Using Everyday Stories to Create Compelling Podcast Content with Sara Lohse

My whole point is that you have a story and your story has value.

You just have to learn how to tell it.

Welcome to Podcast Coaching for Kingdom Entrepreneurs.

I'm Kristin Fields Chadwick, your podcast coach on this transformative podcasting journey.

Our mission, empower Kingdom entrepreneurs to confidently launch and grow podcasts, fostering a journey of being seen, being heard, being known, and making a lasting Kingdom impact.

This is podcast Coaching for Kingdom Entrepreneurs.

Your voice matters.

Hey, everybody.

Welcome back to Podcast Coaching for Kingdom Entrepreneurs.

I am your host and your podcast coach, Kristin Chadwick, and I have the lovely and funny and always entertaining Sarah Losey with me today.

Welcome to the show.

Thanks so much for having me.

I'm so excited to be here.

I always love being around you because I feel like we just laugh, or at least I just laugh because you are.

You are very entertaining.

Well, thank you.

You're setting the bar high.

Hopefully.

I'm actually entertaining today, but I.

I always love being with you, too.

Well, Sarah has an amazing story of.

Just a beautiful story of really finding her own voice in this world.

And we met at multiple events where we were talking about podcasting and podcast guesting and all of those kind of things.

But I have you on today because I think my listeners, I know my listeners, would benefit from hearing how you really came to know your own voice.

And you have this excellent resource that just came out this past year called Open this Book right here, if you can see it on our video.

The Art of Storytelling for Aspiring Thought Leaders.

And how awesome is that for all of us podcasters who are really trying to find our own footing in this genre?

So I'm super excited to talk about it, but anything else you want our audience to know?

I also, you guys, they have an amazing podcast called Branded that you should go listen to it.

It's all about podcasting and marketing and all the best philosophies around there.

And like I said, Sarah is entertaining, so you guys will walk away at least with a giggle or two and knowledge.

Anything else there?

I think that that's it.

We have to wrap the show.

That was all of it.

Well, yeah.

There's got to be more.

There's always more, for sure.

Yeah.

I run Favorite Daughter Media, so I'm always focused on storytelling and how people can find their stories and find their voice.

And I love much we have in common with the messages that we always talk about.

So I know it's going to be a lot of fun.

Yes, I know.

We are.

We are definitely in the same flow of empowering others to Use their voice to be heard and to be known.

And one thing that I love about your book is how we can go about to do that.

And it's in such a practical way of just sitting down and really understanding and knowing and being confident that you actually have a thought leadership within you.

And so can you just do like a brief overview of what your book entails other than what I just said.

My book is.

I mean, like the title says, it's the art of storytelling for aspiring thought leaders.

It's basically just a guide for figuring out what your why is, what your message is, what it is that you're trying to share with the world when you start your journey as a thought leader.

And then everyone knows that when you listen to someone speak and they're just giving facts and figures and data, you kind of zone out.

You don't remember them.

It's not.

There's no connection there because connections between people really lies within shared experiences which we get through storytelling.

So I want people to start to find the stories that they've lived and the value that lies in them.

And part of the reason I wrote the book was because so many people would tell me they don't have a story.

And I hear that as them saying that like, my story doesn't have value, my story is not worth telling.

So instead of focusing on the big life changing stories, I wanted to write a book that focused on the little stories, just the everyday experiences and the everyday.

This is what I'm going through and I'm just trying my best.

Yeah.

So it's really focusing in on those and how we can find those little moments and tell them in a way that gives value and teaches the lesson that we're trying to make.

And it has journal entries so you can start writing your own stories.

And my favorite part is that because I'm teaching you to teach with stories, I have to do what I'm saying.

So it's almost a memoir because everything is written through my own stories as well.

So it was a lot of fun to write.

Yeah, well, I love it because like I said, it's very practical and like a tangible way for us to really discover our own voice and how valuable it is.

And I love what you just said because I was going to ask what if you feel like you don't have a story and you're saying how even if you feel like maybe my life has been quote unquote uneventful or I've never really had that crazy of an experience or.

But you're saying that you do, and it's wrapped up in the everyday life moments.

I love that.

How.

So if somebody was to come to you as a podcast coach and as you are the podcast coach and they are just starting a podcast, where would you start them in?

I need to create my own framework, my own thought leadership, my own mission driven message.

How would you start with them?

Yeah, I think the first step is figuring out that why.

Everything comes back to the why, and that means the reason behind what you're doing.

