“Hey, I hear you’re good at helping people sound less basic on stage.” Someone recently approached me with that opening, and it made me laugh out loud, but, if the shoe fits.… I responded that indeed, I do help people sound “less basic.” “Cool. Cool. How exactly do you do that?” Ah! The million dollar question, with a fairly straightforward answer: I help leaders create systems that allow them to quickly (and with as little effort as possible) develop and deliver spellbinding messaging. Of those systems, this one may be the most powerful: story collecting.

The other day, I momentarily caught myself wishing I could be that person who spends her days raising chickens, cooking gorgeous meals, and wrapping Instagram-worthy gifts for my friends. A lovely fantasy in the moment—but the reality is that I don’t actually want to do a SINGLE ONE of these things. I would much rather learn about what’s going on with ChatGPT and how it will affect my work.

Welcome to Monday! Every so often, I re-introduce what I consider to be a freakishly simple communication tactic into my repertoire. See if you can spot it in this story … Last night, I had a SUPER successful conversation with my teenager (no small feat). It went like this: I said, “Hey! How does it feel knowing you are one month away from being a senior?” Her eyes danced. She replied, “It’s SO weird. I feel like it’s not real.” I said with warmth in my voice, “You feel like it’s not real?”