Podcast appearances and mentions of hillary rea

Introvert Biz Growth Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2023 32:18

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The Storyteller with Hillary Rea

Chart Your Career

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 59:47

Heidi and Ellen had a wonderful conversation with Hillary Rea, weaving key career moments with the astrological transits during those times. Hillary is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a communication consulting and coaching business that trains ambitious leaders who want to take up more space, communicate with impact, and become more confident as they become more visible. Through her coaching programs, Hillary helps her clients to find their voice and then empowers them to use it. Hillary is an award-winning storyteller (NYC Moth StorySLAM winner and 2019 Rad Award for Storyteller of the year) and has been telling her own stories on stage for 13 years. In addition to running her own business, Hillary is an audio documentarian. She produced and hosted three seasons of Rashomon- a long-form narrative storytelling podcast where one family tells every side of the same story. Check out her website at www.tellmeastory.info. Be sure to sign up for her monthly newsletter and other offerings.

storytellers hillary rea

Finding Your Core Story and Your Superpowers

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2022 49:48

Today I'm talking to Hillary Rea about finding your core story and your superpowers and how you can use them in your storytelling. Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a communication consulting and coaching business that trains ambitious leaders who want to take up more space, communicate with impact, and become more confident as they become more visible. Through her company's signature Crafting Your Narrative: Solo Retreat, as well as ongoing coaching partnerships, Hillary helps her clients to find their voice and then empowers them to use it — by sharing their unique stories with honesty and passion. She is an award-winning storyteller, and has been telling her own stories on stage for 13 years - as a performer, as the host of a the long-running Tell Me A Story Live Show, and now as a keynote speaker. When Hillary first reached out to me to ask if she could come and speak about Storytelling on my podcast I thought "another Storytelling expert". But then I read further and started to really appreciate her radically different approach to storytelling. And you know how much we like 'radically different' on the Humane Marketing Show. In this episode, you'll learn about finding your core story and your superpowers as well as... How storytelling helps you identify your superpowers Hillary's reframe of the 'Origin Story' Her take on the Hero's Journey storytelling structure The concept of 'taking up space' with your story And so much more Hillary's Resources Hillary's Website The Speak Up Session - A free monthly session with Hillary The Speak Up: Be a Dentist Other resources mentioned: NY Times essay by Brit Marling Connect with Laura on: LinkedIn Sarah's Resources Watch this episode on Youtube (FREE) Sarah's One Page Marketing Plan (FREE) Sarah Suggests Newsletter (FREE) The Humane Business Manifesto (FREE) Gentle Confidence Mini-Course Marketing Like We're Human - Sarah's book The Humane Marketing Circle Authentic & Fair Pricing Mini-Course Podcast Show Notes We use Descript to edit our episodes and it's fantastic! Email Sarah at sarah@sarahsantacroce.com Thanks for listening! After you listen, check out Humane Business Manifesto, an invitation to belong to a movement of people who do business the humane and gentle way and disrupt the current marketing paradigm. You can download it for free at this page. There's no opt-in. Just an instant download. Are you enjoying the podcast? The Humane Marketing show is listener-supported—I'd love for you to become an active supporter of the show and join the Humane Marketing Circle. You will be invited to a private monthly Q&A call with me and fellow Humane Marketers - a safe zone to hang out with like-minded conscious entrepreneurs and help each other build our business and grow our impact. — I'd love for you to join us! Learn more at humane.marketing/circle Don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes or on Android to get notified for all my future shows and why not sign up for my weekly(ish) "Sarah Suggests Saturdays", a round-up of best practices, tools I use, books I read, podcasts, and other resources. Raise your hand and join the Humane Business Revolution. Warmly, Sarah Imperfect Transcript of the show We use and love Descript to edit our podcast and provide this free transcript of the episode. And yes, that's an affiliate link. Sarah: [00:00:00] Hey, Hillary, so nice to have you here. Thanks for coming. Hillary: Yeah. Sarah, thanks for having me. I've been thinking about our conversation all week. Sarah: Wonderful. Yeah, well, it's been more than a week. I was just saying offline that we connected like many months before, and so I'm just excited to have this different, , approach that you bring to storytelling. But as you know, we're kind of putting this under the p of personal power and I think, it really is a good fit because. Do bring that different approach, about storytelling coming from this personal power. And actually that's where I'd like to start. You know, you talk about superpowers and, we talk about superpowers in marketing as well, like finding out your humane marketing superpowers that you can bring more of you to your marketing. And, and so tell us why that matters in your, , storytelling approach. Hillary: Yeah, [00:01:00] it's funny. When I think of the word marketing or maybe flashback a handful of years ago, in my perception of marketing, I was always told, oh, it's about the the other person. It's about who you're marketing to. And while I still agree with that, I think. When I was able to make this shift of, okay, yes, it's about that other person who I'm communicating with, but I also need it to be about me as the communicator. And that's why storytelling and sharing a story from my own life that connects to who I am, my superpowers, what I put out into the world, is so important. And I think this idea of personal power with storytelling. We, each of us as the storyteller has control over our narrative, so I can choose what experiences from my life I share with other. People, [00:02:00] and sure other people might have stories about me, stories about my company, my brand, and there might be stories I tell myself that maybe aren't the nicest or the, the truest mm-hmm. But if I really zero in and focus on the story, I choose to express outwardly to other people, to me that's where the power is. And that personal power and, and light and how that connects with super power. Is I can find the experiences in my life that support what I consider my superpowers, or when I'm working with clients on their storytelling, we do a full exercise that helps them identify what their superpowers are, and then we continue the brainstorming of, oh, what are the experiences that you've had in your life? Looking at all aspects of your life that really support these superpowers, and how can you craft that into the narrative that makes the most. For your audience. Sarah: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. I [00:03:00] love that. It's a very similar approach to what we do in, in the marketing, like we're human program because we need to first go deep and figure out, you know, who are we and what's our story? And we're gonna talk a little bit later about this origin story or you have another name for it. Mm-hmm. . So who am. But then also, yeah. How does that connect with my ideal client? And I'm so glad you brought this up. You know, it's like this idea of marketing being only about the client. And, , as I just said offline, I'm, currently recording the marketing like we're human book and I was taught that the client is always king, right? That's kind of like one of these marketing things. It's like the client is king and, kind of thinking, oh, everything I do has to serve this client then makes you think, oh, people don't even care about. I am and what my stories are. I have to focus everything on this. Yeah. Outside source. And [00:04:00] I'm so glad you brought this up, that this is really like a reframe. It's like, yeah, the client is important and yes, we wanna understand them, but in order to actually resonate, we need to first also, , find out who we are and, and what our stories are. And that means finding out these superpowers. Hillary: Yeah, and I think what I learned early on in, in sharing stories for my own life, I started as a performer telling my own stories on stage in front of audiences. At the time, I think I went into it thinking like, oh, I'm funny. I can entertain people. But what I soon learned and felt is that a story isn't one sided, and there's that automatic reciprocity and exchange with a listening audience. They're hearing my story, they're taking it in. If there's opportunity for conversation after, people tend to share stories of of their own lives that connect or resonate somehow. And when I was [00:05:00] able to. That that storytelling was a conversation. I trusted myself more that I could, again, like channel what's inside of me, channel, the experiences I've had and who I am to then have that conversation with an audience. Sarah: Right? So it's like you're not just telling the story to avoid you actually. There to be feedback. Right. That's the communication and connection part. It's like we're not just doing this as performers. Even I would say even performers, they want feedback from the audience, otherwise they wouldn't do it. So, yeah. Yeah. It's, it's so interesting. So that kind of leads as then, , I already hinted at. This origin story, right, that we're, again, it's another thing that we, I guess we hear a lot from storytelling experts. We have to have this origin story, , and then we need to tell it in a, in a compelling way. You have [00:06:00] there as well kind of a suggesting a reframe. So tell us about how you call it and, and what's different, Sure. With the Hillary: origin story. Yeah. Early on in starting my. I used the phrase origin story for everything. And I would say I work with a lot of business owners, entrepreneurs, and also leaders of larger companies. And for everyone, I would say what you just said of you have to have an origin story, and there would be this immediate wave of overwhelm of, oh, my good, my goodness. I have to start from the very beginning of my. And like take everyone through my education, my expertise, my awards, my accolades, and then what if I've changed my business or changed my career or, or another thing in my life has changed. How do I explain that? And there was always this pressure of, it has to be this all-encompassing story. I have to make sense of myself, make sure people understand [00:07:00] who I am. And there would also be times where I would be listening to other. And hosts would say, oh, so what's your origin story? And again, there would be like this long winded response from people where you know that they're trying to get to the end, but the, the preparation or the thought put into it maybe wasn't considered as much. And so when I started teaching storytelling, I defined origin story to be less overwhelming. And it's a story that answers two questions. How did you get to where you are now and how did you get your superpowers? And so again, going back to superpowers, I do a really intensive exercise with my clients around identifying what those are. And then when we get to that question, the how did you get to where you are now, which is pretty standard for an origin story. I splice the question in half and I reverse it. So it's Where are you now? And how did you [00:08:00] get there? And by focusing on the where are you now, it allows people to tap into the presence of where am I now in my business? Where am I now in my life? Where am I now in terms of how I wanna communicate with other people? And once you have that, it's really finding those moments in your life that illuminate that, that support that. So it doesn't necessarily mean starting at the I was Born moment, or. The birth of the business moment, it could really be a more recent moment in time that supports who you are, what you do, what you stand for. And so that is a, to me and to everyone, I work with a really liberating way to think about it. Again, it it's a. A way to tap into that personal power and strength of like, this is who I am now and this might change, and when it changes, I can adjust my story as, as such. Mm-hmm. . and then really in the last handful of [00:09:00] months, I've decided not to use the word origin story at all because I don't want that overwhelm and that pressure, , to envelop people and hold them back from sharing their story or finding their story. And I, I saw that it still was overwhelming people. And so I've landed on this new term called Core Story. That still has that same definition, but it helps people stay again in that inner strength and personal power as they're communicating outward. Sarah: Mm. Yeah. So much good stuff in there. And, and I think I, I will have to kind of adapt the way I talk about the I don't think I ever mentioned the word origin story, but we talk about, , in the marketing, like we're human program creating our story. So I don't really use origin or core, but it's true that there's some. Overwhelm when people are first thinking about, you know, what is my story? And so I, I totally agree with [00:10:00] you , on that overwhelm part. What I'm wondering, and