Storytelling School

I’m a high school freshman and I ask my Dad for lunch money. Simple request right?  That ask turns into a lesson which ends up teaching me so much and has shaped my orientation around money. I bet you’ve had someone try to instill some financial knowledge and discipline in you too, at some point in your life. However, my guest this week took childhood knowledge above and beyond most, at a young age.

Andrew Abernathey began investing at the age of 13. Thirteen! He saved up $4,000 from a $5-an-hour wage and now, at age 27, has created a company with millions of dollars in assets. (Over $100 million to be exact.) In our conversation, he shares his stories on how he got started and what he found so fascinating about investing. You’ll hear about the 3rd-grade project that helped kick things into overdrive, his biggest mistake when first starting out, the problem he sees others have with investing money, common traits of billionaires we can all emulate, and much more.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why focus is so important to your investing’s success story
• Why money diversification should come after you build wealth
• How to adopt a big-thinking attitude and limitless mindset

Who is Andrew?

Andrew Abernathey is the founder and CEO of Abernathy Holdings Co. (AHC) and began investing in a variety of public securities at the tender age of 13. Ever since getting hooked on finances, he’s held a deep interest in studying billionaires like Warren Buffet and Gary Tharaldson and their approach to investing and mindset.

He’s also had a deep interest in business that’s propelled him into other ventures. Alongside his brother, Andrew founded Abernathey Brothers Farm which has several operations in North Dakota and plants, grows, and harvests thousands of acres of small grains for open market selling. Since the launch of AHC in 2012, he’s shifted that company’s focus to invest in his family’s farming operations and develop class-A self-storage facilities around the country. From the beginning, AHC has beat market returns and grown assets to $100 million.

In addition to his business ventures, Andrew also participates in the non-profit sector. He works with Unseen to fight human trafficking worldwide and believes in the idea of donating money into a self-sustaining system that’ll, as that old saying goes, teach a man to feed himself for a lifetime.

Links and Resources:

• Andrew Abernathey
• Abernathey Holding Company
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

What if you have a personal story that’s hard to tell others? My guest today Brandy Gillmore has personal experience with this. She’s a world-renowned celebrity coach who’s made discoveries in working with the mind for healing and transformation in areas like business, health, and finances. She helps people change the trajectory of their stories.

Brandy went from living life to spending the majority of her day in pain and on morphine, lying in bed. After countless doctor visits, treatments, therapies, and more, she started delving into research to help her figure out how to heal herself. In the process, she discovered some fascinating information and she shares some of her insights today on the Storytelling School podcast.

Listen as Brandy tells the incredible story of how she recovered using her mind. She also describes the process of preparing the TEDx talk to relay her story that brought the audience listening to tears and on their feet. Through her story, she demonstrates the power of creating a deeper connection and a lasting impression with your audience.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why the placebo effect works so well
• How emotions can really affect your physical body
• How to dial in and connect with others through your story

Who is Brandy?

Brandy Gillmore is a mind/body healing coach and spiritual leader. After a couple of unfortunate accidents, she found herself in extreme pain and relegated to using a wheelchair, cane, and walker to get around. Doctor after doctor told her they couldn’t do anything for her. Treatment after treatment failed or fell through. Alternative therapies did nothing for her.

Determined not to let that be the end of it, she continued spending years researching outside of the conventional health care system. Eventually, she was able to heal herself with her mind and promised to show others how to get rapid results doing the same, even under thermal medical equipment.

Today, Brandy works with celebrities, entrepreneurs, Olympic athletes, groups, and even conventional establishments globally to share her cutting-edge discoveries. Her goal: to help make the world healthier and happier by teaching people how to use the power of their minds!

• Brandy Gillmore
• Could This Be The Missing Link to Your Health? | Brandy Gillmore | TEDxSantaBarbara
• @BrandyGillmore on Instagram
• @BrandyGillmore on Twitter
• @brandy.gillmore on Facebook
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

Sales. Interviews. Emails. Recruitment. Did you know that you can use storytelling in each of these areas to elevate business success? My guest O.P. Almaraz uses story as his strategic edge in business and so much more. We dive into not only how he does this, we also share how you can do the same thing to enhance your business.