Because anyone can say, oh, I want to start a podcast and I want to talk about this, but why do you want to talk about it?

And there's a really just interesting dynamic with podcasting that it's built on authenticity and vulnerability.

And if you start a podcast just to talk about something just because you want a podcast, people are going to hear that this isn't something that's really genuine.

This isn't something you're passionate about.

So when you start with figuring out, why do I want to do this?

What is the value that I'm trying to offer to others?

What is my goal?

You're going to end up starting a show that is just better because it has the heart behind it and people can hear that.

People will hear the genuine, people will hear the authenticity and they'll connect with you.

And that's what you're looking for.

You're looking for that connection.

Yeah, absolutely.

Okay, so if that person is like, well, I really do like to talk about all of the things, how do you help coach them through that?

Of like, well, I do like talking about health and I love talking about motherhood.

I like talking about coaching and I love talking about all of the things I'm passionate about.

All the things.

Sarah, how do I focus on one?

It's.

It depends on the situation.

Because sometimes I will say focus on one, and sometimes I'll say, let's incorporate all of them.

But with a podcast, when?

Because I do launches for businesses and brands to help them launch a podcast for like a marketing strategy.

And we always start with the unique listening proposition.

So with sales, people are always familiar with unique selling proposition.

What is it about your product or your service that is unique?

We want to figure that out for a podcast.

So when we're looking at unique listening proposition, we want to figure out what is the one key differentiator that is going to be woven through every episode and every conversation.

And it's kind of that promise to your listeners of this is what you're going to get when you listen to My show.

So when you figure out what that's going to be, then we could start to figure out if all of these things that we're passionate about can plug in in a way that is seamless and in a way that really makes sense.

Or if we have to start shooting hostages and not really keeping all of these things we're excited about.

Because you can be excited about something and not have a podcast about it.

Right.

But.

And there's other ways to incorporate other types of content into your marketing strategy.

So just pulling in the things that make the most sense and have the most impact is gonna come back to what is that unique listening proposition?

Okay, so the unique factor that you're bringing it to the table is.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think I.

I call it like your thumbprint of how do you show up as you like.

You and I, we're.

We both do very similar things, but we also show up very differently, which is beautiful.

And how we do that and.

Okay, so that's good.

So if somebody is.

Now we're.

We're checking along.

We've got our.

Why, we've got our unique voice proposition.

Right.

Listening proposition.

There we go.

Yes.

So then what.

How do you help them now, tangibly, in every episode, weave that in through and through with storytelling and their own framework?

Yeah, it.

It's, again, as one of those things that's kind of different for everybody, but we try to come up with a format for the show that's going to be the same for every episode.

And building in, whether it's different segments or if there's specific questions that are asked every time, is building in something that is going to keep some level of consistency.

And one of the things that I love to focus on is working with a host or whether it's a host or a guest on their stories.

Because if you lead with storytelling and you're always just telling stories, you're never going to run out of content.

You can run out of facts.

You can run out of things to talk about out of a book, because there's only so many pages.

But you cannot run out of stories.

You've lived long enough.

You've done a million things.

So looking at the storytelling aspect and figuring out which stories are going to lend themselves to the best content and the best value is always a really good place to start.

Okay, so how would somebody, like.

If you've never really started to think about.

I know your book is a great place to start to keep track of those stories, but what are some other tips and tricks that we can start to document those stories that we don't forget things that have happened or how do we know if it's going to be an applicable story.

Yeah, there's a quote that's one of my favorite quotes.

I have it actually.

It's the first in the first chapter of my book.

And it's great.

Stories happen to those who can tell them.

So I honestly feel like anything can be a great story.

You just have to know how to tell it.

Right.

So it's not necessarily figuring out.

There is an aspect of figuring out which stories to tell, but the most important thing is learning how to tell a story in general.

And it sounds weird to like say to study, but study and watch people and listen to people who are great storytellers and figure out how they do it and what, what you can emulate.

And my favorite way to do this is to watch stand up comedy.

Stand up comedians, in my opinion are the best storytellers out there.

Yeah, I totally agree because I feel like they fixate on something that maybe we like think about for a split second, but then they like really dive deep on some sort of like quirkiness of humanity.

Yeah, they, they have this power and this ability to take the most mundane everyday topics and make them really just a great story.

And that's really like, that's kind of the basis of what they have to do because they're walking into a room with like hundreds of people, sometimes thousands, and they have to get every single person in that room to connect with them.