I'd like to hear from you is like, because when they actually do write the story and sometimes they have to go like really deep and eventually when it does come out, it may be too long. But they feel like such a big sense of relief that they have actually put it on paper and they see it and it's almost like it's healing to work through that story. ] what's your take on that healing part of putting it on paper? Hillary: Yeah. So when I work with my clients, we work on this core story for two months, right? It starts out rather large in terms of spanning time or diving deep into like a, a period of life that supports , the person where they are now and what they wanna talk about. And often in that there's a letting [00:11:00] go of old narratives. So whether it's the story they. To telling about themselves and their business or like in Yeah, an inner voice that's been telling a story for a long time. Sometimes that just comes out in the crafting process. Right. And once it's out there, I often hear, oh, that's definitely not the story. I'm really glad that I said it now and I don't need to say it again. Right. And so that tends to happen, and as I continue to work with people and fine tune. The story, I do something called Zoom in. And so as someone sharing their story, I will pause them in our work together and say, zoom in on what it felt like in the garden when you had that idea. Mm-hmm. . And what happens is each person. Goes into specifics, goes into details like visual details, sensorial details, what [00:12:00] they were feeling, a new perspective now as a storyteller on how they were feeling then, and those are the moments that stick. In the story. So there isn't really a necessity for like extra backstory or extra details. It's really finding the moments of specificity and finding the moments of movement. Mm-hmm. in the story. And what that ends up doing is it, it does. Shorten it and, and each storyteller still understands the context of everything, but the audience doesn't necessarily need that context, which is also really powerful to let go of the extra. Yeah. Sarah: This is so good. I'm gonna share this episode , with the group. Right now, even though it goes out in a few weeks, cuz I think that that is kind of the. Maybe the missing piece. , it's like, yes, you need to, at least, I think for me, I'm still gonna tell 'em, look, yes, write your story. , and it seems like [00:13:00] that's what you're saying as well. You're working on this and so there, it may be a lot longer at the beginning, but then you work your way. Back and, and kind of come to the essentials and therefore the term, , your core story. And, and it makes it easier for the reader to then connect the dots, right? , rather than having all this extra fluff that people go, huh, how is that even relevant here? Hillary: Yeah, and when there's a written version of the story, the core story, I still approach everything from a spoken version place. So a lot of my clients, all of them actually have to do both. They have to go through a process where, where there's writing involved, but I also make them practice with what I call low stakes audiences. So trusted friends, business best. Not so much family members or partners, but people in your life that you feel comfortable around but might not already know everything about you. And in that practice work, [00:14:00] especially trying it with different audiences, they continue to find the story and find again what's. Worth sharing and what needs to be shared when there's a listening audience there. Yeah. So even when it goes back to written form and you don't know who's there connecting with your story, you can still, again, feel the connection and feel the conversation of those live spoken experiences. Sarah: Yeah. So good. We talked about superpowers, so I'm curious, what are your superpowers and how do you use them in your storytelling? Yeah, Hillary: so I love this question. I have two worksheets that I give my clients in the brainstorming phase of their core story work, and one is identifying superheroes and what connects, and that could be like fictional characters. People alive now, people from history. Mm-hmm. , people that are close to the person. It could be [00:15:00] any, anybody really. But I make them do that. Identify what connects those people together and what connects you to those people in terms of values or , accomplishments or feelings, things like that. And then I transition them to this super powers worksheet. And I hadn't done it for myself. And so in preparation for this podcast yesterday, I took some time and I filled out both of those worksheets and it was so difficult and I now have so much more respect. , I'm even more respect for my clients because it is a really hard task. To do. And so there's a list of 10 superpowers, like for them to brainstorm, and then there's the desert island three. If you had to choose only three, what would they be? So the three that I chose from my list of 10, I'm looking down at my paper. Mm-hmm. , uh, my voice, my visual imagination, and the fact that I'm an opportunity creator. Mm. And it was [00:16:00] really hard to land on those. But I feel like they encompass who I am as a human, who I am as a leader, who I am as a business owner, and they are things that I can tap into and share stories about, but also just inform. How I take up space and show up in the world. So I feel really good about what I landed on, but it, it was pretty difficult. Sarah: It's hard. Yeah. Of course. We're now curious what the other seven are. Can Hillary: you read those to us? Yeah, sure. So I said feedback and it's interesting because I know I'm really good at giving feedback. I had a, a job many years ago where I was trained in like a very specific feedback style, and I've carried it through into my. Business, but it's also things that I hear like that is something I hear from clients of like, wow, you're so good at giving feedback. Mm-hmm. . So I claim that, , my listening ear, so I have a degree in music. I'm a trained singer. We had to take classes and college that literally trained our [00:17:00] ear, but I know that informs how I hear stories and what I. To and how I can help people in that way. I said my visual imagination, that's like just in terms of what I see possible, but then also how I bring stories to life and how I help people bring stories to life. Mm-hmm. commitment to self, which is one I've like really worked on over time, but feel like that is a power that I. Like now have, that's unwavering. , my comedic lens. So my background, a bit of my background is in comedy as well. And, , my partner and I are always in competition about who's funnier and he's day, , that skill, he still thinks he's like naturally funnier. I don't know if I agree, but skills wise, I, I am the funnier person. , , a vision for what's possible. So that's for myself, for other people, for the world. Like my vision for if everyone using storytelling and what's possible, if that was the case. Mm-hmm. , [00:18:00] my feet. And so that has to do with, , my sense of groundedness, but also I'm tap dancer. And I actually hear stories and rhythms and I like think about it like in terms of tap dancing and then also my feet in terms of like my convictions, like I am grounded in like what I stand for, what I believe in and in my, for my voice, the one I shared of my top three. It's also, it's the way I use my voice to take up space and share stories, but also my singing voice and knowing that that's there to support me as well. Number nine, determination. And 10 was opportunity creator. And again, that's for myself and for other people. And just knowing that, yeah, opportunities can come, but they can also be created. Sarah: Wow. Yeah. Yeah, I can see how that must have been really hard. First, I was thinking you gave people a list with the different superpowers, but No, you came up with those 10 for you specifically. So everybody has to come up with [00:19:00] 10 or however many on their own, right? Yeah, Hillary: and And it's amazing what people come up with. Mm-hmm. , because it's in their own like language and framework . For how they move through the world. Yeah. And it's, and then there's some that are really, that are shared by so many people. Yeah. Which I think is really great. But no, I don't, people have to come up with their own list. But they, but the superheroes exercise is a springboard into that list because they already start to identify, okay, who, what connects me to this group of people that I Right. Like, respect that inform my life in some way. Yeah. So there it's definitely one leads in's the other, for sure. Sarah: I just shared one of mine on, on a LinkedIn post recently, so it's top of mine. , one of mine is starting with the no, so meaning I always. Look at how can we simplify, streamline, make things easier, , less overwhelming. So that's kind of one of my superpowers, I think. Like just very [00:20:00] straightforward and yeah, simplifying things. I love Hillary: that. And I can already imagine so many stories. Mm-hmm. where there were things in your life where when you started with the know what happened or moments in your life. Maybe should have started with the No, but you can share them as a, a learning Yeah. Experience too. That's so Sarah: cool. Exactly. Yeah. That's wonderful. All right. I'm really excited also to go into the next topic, which is the, the hero journey, , topic that you and I had some interesting email conversations about already. , You know, it's part of that storytelling vocabulary and, and a lot of storytellers follow that hero, journey. , and I actually wrote in the, in the book, I'm like, you know, I think I'm actually getting tired of that, same old hero journeys, , story. And so when you and I talked. My email, you shared some, also some interesting thoughts on, on that, so I'd love to hear them hear. Hillary: Yeah. [00:21:00] It's interesting because I, I felt a pressure that I don't even think I realized I had to have a hero's journey story starting when I was telling stories in front of audiences for entertainment, but also at the early stages of my business and needing, I felt like I needed a story that. Expressed power and strength that I wasn't actually, that wasn't mine. Mm-hmm. like it was someone else's. Right. And that's sort of, I guess, esoteric the way I just said it, but it felt like I had to be someone else in my story. Right. To get to a certain type of, Story, a certain type of result, a certain type of messaging. And it was this inner struggle. And I think I never, I always was resisting it, but I couldn't really fully identify why it didn't sit well with me. And then in February of 2020, I'm on New York times.com. And there's this opinion piece [00:22:00] written by this woman named Brit Marling, and she is a writer, director, actor. She had a brilliant science fiction show that was on Netflix called The oa. And she's done some films as well. And it was a article something. The title is like, I don't wanna Be Another Strong Female Lead. And this, it's a beautiful essay and a beautiful series of stories about Brit Marlin's life before she became an actor. And, and the sort of powerful role, woman role she had to live up to, like in the, in the finance industry. And then when she was getting these strong female roles in film, they would get killed off or beaten or all of these things. And as I'm moving through this article, she brings up the Hero's journey and Joseph Campbell. And talks about that structure with the inciting incident and the rising action and the climax and the deman, the like happy ending resolution. And she compared it to a male orgasm . And I'm [00:23:00] reading this article and I was like, Oh yeah. . And then the end of the essay, and I'll make sure to that you can share it , in the notes. Yes, please. Starts asking all these questions of like, well, what if there are other ways of telling stories? Like what's the, the feminine journey story and, and what happens if we imagine all of these different types of narratives then can come in And I looked and I, I, after I read that, I. Fully in myself and in my work and, and I understood myself more and I understood my approach to storytelling more. And I really like put a stake in the ground of like, yes, there is another way. We don't need heroes journey. It's not about this one person battling. Inner and outer demons and getting on top and everybody else is under them. There are other structures for storytelling, and especially in business and marketing. There are other ways to invite people into our experiences as the founder, business [00:24:00] owner leader, and so that was. A really powerful moment for me, and from that point on, I've pretty much been on my anti-heroes journey, train, and inviting people to join me. When I tell other people and invite other people to imagine other ways of telling stories, oh, the freedom it brings. And also, again, I think it helps people access that inner personal power versus this idea of like achieving power that that structure brings about. Sarah: Yeah. Oh, I had forgotten about the orgasm thing, but that is just, yeah, I need to reread it. It's so good and it, it is funny to me how, to me, it's a bit of an outdated, way of looking at business or even life and, and, yeah. It is because it's, very male and , this strong surviving kind of thing where if you look at it from the [00:25:00] feminine approach, it would be completely different. And it also made me think of what we, mentioned earlier , maybe the client doesn't want heroes like we were told to tell this hero's journey because the client would look at us as having lived through these difficult times. And, and it's