What if you discovered that the real reason your sales team is missing targets isn't lack of effort or weak tactics—but your stories are sabotaging your results?

In this episode, Bernadette McClelland welcomes the Emmy Award-winning branding expert and storytelling authority, Park Howell, to blow the lid off how most leaders unintentionally widen their "influence gap" by relying on logic and features instead of emotion and narrative.

Park Howell unpacks his core story framework—the ABT (And, But, Therefore)—and shows how it can transform sales conversations, emails, pitches, and brand strategy into powerful emotional connections that move audiences to action. Hear how a simple rewrite triggered a 400% increase in campaign engagement, why technical people can be the best storytellers, and how to stop "anding" your audience to death.

Whether you're a CEO, sales leader, or entrepreneur, this episode is packed with practical tips for intentional storytelling, the neuroscience behind what truly influences, and a new way to approach AI as "artful intelligence." Plus, you'll learn what really differentiates branding powerhouses and how to tell memorable, business-changing stories—in 90 seconds or less.

Episode Overview

00:00 - Welcome, introductions, and why story is central to influence

02:22 - Park Howell's advertising background & personal story “aha” moments

05:14 - From intuitive to intentional storytelling (and why structure matters)

07:07 - The ABT framework explained and how it speaks to the buying brain

09:55 - What businesses lose by neglecting strategic storytelling

11:56 - Why people default to logic (and why it fails to create influence)

13:27 - The Amsterdam analogy: Where logic fits in your brand story

14:28 - Brand as the story people tell about you—and how to shape it

16:26 - From “winging it” to intentional narrative

18:09 - The digital marketing shift, AI, and “artful intelligence”

22:00 - Why most leaders stay stuck at “good” and not “great”

23:31 - Moments vs. epic stories—the small stories that move business

25:10 - Bernadette McClelland shares the moment behind launching The Influence Gap

27:24 - Closing the branding gap for smaller companies

30:20 - How to connect with Park Howell and access his tools

33:36 - Rapid fire questions and closing remarks