O.P. and I explore the value of storytelling in the corporate world and by the way, if you aren’t incorporating stories into your business..yet... this is the episode for you. In addition, you’ll hear the impact of telling a vulnerable story in his TEDx Talk and we’ll take you behind the scenes of his first-ever workshop (which I helped him work on) that gave his business momentum and helped him make $16,000. If that’s not enough, you’ll hear play-by-play how one single personal story shared in one single email gained his company over $700,000 in revenue. (That’s not a typo!)

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to integrate storytelling into your business
• How repurposing stories multiplies your business success
• Why the story you tell yourself can lead to fortune or failure

Who is O.P.?

O.P. Almaraz grew up near Hollywood, but his life wasn’t exactly glamorous. His parents raised him on government cheese and food stamps. His mother encouraged her son’s dreams of a better life. But his father, a stern man, worked a hard labor job as an auto mechanic and didn’t expect his kids to rise above their economic circumstances. He even laughed when his young son expressed the idea of hiring a dealership to fix any broken car he owned instead of doing it himself.

To put it mildly, O.P. wasn’t happy about that reaction or his family’s financial situation. One day when his mother had an at-home interview for a real estate brokerage, the woman interviewing her showed up in a brand new Mercedes-Benz. That car became a symbol for O.P. Sick of being poor and mad at the world, he decided at that moment to focus relentlessly on his goal. He ran into hurdles, horror stories, and plenty of doubts from others along the way who thought he was too ambitious. He even failed his real estate exam--twice.

Nevertheless, he persisted. Today, O.P. is the founder and CEO of Allied Restoration, an insurance restoration company that assists middle and high-net-worth clients in Southern California. Experiencing the anger, pain, and humiliation of being poor and having others mock his dreams for something better became his inspiration for setting long-term goals that ended up changing his life.

• Allied Restoration
• Why what we fear can be our strongest ally | O.P. Almaraz | TEDxSantaBarbara
• @opalmaraz on Instagram
• @alliedrestoration on Instagram
• @opalmaraz on LinkedIn
• Allied Restoration on LinkedIn
• OP Almaraz on Facebook
• @alliedrestoration on Facebook
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

Imagine being in the middle of nowhere on a large ice cap in Patagonia with twelve people you don’t even know. You’re in 18 °F weather, surrounded by ice that can break at any moment, and your group hasn’t seen any other humans in days. You feel crazy to want to be here, yet it’s worth it because this quest just might change your life. Plus you’ll have a great story to tell someday...

My guest on the Storytelling School Podcast today leads expeditions exactly like the one I just described above. Jan Rutherford is a former Green Beret, speaker, leadership expert, and coach who runs Crucible wilderness expeditions for executives and veterans around the world. So why did he start running his expeditions? What common traits has he noticed in great leaders, and what does grit mean to him?

Those are just some of the discussion points we get into today. We also explore the lack of a focus on feeling in the corporate world and how that impacts business long-term, as well as tools to help you be more humble and confident as a leader. In the process, you’ll get Jan’s expertise and hear stories showcasing how to fully step into leadership by creating a new story through overcoming challenges and strengthening your self-resiliency. While you might not be stuck on the third largest ice cap in the world right now, listening to this episode might just change your life too.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why slowing down actually accelerates your success
• How to handle your vulnerability and fear in leadership roles
• Where story comes into play when balancing confidence vs humility

Who is Jan?

Jan Rutherford is a successful executive coach and keynote speaker. As someone who values overcoming challenges to increase inner resiliency and effective leadership, he built his grit as one of the youngest and smallest military recruits at a mere 114 pounds at 17 years old. He became a Special Forces soldier, then earned the distinction of becoming a Green Beret. While in the military, he served three years as a medic, then an A-Team executive leader, then finally a military intelligence officer.

During his more than 25 years of business experience, Jan has held key executive roles in sales, marketing, training, business development, product management, and as a CEO. In 2011, he founded Self-Reliant Leadership® where he focuses on assisting leaders and teams to create powerful results through developing self-reliance. His clients have taken part in his workshops and Crucible® wilderness expeditions.

Currently, Jan also teaches leadership in the United States and in Ireland as a senior instructor at the Colorado Denver University’s Business School. In addition, he co-hosts a podcast, The Leadership Podcast, and has authored the book The Littlest Green Beret.