kind of this rag and richest story, right, that America loves. I just saw last week an article, oh, in America we love some good rag riches story. Yeah. And it's true, right? That's part of the, culture as well. But maybe the today's conscious client doesn't want those stories. And that's what I say in, in marketing, like, we're human is like, well, I can't tell you that kind of story because I, I'm not there. You know, I'm right here, right now and I'm, , starting over. And so in a way, I feel like the conscious client wants to be on the same level, not hearing you how you have [00:26:00] suffered and now you. , succeeded and you're now a multimillionaire. So I think people have changed and, and consciousness has changed as. Hillary: Yeah, and I work with a lot of clients that have service based businesses, so whether they're like a mindset coach or they specialize in a specific topic, like I have a client that specializes in high functioning anxiety, and she's a former therapist, her coach. Right. And she has. High functioning anxiety. So she's trained as a clinician and a therapist and understands it that way. But she has really tapped into saying, Hey, this is something that can't be fixed and it doesn't go away, but here's what you can do to quiet it, to build self loyalty, to move through the world. And she has really found like people respond to her and. I'm so happy that you shared this. Mm-hmm. , I feel like I don't feel broken anymore. I feel like there, it's possible for me [00:27:00] to live my life and I understand that it doesn't go away, and I understand that you go through it, but you also know how to help. And so just again, it like builds a bridge and deepens those connections with an audience. And I do it myself in terms of like a lot of my clients, especially in their marketing endeavor. They wanna take up more space and be visible, but without the like, Big show or without, you know, they wanna do it as themselves. Like so much of what you talk about, , and I talk about, I tell stories about how scary it can be to take up space or the struggles with visibility and, and where that fear comes in and where the like, oh, what if I'm perceived this way or that kind of, all of those what ifs and things like, I still go through them as well, and I, and sometimes there are better days and so, There are are worse, and that that's always gonna be an ongoing issue and struggle. Sarah: Yeah. I feel like in a way, the hero's journey is part of the [00:28:00] old. Marketing paradigm as well, where we didn't share with transparency. We just shared, you know, the 6, 7, 8 figure success, right? It's like, oh look, I came from nothing and now I'm, I have an eight figure business where that just. I believe definitely doesn't resonate with our audiences, but it also will no longer resonate as much with other people because we're, we just want transparency. That's what we want today. So in a way, to me, the hero's journey, at least the way he saw it, kind of belongs to the past. we need to have different frameworks and, and I'm so glad you're, you're offering these, I Hillary: just, one thing too about the hero's journey is there's a pressure for an ending that hasn't necessarily happened yet, and yeah, one thing I really appreciate that I heard you say in conversation with, I believe, Lisa, in your conversation about storytelling, there is this idea of the messy. [00:29:00] Middle. Mm-hmm. and that they, when you let go of the hero's journey structure, there's so much storytelling that can happen about the messy middle, right? That, again, serves you as the communicator, but also the audience in all of the ways we just. Talked about Sarah: as well. Yeah, exactly. That, that's what really connects with your audience and, and, and then of course, yeah, you need to think about Brene Brown and think about the vulnerability and decide, well, how, what's the intention behind me sharing this? Is there integrity behind this? , me sharing this or, or, because right now we all know that, okay, it sells to share with vulnerability. So obviously we don't just want to share it because it sells, but because we really want to. Connect and relate with our audience. But, but yeah, the messy middle, that's where, that's where the good stories are, right? Yeah. Hillary: Yeah. And I think one set of questions I take myself through [00:30:00] and take my clients through is the, why am I telling this story? And what do I want my listener to do once they've heard this story? Mm-hmm. . And I feel like when those questions are answered and identified, the, it's like the checklist of integrity, the checklist of intentional vulnerability that's safe, both for the communicator and for the audience. It's not manipulative, it's not oversharing, all of that. So I love that too. And again, I think going back to personal power. That gives you more inner strength as the communicator to be like, oh no, this is why I'm sharing this. Yeah. And this is what I want them to do once they've heard or hope that they'll do once they've heard. Yeah. Sarah: Yeah. So good. You mentioned several times this term of , taking up space. So how does being in your personal power and telling stories from that place, how does that help us with taking up space? [00:31:00] Hillary: I found for myself, and I found it through storytelling, that when I was able to know myself and know how I wanted to share myself with other people and then find those stories that I wanted to share. I was not afraid of taking up space because it's this like my inner message of like, this is who I am. I know myself. I'm committed to myself back to one of my superpowers, and I have a reason for sharing this. Story with you. So I have no choice but to take up space because I am doing it with intention and with the goal of this. Creating a dialogue. Creating a connection. And so I believe that storytelling gives people that personal power to get comfortable being visible, to get comfortable taking up space, which marketing is getting comfortable, being visible, getting comfortable taking up space as you are. Authentic self and as the [00:32:00] expert that you are coming from that authentic, genuine place. So I think that it's like grounded in a trust of self, but then it's also, you have to trust your story and trust that it will communicate for you and do the work for you. And then there's that third piece, which is you have to also trust your audience in order to take up space and be visible. And that can be really scary too, especially if it's a audience. Is landing on a webpage and you don't know who they are listening to a podcast and you don't necessarily have a face or a name to connect. Sarah: Yeah, and I feel like. If you're doing that deeper work of really figuring out, okay, what is the core story and not, like we mentioned before, you know, what are was my education, what are my accolades and accreditations and all of that. Then you're taking up space from a different place, , not from necessarily the ego, but probably from your gut more. [00:33:00] And so it's a different, it's not. It's not an intimidating space or a, you know, ego driven space. It's just. Grounded space in a way. It's like, here I am, you know, this is what I believe in, this is what I stand for. You like it, great. I open my arms. If you don't like it, you know, feel free. , go to the next person. That's what I perceive. Hillary: I love that visualization of, of open arms and then, and like I think of it as like a heart centered right way of com, like your stories coming out of your mouth, but it's also coming out. Your heart. And I think it takes a bit of, , like I, I've never sky gone skydiving or bungee jumped, but I think it's this idea of like letting the trust and self trusts and story trust in the audience be a letting go in the moment and saying like, this is, yeah. What you said. This is who I am, this is what I believe, this is what I have to offer the [00:34:00] world here. I go, mm-hmm. . And it can feel really scary at. But it's the most freeing feeling to communicate from that space versus any other space of trying to fit into a, a template or a formula or put on a character or a facade. Like it just isn't worth it. . Yeah. Sarah: So what would you tell someone, uh, tell our listeners. If they want to, you know, you know, get this deeper trust and probably figure out their superpowers to start from where, where would they go? Hillary: Yeah. I mean, it really does start with a trust in self and I think there's a lot of brainstorming work, like even just sitting and thinking. What stories from my life are even coming to mind immediately and without trying to bring in the logical of like, well, why is this coming to mind? And all that, but just trusting the memories and the [00:35:00] brainstorming ideas that are coming to the surface and just logging them in some way. Mm-hmm. , I make my clients have something called a story bank. I think your um, Lisa mentioned something about a story bank. Mm-hmm. as well. Mm-hmm. . Um, but just logging your brainstorming ideas there and, and keeping them there and holding onto them for the time when you're ready to explore it as a story. So I take my clients through like a two hour brainstorming experience as part of the work that they do. I know a lot of my stories, idea story ideas have come from just like a, a flash of a memory that I had or an object that's in my space that reminds me of something. So I would say that's a really great place to start in terms of cultivating the trust. Mm-hmm. . And then it's a matter of, ooh, let me. Go with this one idea and let's see what happens if I add a beginning, middle, and end. I may be right some around it. Practice [00:36:00] telling the story in an off the cuff way to a friend, and then building trust in the story and the storytelling and what that can do for you. I would say those are the good places to start. The trusting audience stuff can definitely, Take longer Sarah: to, it's a muscle, right. That you kind of practice. Yeah. Yeah. What I would I add also is, is this creativity thinking. Like what, what I wrote about in the book is this idea of, for probably a decade now, we know about storytelling, but if you come from this left brain thinking, analytical mind of I have to do marketing and now I have to, you know, tell stories in my marketing, your left brain. Is an overtrained muscle where your right brain is an undertrained muscle, and so your left brain will always want to bring in some techniques and, and, and features and benefits and, and those make. Don't make for a [00:37:00] good story, right? Where really the right brain is bringing in the creative storytelling approach. And so I would say yeah, bring in some creative, , activities let that brain take off and, and, and experiment freely. , to me it really. When I understood storytelling is when my right brain turned on. I'm like, oh, okay. So it's more about connecting with my audience and not about, you know, making them do something or buy something or, or any of that. So I think that was, , yeah, important to share here. Hillary: Yeah, and I think listening to other people's stories, whether it's like in someone else's marketing, but also just. Watching videos of storytellers on YouTube or listening to storytelling podcasts, right. At any time I hear someone really like in their story and sharing, I'm connected to it, but at the same time, it's helping me think of stories from my life that I want [00:38:00] to share. Yeah. And also I know when I go for walks or. My ideas always come to the surface, and I always have like a, either on my phone or a notepad next to me. , I just shared a story about my dentist in my newsletter, and that had been, I, that appointment was in. July, I think. So I was sitting with that story just brainstorming wise until I was ready to share it and had a reason to share it with my audience as Sarah: well. Mm. Yeah. That's good. There needed to be a reason, right? Because obviously otherwise, Yeah, it's just a story, but if there's a reason for the story, then it always is more compelling. Yeah. Yes. This has been so good. Thank you so much for sharing a different, very refreshing and radical approach to storytelling. I really appreciated it. Let people know where they can find you and find out more about [00:39:00] your way of doing things. Hillary: Sure. So the best place to connect is on tell me a story's website, which is tell me a story.info. And there's also a link on that page to something called the Speak Up session. It's a monthly free gathering that I host virtually, all around storytelling and taking up space and, and visibility. And there's typically a guest storyteller that. Jumping off the ledge, ready to share their story with a, a wonderful, warm audience. And then opportunity to kind of dive into your own storytelling and communication challenges. So I invite anyone listening that wants to check that out, to sign up and Sarah: come. Wonderful. Yeah, we'll make sure we add that link in the show notes as well. Thank you so much. I have one last question, Hillary, and that is what are you grateful for today? Or this. Mm. Hillary: I mean, this is very literal, but I'm really grateful for our conversation and I'm also grateful. [00:40:00] That I reached out to you. I used my voice to reach out with you many months ago because you and your work really resonated and we had such a lovely conversation. And so I'm grateful for this relationship that has been built and for being in conversation with someone that is so aligned. It's really lovely and I'm just a fan of your work, and your work is important and much needed. So thank you. Thank Sarah: you. And likewise, thanks so much for being.