And connection comes from shared experiences.

So how do you pare down like all of these different experiences to something that everyone in that room can connect to?

So they have to talk about the mundane, the airline food and traffic and the weather, the things that everyone has experienced.

But they have to do it in a way that's going to make a good story.

And it is purely an art form the way that they do it, especially the ones that do it really well.

Yeah, I love that, that like you, you gave like a specific example of the comedians who do that mundane storytelling to entertain, to make us laugh, to teach a point.

That's a good example.

I wonder, what would you say are some other examples of like great storytelling?

What, what are some good principles that you're like, this is when you have nailed the storytelling.

So other thing, like the other examples of people to watch are commencement address at universities.

They always are teaching some really profound point and they're doing it through talking about their experiences.

And I really love maid of honor and best man speeches.

And there's a million of them on YouTube.

And I have spent an embarrassing amount of time watching videos from weddings of people I don't know and sometimes crying.

It's fine.

I'm fine.

But they're like.

I even talk about.

So in my book, I talk about different ways to tell stories.

And one of the methods I basically call the maid of honor speech.

And it's the chronological way of kind of, this is where we are, and here's how we got here.

Yeah.

And those kind of speeches, they do it because it's.

This is basically telling your.

The whole life of your friendship with that person and what happened that led them to the altar and what role did you have in it.

And I even include the speech from my best friend's wedding in the book because it's such a great way to structure a story that really pulls everything together.

That's so good.

So good.

Yeah.

I love that of an example of just thinking, like, how would you give the best friends wedding toast?

And following that timeline.

Okay.

It's funny because when I think of this, when I.

So many of you don't know, but I was a kindergarten teacher, and I went.

I can see that.

I went to a conference for kindergarten teachers, and I went to one of the breakout rooms, and it was this guy who was amazing at storytelling, and it was all about how to capture, like, emotion, feelings, the senses, everything.

I mean, it was fascinating to watch and to listen to him.

Like, I instantly felt like I was 5 years old listening to a story from this guy who could just stand up in front of the room and tell any story right at the drop of the hat.

And I've always admired that.

But I think the I'll be vulnerable here is like, how do I get.

From my brain is so add to, like, I have 900 things that I'm like.

But I gotta mention this.

And then I forgot about that part of the story.

You know, like when you have that friend that's like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Exactly.

You're like the queen of too many details.

Yes, yes, yes.

Or you tell the joke, the punchline, like, way before it's time to do it.

Like, that's me.

That.

Hi, that's me.

So how do you.

I guess it's more practice.

Like, how do you go from say that to I want to be like that?

Where I'm engaging.

I'm capturing the hearts of people and really inviting them into that moment with me.

So is kind of where I talk about.

There's like, the four components of a really compelling story and the four things that you need in order to make a story something that people really want to listen to and not stop listening to.

And one of them is that it's unexpected.

And I like how you said, like, sometimes I like, tell the punchline too soon, because my favorite version of storytelling is leading with the punchline.

Oh, and there's, like, two different ways that I call, like, the upfront and the lead in.

The lead in is basically the chronological version.

It's here's what happened, and then this is how it ended.

But I like the upfront version where it's just, this is how it ended.

And I like it because, like you, I have adhd.

So when someone's telling me a story chronologically, I am not just following along with the point.

I am trying to beat it to the finish line.

I'm trying to guess what.

I do not read mysteries because I drive myself crazy trying to figure it out.

I can't just enjoy it.

I basically become like the one with the red yarn on the walls, trying to figure out what is going to happen before they tell me.

I can't follow a chronological story, but when you tell the ending up front, there is nowhere else to go.

You already know what's going to happen, but you want to know how it happened.

You want to know what led up to that.

So instead of having to try to race it to the end, you can just follow it along because you know where you're going.

Oh, that's so good.

Yeah.

Okay.

It's like permission to be in my natural flow anyway, but also develop it in a way that it works in that.

In that way.

Yeah.

I think that's kind of what part of, like, the point.

It's that there is no one way to tell a story.

There's no one way to engage with people, but you want the one that fits into who you are and fits into your communication style.

Because if you're trying to tell a story the way way someone else tells it, it's going to sound scripted, it's going to sound forced.

But if you're able to just adapt your communication style to a few points that make it more compelling, you're going to tell a better story.

Yeah, Yeah.

I think that just hits back into the finding your own voice and your style in how you present a story.