Links and Resources:

• Self-Reliant Leadership
• The Leadership Podcast
• The Littlest Green Beret: On Self-Reliant Leadership by Jan R. Rutherford, Jr.
• Suffer Everything - Dare Everything: Why Difficulties Matter | Jan Rutherford | TEDxYoungstown
• @janrutherford on LinkedIn
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

What if you could have the kind of holiday event that guests talked about for years to come? What about creating a launch party that lands you on the cover of coveted magazines? How about planning a destination wedding so secretive that it required no-fly zones? Imagination opens up a world of impossibilities and my guest today lives her life bringing these types of fanciful stories to fruition.

Christina Matteucci is an event designer and the executive director of David Beahm Experiences where she has spent almost 20 years creating stories the world over. In addition, she is a noted speaker sharing her wisdom and unique perspective on stages from TEDx to sold out industry events. In this episode, Christina and I explore how to create stories of the future. She also shares the singular question she asks of her clients to reveal their deepest inspiration and make their event dreams come true. Listen as we dive into multiple actionable topics including celebrating what she calls your freakiness, building trust with storytelling, catering to different audiences with your stories, and more!

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to reverse-engineer stories from desired outcomes
• Why it benefits you to embrace your uniqueness
• How to curate stories to match your audience

Who is Christina?

Christina Matteucci spearheads David Beahm Experiences as the #2 person behind the celebrity event designer. She’s serving her 19th year in collaboration with David as his executive director, skillfully carrying out unimaginably complex functions worldwide. She gives credit to her theater training at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for her ability to dream up and produce splendid event experiences for clients.

As executive director, Christina encourages an innovative and deeply collaborative workplace and champions egalitarian business practices. Due to her team-building expertise, she counsels emerging professionals just starting their careers as well as CEOs who want to incorporate cooperative, harmonious cultures within their own business. In the process, she earned herself the nickname TeucciMama.

Christina has also enjoyed global speaking opportunities in the special events industry and has captivated and inspired audiences with humor and a straightforward, self-effacing approach. At TEDx in November 2019, she even shared the Bostonian stage with the First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid. Currently, you can find her on her website or on Instagram.

Links and Resources:

• Christina Matteucci
• David Beahm Experiences
• @teucchimama on Instagram
• @davidbeahm on Instagram
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

When you think of storytelling, scientific studies and analyses aren’t necessarily the first things that come to mind. So how can we capture audiences' attention when we have extensive data to present? My guest today Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is a pro at communicating the story behind scientific research that is dear to her heart. Her life’s work is in amplifying impact, and storytelling has played a huge role in her professional projects on a worldwide basis. She teases the story out of information to get people to pay attention to important causes.

In this episode, Rachel and I discuss the effectiveness of using stories for communicating issues at scale. How can story come into play when you’re looking at an issue and want to increase awareness of it to encourage change? What is one of the best ways to influence people to do something so that change actually happens? We answer all of these questions...plus, you’ll see exactly why storytelling can create ripple effects that change the world. Get ready, because we’re going deep on some important topics today!

What you will learn in this episode:

• How stories can stir action to change the world
• Why words are unnecessary to be a storyteller
• How to purposefully use story to highlight urgency

Who is Rachel?

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is a thought leader, creative writer, speaker, and former journalist who emphasizes climate and conservation, among other things, in her marketing and communications expertise. She assists in finding solutions that benefit people and the planet while still producing profit. Currently working as a communications and sustainability consultant, she intuitively understands how storytelling connects with causes to magnify impact.

As a sustainability expert, Rachel has gained recognition by appearing on The Today Show and CNN Headline News and being featured in Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the 5 Gyres Institute received a special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council under her leadership as its former Executive Director.

All of her experience has influenced her writing as well. Rachel has written for Organic Spa, Mommy Greenest, and Women’s Wear Daily and serves as an associate fiction editor at the Northwest Review. She’s also currently pursuing an MFA through the low-residency program at Pacific University.

Links and Resources:

• Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff
• @rachellincolnsarnoff on Instagram
• @rachellsarnoff on Twitter
• @RachelLincolnSarnoff on Facebook
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

JLo and John Legend. HBO and CNN. Entertainment Tonight and The Voice. What do these people, companies and shows all have in common? Dean McFlicker, that’s what! My guest on this episode of the Storytelling School Podcast is an award-winning producer and director and he has been involved with all of the above in one capacity or another. He’s here today to take us behind the curtain and dig into the world of story through the lens of brand, whether it’s a personal, a show, or a business brand.

