Storytelling is an impactful art and a powerful tool but so many leaders misunderstand how to use it optimally. Sarah Elkins masterfully crafts narratives and is a sought-after leader, coach, and professional speaker. Sarah is the Communication & Storytelling Coach at Elkins Consulting Inc. as well as the author of Your Stories Don't Define You. How You Tell Them Will. In addition, Sarah is also the host of a podcast called Your Stories Don’t Define You. Come along for an amazing conversation laden with tips on how to tell more meaningful and inspiring stories, how to lead a happier life, and what to avoid when telling your story. 

Takeaways: 

• Your stories don’t need to be epic in order to share them. The grandiose stories are not as relatable as the most meaningful, pivotal moments in your life. 

Quote of the Show:

• “If you want to connect with people, they need to know what matters to you” - Sarah Elkins

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesmileisfree/  

Shout Outs:

• StrengthsFinder

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

The Impactful Leadership Show is sponsored by the DC Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Learn more at https://www.eodcnetwork.org/home 

The Impactful Leadership Show is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/ 

There are so many popular misconceptions about leadership and this episode is all about smashing them. Jim Arnold is a dynamic, forward-thinking leader and is the Senior Partner at Deliver Strategies. Jim discusses 3 myths that leaders need to steer clear of, the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership, and why you should never assume!

Takeaways: 

• A leader is not infallible! Avoid using a fingerpointing mentality when mistakes occur. Mistakes will happen and it’s important to learn whether they are from human error or a process problem that needs to be fixed. 

Quote of the Show:

• “Empathy and treating people right is way more important than having the right answer” - Jim Arnold

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiarnold/  

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

You aren’t born as a leader, so to become a leader and grow as a leader, you need to reinvest in yourself! Kris Kluver is the Founder of Life On Your Terms and the author of The Aspiring Solopreneur and A Fable - Life On Your Terms. Kris is also the founder and principal of Entrepreneurial Advisors. Kris started his first of 14 companies at age 19 and his entrepreneurial has blossomed from there. You’ll learn about building confidence as a leader, protecting your time, and how to start leading a more balanced life.

Takeaways: 

• As a leader, you don’t have to know everything! You need to have the confidence and vulnerability to say that you don’t know and work with your team to figure out a solution.

Quote of the Show:

• “When you start looking at your life on a holistic level, the success levels start to expand exponentially” - Kris Kluver

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kriskluver/ 

Shout Outs:

• The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

The universe is pretty big and your next steps in life through the cosmos can be hard to identify, let alone take. Thankfully Jen Mazer is here to offer some guidance. Jen is the Founder & CEO of Queen of Manifestation LLC, CoFounder of Sparked, and Author of Manifesting Made Easy. Jen is also a highly sought-after transformational speaker and coach. Get ready to learn how the way you show up impacts others, what to do with your next crazy idea, and who to surround yourself with in order to grow and learn.

Takeaways: 

• We are all leaders, whether we realize it or not! We have agency and in every moment, we can impact the outcome of our lives and our situations.

Quote of the Show:

• “You wouldn't have this idea if you couldn't actually live it out” - Jen Mazer

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenMazer 

Shout Outs:

• Fantastic Fungi - Documentary

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

The Impactful Leadership Show is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Entrepreneurs need to realize that expressing and understanding emotions are important for leading their business successfully. LaShondra Mercurius worked in the corporate staffing world for over 18 before founding JLM Strategic Talent Partners. Now, her company is included in the Inc. 5000, and LaShondra has become an outspoken thought leader in the industry and at large. In this episode, LaShondra details how leadership and emotions and deeply intertwined, why you need to set the right example for your team, and how to grow your company through specializing.  

Takeaways:

• If you eliminate emotion from business, you miss out on the opportunity to really feel into where it is that you want to go as a leader and how you want to guide those that are following you. You need to be able to express and understand your emotions.

Quote of the Show:

• “Leadership is about how you make people feel” - LaShondra Mercurius

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lashondra-mercurius/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

Happiness and a well-rounded life are not destinations but journeys you travel along during your life. This week’s guest, Sandee Sgarlata is known as America’s Happiness Coach and the author of Happiness Solved: Climbing One Hundred Steps, and the host of the Happiness Solved Podcast. Sandee delves into the role that emotional intelligence plays in leadership, what you can do to develop your emotional intelligence, and what goes into living a well-rounded, happy life.

Takeaways:

• When people are promoted to a leadership position, the organization needs to provide them with some kind of leadership training because not everyone is a natural leader. However, with the right training, they can become great leaders.

Quote of the Show:

• “In order to grow, you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. We only grow in every way by pushing ourselves into being uncomfortable” - Sandee Sgarlata

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandee-sgarlata-addison-177a255/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

Your company needs a process for testing out new ideas and solutions. Neil Shah knows all about designing experiments and is involved in venture capital investing while also serving as the CEO of ThinkNimble. Neil shares insights on the nature of leadership, how entrepreneurs need to think about experiments in their companies, and how to set your company apart when raising capital.

Takeaways:

• Leadership is not an exact science. Leadership is a series of one-on-one connections between individuals that scale. It is more nuanced and interpersonal than simply defining processes and building structures.

Quote of the Show:

• “Leadership is just a series of connections between individual people. It's one-on-one relationships that kind of scale” - Neil Shah

Links:

• Email: [email protected]

Shout Outs:

• Nick Milo - Linking Your Thinking: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC85D7ERwhke7wVqskV_DZUA

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

Start increasing your team’s effectiveness by understanding the challenges of your employees better and looking after yourself. Dr. Towanna Burrous is a bestselling author, ICF Professional Certified Coach, and Founder and President of CoachDiversity Institute. You’ll hear about setting restrictions for your work, using your strategic plan to create better predictions for your company, and why leaders need to express greater empathy to their team.

Takeaways:

• Leaders are not inanimate objects. They think and feel just like every other employee and require the same amount of support and care as everyone else.

Quote of the Show:

• “Leaders are employees too” - Towanna Burrous

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/towannaburrous/

Shout Outs:

• Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

Discover the kind of ship that you are leading and whether that fits your employees and customers. Bruno’s entrepreneurial journey began in France and at the age of 16, he started offering to create websites for local companies. From these early experiences, Bruno learned skills, like resilience and perseverance, that have stuck with him to this day. You’ll learn about the different kinds of leaders that you can be, where leadership comes from, and why listening to your employees is so important. 

Takeaways:

• When thinking about leadership, you need to think about what kind of ship you want to lead. Is it a galley with many people working diligently or perhaps a cruise ship where everyone is happy to be there? Which ship do your customers and employees prefer?

Quote of the Show:

• “Learn everything, it doesn't matter what it is” - Bruno Muscolino

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brunomuscolino/

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787

Start using the best practices of great leaders to actually behave like a servant leader! Who better to learn from than Andrea Vieira, the co-founder of NailSaloon, with a unique entrepreneurial journey that started out for 20 years thriving in the media industry. You’ll hear Andrea’s unique insights on developing your team, engaging with both satisfied and unsatisfied customers, and establishing and nurturing a culture in your company.

Takeaways: 

• Lot’s of people think that the person at the top of an organization does not have a boss, when in fact they have many, many bosses. These “bosses” include that person’s team, clients and community. The leader has to stay accountable to all of these bosses.

Quote of the Show:

• “People just want to be heard” - Andrea Vieira

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-vieira-4263005/

Shout Outs:

• Harvard Business Review 

Ways to Tune In:

• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b9436ea0-3e54-4c2d-a555-43e6ac890787