What's Your Story?

Sharon Harris, CEO and founder of the Sharon Harris Collective, shares her journey from a curious and talkative child in Louisiana to becoming a leader in the marketing and digital media industry on this episode of What's Your Story? podcast. She emphasizes the importance of community support and guidance in shaping her path and the value of embracing curiosity and taking risks at each step. Sharon walks through her experiences in investment banking, satellite radio, and digital marketing, highlighting the significance of relationships, trust, and authenticity in her work. She also shares her passion for helping others unlock their superpowers and offers insights into building a successful career.

You will learn:

• the power of following something that sparks your curiosity.
• that marketers (which we all are given our personal brand) have to continue learning new things every day.
• finding ways to keep your perspective informed by things outside of the organization helps you see things that could be easily missed remaining inside.

You can follow Sharon's story at:
LinkedIn 

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

Wrapping up Season 4 of What's Your Story? with 5 takeaways and 5 predictions based on the 45 episodes of amazing stories shared with us. This season was filled with milestones from passing 100 total episodes to the most downloads of the pod for any season. While we celebrate the end of this season, we are already at work preparing for Season 5 (kicking off in January). 

5 Takeaways

1. Your greatest obstacle can often be your greatest gift - Missy Toy Ozeas - Ep 11
2. Importance of separating scary from dangerous in your career decision making - Nathalie Walton - Ep 18
3. Make sure you have a seat at the right table - Lindrea Reynolds - Ep 26
4. Asking is your vision big enough - Bennie Fowler - Ep 32
5. Get the win on your terms - Alice Sesay Pope - Ep 42

5 Predictions

1. Being able to tell your story will no longer be a nice to have. Those that have spent the time creating their narrative to share with others will set themselves apart. 
2. Society will follow in the footsteps of many leaders and begin redefining success. The stories we read and look different in 2024 when describing someone that has become successful.
3. Related to this, we will start to see words like boss and manager decrease in usage in place for leader, coach and guide. Upcoming talent (and existing talent) is not looking to be boss’d or managed.
4. All generations will begin to adopt the portfolio career approach. It could be taking on multiple different roles at the same time or transitioning from one expertise to another in place of spending 40 years in one industry. Work will dramatically change for all of us.
5. Leaders will include their boundaries as a key component of their goals. It will define the terms with which they are comfortable winning.

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

In this episode, Jaia Thomas, a sports and entertainment attorney and advocate for diversity and representation, shares her journey and how her background led her to refine her unique ability of finding solutions to problems. She discusses her early life, career aspirations, and the influence of her community, as well as her decision to focus on sports and entertainment law. She shares the inspiration behind creating Diverse Representation and the impact it has had in increasing representation of African-American attorneys, agents, managers and publicists working in the sports and entertainment industry. Jaia also discusses the importance of self-advocacy and bringing her authentic self into her work.

You will learn:
1) the power of inspiring and connecting with others through development of your soft skills.
2) to find the sweet spot in solving problems that you are uniquely qualified to answer.
3) there is not one single finite blueprint to follow in becoming successful.

You can follow Jaia's story at:
LinkedIn / IG / Twitter / Diverse Representation LinkedIn / Diverse Representation IG

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

Valerie Rainford, a trailblazing executive and entrepreneur, shares her inspiring journey in financial services and her mission to advance diversity and inclusion. From her childhood experiences to her career achievements, Valerie emphasizes the importance of authenticity, resilience, and embracing opportunities. She discusses the impact of her upbringing on her skills and mindset, as well as the pivotal moments that shaped her career. Valerie also highlights the significance of her firm, Elloree Talent Strategies, and her commitment to making a positive impact. Through her story, Valerie encourages others to discover their purpose and unlock options so that they have freedom by never feeling stuck. 

You will learn:

1. That you often discover what you like in life by finding what you don't like.
2. Freedom is found through having multiple options and avoids the feeling of being stuck.
3. You can bring others closer to you by simply sharing what motivates you.

You can follow Valerie's story at:
LinkedIn / Instagram 

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

LaMecia Butler has collected a number of experiences in different industries throughout her journey. The consistent theme has been her ability to always go for what she wanted though. It likely is thanks to her parents encouragement for her to ask question. As she's gained more experience, she's been able to act as a bridge to help her local communities thrive.

Listen to her story to hear how she navigated having to decide if she would use her real name during her job searches to get opportunities.