Bonus - The Materials of Ritual (Material Feels Podcast)

Shame Piñata

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 53:42

Ritual can help begin things, end things, bridge over from one thing to the next. What differentiates one kind of ceremony from another often comes down to intention. But what are the materials of ritual and how can we use them to design ceremonies to support us in doing "the thing"? Links: Material Feels Podcast CXM Designs Shame Piñata Opening & Closing Music by Terry Hughes Material Feels Podcast music by Liz de Lise Rate This Podcast Full Transcript Colleen Thomas: I have to contain my natural excitement a bit, so to be quiet and to listen, cause what my job is, is to listen and to hear and to hear between the words and to say, oh, wow. I tell me more about that….a lot of deep listening and just profound respect for their process and gratitude that they would in that they are involving me in their process. Um, cause they're letting me in, even if I'm not in the ritual, I'm helping them plan it and probably going to check in with them afterward just to sort of get a debrief on how it went. I feel in the zone the whole time I'm in ritual space, especially if I'm not facilitating or having to be my brain, if I can just be in my body, you know? I feel most empowered when I feel like I'm not doing it alone,when whatever is moving, maybe being witnessed by people, listening to this thing I'm sharing or watching this thing I'm doing, and they're with me, you know, they're a hundred percent with me. They're like linked up with me, like energetically in this space. I feel like I'm like connected to spirit, to ancestors, to, you know, in my case to the goddess or all it is, well, then I feel like I'm, I'm not alone. And that, that is very, very freeing and comforting. Colleen: My name is Colleen Thomas I'm a ritual artist and an independent audio producer. I am based in the San Francisco bay area. materials that I work with are time and space and elements. Catherine: How would you define a ritual? Colleen: It's intentional space that's created with one or more people and it is, um, usually has an intention, with a sacred space of some kind created, um, whether that's or an intentional space, I could say, cause it's not always the, the word sacred and religion kind of go together. Like that bridge to juniors thing I had when I was leaving brownies was a ritual. It was very secular ritual, you know, anyway, and it wasn't, and they didn't make a big deal and invoke any gods or goddesses or anything obviously. But you know, like it was an intentional space. Like parents came, it was like, there was a program, it was like a, this is the purpose of this gathering. It was a ceremony. Welcome to Material Feels, where we explore the intimate relationships between people and the materials they have fallen in love with. I'm your host, Catherine Monahon. Just a heads up this episode is a bit intense: ritual and ceremony is a deep topic. It can bring up heavy emotions, and the kind of work Colleen does asks us to go to a vulnerable place. You might need time to process during or after so I encourage you to press pause, jot down some thoughts, listen with a friend and maybe give yourself some extra time after listening to decompress. Please take care of yourself. The interview with Colleen was recorded on Ohlone land in Oakland, California, and this episode was produced on the traditional territory of the Kumeyaay. The Kumeyaay's territory has incredibly diverse geography in the state of California, stretching from the coast to the desert, with valleys and mountains between. The Kumeyaay have intimate knowledge of this topography, their cultural practices in tune with the seasonal changes. San Diego County has more reservations than any other county in the country. Every time I do a land acknowledgement, I don't just google “Whose land am I on?” I take time to read and listen to the voices of the people. Indigenous ways of relating to the material world are sustainable and sacred; as a Material Feels listener, I imagine you care about those things, too. Non-indigenous listeners, please take time to learn about the not-so-distant history of residential boarding schools; pay a land tax to the first people's whose land you occupy, and use whatever platforms or resources you have to bring awareness and take action. Today, we're exploring the materials associated with a creative practice we've all engaged with in one way or another: ritual & ceremony. Ritualist Colleen Thomas specializes in crafting rituals for life transitions and co-creating ceremonies that often deviate from the traditional ones many of us are used to (baby showers, birthdays, weddings or funerals). Catherine: Why do people come to you in search of ritual? Colleen: I connect with people, they are going through a change in they're a little bit lost and they're not sure how to create comfort and create meaning and create perspective when… it's like things happening to me is sort of the theme, right? Like, you know, I'm S yeah, like I'm suddenly going through a divorce or, um, or COVID is suddenly here and well, what are we going to do? I did some rituals with friends about that. Betty Ray said on my show, Shane piñata that, rituals create a space that help us create a container for the strong emotions that come with transition. Catherine: Then what do we do with that container after like, I... I'm interested. I love that quote. And I think about you building the container and thoughtfully filling it with the materials that you choose with that person, but let that like, then what happens? Colleen: Well, we have to figure out what the intention of the ritual is. The planning of it is almost as good as the doing. And the planning in my experience takes a lot longer than that. The actual doing the ritual right there doing the ritual could take an hour or something, but the planning can take weeks. And so a lot of the shifting and then making sense of the thing and the coming to terms with the thing. And then what is this going to mean for me and what are all my feelings about it and what are, what do I want to do with these feelings? Do I want to express them? Do I want to be angry and throw things? Do I want to, you know, curl up in a ball and you know, whatever, they are right. Playing with those feelings, working with the feelings, um, w that all happens during the prep. I mean, it could happen in the ritual too, but it's happening deeply with the prep, right? Figure all this stuff out and make sense of everything and just really pull it apart. It's like giving ourselves time to really let this thing be what it is, and to take up space and to not just be like an inconvenience, we shove aside this is important, this transition and how I feel about it and how I'm reacting to it, all the positive and negative ways. I might be reacting to this, you know, they're all valid. And so it's like creating space for that. Especially like if you and I were in a process together, creating something for you, like, I would hope I could be there for you as somebody, you could explore that with, to whatever degree you want it to, and just kind of be in that space with you. When we do the prep work and we feel into what, what will the, the hour long ritual say, it's an hour? What will that do for us? What do we want that to do for us? How do we design that? So it does. And the thing, you know, it's a safe container, or we get the rage out or we're witnessed for this, or we walk across the bridge or whatever we're doing, right? Like we figure out how to engineer design it. Um, so that it maximizes the potential of that happening. And then if that's done well, and if everything goes to plan and you know, rituals got its Spirit's got his own way and its own agenda. But in that moment there most likely will be some kind of change or shift or transition transformation. And then afterwards there can be just a feeling of, you know, release and it happened. And now I'm like this often a sense of, um, vulnerability because we were vulnerable and we told our truth in front of people, you know? And, um, sometimes when I tell a very personal thing or a deep thing or something, a couple of layers in my heart or whatever, I start shaking afterwards. And sometimes I don't even know I've done that until I start shaking. And then I realize, okay, that was a, that was a, you know, a vulnerable thing that I just did. But wait! You say. This is an art materials podcast, is it not!? Why are we talking about ritual and intentions and all this abstract stuff and not… oil paint, or clay, or paper? Well, I see ritual as an art form, and with every art form, there are materials and creative practices that go into creating it. Depending on one's faith, culture, personal choices, and intentions, the materials are vast and varied. Catherine: Are there particular materials that you are drawn to? Colleen: The intentional container is a big one, probably the most, probably the biggest one. Intentional container can be created by like reading a poem or taking a breath or having a moment of silence. It could be reading the Lord's prayer. It could be anything, you know, but it doesn't have to be religious. Offerings are always the first thing, you know, um, making an offering of whatever that is. It could be words, it could be prayer. It could be a water, flower petals, Some of the intentional objects to create the space, which, um, again, most of my experiences from the pagan community, which invokes the elements and the directions: objects such as feathers or incense for air, um, salt or earth for earth water, a bowl of water for water, um, and a candle or, and, you know, uh, an electric candle, um, or an image of fire. Then there's also symbols of the numinous, goddess, or God like statues Mary's images, Mandalas. Honoring of, you know, the, the thing that is, uh, spirit to us or nature, or not spirit for people who don't, who don't connect to spirit. Honoring the ancestors is another big, um, piece of my practice. Journaling and art supplies, um, can help us, you know, um, process stuff. And also remember what happened, create something to take with us with a new intention. Um, and music can be very helpful to can put us in a different space. Colleen identified time and space as her core materials: creating a “container,” for people to engage with deeper emotions, imagination and connection. Then there are a range of materials that go into building out that container into a ritual or ceremony specially designed for you: special objects, photographs, symbolic objects for the elements, art supplies, music. She also talks about invoking the elements…and I am intrigued. What is invoking, though? How does one… do that? Colleen: I do that with rescue remedy, you know, the five flower formula that is, um, that is a homeopathic remedy to deal with stress and trauma. What, I don't have it with me, I just kind of invoke it. I just say the five flowers in that, you know, in that remedy, I just, I need you right now and I need you to come and help me calm down and be in this moment and just kind of invoking them in my mind. And with my heart really works for me. It creates, it creates their presence. It welcomes their presence. Catherine: When you were just saying about invoking and inviting, I thought it was really interesting. You, you closed your eyes, um, and you sort of had this different emotion cross your face. And, um, I'm curious when you are inviting something in, when you were in or invoking or inviting or, um, I don't know if conjuring is the right word. Um, what does that feel like for you? Colleen: My body feels warmer when I go into that space. Um, it's not a headspace, it's a body space and it feels like for me, it feels like a very receptive space. Maybe that's why I close my eyes because I'm not trying to, you know, see anything or accomplish anything, but I'm just like instead sort of turning inward, coming to a more quiet place with my eyes closed. And I usually put my hands out sort of unconsciously, like, you know, um, receiving with my palms open, upward, just sort of, um, inviting and imagining allowing that presence to come to me. And it's really just coming to me in me. Right. I mean, if you were here, you might have the same experience, but might be different. It's all, it's, you know, it's like, not, especially if we're not like burning something in this space, it's not in this space, it's just in us. Right. So it's like, I feel like we, we each have our own connections to these things and we each have our own connection to different deities or divinity or plant medicine or essence of whatever, whatever it is, even memories, really healing memories can, we can invoke. And if I remember them and then they can start to kind of filter down through our bodies and ourselves and our bodies can sort of quiet and, and remember, and you know how that, yeah, actually I I'm really happy. Do you have a memory that quiets your mind or gets you in a certain state? It's kind of like the happy place we explored a few months back, inspired by paper artist Zai Divecha. Except in this case, it's a distilled memory, like Hillary's memory of riding a bicycle down the center of an aisle in the elementary school theater for a production of Paul Bunyan. For me, I visualize the steps from wedging a ball of clay to centering it on the wheel. Colleen shares more about the importance of the elements, and how invoking the materials of water, fire, air and earth can help build the foundation for a particular ritual. Colleen: If you're at a ceremony and somebody is calling in the elements in a really, um, effective way, I feel like people start to feel it in their bodies, like the way they describe it, you know, welcome north welcome earth. You know, um, the land we stand upon the, you know, the rock beneath our feet, the bedrock beneath that, the way we are connected to our ancestry and the, you know, the strength and the mountains and, you know, the things that they say that the images that they create with their words, uh, it's usually words. Um, although it can be movement too, depending on how you're doing the invocation of the elements, but if they do it well there, I think people begin to feel it. They begin to feel like the bones in their body and the heaviness of their body on the earth and gravity, and like the things that are earthy. And, and if you have like a, a bowl of salt, you know, grabbing the salt and, or a bowl of earth grabbing the earth, you know, like just, you know, like