When I started LIGHTbeamers, my mission was to always bring positive, encouraging, important stories to the news feed. Using my own abilities as a journalist to do just that, I've always focused these Bright Light's spots on WOMEN....

But not today!

I'm interviewing these two wonderful men -- Cecil Stokes and his adopted son, Boone -- to share their incredible journey of hope and love.

If you need a pick-me-up-of-hope right now, their story just might do the trick.

Tune in!!

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So there's this viral challenge making its way through the social media at the moment called the 10 year challenge where you post your profile picture from 10 years ago and compare it to the one of today. Now all over the internet people are posting side by side pictures, some in which there are noticeable drastic changes in appearance while others look relatively the same. And of course, you know the point being we all age differently. We all may look different after a 10 year span while others age a little bit better and look the same.

But the point is this is a golden opportunity to sprinkle some storytelling to your audience by taking this challenge a step further. And instead of just focusing on how well you aged, focus on how much your story has changed. This is an actual exercise and story prompt. I give a lot of my storytelling students to look...

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Today I have a message for you that is so simple, but it's one that I keep chanting to myself as a mantra, so I want to share it with you and that is simply begin. Now. Once upon a time I set out on a huge goal with a group of friends to train for a 50 mile trail run. We trained over the summer and we often hit the trails of the mountains in North Carolina in the blazing heat. The training runs were always long and hard and brutal, but in the end they were worth it because we climbed for hours in that hot blazing sun all working towards that moment when we would hit the summit and take in the gorgeous views that were at the top of those mountains.


Now I use that memory whenever I'm feeling stuck or feeling fearful about taking on a new challenge because trust me, when I set out to train for a 50 mile trail run, I wasn't even a good runner. This was not...

 Listen to our daily blog-casts on Amazon. Enable our "What's Your Story" daily flash briefing and listen using your Alexa device!

I’ve got a practical tip for you — It’s so easy to do, yet too many people are overlooking it.

Take a few minutes today to look at your Social Media Profiles and ask yourself — if someone stumbled on my page not knowing anything about me, would they easily grasp who I am and what I am all about?

In other words — is your brand story clearly represented on your pages and channels.

Like it or not, these days potential clients and those looking to collaborate with you are scoping you out long before they initiate contact.

They are lurking on your channels, reading your public posts, perusing your LinkedIn profile and making pre-judged decisions about you before they’ve even talked to you.

So when they come to those profiles, and they read what you’ve highlighted in your summaries and bios, are...

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Tell me if this sounds like you…. especially when it comes to showing up and sharing pieces of your story. Maybe this is you on social media. Does any of this sound familiar?

Writes the About Me page on website and agonizes for 3 days wondering if you got it right.

Shares a vulnerable piece of your story on social media and 3 minutes later takes the post down.

Drums up the nerve again to make another post on social media and then doesn’t show up again for 3 weeks.

Attempts to do a facebook live to try to connect with audience and when nobody joins you live, you swear it was the worst idea ever and vow to never do it again.

Takes a course on storytelling to try to figure out how you can use your story in a compelling way…. but never completes the assignments because your story is too boring and you can’t...

Listen to our daily blog-casts on Amazon. Enable our "What's Your Story" daily flash briefing and listen using your Alexa device!

Yesterday we talked about how valuable getting Testimonials can be to help you tell the story of your business and the impact of the work you do.

I promised today a quick lesson on HOW to get really great testimonials from your clients and customers, so you have perfect little stories to share in your marketing.

The first step is to ASK — you have to make getting testimonials a priority and identify the avenue in which you can reach out to your clients and ask them for their valuable feedback. So asking is a big first step.

Once you ask — do you just leave it up to your clients to tell you whatever the heck they want???? NO!!!

You want to guide them by giving them a framework of questions you want them to answer.

This is key to getting really valuable feedback you can use.

Now just like the Story Formula I teach, you can use that same...

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Do you actively seek out Testimonials for your business and brand? Let’s talk about Testimonials and why you need them.

The number one reason why brand stories fall flat is because there is no human connection with the story being told.

Far too many brands today are focused on their products and services rather than the emotional benefits. Companies are too buttoned up. It's time to drop the corporate veil and start sharing stories through the lens of a human being.

People can't see themselves reflected in a story of a faceless organization.
This is why testimonials, and stories of real=life humans is so valuable to your business.

Great emotional brand storytelling must be told by real people -- and it's going to be especially effective if those people are the closest to the front lines in your business.

A customer, A passionate Employee, A...

Listen to our daily blog-casts on Amazon. Enable our "What's Your Story" daily flash briefing and listen using your Alexa device!

I want you to think for a moment the last time you cried at a commercial. I know it probably doesn’t happen that often, but when was the last time a commercial made you take a pause and you thought to yourself, “Oh man that was so good?”Now the 2nd part of my question is — did that commercial talk about the features and benefits of it’s product…. or did it tell a story?

My guess is you are over there say, “oh it told a story. for sure” You know, I say this all the time…. everybody has a story! And they do! Everybody does indeed have a story — but not everybody is actually using their story to reach out and touch people, to create a human connection that makes people remember you. Learning to tell stories to your audience is something that is so within your reach….. so if you...

Listen to our daily blog-casts on Amazon. Enable our "What's Your Story" daily flash briefing and listen using your Alexa device!

I know this happens to you. 

You go to a networking event or you meet somebody new and they ask you a very simple question, which is, “What do you do for a living?”….  and all of a sudden you feel unprepared!

It’s like what you do for a living has to fit into this tiny capsule and it seems that no matter how you answer this question. It never feels adequate and it certainly doesn't spark conversation.

These moments aren't about selling yourself. They are about peeking the Curiosity from those who are inquiring.

How can you answer that question in a way that will make that person who's asking want to know more?

The one thing you don't want to do is to answer them in a predictable way something like I sell insurance or I'm a nurse or I'm with a network marketing company and we sell...

Listen to our daily blog-casts on Amazon. Enable our "What's Your Story" daily flash briefing and listen using your Alexa device!

All this week, we’ve been talking about different foundational type stories that are ideal to share with your audience…. stories that really help you share a bit more about you, and will help you create connections with those who follow along.

The first is Your Origin Story. The 2nd is your Transformation Story.

If you’ve missed either of those flash briefings, click the links to see the transcripts Your Transformation Story, Your Origin Story. 

Today is the final installment of the Foundations of Storytelling — and it’s your Message. This is what I like to call, “what you now know for sure” story.

This is probably the most connected story you have as it relates to your business or your mission… because this is the story you are sharing on a regular basis.

When you look back on your...