Are you sharing your authentic story? The story that's written on your heart? Or are you getting caught in the 'shoulds' of someone else's story?

Mark Shayler is a sustainability expert - but he’s so much more than that. A brilliant speaker, it’s his purpose to give people and the planet a voice to be heard. Mark’s someone whose sheer authenticity draws you in, and you can’t help but be inspired by him. I first came across him when he started free Qigong sessions online and I loved his honesty.

On this episode of Story Slurp podcast we talked about his own journey, how he came to be good at storytelling, and how you can do the same.

You can find out more about Mark and what he does here.

And check out his Qi Gong sessions on Instagram here.

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Lockdown was a life-changer for Michele Ferron. After losing most of her marketing clients during the pandemic, she decided to upskill her design skills. Then after an experiment involving calendars for the downstairs loo, she accidentally ended up starting her dream stationery business. Good Tuesday (formerly Once Upon a Tuesday) is now going from strength to strength as a brand, with a whole team behind it and even an endorsement from Hollywood star, Drew Barrymore!

Michele Ferron's proof that we should all pay more attention to going for our dreams...because who knows what might happen?

I loved chatting with her to find out about her journey and the stepping stones in her life, which led to Good Tuesday becoming a success.

Enjoy.

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

All change... after 63 successful episodes of Creative Slurp, it was time for a new focus.

In this new episode, find out about the journey I went on to uncover my own thread - storytelling - how you can find your own thread, and what you can expect from the new episodes of Story Slurp.

I want to inspire you to share your story and Story Slurp is designed to help you with every aspect of that - from hearing other people's stories, to listening to story experts.

We are hardwired to respond to stories, which is why learning about story is such a powerful tool for business owners.

If you want to uncover the power of storytelling, you're in the right place - enjoy.

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

You DON'T have to be on social media for your business.

Yup, I said it. I’m a marketing coach, but I don’t believe posting on social media should be a foregone conclusion for a business.

How did that make you feel?

I see so many small business owners bogged down by the obligation of making content for social media - totally burnt out by the amount of content they need to create, and then it’s not actually making a difference to the bottom line. And the reality is there are so many other ways of finding customers - many of them better - yet people still stay stuck in a kind of self-imposed social media jail without actually thinking of whether it’s adding value to their business.

The job of social media is to attract new customers to your business, to help them get to know you better and to keep you front of mind…is it doing that for you? if not, there will probably be other marketing channels and tactics that can do that better. Be open to new ways of working and give something else a go.

In my latest episode of Creative Slurp Podcast I give my views on social media:

• I explain why it’s not the be-all and end-all
• I talk about the big businesses that have already gone social free
• I show you how you can still get the benefits of social media without even having an account
• I spill the beans on two other methods of attracting customers and building your brand that I consider to be better
• I empower you to make the choice about social media that’s right for your business.

I'm not ‘anti-social media’ and yes, I do have social media accounts. But I also want to help business owners be intentional about making the best decision they can around their marketing strategy and where they spend their time.

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Meet Sue Pryke - an award-winning ceramicist at the top of her game, with more than 20 years of ceramics design under her belt.

Sue still has so much passion and excitement about her craft and business - which is a joy and an inspiration to see.

in this episode we talked about Sue’s story, the importance of teaching creativity to kids, collaborating with chefs, what it’s like to see your face in Ikea, and the power of the Great British Pottery throwdown (on which Sue was actually a judge).

Enjoy!

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Meet Roșie Greener, the founder of Good Daze jewellery - an independent brand that celebrates love, humour and positivity.

Rosie started her jewellery brand several years ago after becoming disillusioned with her job designing for a corporate company. She’s now living the dream and running her brand full-time.

in this episode of Creative Slurp podcast, she talks about her journey, the importance of market research, feeling like an imposter in business and how she made her dream collaborations happen. Rosie’s mantra is not to take things personally in business, and I think that’s brilliant advice.

I really loved her honest and practical advice around building your business, and I think it's great reassurance that there is no shortcut to success in business, you just have to keep going, and good things will follow.

I hope this episode inspires you as much as it did me, enjoy :-)

You can find out more about Rosie and her jewellery brand on her website here.

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Want to transform and improve your life, your business and EVERYTHING?

Then self-awareness is a game changer.

Since I started to learn more about myself, I found I was better equipped to create a life that I love, a life that was truly aligned with me. If you don’t truly know yourself, how can you hope to create a life and business that’s fulfilling and suited to you?

So, in this episode, I take you through three amazing tools that can help you find out more about yourself, the way you view the world, your values, your beliefs and preferences.

They are:

1. Personality profiling tools/self-awareness tools
2. Journalling - especially free writing
3. Coaching

From my experience, I’ve found that these tools are mind-glowingly effective at really helping you to know yourself better and see past the blind spots that we all have.

Find more information about these tools and how they can help you in the episode.

Some useful links from the episode:

🧃16 personalities questionnaire

🧃Values questionnaire

🧃Exploratory writing book by Alison Jones

🧃 My coaching services

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.

Introducing the amazing Luke Tonge - graphic designer and co-founder of Birmingham Design. Luke’s a self-confessed introvert, yet he’s managed to co-create a festival that’s helping to change the perception of a city - which is no mean feat.

In this episode we chat about the importance of community, defining yourself and how to be braver in your business. Enjoy!

You can find out more about Luke here.

Find out about Birmingham Design here.

Story Slurp is hosted, produced and edited by Victoria Brown.

LINKS:

• Get your Brand Story Canvas here.
• Get on the Brand Story Clarity Challenge wait list here.
• Find out how we can help you tell your story here.