things where you really start to feel it and connect with that aspect of, of that, that element. There's a long list of reasons that people gravitate towards ritual. I think it helps to think of them in two categories. First, ritual as a private, ongoing way to enrich your life and create stories through small moments, and second, ritual as a more elaborate ceremony sometimes with others involved, for processing hard emotions and to find a sense of peace and belonging. Colleen gives me an example of how a small, ongoing ritual can make a big difference. Colleen: I have a lot of intentional jewelry that, you know, is, was given to me like the moonstone I'm wearing today. It's as big round moonstone. And, um, it, I didn't give it to myself at a ceremony or anything woo or anything or anything, anything specific I really bought honestly bought it because I read the mists of Avalon a long time ago and fell in love with, uh, there's must be a moonstone. And I don't even remember now, but I just was like, I want a moonstone like that. And then I saw it at a store in Denver. It was a beautiful piece of moonstone. And, um, and I, I put it on I'm currently, um, in Ohio helping my mother through some health challenges. And I, when I packed, I was like, I'm taking the moonstone, even though I haven't worn it for years. I helps me stay calm. It really helps me be having inner calm heart. And so like every morning I put this on and there's no choice. Cause I only brought the one necklace. I put it on every morning, but it's like, this is part of my calmness for day. Creating stories through ritual with jewelry, a morning intention setting for starting the day or an evening ritual for closing the day… I found this to be a relatable way ritual is already present in my life. When I record narration for the show, I put on specific jewelry, and the clothes that make me feel most like me. I do my hair in a special way. When I used to go out in the before times, I felt that my bracelets passed down to me from my grandparents were both protecting me and cheering me on. So, what about the other category… the possibly public, more elaborate rituals to process emotion and craft a story in times of transition, celebration or upset. Most of us are familiar with these in the context of major life events (birthdays, weddings, funerals). And often these ceremonies are tangled up in religion. A lil' disclaimer… I was raised with very little exposure to religion; I consider myself pretty secular. In fact I have a bit of a bias against religion. I asked Colleen about the role of religion in ritual, and she mentioned the name of a guy I had never heard of: Matthew Fox. He helped found something called Creation Spirituality, a Judeo-Christian religion with a lot of crossover with psychology, feminism, art and physics. And there's a lot of reverence for nature. Colleen tells me about Fox's “Techno Cosmic Masses,” essentially ecstatic dance parties that started in Oakland and are now held globally (or were, before the pandemic). It's a sort of a remix of mass, designed to build community and connect people to a visceral, ritualized celebration. She shares a bit more about how engaging with Techno Cosmic Masses inspired her and her now husband to co-create their wedding ceremony. Colleen: There is something about you doing something with our body that, um, connects to our spirit in my experience. I volunteered with the mass and actually we, uh, with his permission, use it to create our wedding. Um, and in spending a lot of time with the mass, I, I realized that I spoke to Matt about this. I said, you know, it's, it's really hard to explain the mass to people. It's this really, really involved, intense experience to go to a cosmic mass. And it is based in the Christian faith because, cause he comes from that. There's dancing and, um, there's worshiping and there's, it's a very embodied and it's very difficult to explain it. Like if I showed you a video, you get a little more, if you went and you get it. Right. So when we were basing our wedding on the cosmic mass, we asked people to come. We ever said everybody come to one. Cause they were having them regularly come to once you can get it in your body, what this is and working with him, I realized, okay, the reason it's so hard to explain it is because it's not a head experience. It is a heart and body experience. And to me, that's where ritual is powerful. I'm not a heady person. I get really lost in, um, you know, uh, academic texts. I need to touch stuff…. My ears perked up when she was talking about bodily experiences and touching stuff. I so relate to this when it comes to the art world; I get lost when theory is the topic of conversation, or if there is a minimalist piece on display with a whole lot of writing I'm supposed to internalize. I'm most present when I can engage with materials that are mutable… materials I can hold in my hand and squish. Learning about the cosmic masses, and remembering Colleen's early memory of graduating from Brownies and crossing that bridge, I understand that while ritual or ceremony might seem synonymous with religion, the terms can live more freely and intersect much more with my own spirituality when I think about them in terms of visceral, bodily experiences. Rabbit hole moment! I was curious as to why ritual plays a bigger role in some societies rather than others. Since the U.S. is so heavily influenced by the OG colonizers (Oh hay England!), I learned about the impact of the industrial revolution on holidays and local festivals in the UK during the late 19th century. Within a three year span, bank holidays went from 36 down to 4; the time spent off doing the rituals was seen as a loss in profit, and so… the calendar got changed. Engaging with ritual shifted from the public sector to something you were expected to figure out on your own time. Commercialized entertainment became the norm as well: sports, theaters and circuses grew in popularity. Sundays became the mandated day of worship, and in growing urban centers where conditions were not super sanitary, communal enjoyment found a home at the pub. Just let that set in. Traditional and cross-cultural rituals and ceremonies have to interface with capitalism; fought for by certain groups, forfeited by others, traded in for maximized profits and Sunday mornings, with approval from the dominant religion. If you are off celebrating the moon and performing rituals left and right to process your emotions and build relationships with people who aren't your coworkers, when will you have time to make and spend money? Wait… is engaging with ritual and ceremony… anti-capitalist!? Am I… secretly a priestess!? Okay one last rabbit hole: there is also a history of mainstream media demonizing ritual and ceremony, making it seem spooky or evil (see: anything Pagan, witches, there's a whole thing about apothecaries and home medicine. Demonizing the natural world is a thing, don't get me started on the history of parks and the way nature is seen as a wild female in need of taming or should I say… domestication. Oh man. So many connections, for another day. Where were we!? Colleen and I discuss the materials and practices that might be used for four different types of rituals. Rituals to build connection, separate from something that needs be let go of, bring in newness or setting intention, and rituals for dedication and commitment. First, connection. Colleen: I would say materials for original connection might be a cord. They can be braided together. Things, obviously things that can be connected. Um, gosh, I guess you could even use like Legos or like bristle blocks or anything that, anything that you could physically put together and build, build something on. Um, I can imagine a family having a ritual of, um, connecting, you know, creating a family or blending families where they're actually like building something out of Lego, you know, like each family has a color or something and they've just built something together. Catherine: Oh, I love that. I'm from a blended family. So I'm like, oh my God, we should have done that that way. Colleen: A separation or release, um, often the ritual tools, um, use for that as the materials would be, you know, um, things that would, you know, um, cut. Um, so scissors, um, maybe again, a cord to symbolize the connection. Um, maybe I'm braiding a cord. Um, I've done several release rituals in my life that some felt like cutting was appropriate and some felt like unbreaking, or unweaving was more appropriate. Then we talk about “new seeds” – rituals to welcome in new chapters, set goals or invoke different versions of ourselves. Colleen: A lot of people, um, plant an intention at the new moon and sort of harvested on the full moon, or you could do it on the winter solstice and the summer solstice, um, and a practice that I had for a while and my husband. We got some soil, we gotta bean put it in with an intention, watered it every day. And then after two or three days, you know, you see some shoots. Um, and, and I had a bean that was the intention was trust. Um, and it actually grew like crazy and it was like growing up the wall and across the ceiling and, and, um, we call it the trust being, it kind of took over the kitchen. Then, there is dedication. Colleen: Well, probably rings would be typical. Um, or, um, in terms of like a marriage would be typical. It's fascinating to me that people walk around wearing things that identify the vows they've taken, right? Like, like, you know, I'm wearing a wedding ring and I also have a self-commitment ring for what I married myself. Um, and they're very different in my mind. And people might guess where the wedding ring is. They might not guess what the other one is, cause that's a less common ceremony. Um, but if I saw somebody wearing a you know, uh, a nun outfit or preacher outfit, you know, I would have a sense of where they're, you know, you know, like it's like, you, you it's publicly claiming, you know, I've done this thing. I've dedicated myself in this way and I'm not hiding it. What rituals are you drawn to when you hear about all the different kinds of materials and intentions and processes? What rituals are you already practicing and you maybe didn't even realize? I'm drawn to one in particular, and I think it has to do with my own stuff, as one might say. My own emotions and issues that I need support with. I'm most curious about separation. The ability to let go of something. To set it down. But when I try to identify what I want to separate from, I can't land on a person, place or thing. Sometimes I just get overwhelmed by… everything?” I'm gonna pin that thought down for later… because often when we first identify the problem we want to solve, we're actually looking at a symptom… a red flag indicating there is something else beneath the surface. Colleen talks about how often you have to go deeper to “finding the need” hidden in the pull to craft a ritual. Colleen: Finding what wants to move and what it needs to move, and that might sound strange. So let me say more. So if I, if I'm feeling happy about something and I'm realizing that I need to have, I want to have a ceremony about, let's take a concrete example. Um, let's say I've, I've lost my job and with it, my sense of self, um, and that's a grieving time and that, that, that beginning process of figuring out what needs to move like there's grief. Maybe there's a part of me that, um, maybe there's other stuff, you know, that that's like the journaling. And I talked about like, you know, finding out what what's in there, what needs to move. Like in my mind, it's kind of like, there's, there's discontent and hard feelings and they're, they're an indication that we're changing and growing and that there's emotion that wants to move. And, and what we tend to do is watch TV or buy something or, you know, not feel it cause it's, it's like, Ooh, you know, it's all unconscious. There has to be some coping, so we can't just run around screaming all the time, unfortunately. So, and yet is, do we have the capacity to create an intentional space where, where we can go into those feelings and how do we do that? Because nobody wants to do that. Right. It's gotta be safe. We gotta know, we can get back out of it. If we go into hard feelings, a lot of us don't go into hard feelings because we think we'll never come out. So like, what do I need to go into those? Do I need to be willing? Um, I need to feel like I have support with me. Right. So a lot of that pre-work is like feeling into what are those feelings and what needs to move. And it's an emotion, hint, it's emotion, right? What needs to move? And then what does it need to move? Like, what is like, I guess those things I just said or what it might need to be like, it might need, you know, I'm, I need my best friend with me, you know, and I need that Teddy bear then that will, you know, like the, kind of the comforting, soothing container things like, you know, what, what does it need to move? While Colleen was explaining this to me, the process of making sure someone has everything they need, I started to visualize packing a backpack for a long and arduous hike. You need to know the terrain, the climate. You need to think about sustenance, hydration. Maybe you bring music, a phone charger, a book or a portable watercolor set. With rituals, instead of hydration and sustenance, you need tools for creating an environment ideal for emotional safety, connection to you self, and imaginative play. What would be in your backpack? Colleen shares a story about Betty Ray, a guest on her show, to illustrate how someone might identify a need, pack their metaphorical backpack and then act on it in ritual form. Colleen: To go back to Betty Ray, she shared one of my early episodes that she went through a breakup and she was tired of giving herself away to men and to drama. And she spontaneously grabbed her checkbook and a ring. And she went to the top of the hill in San Francisco that I don't remember the name of. And she went up there and she wrote a check to the guy she'd just broken up with, um, you know, here's my energy, I'm giving you. And she ripped it up. And then she wrote a check to herself and she put it in her bra. And then she, she married herself with a ring and she basically just like grabbed her checkbook and grabbed a ring. And she knew intuitively she needed these two things. Didn't know why once the top of the hill and just, and it would, and it was new year's I think it was, I think it was Y2K. And anyway, it was like