What can you add to a story to make it even more relatable and enjoyable? Why is it so vital for the tone of the story you tell in your marketing and your business brand to match? We get into all that as well as finding inspiration for stories, re-inventing yourself into a new story, and using your environment as a prompt for storytelling. Plus, Dean reveals his five essential elements to apply to bring great stories to life.

So much goodness awaits you, so tune in and enjoy the mike drop moments (there are several in this episode!) and stories involving Minions, Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga, and even dressed-up trophies along the way.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why every business needs a story
• How to find the deeper truth to your story
• What five elements to include for great storytelling

Who is Dean?

Dean McFlicker is an award-winning producer and director responsible for productions with some of the world’s biggest stars across the music and television industries. He has produced for HBO, CNN, NBC, Entertainment Tonight, E! NewsDaily, and Good Morning America. As an NBC producer, he’s been at the head of campaigns for The Olympic Games and shows like The Golden Globes, Survivor, The Blacklist, Star Trek Enterprise, The West Wing, and more. Additionally, his resume includes producing events with Dolly Parton, directing John Legend and JLo in Super Bowl ads, and creating hit shows with Minions.

Dean has made his mark on Broadway with choreographing shows like Sha*Bang and Gypsy of the Year and producing at studios such as Studio 54, The Palladium, Universal Amphitheater, Royce Hall, and Wilshire Theater. On the stage, he’s worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Tina Turner, Prince, Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Pointer Sisters, Barry Manilow, and others on dozens of music videos, concerts, and other international events.

He’s also among Hollywood’s elite marketing experts. As NBC’s Senior Vice President of Promotional Programming, he launched countless TV shows that went on to become huge hits such as This is Us, The Biggest Loser, America’s Got Talent, Friday Night Lights, and all of the network’s live musicals.

Dean brings all of his experience and expertise to his role as a speaker and brand storytelling expert for businesses. In his problem-solving method “Producer’s Perspective”, he shares techniques from the entertainment world and translates them into practical tools for any industry in the business world. His work focuses on refining a brand’s story and finding an ideal place for the business in our fast-evolving media landscape.

Links and Resources:

• Dean McFlicker
• Listen to Dean’s TEDx talk: How to Get What You Want
• @deanmcflicker on Instagram
• @deanmcflicker on Twitter
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

“Observe with interest” is one of the nuggets of wisdom I say repeatedly thanks to my guest joining us today, Dr. Keith Witt. He teaches us that we can observe stories through an outside perspective, and when we do it with interest there are gifts just waiting for us. Dr. Witt is a licensed psychologist, teacher, author, and story practitioner who lives and breathes in story every day of his life.

He and I discuss the liberating and self-limiting stories in all our lives and the importance of feeling enchanted with whatever narrative we tell about ourselves and the world around us. You’ll hear about why transitioning from a negative to a positive story is a more complicated choice than it seems. We dig deep into the stories in our dreams and explore how dreams influence the narratives we share when we are awake plus we discuss techniques to interact with our dreams. Dr. Keith and I unpack why people can often feel resistance to telling, accepting, or sharing new stories. Get ready as Dr. Witt and I go deep in this mind-blowing episode!

What you will learn in this episode:

• How our dreams impact the stories we tell ourselves
• What it takes to shift your story permanently
• How to harness your dreams to impact your life stories

Who is Dr. Keith Witt?

Dr. Keith Witt was born in Hawaii and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles. He decided to become a psychotherapist at age 15 after going to therapy himself and realizing he was a natural at it. Since then, he’s explored and followed his instinct, becoming a licensed psychologist who’s conducted over 65,000 therapy sessions.

He’s also a nationally and internationally recognized teacher and author of several books, including Shadow Light and Loving Completely. As founder of The School of Love, Dr. Witt has given presentations and classes that explored love, therapy, relationships, and personal development from multiple perspectives, integrating many forms of psychotherapy, traditions, and even neuroscience in the process.

He has lived and worked in Santa Barbara since 1967 where he met his wife Becky six years later. Still together, they enjoy life with their two grown children, Ethan and Zoe.

Links and Resources:

• Dr. Keith Witt
• Shadow Light: Illuminations at the Edge of Darkness by Dr. Keith Witt
• Loving Completely: A Five Star Practice for Creating Great Relationships by Dr. Keith Witt
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

“Stop. Make it more interesting.” Those are the words I hear from my instructor Jennifer Bascom while pretending to sip tea on stage in a high-stakes improv class in Los Angeles. With all eyes on me, that exercise marked a turning point in my skills as a performer. And...those simple words have gone on to have a huge impact on my storytelling craft. Jen knows the art of story. She has performed comedy and improv on stage and television, she’s a playwright, and you may have seen her in a Super Bowl commercial or two. In my time with her, I’ve learned skills that will stay with me forever and she has a lifetime’s worth of knowledge to share.