Okay, so I would love to get, like, real nitty gritty, because most of my people are podcasters that are listening, and if you're not, we need to talk.

But if you're listening.

You're a podcaster.

How do you incorporate the storytelling into your episodes?

Is there.

Have you seen, like, a certain flow or maybe a quote unquote formula for each episode?

Do you do multiple stories?

Do you just land on one story to prove one point?

How would you recommend that?

Yes, I.

I don't think I've ever actually answered a question with a yes or a no.

And that's kind of.

That just.

I am naturally a storyteller, so if something, if I'm asked something, I answer it with the story.

If someone says something, I relate to it with a story.

So it's not necessarily like this whole episode is going to be structured around this one story.

It's, let's start a conversation.

This is the topic.

And basically anytime a point comes up, it leads to a story.

And that sounds difficult.

Like, for me, it comes naturally, but it doesn't for everybody.

But if you simplify it down, you're making a point about something that, you know, the story can just be how you learned it or when you've used it.

And that's kind of the piece that people seem to miss often, especially with the, like, I don't have a story.

People think that when I say tell your story, I mean, you're like, big trauma childhood story, like the one that you only tell your therapist.

You don't need to tell that story.

You don't.

That does not have to be on a podcast.

You're welcome to, like, I've told vulnerable stories, and that's a really powerful thing to be able to do, but you don't.

That doesn't have to be every story.

Like, case studies are stories and testimonials are stories.

And just talking about, like, if you asked me how to know what the story is, and I just told you a story about telling stories.

Yeah, it's that simple.

And I think people also don't even notice when they're doing it.

Like, people, like, tell stories all the time, but because it's not like a once upon a time kind of story or like a, like when I was a kid kind of story, they don't realize it's a story.

Yeah, that's a good point and so true.

I can think of that in my own podcasts and in multiple podcasters that we work with and how it is.

It's just interwoven naturally.

Because I think that's just part of being human and connecting with humans is like, we want to know we're not alone in whatever it is, whether it's super serious or ironic or funny, or in any of those.

Like, if you're teaching a lesson or framework that that story is going to help drive it down into the heart versus just head knowledge of how to blank.

And just like this conversation where it just keeps dropping into a story.

So this is so helpful.

So helpful.

Okay.

In our last few minutes of our conversation, speaking of story, I would love for you to share your story and how you got into podcasting and why you are so passionate about using your voice.

Oh, goodness, you don't mean the story, do you?

I do.

I do.

Oh.

People respected me up to this point.

But they want to know your story, and it's a great story.

Yeah.

The story that made me a storyteller and the story that made me fall in love with stories is a story about an embarrassing tattoo I got on vacation in Ireland, and that tattoo happened to look phallic, I think is the appropriate way to say it did not look like the airplane I intended.

And that it's.

That there's a story behind that in itself.

The way where I was in my life and I was in a bad relationship and I was supposed to go to Greece to get engaged, and that ended because he was in jail.

So instead I went on a solo trip that the tattoo was commemorated.

Like, there's.

There's a story there too, but it's really what happened years later that is my story.

And it had been years since it happened.

I'd almost forgotten it because it's covered up, so now it looks like an airplane.

Everything's fine.

My parents didn't know any of this happened, but I'm at a.

They.

Oh, they found out on a podcast.

I'm at a podcast conference.

I'm at this point, the director of marketing for a financial advising firm, and I'm producing a podcast for the CEO and I wanted to get him booked as a guest on Stacking Benjamins, which is just a massive finance podcast.

Hugely, hugely successful.

And the host name is Joe, and he is just one of my favorite humans.

But I had never met him.

I had never pitched for a podcast.

I had no idea what I was doing.

It was my first time ever even being involved with podcasts.

And I stalk him for three days, like hiding at a.

Behind a book, at a cocktail table type of stocking.

And on the third day, I finally see him by himself, and I yell at him because I didn't know what else to do.

And I end up being able to have a conversation with him and I tell him that I want to get my host on his show.

So he lets me pitch him, but I didn't know how to pitch.

So I just started listing all the things that he knows and all the, like, the certifications that he has and his years of experience and nothing interesting.

Yeah.

And Joe lets me give my whole spiel.

And he's like, yeah, that's great.

I don't need an expert.

I need someone with a cool story.

And I did not know what to do.

I'm like, I don't want the conversation to end there.

I don't want him to walk away.

Like, there's still potential here.

Yeah, there probably shouldn't have been, but I'm like, yeah, no, this is going really well.