a significant moment. She was just like, she just knew some part of her knew exactly what she needed to do. It was quick, it was powerful. Whenever she looked at the ring, she remembered, you know. Yeah, exactly what you committed to. Colleen: I always encourage people to have a give a lot of thought as to who will be involved, you know, who do you want to have there? And sometimes we can go to, oh, I should have these people because they, blah, blah, blah. You know, or they'd be mad if I didn't, but it's like that kind of thinking really can't come into it or can't be where we end, because like, if we're going to let them to let the vulnerability happen, to let the magic happen, to let the transformation happen, my style is to get really vulnerable. And, and that's what I work with people to see if they want to do that too. And, and then, and then that needs to be really safe. People, you know, who won't talk about it later, you know, who won't, you know, cause they're going to know a deep part of us. Right. And then, and then also with that, anything that happens in ritual space, part of the magic and the power of it can be kind of keeping it that's, that's how things are passed down, you know, where it's, you don't know everything and it's kind of hidden and that can of course be sort of shady and not good, but also it, it does protect the magic of it, you know? So like if we have a very powerful ritual and, and I'm there witnessing something for you, or we'll let let's say, it's my ritual. If I go telling everybody which I sometimes do on my show, Hey, I had this ritual and I did this stuff and this and this and that, like I have to know that that's, it's opening that container. I felt okay about doing it on my show because I felt like I'm sharing it with people who might use nobody's written me and said, that was so when you did. Right. But, but somebody might, and that would really potentially, you know, so like, it's just, it's just important. I always tell people, be super thoughtful, mindful of who you invite and just anything you ever say about the ritual ever to anybody, because it, opening it up is, is, goes right to that really vulnerable place. The thought of building my own ritual and choosing who I want to witness it, my “stuff” as I mentioned earlier, immediately comes up. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by excluding them, so I let them in. Yikes. I think the challenges and inspirations you encounter when you design a ritual, much like the process of creating art or building relationships, may reveal more about you, your values and your struggles, then whatever actually happened to you to make you need a ritual to get through it. That being said, that life experience you went through (or are going through), especially if it was traumatic or disruptive, is something that others have been through, too. And those spaces where people with shared lived experiences can connect with one another are vital. Colleen: I had a conversation on a different show about, I don't know that affinity groups is the right word, but the group where the kind of group where everybody's been through, the hard thing, you know, like a, like a, like a group everybody's come out. Or, um, I was in one of, um, people who'd had a friend murdered survivors of homicide, you know, like, and like nobody, nobody gets that thing unless they've been through it and people can have all kinds of, you know, empathy and it just doesn't quite get there, but people who've all been through it. Like, that's, there's a, there's a connection there aren't words for, and it can be incredibly healing. Catherine: Throughout the process of a ritual or a ceremony, when do you feel the most empowered and in the zone? Colleen: I think I feel in the zone the whole time I'm in ritual space, especially if I'm not facilitating or having to be my brain, if I can just be in my body, you know? Um, and, um, and I feel most empowered when I feel like I'm not doing it alone, I think is my answer when whatever is moving, um, maybe being witnessed by people, listening to this thing I'm sharing or watching this thing I'm doing, and they're with me, you know, they're a hundred percent with me. They're like linked up with me, like energetically in this space. Right. I'm not alone. Or, or, and or if I feel like I'm like connected to spirit, to ancestors, to, you know, in my case to the goddess or all it is, well, then I feel like I'm, I'm not alone. And that, that is very, very freeing and comforting. Catherine: How are ritual and storytelling connected? Colleen: I like to use ritual as a place to tell the hard stories, you know, like I could have you, I could have a bunch of people over for dinner and tell them a hard story, but that might be then it's part of a social event and it's not all like people get it. That's a really hard story for me to tell her if it is, it can be like, oh, that is downer for the evening. Thanks a lot. You know, like it, it doesn't always fit like these really intensive experiences or stories that we could have that we might want to share. It's kind of like creating a place for it, you know, say, Hey, I'm having this event, I'm going to tell this really hard story. And I want people to witness it, if you want to be seen in that or if you want to grieve it or whatever it is, you know, like, I feel like we don't get too many chances to be real in life. Um, so we can create these intentional ones to be really real with each other. getting to use all of the modalities, you know, a sound and, and, um, and visuals and body and costuming and movement and dance, and, you know, alters and space and time and audience, and, you know, all that stuff can be used in both mediums. Catherine: Why do you love what you do? Colleen: Hmm. Because it gives me and other people that I work with a chance to be real and to show up in a way that we don't always get to in life to create spaces where we can be our fullest selves. And I think for me, creating ceremony, bleeding, designing, being in ceremonial space is being my fullest self. Colleen: In ritual we're often ascribing a meaning to an object. So like I just got this ring the other day. Uh it's, it's a, it's a gold ring with a circle on it and I'm wearing it on my middle finger of my right hand. And I got it cause I watched a movie with it, had a man who seemed very confident who had a lot of rings. And I was like, oh, I need a lot of rings that will do it. That will help me, which was completely ridiculous. And then I looked online and I saw this ring and I'm like, that's a nice ring. I will know what to do when I get that ring. And I was so excited for it to come. And I was like waiting at the door when it came and I put it on and I'm like, this is so stupid. It's just a ring. But, but, but I haven't given it like, I mean, that's the meaning it already had. Cause I already built that story about him. I haven't given it any real meaning yet. Right. And I could give it a meaning like, you know, all as well or, you know, the circle is complete or I'm, I'm calm or in anything I want, I can put any kind of meaning on it. So I guess I'm saying all this, just to say that any object in our life can become, um, a focus for an intention. So, and it can be private. So I can give this ring a meaning in my mind that you will never know, but every time I see it, I will be reminded of that. And it will help me, you know, deepen into whatever that is, whatever I want it to be to stay calm or everything's fine. Or, um, I know everything or I do know what to do. You know, the spring did tell me what to do and I know it now, you know, I can find it, I can find it out. You know, maybe that's what this ring is now that I think about it. But, but like I said, in one of my shows, I, I can, I can have like a wonder woman DVD cover sitting up in my kitchen. That to me makes me remember that I'm wonder woman and I'm strong and I'm everything I need. And if you come to my house, you won't know, you won't know it, it's private and that can happen with any object at any time, which is really good. I've been working on the show for two years now. It isn't a job. It isn't a hobby. It feels like an ongoing ceremony where I process emotions publicly, with my listeners as my witnesses… And when you respond to me, when there is an exchange that happens, my reaction is visceral. It reminds me of how I felt at the artist residency at Freehold when Ang, Selena and I broke down honeycomb with our hands. My mouth flooded with saliva… it was a split second, bodily reaction I can't explain. And I don't even want to explain it: it was real. Like Colleen said… it's a body experience. It's an experience I have as I am crafting the narration for the show in my head walking down the street, and finally holding the mic, my breath bringing the conversation to life, with you on the other end… I feel like I'm not alone. That feeling is both comforting and freeing… I feel both held and released. So what is the intention of this ceremony, other than publicly proclaiming my love to an auditorium of strangers? When Colleen started talking about dedication and talking about how folks of faith wear certain outfit to declare their commitment to God, I thought about the role of fashion and adornment for the queer community and for my own role as host of Material Feels. I call the state of mind I get in when I produce the show “pod-brain.” All my people pleasing habits and existential angsting goes out the window. I don't feel the need to respond to texts. I cancel and move plans, guilt free, to prioritize the podcast. I feel fully alive. It sounds like Material Feels is both a dedication and invitation for connection. I want to come back to the earlier pull I had towards rituals of separation… And I want to re-examine it. Maybe you are thinking about a ritual or ceremony you want to craft to move through hard emotions or a transition. Maybe you had a gut reaction to the four categories we talked about. What if we take my initial reaction and split it apart to see what's inside… This exercise of going deeper reminds me of the values exercise I did inspired by glassblower Deborah and by my therapist loved ones. How underneath one value there may be a deeper core value pulling the strings and running the show. Or, as Colleen puts it, find what needs to be moved. Sure, there are things in my life that I need to let go of. I'm drawn to minimalism in all senses of the word, freedom, less attachment to things that drain me. Vanlife has been a fantasy for… oh I don't know… three years now. But when I was drawn to separation, it was a pull to separate from… well… everything. I feel overly connected to and burdened by… everything. People, places, things, emotions, memories, worries. Through a lot of work on myself, I understand that this is partly because I see the potential in everything, partly because I do not value my own time and energy enough, and partly because I want to be liked. My greatest fear, other than making a mess and wasting food in the kitchen (see Pigment episode for the cashew incident) is not lions, tigers, bears or even climate change, though it probably should be that last one. My gravest fear is… disappointing people. And not being liked. And I feel totally weighed down by the gravity of people's eventual disappointment or displeasure with me. To add to the mix, people have rarely told me I disappointed them. This rarity has me believing that, because I've been busting my ass to please everyone for most of my life, it's working! I'm close to perfect, everything is FINE, even though every three weeks I want to separate from everything AKA, ya know, just… stop existing. I have such an ingrained struggle with allowing too much IN… being TOO dedicated to too many things. My next thought is… I don't think I can address these recurring thoughts through a ritual of separation. I'm not good enough at separating. Flexing my dedication muscle would be so much easier… Thinking about the things I feel pretty good at…. Throwing on the wheel, parallel parking… I practiced it. A TON. And the first time I did those things, I was trash at it. So just because separation is messy and hard and a bit awkward, doesn't mean I can't start now. I actually asked Colleen about this conundrum, and she suggested I feel it out, explore where the impulse goes. It's such a similar process to working with the material world. I made a discovery, and now I have to play with it…I think that's the beauty of ritual and ceremony for me. It makes the hard things in my mind tangible. When something is tangible, I feel I can understand it. And because ceremony overlaps a bit with performance and storytelling, I can play with it, share it with others, get more information. Add characters and ambiance, try it on, turn it upside down, play it backwards. I've started brainstorming what a hybrid ritual of separation and dedication looks like for me, one that allows me to approach and disrupt my own patterns safely. I think sharing hard stuff on air is important. And that's why I wanted to share how dark my thoughts get when I'm feeling overwhelmed. While I feel a bit exposed and vulnerable, talking openly about mental health is a value I hold dear and tenet of this show. This episode might bring up some life transitions and hard emotions of your own. As a host, it's my job to invite you in but also protect you a little bit: I often ask you to meet me where I'm at, I like the Material Feels community to feel called in and present. I imagine that as we've been talking some of your own stuff has been brought up. This is my formal invitation to check on the contents of your backpack. Add in a few symbolic objects, call in the element that aligns with your intentions, and think about where you want to go next and who you want to go there with. And on your way there, I hope you begin to feel both held and released. We'll be wrapping up Season 2 this fall with the release of another EP from Associate Producer Elizabeth de Lise, who writes our underscores and composes original music for the show. Expect a teaser for Season 3, updates about my business, CXM Productions, and some fun narrative experiments from the residency at Freehold. Thank you for being on this journey with me. If you'd like to support the show, find us on Patreon, or donate to us directly via PayPal: paypal.me/cxmproductions. And now, an original song by Liz, inspired by the materials Hillary Rea used for storytelling during her first ever artist residency at the Elsewhere Living Museum in Greensboro, NC.