In this episode, she and I spill the tea on how improv really feels in the moment for performers, translating improv skills to the speaking circuit, and bringing concepts and teachings to life in a new way through storytelling. Not only do we share impactful improv stories, we also discuss the essential ingredients for great storytelling.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why emotions can make you a better storyteller
• How to get people to connect with your stories
• What improv lesson best lends itself to effective storytelling

Who is Jen?

Jennifer Bascom is a performer, writer, and sought-after improv coach. From Los Angeles to Qatar, she has taught improv around the world working with business organizations, corporations, comedy festivals, and theater companies. But her extensive resume includes a feast of TV, commercial, stage, online, and written works.

On television, Jen has been on various programs like The Bachelor, Jimmy Kimmel, House Hunters Renovations, America’s Cutest Kids, True Beauty, and others. She’s appeared in commercials for the likes of Progressive Insurance, Fox Sports, and Healthy Choice, including Super Bowl ads for General Motors and Walmart. She also writes for and acts in the web series, RelationFix and The Greeting Card Critic.

On the stage, Jen toured with Second City Theatricals and performed on Comedy Central, at Disney’s Comedy Warehouse, SAK Comedy Lab, RI Shakespeare Company, and in the Our Life and Times Review show off-Broadway. She was part of the original cast for Presumed Murder and has participated in several workshop casts with Disney Imagineering.

In 2018, Jen received an invitation to give a TEDx talk, and the following year she became a published playwright. In a post-pandemic world, her all-female improvised Shakespeare show Shrew will hit the road. Right now, she’s writing a play for Lineage Theater Co., an original content video game with NBCU, and you can see her on U-Jokes with Jonathan Mangum and ComedySportzLA’s virtual stage.

Links and Resources:

• Jen Bascom
• Listen to Jen’s TEDx talk: Sometimes, being right is just wrong.
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook

We’ve all seen, read, or at least heard of stories about artificially intelligent life conquering humanity in sci-fi horror. Even though we doubt those fictional stories will actually come to pass, AI technology does affect our everyday lives, for better or worse.

Tyson McDowell has spent the majority of his career focusing on artificial intelligence. He started as a serial tech entrepreneur. Now, he’s a venture capitalist focused on positively merging humanity with AI-driven technology.

What is AI and what does it have to do with storytelling, from the engineer and layperson perspectives? Why do software startups and early-stage companies not have to follow current data privacy security standard levels? What role does storytelling play in both personal and professional pursuits?

In this episode, Tyson and I cover all those questions and more including, how social media affects our communication with each other and what the ideal changes are that can come to fruition in the world and affect the story we will tell. Plus, on this episode you’ll hear examples of the kind of unbeknown impact software companies can have on you as well as the effect the documentary drama The Social Dilemma had on Tyson’s TEDx talk about AI and Humanity.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why artificial intelligence can be both helpful and harmful
• How story influences personal and professional pursuits
• What changes are essential to merge humanity with AI

Who is Tyson?

Tyson McDowell is a keynote speaker, advisor, and consultant to established companies deploying artificial intelligence. He spent 20 years founding and running companies and watching as the world changed drastically due to the permeation of high-scale technology into everyday life. Inspired to increase his efforts toward impacting humanity with tech, he launched Greatscale Ventures in 2017. Through it, he’s helped accelerate early-stage tech companies serving the next generation of humanity.

But while Tyson focuses on business and technology, he also has a passion for aviation. He’s a certified private pilot with various type ratings including instrument, multi-engine, and helicopter, and serves as Vice Chairman of the San Diego Air and Space Museum. He’s even built his own commuter airplane and manages a portfolio of public and private actively flying historic aircraft. Currently, Tyson resides in San Diego, CA with his wife and daughter.

Links and Resources:

• Preserving Humanity as AI takes us over | Tyson McDowell
• Greatscale Ventures
• Follow Tyson on LinkedIn
• Storytelling School Website
• @storytellingschool on Instagram
• @storytellingSchool on Facebook