENTIONED DURING SHOW:Questions Save Lives with Robert Berry Yes, and…with Chris BogueMATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Mar 24, 2023 • 33min
How to Improve Customer Service
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Rocco Matteo and Matt Zaun discuss retail and the danger in companies chasing the next trend at the expense of their existing customers.ROCCO MATTEO BIO: Rocco is the managing partner of E3 Consulting, and he frequently speaks on strategic planning, “the art of retail,” and communication.For more info, check out Rocco here | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rocco-matteo-a2a91b6/https://www.e3-consulting.ca/MATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Mar 17, 2023 • 33min
Stories on a Massive Stage
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Rachel Simon and Matt Zaun talk about how to view LinkedIn like a massive stage.RACHEL SIMON BIO: Rachel is the Founder & CEO of Connect the Dots Digital, where she focuses on LinkedIn corporate strategy and how companies can utilize the platform with their employees for maximum results.For more info, check out Rachel here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/raksimon/MATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Mar 10, 2023 • 33min
How to Position Yourself as an Expert
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Deven Gillen and Matt Zaun talk about how to position yourself as an expert on social media.DEVEN GILLEN BIO: Deven is the Director of Business Development at Storyy, where they help business owners grow their personal brand and establish themselves as a trusted authority.For more info, check out Deven here |storyy.cohttps://www.instagram.com/gillendeven/MATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Mar 3, 2023 • 12min
The Same Story?!
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: This is a solo episode focused on the frequency of our stories.MATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/If you have a question, please feel free to email: matt@mattzaun.com or connect on LinkedIn and send a message.

Feb 24, 2023 • 44min
Stories of Leadership
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Terence Farrell and Matt Zaun discuss the importance of setting expectations, communication, and empathy in leadership.TERENCE FARRELL BIO: Terence served as a Chester County, PA Commissioner for 12 years; before that, he was the Recorder of Deeds for eight years. Today, he is the President of For Real Solutions, a consulting firm that brings value to its clients through leveraging Terence’s knowledge, experience, network, and creativity. Two of the major focuses for his business are on reducing healthcare costs for various organizations and mitigating loss in pension funds that occur because of fraud or other illegal activities.For more info, check out Terence here | https://www.linkedin.com/in/terence-farrell/MATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Feb 17, 2023 • 41min
Getting to #1
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Josh Rudegeair and Matt Zaun talk about the determination it took for him to get a podcast to #1 on the charts.JOSH RUDEGEAIR BIO: Josh is a marketing expert and is currently the Senior Manager of Corporate Marketing at Ascension. He successfully launched two podcasts that hit #1 in the United States (all podcasts, all categories), designed multiple billboards in Times Square, created a lead generation machine (collecting hundreds of thousands of emails), and generated multi-million dollar year growth in top-line revenue.For more info, check out Josh here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-rudegeair/MATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Feb 10, 2023 • 37min
Ignite Your Sales Power!
SHOW NOTES:SUMMARY: In this episode, Joy Rains and Matt Zaun talk about her book, Ignite Your Sales Power.JOY RAINS BIO: Joy is the author of Ignite Your Sales Power and Meditation Illuminated.For more info, check out Joy here |Joyrains.comEPISODES MENTIONED DURING CONVERSATION:Six Figure Sales Secrets Company Culture: Definition, Benefits and StrategiesMATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/

Feb 3, 2023 • 48min
Part 2 : Company Culture and Trauma
SHOW NOTES:SERIES: This podcast episode is a part of a company culture series with Ricardo Gonzalez on the Stories With Traction Podcast.SUMMARY: In this episode, Ricardo Gonzalez and Matt Zaun discuss why leaders' trauma might negatively affect their company culture. RICARDO GONZALEZ BIO: Ricardo is the Founder and CEO of Bilingual America and the author of numerous books that focus on multicultural leadership and cultural communications. He has consulted for many multinational and Fortune 500 companies. He aims to help organizations develop healthy cultural mindsets and skill sets since this drives human connection, creativity, and collaboration.For more info, check out Ricardo here:https://ricardogonzalez.comhttps://bilingualamerica.com/PAST EPISODE MENTIONED: Company Culture Statement Needed | https://storieswithtraction.buzzsprout.com/1781130/10862290-company-culture-statement-neededMATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organizations to attract more clients through the art of strategic storytelling. Matt’s past engagements have catalyzed radical sales increases for over 300 organizations that range from financial institutions to the health and wellness industry.Matt shares his expertise in persuasion with executives, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs, who he coaches on the art of influence and how to leverage this for profits and impact.For more info, check out Matt Zaun here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattzaun/