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šļø No One Is Coming to Save You | The Mindset Shift That Changed My Life In Episode 3 of STORYTIME with Lori: Lori Knew Before I Did, Iām sharing one of the hardest, but most empowering, lessons I learned in my early 20s while working straight commission sales and building my career from the ground up:⨠No one is coming to save you. This episode is about:š„ Taking ownership of your life and careerš„ Building self-discipline and resilienceš„ Why successful people stop waiting for permissionš„ Developing a growth mindset in hard seasonsš„ The mindset shift that creates confidence and momentum. If youāve been feeling stuck, overlooked, underestimated, or waiting for someone to ānoticeā your potential⦠this conversation is your reminder:š You donāt need saving. You need ownership. This episode is for anyone focused on:-Personal development-Leadership growth-Career motivation-Confidence building-Entrepreneurship mindset-Women in leadership⨠Subscribe for weekly motivation, leadership insights, and real conversations about becoming the person youāre meant to be.
What does real leadership actually look like?Not the polished version.Not the LinkedIn highlight reel.The real version.In this episode of Storytime with Lori, I sit down with a powerhouse leader from Amazon Web Services ā and we go there.We talk about:š„ What it feels like when your authority is questionedš„ How to lead without becoming rigid or ego-drivenš„ The balance between power, humility, and authenticityš„ Why bad leadership can feel like trauma (and what to do about it)š„ Raising the next generation of leaders ā at home and at workAnd one truth that hit hard:š āYour presence is non-negotiable.āIf youāve ever:
This conversation is for you.š§ Listen, reflect, and step into your space.#storytimewithlori #confidence #career growth #leadership development #authentic leadership
This episode is about evolutionāthe kind that doesnāt get applause.
After sitting on this idea and reworking it over and over again, Lori finally launches something that feels fully alignedāand shares what it took to get there.
From fear and vulnerability to clarity through action, this episode dives into what real growth actually looks like.
We also explore whatās happening with AIāhow the playing field is leveling, why adoption matters, and why presence is becoming the real competitive advantage.
Because no matter how fast things moveā¦
You still canāt outsource who you are.
ā
If something from this episode sticks with youālet it.
Thatās where the growth lives.
Storytime with Lori ā real life, real laughs, real lessons.
Lori Mayer and Dr. Sheila Volante dive into a conversation about reinvention, identity, and leadership. Sheila shares her journey from corporate success to entrepreneurship, what it means to align with your truth, and how sheās helping leaders step into the future with AI. If youāve ever wondered when to let go of the familiar to build whatās next, this episode is for you.
In Part 2 of Loriās conversation with Cass Cooper, the focus shifts from identity to execution.
After stepping into your voice and leadership identity, the next question becomes: what do you build from it?
Cass shares how she helps leaders move from chaos to clarityidentifying their unique strengths, communicating their value, and creating strategy around their personal leadership brand.
In this episode we discuss:
⢠how leaders identify their āsecret sauceā
⢠why many high performers struggle to talk about themselves
⢠executive presence and the signals leaders send in their messaging
⢠the difference between coaching, therapy, and strategic leadership development
⢠why many fears about visibility are actually āfuture-think problemsā
⢠moving from ideas to action when building a business or leadership platform
⢠how clarity around one audience, one goal, one message transforms communication
Cass also shares details about her work helping leaders develop clearer messaging through programs like Chaos to Clarity sessions and the Executive Signal Lab.
If youāre building your next chapter, whether thatās a new career path, a business, or a stronger leadership presence, this episode offers insight and practical perspective.
Storytime with Lori is a podcast about leadership, personal growth, and the real conversations that help people keep becoming.
Well⦠this conversation got real. šļøāØ
Kicking off Part 1 of a two-part series with Cass Cooper on Storytime with Lori, and let me just say⦠this one goes deeper than your typical leadership chat.
Cass is someone who can walk into chaos, listen to it, translate it, and somehow help everyone else find clarity. (A gift, honestly.) š§ āØ
We talk about:
⢠identity and stepping fully into who you are š«
⢠what leadership actually looks like when life is messy
⢠motherhood, boundaries, and building chosen community š¤
⢠and why hiring a single mom might be the smartest project management decision youāll ever make š
There are some moments in here that made me laugh, pause, and go āyep⦠thatās the truth.ā
Part 1 is live now. š„
Part 2 drops tomorrow where we get into how Cass turned all of this into her business and the work sheās building.
Watch here š
#StorytimeWithLori #Leadership #KnowBetterDoBetter #WomenInLeadership #ExecutivePresence #PodcastLaunch
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Storytime with Lori, Lori sits down with communications and organizational change leader Cass Cooper to talk about identity, leadership, and navigating chaos with clarity.
Cass has spent more than 15 years helping senior leaders and global organizations communicate through complex change. But this episode goes deeper than professional strategy. It explores the human side of leadership, identity, belonging, community, and learning to trust yourself.
In this episode, we talk about:
⢠Cassās journey from theater kid to executive communications leader
⢠how stage presence translates into leadership presence
⢠motherhood, empathy, and the leadership skills that often get overlooked
⢠building community and chosen family
⢠navigating difficult family dynamics while staying authentic
⢠why trusting your instincts is one of the most powerful leadership tools
⢠mentorship, networking, and the power of shooting your shot
This conversation is about more than career success. Itās about learning how to lead with authenticity while navigating complexity in both work and life.
