Deb Goeschel, a communications expert and brand storyteller, has helped many small to medium-sized businesses find their voice through the concise, clear, messaging she’s created for them.

In this episode of The Starfish Storytellers, Deb shares what has been a main challenge for her clients when it comes to conveying their brand story and how she helps them flesh out their BIG WHY. She also walks us through her process for defining an ideal customer profile and why it’s REALLY important for companies to become skilled in conveying their core values in order to attract top talent.

In honor of Pride Month 2024, we were honored to hear our friend Danielle Smith’s Coming AWARE story. This UMM Research Administrator shared her journey of when she came out, how the DEI department at the university is making a difference with their inclusive programming, and how best to connect with your queer colleagues, friends, and neighbors.

We also share some resources for anyone who may need help. You can check them out here:

GLAAD: https://glaad.org/

PFLAG: https://pflag.org/

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

In our next episode of The Starfish Storytellers, we welcome Linda Frederick, an Exercise Physiologist with over 30 years of experience and a Reiki Master Healer.

We dug into healing stories and how to use mindfulness to transform your life into wellness. Using “bedtime” stories and supportive women’s stories, Linda shares some tools, tactics, modalities, and easy ideas to help our listeners achieve calming moments so they can recharge in profound ways.

To learn more about Linda and her services, visit https://lindashealingwagon.com/

Our next guest on The Starfish Storytellers is my friend Tom Libby. Tom has been a Sales VP and Business Development Executive for over 20 years with a passion for helping companies with sales management and training across many industries. He believes that sales is about solving a problem first.

In this episode, Tom shares networking success stories, how to navigate partnerships, and the importance of bringing value to every professional interaction - reminding us that building RELATIONSHIPS should always come before doing business.

“Laugh and the world laughs with you”. Or “Laughter is the best medicine”. These two sayings tout the power of humor.

There is something to be said about capturing your audience’s attention by infusing stories with humor. If it makes sense, incorporating a theme or light tone is one of the quickest ways to strike a connection with your audience.

In this episode, we welcomed our friend, Scott MacNeil, a Stand-Up Comedian and self-proclaimed one-liner, who has performed with such comedic greats as Emo Philips, Kevin Farley, and Gilbert Gottfried. We got the chance to catch up and chat about becoming a successful comedian, the different styles of comedy that deliver the best storylines, and what it takes to be funny.

Social impact storytelling and donor stories help organizations that are seeking to inspire donors while standing out to touch hearts and evoke empathy. Fundraising storytelling especially fosters connections and drives impactful contributions.

In this episode, we welcomed Mary Lyman, Director of Community Relations, and Julie Bloise, Communications and Marketing Director, from the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They shared how they leverage social impact storytelling to support this innovative medical center’s mission of improving the health of the population they serve by providing high-quality, comprehensive services.

Through storytelling, we also got the opportunity to illustrate the impact their donors make each year by highlighting their upcoming ‘Making a Difference’ Gala, a main fundraiser for this non-profit organization that serves 68,000 patients across the region.

To learn more about GLFHC, visit https://glfhc.org/

This fast-paced episode is about the many nuances of sports storytelling, through the lens of a Correspondent for the talented Boston Bruins NHL hockey team.

Our friend, Shawn Hutcheon, a correspondent of the Boston Bruins Media Program for The Fourth Period Magazine, a sports radio commentator, a member of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association, and a hockey player rep and skills coach, takes us through a day-in-the-life of a sports writer who spends many hours in the Bruins locker room and on the ice coaching future professional players.

Shawn points out how writing longer features, where he gets to expand beyond last night’s score, gives the reader a more complete picture of the how and why to an athlete’s style of play. He shares what it’s like to get up close to one’s heroes and how important it is - as a fan - to remember these players are just people too.

Having a place to share your stories, especially where you can get feedback, makes you a proficient storyteller. This can happen at live events, online in communities, or with story coaches.

In this episode, writer, storyteller, and toastmaster Peter Ash stops by to tell us all about the story communities and events he’s been a part of - such as NEST, Story Space, and Sharing the Fire - and why it’s important to join one. Each one offers the storyteller a different experience but above all, the more you tell your story to an audience, the better you are.