So I'm like, do you want to hear about the time I got a tattoo of a penis while I was in Ireland?

And he did.

So we end up sitting down and I tell him that entire story from start to finish.

I even tried to not finish.

Like, I was like, yeah, I know.

And then one thing led to another.

He's like, no, no, no.

I want the details.

I tell him the entire story.

And he just looks at me.

He's like, you're on the show.

It's like, that's.

That wasn't what we were doing here.

That's not.

That wasn't the goal.

So.

But he's like, no, I want that story.

So I accidentally got myself booked on a finance podcast to talk about an embarrassing tattoo.

And it then became Joe's job because as podcast hosts, we have a responsibility to our listeners.

We have that unique listening proposition.

He can't just bring on a funny tattoo story that has nothing to do with anything that could value his listeners.

So he had to interview me to tell the story in a way that pulled out value for his audience.

So good.

And I learned on the spot how to tell a good story.

Because this stupid little embarrassing vacation story suddenly is a podcast worthy, valuable experience that I'm sharing on this giant platform.

And I never thought that story could have value.

Yeah.

So the way that we tell it matters.

And I got obsessed.

So since then, I did go.

I did go on the show.

It aired and my parents heard it and was really embarrassing, but.

And we did get my host on the show as well.

He's been on a few times, but Joe's actually written the forward from my book because I credit him with teaching me how to tell a story.

And everything I've done since then has just been finding newer and better ways to just continue learning more about storytelling.

I Love that.

I love that.

And I think just understanding that that is your voice, like, you love to make.

Well, at least from my perspective, I feel like you love to make people laugh.

And what an amazing story that broke through this next level of storytelling for you to open doors, to use your own voice in a way that is so specific to you.

And I love that.

And it can be about a penis tattoo looking tattoo.

So, you guys, there's hope.

Honestly, like, that's.

I've been asked, like, why.

It's been years at this point.

Why are you still telling the stupid tattoo story?

And it's because that's not the story anymore.

Like, I didn't even tell the tattoo story.

I told the storytelling story.

Yeah.

And it just comes back to it.

And it.

I.

The reason I use it still to this day is that my whole platform, my whole point is that you have a story and your story has value.

You just have to learn how to tell it.

Yeah.

And I proved that because I told a story about a stupid tattoo that I would only ever tell at a bar when I bartended back in college.

Like, I would tell it for laughs and maybe get a sympathy tip.

Yeah.

But no, now I'm telling it on a massive platform, and now I'm writing a book about it.

Now I'm telling it on stages across the country when I go to speak at conferences.

Yeah.

If that can happen from a story like this, it helps people understand that if they reframe their thinking around their stories, they will find value in them.

Wow.

What?

That is like.

Okay, we're done.

That was great.

So good, Mike.

I would drop the mic, but it's on a.

It's on a boom arm.

It would take a lot of tools.

So good.

Okay, my friends that are listening, you guys, we should all go pick up this book right now.

Open this book and again, check it out on Amazon or wherever you can find this little gem of a book.

Also, openthisbook.com is where you can find it.

I do know that.

And anything else you want to share before we close out for today's episode.

I have a free gift.

Yay.

If we want one, we love free gifts.

Go for it.

Yeah.

So the book is structured to be a part journal.

Like I said, it has a bunch of writing exercises and thinking exercises to help you actually take action and start writing your stories, start getting them done on paper.

I actually took all of the journal exercises out and put them separately in a downloadable journal.

So even without buying the book, you can start on your own.

Story.

So you can get that for free@openthisjournal.com.

Oh, you guys, that's huge.

That's like so much value right there.

And thank you for that little free gift and little big free gift that's going to be so helpful for all of our podcasters who are really trying to hone in on their unique voice and really develop that art of storytelling.

Well, Sarah, thank you so much and as always, entertaining.

And I love being with you behind the mic and at tables as well.

So thank you so much for being here.

Thank you so much for having me.

It was great.

All right, you guys, I am excited for you guys to hear this and to go get this book and I want to hear from you and connect with Sarah too on her podcast and on all of the social media platforms.

We'll have all those links down below.

And that's it for today.

Thanks, guys.

Happy podcasting.

Thanks for listening today.

Hey, I want you to know that there is an opportunity for you and I to connect.

I would love to do that.

Find a link below and we can schedule a one on one free 15 minute consultation.

I want to hear where are you.

In your podcasting journey and how can I help serve you and help you bring that Kingdom impact dream into reality?