This Moved Me

Today on this "mini" moved me, we're focusing on how to give a great ask.  How to compel and inspire people to give money, get involved, join your cause, etc.  Asks are a huge part of social innovation, essential for social impact and nonprofit work - and a really difficult thing to do well.

In this episode of This Moved Me, Sara and I talk about the process -and more importantly - the responsibility - of communicating a message full of heart, intention and guidance for the people in her congregation. Sara is a walking example of someone who loves people - well, beautifully, and often. (Lucky congregation!) So it was wonderful to get her insight on how she brings that love to life as a speaker.

In this episode of This Moved Me, Joe and I talk about taking all of this skills needed as a broadcaster and how he translated it to being on stage as a keynote speaker. As a journalist and broadcaster, Joe focused on stories of impact - and over time had gathered so many powerful stories that were not just about sports - but about how we can lead better lives.

In this episode of This Moved Me, Corey and I talk about his arc towards his speaking career, which includes battling real anxiety, facing it head-on and ending up being a stand-up comedian and prolific speaker. Corey's passion is sharing the insights he's culled from thousands of interviews - all in an attempt to inspire us to be the best we can be.

Bree Noble - entrepreneur, musician, speaker, podcast host of Women of Substance - Bree and I talk about her career arc - but at the core of it is Bree's story that comes from her own struggle with Glaucoma. She shares her story because, though it's hard, it's what has helped her grow her audience, and connect with others. 

  Today on the show I am so delighted to have Michael Margolis - founder of Get Storied, author, speaker, storytelling expert who has worked with nonprofits, corporations and individuals from around the world to help them tell their stories better. Michael started out as a social entrepreneur, wanting to find solutions to social problems, and realized that storytelling was often the solution. Michael has spoken throughout the world about storytelling - authenticity - personal branding -and I am thrilled he has taken the time to join us today.

Andy Zimney - performer, improviser, speaker (and, my husband!). He is smart and funny (and tall and cute and he cooks/irons/mends things - I know, I know) - AND helpful! You see, he agreed to be my "guinea interview" several months back - but I found Andy's comments so insightful that I decided to share. (I mean, who knew that someone I've spent the last 20 years with would still intrigue me!) Please forgive the poor sound quality, as I was just getting things figured out! I hope you find it worthwhile nonetheless, because Andy's alter-ego to improv and performance is as a facilitator on organizational development–a unique pairing that brings to light some important ideas that we skimmed the surface of. (Hence the "Part One" - more to come in Part Two!)

Cathy Paper -  business owner of RockPaperStar, a company that launches authors, speakers and trainers to "rock star" status!  She is an expert at helping people develop their message, package it, and get it out into the world.

Today on the show I have with me a long-time friend of mine, Joe Beckman. Joe is a “youth motivator” - a speaker to kids, helping them live out the greatness that exists within each of them.  I’ve had the privilege of working with Joe for the last 10 years - working alongside him, coaching him, laughing with him, learning from him. He has a HUGE heart for kids, is so passionate about connecting with them and making a difference in their lives… so I’m thrilled he could join us on the show to talk about his approach as a speaker.

Kate O’Reilly - or as you may know her, Clever Kate - is a content strategist - writer, coach, blogger, vlogger, podcaster - and she consults with people to bring their messages out into the world. But the defining characteristic of Kate is her vulnerability. Her sheer ballsy - clear - and kind way in which she moves through the world is truly inspiring - and not just by me, but so many others. I was in the audience as she spoke at an event at CoCo (a co-working collaborative here in the Twin Cities), and it became very clear that there’s so much that we as speakers and performers can learn from her.

  John Noltner - photographer, writer, speaker - “curator of stories” - has shared all of these forms in his latest passion project, “A Peace of My Mind” - a project that shares people’s stories about their connection to the idea of "peace.” It is beautiful, thought-provoking, challenging, inspiring…I got to see John speak at an event for Youth Frontiers (which we’ll talk about a bit on this episode), where he shared part of his exhibit, and his approach with an audience is to be the channel through which he shares other people’s wisdom; which gave John the confidence to share it.

It's New Year's Eve!  Happy New Year! To continue the tradition of short and sweet holiday posts, here's another Mini Moved Me, this time the New Year's Eve "Round-Up" Edition. Basically, I asked everyone that I've been around for the last week or so one question: "What's one thing that's moved you in the last year?".... And I got a wide and wonderful array of voices, emotions, favorites, realities and truths:

Today I want to introduce you to a new concept - the Mini Moved Me! A mini - a smaller version of the real thing. But hopefully no less fun, entertaining, thoughtful and valuable! I thought Christmas Eve might be the perfect time to publish my first Mini Moved Me… why?  Because honestly, who has time to during the holidays to spend selfishly listening to things you love?  Hmmm, not me!  So, I wanted to make this short and sweet! Today’s episode is about authenticity. I wrote a blog post about this awhile back, and wanted to share it with you here. 

  Barry Kudrowitz - speaker and professor of product design -  studies humor, creativity, and idea generation. It all started with a pooping ketchup bottle; and that little invention led Barry to study improvisors and the interplay with creativity and innovation. Whether he’s lecturing his students or keynoting for a large corporation, Barry designs the experience in the same way that improvisors design their scenes - with creativity and innovation.

  Paul Tomes - presentation guru from over in South Africa - joined me in a conversation about how we present in a conversational - and essentially human - way. Paul is an incredibly skilled presentation coach who shared several powerful stories about real transformation—sharing the very best of what we can do. Paul writes at Freshly Squeezed Presentations and works at Pitch - a firm focused on telling stories that move people.

  Christina Canters - communications coach, blogger, speaker, writer, location independent world traveler! She is a creative dynamo, boldly putting her ideas out into the world, breaking the mold and influencing people with her work. I ran across her info on a conference website where she will be speaking, and asked her if we could chat. She obviously said yes, but the funny thing is, we ended up talking less about speaking and more about creativity and influence, as she brings her next idea to the world. There’s obvious crossover with speakers, as we bring our voice and our new work out into the world - so I was thrilled she was willing to overlook the 12-hour gap between the two of us and join me for a conversation… 

Mo Perry - Actor and writer, Mo Perry has spent the last decade “submitting herself” for rejection - and sometimes success! On this episode, we talk about the courage and determination required for this line of work, and the importance of continuing to show up, day after day, to do the creative work in the hopes that something will come of it!

  Scott Voss - high school speech coach and teacher, reading specialist, comedian, writer, meaning-maker and generally awesome human. He was my speech coach way back in the day, and was formative in my approach as a coach, and my belief in myself as a speaker! Scott - along with his fellow nationally-acclaimed coaches - has developed and taught hundreds (yes, hundreds) of national speech competitors. On the show today, Scott brings his telltale humor, storytelling and wisdom that I benefitted from as a high school student, and that I am so glad to be sharing with you today.

  Erin Walsh - parenting expert, brainiac, speaker and writer - brings to the conversation today her thoughtful, humble and honest approach to how she overcome her own fear of public speaking - because she’s so passionate about sharing the message. Most importantly, Erin masterfully marries the depth and smarts of the content with the need for narrative and emotion. She herself embodies this idea, and brings herself fully to the process and art of speaking. 

 Elise Robinson - theater director, writer, blogger, teacher, and general smarty-pants - brings to the conversation her witty and joyful mix of academia and traditional theater into the context of “communication.” In true Elise form, she references Peter Brook’s concept of “deadly” and “holy” theater - and shares with us some delightful and transformative moments.  (Which happens to include several references to the charm and brilliance of Brits - and Patrick Stewart - twice.)