If youāre interested in leadership development, executive presence, personal growth, and authentic leadership, this episode will resonate.
This is Storytime with Lori, real life, real laughs, real lessons.
š Welcome to Storytime with Lori.
In this launch episode, I sit down with Jessica Reece, Sophos Channel leader and one of the most quietly powerful women in the industry.
This isnāt a conversation about titles.
Itās about how you lead when the room rewards ego.
Itās about authenticity as strategy.
Itās about influence without intimidation.
And itās about building a meaningful career while holding a full, real life outside of it. š„
Jessica shares what it really means to:
⨠Lead without hardening
⨠Stay genuine in competitive environments
⨠Champion others without losing yourself
⨠Balance ambition with emotional intelligence
If youāve ever wondered whether you can rise without becoming someone youāre not ā this conversation is for you.
This is Storytime with Lori.
Real life. Real laughs. Real lessons. š
š Subscribe for weekly conversations about leadership, identity, reinvention, and becoming.
#StorytimeWithLori #AuthenticLeadership #WomenInLeadership #SoftPower #ChannelLeadership
In this episode, I sit down with TJ Woodward, spiritual leader, co-founder of Element Q, and someone who has continually reinvented himself in a world that didnāt always offer language or safety for who he was becoming.
We explore chosen family, healing, queer identity, emotional intelligence, and what it really means to trust the moment instead of performing from a script. This conversation is raw, reflective, and deeply human touching on shame, spirituality, trauma, and the courage it takes to live authentically.
This episode also marks a turning point for me and the direction of this podcast embracing vulnerability, real stories, and the reality that we donāt get to separate our personal lives from who we are in the world.
Press play if youāre ready for an honest conversation about identity, growth, and the quiet inner revolutions that shape us.
Sometimes, life teaches us the most profound lessons whenwe least expect it.
As I launch my new series,Ā STORYTIME with Lori, I am honored to have Jen Waltz as my first guest. Together, we opened up about navigating the rocky path of betrayal, loss, and the pressure of leadership all while striving to stay true to our purpose.
Jen shared how resilience isn't just about bouncing back;it's about defining your own strength amidst chaos. After facing betrayal andcaring for her father's end-of-life, she chose to lean into truth and authenticity, refusing to minimize herself for societal expectations.
Together, we realized that confidence and connection arepowerful, but trust in ourselves is everything. No matter how much the world tests us privately, our inner truth will always guide us forward.
Maybe that's the point that our greatest growth often comesthrough our deepest struggles.
Worth thinking about.
From the publisher's feed
Real people. Real stories. Real laughs. Real lessons. šļø
Welcome to Storytime with Lori, where we get past the titles, rĆ©sumĆ©s, highlight reels and perfectly polishedā¦
Hosted by Lori Mayer, tech and sales leader, storyteller, community builder, entrepreneur, single mom and LGBTQ advocate, STORYTIME with Lori brings together CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, advocates, rising leaders and beautifully complicated humans for conversations that go where most interviews don't.
We talk about leadership, career growth, women in leadership, entrepreneurship, women in tech, resilience, reinvention, personal growth, mental health, relationships, motherhood, identity, LGBTQ experiences, belonging, confidence, vulnerability, grief, recovery, second chances and starting over.
Because success isn't always a straight line.
Sometimes it's getting the promotion. Sometimes it's walking away.
It's building a company, losing everything, coming out, raising a kid, surviving grief, changing careers, finding your voice, rebuilding after failure or finally deciding you're done shrinking yourself to make everyone else comfortable.
And sometimes it's laughing at the absolute shitshow along the way.
This isn't another interview podcast filled with polished answers.
Lori wants the story underneath the story.
What happened before the success?
What did failure teach you?
What happens when the person everyone calls "strong" is barely holding it together?
How do women claim space in rooms that weren't built for them?
What does authentic leadership actually look like when nobody's watching?
How do we support the next generation coming behind us?
And what could we learn from each other if we stopped pretending we had everything figured out?
Some episodes explore leadership, business, entrepreneurship, sales,
technology and career development with executives and industry leaders.
Others dive into resilience, mental health, relationships, identity, grief, recovery, personal transformation and reinvention.
You'll hear stories from women breaking barriers, LGBTQ+ voices, founders building something from nothing, athletes chasing impossible goals, parents figuring it out in real time, young people defining success differently and people who turned their hardest chapters into something meaningful.
Different generations. Different backgrounds. Different journeys.
One microphone.
And one rule:
Tell the real story.
Because Storytime with Lori isn't about telling people how to live.
It's about creating enough room for people to tell us how they've lived and what they learned along the way.
We celebrate ambition without pretending success is effortless.
We talk about resilience without romanticizing struggle.
We talk about leadership without forgetting the humans being led.
We believe vulnerability is powerful, representation matters and sometimes the conversation we're most afraid to have is exactly the one somebody else needs to hear.
So whether you're navigating a career change, building a business, leading a team, raising humans, reinventing yourself, healing from something, chasing an outrageous dream or simply wondering what the hell comes next, pull up a chair.
You belong in this conversation.
We're not fighting for a seat at somebody else's table.
We're making the room bigger. šļø
STORYTIME with Lori Real life. Real laughs. Real lessons.