You will learn:

• how to not only ask questions but develop the skills to find the answers to those questions.
• importance of finding the heart beat of an organization as you enter it.
• to only seek places where you don't have to leave parts of you at home, including your name.

You can follow LaMecia's story at:
LinkedIn

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

Alice Sesay Pope, Vice President, Global Device, Digital and Alexa Support at Amazon, has a proven track record of being successful. She has really set herself apart as she discovered how to not only win but to win on her terms. This includes using her superpower of delivering results in a way where people at all levels feel good about it. All that said, her journey has not been easy as she has sought to overcome challenges and inaccurate narratives about her skillset and capabilities. 

Listen to this episode to hear how she has remained a curious learner that continues to mature as a leader despite a wealth of experience driving transformation in larger organizations.

You will learn:

• the importance of having a foundation of confidence built by your family and community celebrating you early in life to take on the challenges of future environments where that isn't the case.
• to evaluate whether your involvement in effforts is worth it before saying yes or no in personal and professional endeavors.
• that you can get the win on your terms.

Follow more of Alice's story at:
LinkedIn

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

Rishad Tobaccowala wears multiple hats including author, speaker, teacher and advisor. With over four decades of experience helping people, teams and organizations reinvent themselves, he has a wealth of knowledge on brand building, leadership and innovation. What is most impressive isn't that he is willing to share that knowledge for free via a number of platforms BUT that he continues to be curious and learn about the evolving landscape of brands, technology and people. This discussion with him to learn about his journey is jam packed with insights that will benefit you no matter your role or tenure. 

Listen to this episode to learn how Rishad developed his superpower of reinvention.

You will learn:

• how connecting dots in new ways can be your competitive advantage.
• to expand your skillset operating as a company of one while being successful thinking about the company of others. 
• the current de-bossification of the workplace requires leaders to be able to build, make or create in order to deliver value to organizations and team members.

You can follow Rishad's story at:
Rishad's Substack / Rishad's Top 100 pieces curated

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

Dr. Joel A Brown Davis, Chief Visionary Officer of Pneumos LLC, has never been able to take things at face value and therefore kept a curious mindset as he has navigated his journey. Growing up, the world didn't seem to fit him so it led him to question almost everything around him. His path led him becoming a lawyer where he came to realize the structure of practicing law did not align with how he wanted to use his talents. He made the decision to design his life around his larger calling and to be in communities that affirmed him. And the rest has been history in the making.

Listen to his story to hear how Joel goes about doing things that he loves no matter if anyone else is there to support it or not. 

You will learn:

• When you don't have the right answers in front of you just take a step in the direction that feels right.
• That who you are should be your favorite topic and therefore you need to know who you are.
• Your talents aren't the same as your calling and seeking your calling will attract your community to you.

Follow Joel's story at:
JoelDavisBrown.com / Pneumos.com / IG / LinkedIn

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

Faisal Bhutto, SVP of Cloud and Cybersecurity at Cailan IT and Cyber Solutions,  learned at an early age that he had a lot of capacity to absorb and do things. This superpower combined with a constant desire to learn and understand to not become complacent helped set him up for a great career on the cutting edge of the tech industry. In a tech world that changes by the moment, he has navigated with both a student and an educator modes activated to provide value while not assuming he knows it all. 

Listen to Faisal's full story to learn how he has approached being an ally through being his authentic self. 

You will learn:

• to set a life standard that creates competition with yourself.
• as a leader, no work is small work.
• to enjoy the present, learn from the past and know the future is going to be better.

You can follow his story at:
LinkedIn / X (Twitter)

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory

Ana Flores, Founder & Co-CEO of #WeAllGrow Latina, grew up with the benefit of bi-cultural knowledge. It has helped her build supportive communities throughout her journey and enhance of superpower of connecting people as a bridge. While she is still working on her initial dream of working with Oprah, she has created an outsized impact for others across a number of different roles, responsibilities and organizations.

List to her story to learn how she built her intuition and view of limitless possibilities in our world. 

You will learn:

• to prioritize getting yourself in the room and providing value.
• that you can find your purpose through helping others.
• to validate and follow your intuition.  

You can follow Ana's story at:
Ana IG / #WeAllGrow IG / WeAllGrow TikTok / AmigaHood App

Follow the pod:

• IG - https://www.instagram.com/podwhatsyourstory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@podwhatsyourstory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/PodWhatsYourSto

Follow my story:

• Main site - https://www.mattestory.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattestory/
• IG - https://www.instagram.com/mattestory/
• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mattestory
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/mattestory