The Hero's Journey: An Identity Crisis in Storytelling

Mindset First Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2022 46:50

As a business owner or marketer, you've likely heard of the hero's journey as a way to connect with your audience. Revised and reignited, the hero's journey popular a few years back by Don Miller and the StoryBrand method as a way to guide your audience (the hero) to your services. It's a common story telling device that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed. But today's guest, Hillary Rea - a communication consultant for multi-passionate entrepreneurs and leaders - suggests that the hero's journey can actually cause an identity crisis for your reader. She suggests that the old methods of storytelling that omit your own story don't build the real connection we need to grow our business. She shares with us what we can be doing that might actually feel a bit more natural for us so we can improve our storytelling abilities as a manner to connect and share our message. I really loved this conversation and it gave me permission to think about a different approach for my own content! I know it will for you too.

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Showing up, Taking Up Space, and Telling Your Story with Hillary Rea

Flaunt Your Fire

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 57:25

Storytelling is a powerful component of brand visibility. Telling your story is an opportunity to connect more deeply with others–our people, our audience, our colleagues, our clients–and begin to humanize our brand. But how do we begin to tell our story? How do we navigate doing that in a way that doesn't change who we are and builds deep connections? Hillary Rea joins India for a discussion about storytelling, trust, and taking up space. In this discussion: How Hillary's three pillars of trust support taking up space Why leaders and service providers need to model their work How to build trust in your story outside of dominant paradigms Connect with Hillary Rea: Tell Me A Story Join Hillary's Newsletter Connect with India Jackson and Flaunt Your Fire: Flaunt Your Fire LinkedIn: India Jackson Instagram: @FlauntYourFire Ready to dive deeper? For more conversations about trusting your intuition on your journey to own your power and amplify your influence, head to Pause on the Play® the Community and join to get access to our community, monthly workshops, Q&As, and on-demand replays of workshops and masterclasses, including a special guest workshop on Human Design from Cynthia Davidson.

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Season 3 Episode 1: But Can I Change?

Happiness Hacks

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2022 25:13

In the first episode of our new season, Nancy brings us on a personal journey of change through self-loyalty. She describes how she embarked on the most self-loyal year she's ever had, both in her business and her personal life, which culminated in the creation of Self Loyalty School. Nancy speaks with her friend and business collaborator, Hillary Rea. They discuss Hillary's storytelling philosophy and the work they've done together to cultivate self-loyalty through story. Then Nancy checks in with our favorite recurring guest, her husband Doug, to get his read on how she's been able to pivot toward self-loyalty over the past year. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's journey to make the change to become self-loyal in her business and in her personal life. - Storytelling and communication tips from Hillary Rea. - How to learn more about Self Loyalty School. Learn more about Hillary Rea: - Go to https://tellmeastory.info to learn more about Hillary and how to work with her. - Sign up for Hillary's Monthly Speak Up Session: https://www.tellmeastory.info/session Learn more about Self Loyalty School: - Go to https://selfloyaltyschool.com

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Building a Business to Live Life on Your Terms with Hillary Rea

Better Than Big

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2022 44:30

From the very start of her business, communication consultant and coach Hillary Rea held tight to a core belief that she could live life on her terms if she designed her business intentionally. In this episode, she joins me to talk about what “life on her terms” looks like (it involves Japanese lessons and fun exercise classes) and about how she set up her schedule so she could live fully and still run a thriving business. We also talk about the importance of defining your capacity for client work and about scarcity and why it makes us say yes to too many things. Finally, we discuss the importance of holding space for the opportunities you don't even know exist yet. Learn more about the Time Freedom program: www.ashleygartland.com/timefreedomprogram Learn more about Ashley: https://www.ashleygartland.com/ Follow Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygartland/ Learn more about Hillary: https://tellmeastory.info

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Ep 10: Case Study - Deleted IG, Twitter, & FB with Hillary Rea

Social Slowdown: sustainable digital marketing for entrepreneurs

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2022 46:41 Transcription Available

Once a month, we're going to be talking to someone who used to be active on social media and has made the decision to either decrease their time on social or step away from it. In these case study episodes, we'll talk about the decision-making that went on, what they had to put into place to make that shift off social, as well last the "before and after" of how they're getting their business found.In our very first case study episode, I'm speaking with Hillary Rea, the founder of Tell Me A Story. Hillary works with entrepreneurs and by using storytelling, she helps her clients to communicate their expertise and their passion for all the communication needs they have with their work.In July of 2020, Hillary decided to cut back her time on social media. Then she realized that her business no longer required social media for marketing. So in this episode, we'll talk about the factors that played into her decision to step back from social media and how she gets her clients, now that she's off of social.For the full show notes, visit https://www.socialslowdown.com/

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Have I Got Some Stories For You with Hillary Rea

Beyond The Venue with MG The Venue Specialist

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2021 63:15

This week I'm chatting with my friend and fellow podcast host, Hillary Rea. We've only known each other for a few years, so most of our relationship has transpired during the pandemic. We're neighbors who share similar values, and we even get our veggies from the same CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Taproot Farm.In this episode, Hillary talks about her monthly virtual meet up called the Speak Up Session. It's a free gathering for entrepreneurs, leaders & change makers craving a communication style that aligns who they are, what they do, and what they stand for. Check out her website or sign up for her newsletter to get the latest information regarding dates and time. Her November meet up was this past week, so make sure to join in December!Hillary wrapped up Season 3 of her podcast Roshomon over the summer. While Roshomon has come to its conclusion, Hillary is too passionate about podcasts to walk away from them. While we both agree podcasts are a lot of work, Hillary loves both the audio work as well as helping others find their podcast voice. Which is what she did for me, when I didn't even know I would be hosting a podcast when we worked together.Topics Include:

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057: The Role of Storytelling in Your Business Growth With Hillary Rea

Uncommon Couch

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2021 32:28

Storytelling can have a deep impact on how people relate to you and your business. In this episode, I had on Hillary Rea, founder of Tell Me A Story, a communication consulting and coaching business that teaches multi-passionate entrepreneurs, mission-driven leaders, and committed change makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool. What you'll find in this episode: How Hillary got into storytelling Why you should transport yourself into the view of the listener What she does to support clients who want to increase their visibility and thought leadership Her brainstorming exercises that uncover peoples' stories How to set yourself apart through storytelling Why you don't have to overthink the storytelling process How she walks clients through telling their origin story For full show notes, resources, and link, head to https://www.dralyssaadams.com/uncommon-couch-podcast The Uncommon Couch is a show for trailblazing entrepreneurs and change makers who are ready to transform how they think about business growth. It's a place to explore the evolving edge of business and consciousness and to dive into the psychological and energetic side of entrepreneurship. If you enjoyed this show, make sure to follow the podcast so you'll never miss an episode. Want to get to know me more? Find out more about me on my website at https://www.dralyssaadams.com or by following along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dralyssaadams!

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167. Midlife Pivots and Transitions: How to Tell Your Story with Hillary Rea

Second Breaks

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2021 42:09

IN THIS EPISODE: How to craft the "best story" for your midlife reinvention How to tell the story that you want to tell, with authenticity and vulnerability Why Hillary does not encourage the typical "hero's journey" format Selecting the "right" stories to include in your overall narrative Why you'd want to have a prepared story in your back pocket ABOUT MY GUEST:Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a communication consulting and coaching business that teaches multi-passionate entrepreneurs, mission-driven leaders, and committed change-makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool.She is an award-winning storyteller (NYC Moth StorySLAM winner and 2019 Rad Award for Storyteller of the year), has been telling her own stories on stage for 12 years. In addition to running her own business, Hillary is the producer and host of Rashomon, a long-form narrative storytelling podcast where one family tells every side of the same story.In this episode, Hillary and I talk about how we can compose and tell the story that we want to tell about our life and our midlife reinvention, how to keep vulnerability and authenticity in our "prepared" stories, and how we chose the stories that we want to include in our overall narrative.For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

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Storytelling Part 1: Memory, Voice and Heart with Hillary Rea

Material Feels

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2021 58:50

We understand our selves and one another through stories, and there are so many materials we can use to express stories. What are your go-to tools? Join us for an interview with Philly-based storyteller Hillary Rea, where we delve into the materials she uses to tell stories on stage and work with clients through her business, Tell Me A Story: memory, voice and heart. We explore her relationship to memory, the versatility of voice and potency of “heart” as a material.

