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b'In This Episode:\\n\\n\\n\\n* How Tell Me A Story founder Hillary Rea realized that she\\u2019d let her message get watered down* Why trying to please people who weren\\u2019t really her ideal clients contributed to losing track of her voice* The concrete steps she took to take a stand and show up more completely* What she\\u2019s still wrestling with as she deliberately speaks up in more potent and powerful ways\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\nTo quote the great Lin-Manuel Miranda:\\n\\n\\n\\nIf you stand for nothing, what will you fall for?\\n\\n\\n\\nWhether you\\u2019re a Hamilfan or not, you get the gist: you have to be clear on your values and what you believe or else you risk getting caught up in what others what you to believe or how they want you to be.\\n\\n\\n\\nThis applies in life, in politics, and\\u2014of course\\u2014in business too.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd today, more than ever, people expect businesses and their leaders to speak up, to share what they stand for, to claim what makes them different, and to tell their stories without hesitation or equivocation.\\n\\n\\n\\nSo this month, we\\u2019re looking at different ways that small business owners take a stand, show up, and speak up.\\n\\n\\n\\nSpeaking up is\\u2014for sure\\u2014one of the things that business owners must do decisively and consistently to build a stronger business.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, that doesn\\u2019t mean you have to shout.\\n\\n\\n\\nYou don\\u2019t have to plaster social media channels with your messages or barrage your potential customers with emails.\\n\\n\\n\\nIt\\u2019s more about finding your voice, being willing to show up, and creating a connection with the people you want to reach. Sometimes that happens on a very small and powerful scale\\u2014other times, it happens on a much bigger scale.\\n\\n\\n\\nWhen I talk about \\u201cspeaking up\\u201d here, what I\\u2019m not necessarily talking about is growing your audience or building a personal brand. Instead, I\\u2019m talking about the system you create that allows you to communicate clearly and effectively with the people who matter most to you.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd to go back to that line from Hamilton: it\\u2019s about taking a stand so that you don\\u2019t fall for all the suggestions of how you \\u201cshould\\u201d be presenting yourself or your message in order to get noticed.\\n\\n\\n\\nThe more you understand your own voice and your unique communication style, the more effectively you can design a system for being heard\\u2014whether that\\u2019s in your marketing, in your team communication, or in your customer communications.\\n\\n\\n\\nSo I have 4 stories for you this month: one about speaking with confidence on stage & off, one about podcasting, one about newsletters, and\\u2014today\\u2019s story\\u2014one about taking a stand and its ripple effects on a business.\\n\\n\\n\\nMy guest today is Hillary Rea, the founder of Tell Me A Story. Hillary helps entrepreneurs, leaders, and change makers identify that personal narratives that create powerful communication.\\n\\n\\n\\nNow, you might think Hillary had this whole speaking up and taking a stand thing under control.\\n\\n\\n\\nShe did, too.\\n\\n\\n\\nIn fact, in episode 226, Hillary shared how she\\u2019s found the confidence to stand on stage and share vulnerable personal experiences through storytelling.\\n\\n\\n\\nBut earlier this year, just after Covid-19 upended her business, Hillary realized she had let herself, her story, and her stand get watered down. She was trying to squeeze into a mold that she assumed other people wa...'