Every entrepreneur has a story. Some of it’s messy, some of it’s beautiful, and most of it’s both. In this episode, Donna Kunde and Ben Gioia talk about how to turn your mess into your message — the lessons, stumbles, and moments of clarity that become the foundation of your influence.

This is where storytelling meets service. You’ll learn the Mess-to-Success Method — a simple five-part framework for shaping your experience into a story that inspires others to take action and say “yes” to themselves.

We also talk honestly about the fears that hold people back — vulnerability, judgment, or feeling like the story isn’t “big enough.” The truth is, your story is exactly what someone else needs to hear right now.

💡 What You’ll Hear:

🔹 Why 87 percent of entrepreneurs never reach six figures — and what storytelling has to do with it.

🔹 How to become a unique expert by owning your story instead of comparing it.

🔹 The five steps of the Mess-to-Success Method — from snapshot to breakthrough.

🔹 Why empathy begins with listening — and how other people’s stories can amplify your own.

🔹 How to find the “gold” in your hard-earned wisdom and turn it into a living legacy.

🪶 Reflection for This Week:

Take a few minutes to write about a challenge you’ve overcome.

Ask yourself: Where’s the gold in that story?

What did you learn that could help someone else?

🧭 Your Next Step:

Visit InfluencersFormula.com to access resources, see the show notes, and connect with Donna Kunde and Ben Gioia.

You’ll find templates, tools, and encouragement to help you build your message and share it with confidence — one story at a time.

When we first sat down behind the microphones, we thought we were creating a simple roadmap to help entrepreneurs launch their podcasts — something called Business Podcasting Made Easy™. But as the conversations deepened, something else started to emerge: a bigger message about voice, purpose, and legacy.

This first episode marks the beginning of that journey — the one that evolved into The Influencers Formula™.

Join Donna Kunde and Ben Gioia as they talk about why your story matters, what it means to become someone worth listening to, and how your lived experience becomes the foundation for influence that lasts.

It’s part teaching, part reflection, and part real-time case study — a look at what happens when you follow your own process and let it grow into something much bigger than you first imagined.

💡 What You’ll Hear:

🔹 Why influence begins with honesty, not hype.

🔹 The power of sharing the story you’ve actually lived — not the one you think you “should” tell.

🔹 How to become someone worth listening to by walking your own talk.

🔹 Why the best systems evolve — just like this show did.

🔹 The difference between being “the expert” and being your kind of expert.

🪶 Reflection for This Week:

Ask yourself: Which part of my story does the world need right now?

You don’t have to tell it perfectly. Just start where you are.

🌍 Connect & Learn More:

To explore the full evolution — from this first radio season to the book, summit, and podcast system that followed — visit

👉 InfluencersFormula.com

You’ll find tools, workshops, and ways to connect with Donna Kunde and Ben Gioia, co-creators of The Influencers Formula™ — where Podcast Profit System™ and Influence With A Heart® come together to help you grow your message and your impact.