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EP 337: Connecting With Stories With Tell Me A Story Founder Hillary Rea

Differently: Assume the risk of creating an extra-ordinary life

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2021 47:10

Nothing fosters human connection faster than a story. Stories are the most direct way to tell someone else—or a whole audience of people—an important truth about you. Stories give us shared experiences and emotions to build relationships from. Stories make even the biggest concepts or most technical information feel real. Practicing storytelling has been a game changer for me in the way I communicate, market, and teach. And I believe it can do the same for you. Today's episode is a sort of conversation-meets-workshop excerpted from a special joint event for The What Works Network and Standout Podcast Club. I talk with Tell Me A Story founder Hillary Rea about how we can more effectively use stories in the content we create and why stories have such a positive impact on our results as business owners. This conversation is chock full of ideas, explainers, and ways to experiment with story so you can forge a deeper connection with your audience. So settle in for this conversation on connecting with story with Hillary Rea! The post EP 337: Connecting With Stories With Tell Me A Story Founder Hillary Rea appeared first on What Works.

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Tell Me a Story with Hillary Rea

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2021 40:16

Whether you are curious about finding your voice, telling authentic stories or stepping into courage for the sake of something bigger - you are going to love this conversation.Join us this week as we dive into conversation about these things and more. Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a communication consulting business that teaches multi-passionate entrepreneurs, mission-driven leaders, and committed change makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool.She is an award-winning storyteller, has been on the stage telling her own stories for over 11 years and will inspire you to tell your own.Enjoy!Learn more about Hillary at: https://tellmeastory.infoFind Hillary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryrea/Learn more about Carla: https:/www.carlareeves.com/Connect on IG: https://www.instagram.com/carlasreeves/

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Material Feels: Paper

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2021 51:16

A very special bonus episode presenting one of our favorite shows: Material Feels.Material Feels is a podcast exploring the intimate relationship between artists and their materials.In this episode of Rashomon you will hear an interview between Rashomon producer + host Hillary Rea and Material Feels producer + host Catherine Monahon, followed by the full episode Paper (Sculpture) – repetition, alignment & creating your happy place. Check out Material Feels' website for the full show notes for this episode. And, of course, follow, rate + review, and listen to Material Feels on your favorite podcast player. Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary ReaMusic at the beginning and end of this special bonus episode is courtesy of Liz Delise. Check out Liz: https://www.elizabethdelise.com Check our Liz's band, Lizdelise: https://www.lizdelise.com Rashomon is no longer on social media or Patreon. However, you can catch up on all of the episodes on our website: https://rashomonpodcast.com

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Tell Me a Story: How to Communicate and Captivate Your Audience with Hillary Rea

Coffe N. 5

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2021 25:02

Download Podcast TranscriptStories are important. A good story can captivate us until we lose track of time. But can we use a story, and therefore, storytelling in other environments, like…a company? Hillary Rea thinks we can, and even more: we should. She’s the founder of Tell Me A Story, a communication consulting business that teaches the art of storytelling to entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone that wants to engage and connect with others in a different and more lasting way. If you want to be remembered, use storytelling. Highlights:Storytelling is an art form and a powerful communication tool. Hillary tells us how she discovered and started to practice it.For Hillary, storytelling is a way to captivate your audience, people are more likely to listen to you and understand what you are saying if you tell them a story. And this is a skill that you can learn and improve over the years.Hillary explains part of the elements of a story. Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Once you have this structure, it is time to choose those moments or details that contribute to the story and focus on them. You don’t have to be funny. Hillary knows that not all stories have to end with a joke. Humor has different layers, and it is ok if you want to tell a story and tell how you feel, without being funny. Hillary teaches companies and leaders how to use storytelling to communicate and engage with their teams. Storytelling allows having a connection between coworkers and bosses.We all have stories to tell. Hillary found out that many people didn’t want to tell their story because it didn’t have the perfect ending, and she works to let everyone know that you don’t have to have that perfect ending, or don’t have to meet your goals to have something to tell. You have to find what you want to say.Hillary gives us three reasons why to use storytelling and examples on how to use it. If you want to know more about Hillary and her work, check her website. And if you want to participate in a free session, read all about her next The Speak Up Session.Download our free guide to Clubhouse, and learn everything you need to know about this social network.Lara Schmoisman, CEO & Founder of The Darl and Marketing Simplificado Support the show (http://www.laraschmoisman.com)

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10.5 Storytelling Masterclass: Authenticity, “Show, Don’t Tell" and Being Flashy

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2021 16:22

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, Viv presents a special five-part series featuring Hillary Rea, award-winning storyteller and founder of communication consultancy Tell Me a Story. In this fifth and final part: why you don’t need to be a flashy version of yourself, why telling your story is important because it shows others that it’s OK to tell their stories, keeping “something in your back pocket” to share and... the role gender plays in storytelling. Also, Viv finally admits what we all knew already: that she loves the sound of her own voice. You can find out more about Hillary at tellmeastory.info Viv's book, Lift As You Climb is out now.

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10.4 Storytelling Masterclass: Why Every Story Needs a Beginning, Middle and End

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2021 16:13

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, Viv presents a special five-part series featuring Hillary Rea, award-winning storyteller and founder of communication consultancy Tell Me a Story. Part four is about the practicalities of your story: how to know how long you should talk for, why every story must have a beginning, middle and end - plus Viv unpicks how she learned the hard way that a story needs to be self-contained, otherwise the audience just gets really irritated with you. You can find out more about Hillary at tellmeastory.info Viv's book, Lift As You Climb is out now.

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10.3 Storytelling Masterclass: Bringing Your True Self to Work

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2021 17:21

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, Viv presents a special five-part series featuring Hillary Rea, award-winning storyteller and founder of communication consultancy Tell Me a Story. Part three explains how you can use storytelling to bring your true self to work and talk about who you are “beyond the blazer” (your work persona). Plus, how to know when a story is ready to be told and when it’s too raw to share. And… Viv reveals her phobia of her own weird nose. You can find out more about Hillary at tellmeastory.info Viv's book, Lift As You Climb is out now.

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10.1 Storytelling Masterclass: Why You Need to Know How to Tell Stories

Gravity - The Digital Agency Power Up : Weekly shows for digital marketing agency owners.

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2021 17:40

To celebrate International Women's Day 2021, Viv presents a special five-part series featuring Hillary Rea, award-winning storyteller and founder of communication consultancy Tell Me a Story. In part one we look at how storytelling techniques can revolutionise your communication at work - and in life. Why do we care so much about stories and what can they be used for? What is “the hero’s journey”? And can stories really help you to "fall in love" with yourself? You can find out more about Hillary at tellmeastory.info Viv's book, Lift As You Climb is out now.

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EP 17: Owning Your Story with Hillary Rea

Rule Breaker by Rebelle

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2021 41:02

I’m just going to say this right away (and if you are offended by it, you can go back to your podcast player and pick another episode): Disney movies messed us up. Of course, I still love them. But the movies I grew up watching were extremely problematic. The Little Mermaid… Beauty and the Beast… Cinderella… These are NOT stories we should be making for children. Truthfully, it wasn’t until recently that I realized it wasn’t just the indirect messages—like being a helpless girl so a guy can save you kind of story—but it was also the STRUCTURE of the stories that are an issue. These stories make their way into our subconscious and impact the way we tell stories about ourselves that follow us for the rest of our lives—unless we actively undo them. Stories are an essential part of our inner worlds—and they inform our outer worlds, too. We use stories to understand the world around us and how we relate to those around us. But what if the stories we hear growing up or the stories we tell ourselves don’t actually help us become the best version of us?! And what if they reinforce negative patterns that DON’T serve us? On this episode, I’m chatting with my friend and storyteller Hillary Rea who knows a thing or two about storytelling. She is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a full-service communication consulting business that trains multi-passionate entrepreneurs, mission-driven leaders, and committed change-makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool. Listen to the full episode to hear: The history of the Hero’s Journey—and why it’s not THE ONLY way to tell a story with impact Different formats we use for telling our own story whether it is introducing yourself to someone new, crafting interview question replies Ways to share who you are with the world through your story Learn more about Hillary Rea: https://tellmeastory.info SPEAK UP Newsletter Rebelle Member Spotlight – Amy Cross: Connect with Amy on Instagram Learn more about Shannon Siriano Greenwood: What Kind Of Rule Breaker Are You? Readytorebelle.com Rebelle Community Follow Rebelle on Instagram Follow Rebelle Con on Facebook Rebelle Shout Out: Trinny Woodall | Trinny on Instagram Hailey Thomas

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The primal power of stories, with Hillary Rea

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2021 48:55

We connect with people through stories. If you watch any good speaker, entertainer or educator they illustrate what they communicate with stories. If you're like most people then you have a ton of stories you could tell - and if you told them, you'd stand out. We remember stories. This week my Podcast guest is Hillary Rea from tell me a story. Hillary works with business owners of all kinds to help them discover and deliver the stories which can make you and your brand connect far more deeply than the more superficial content we're used to. About Hillary Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a full-service communication consulting business that trains entrepreneurs, leaders, and change makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool. She’s worked with leaders across industries — social justice nonprofits, women-owned small businesses, tech start-ups and Fortune 500 companies — to communicate an authentic narrative through 1-on-1 services (now fully virtual) and the long running Tell Me A Story Live Show (virtual for the time being). Hillary graduated from New York University with a degree in Vocal Performance and holds a certificate in Audio Documentary from Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. She is an award-winning storyteller (NYC Moth StorySLAM winner and 2019 Rad Award for Storyteller of the year), was an artist-in-residence at Elsewhere in Greensboro, NC, and a recipient of the 2016 Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts. In addition to running her own business, Hillary is the producer and host of Rashomon - a long form narrative storytelling podcast where one family tells every side of the same story. Hillary's website : https://www.tellmeastory.info/ (https://www.tellmeastory.info/)

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Claim Your Unique Framework With Hillary Rea

Rebel Therapist

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2020 38:10

Why is it important to have a unique framework as opposed to just being magic at what you do? And how do you find your framework? When I started coaching entrepreneurs, I was helping them one by one, using methods I learned from other people and co-creating the experience each time. Nothing wrong with that. Then over time I developed a framework that includes lots of parts that are uniquely mine. To claim my framework I had to first observe it, then get clear about the elements, write it all down and then articulate it for the people I help. And I refine it over time. Having a framework has deepened my work and set me free. You'll hear more about how that happens for me in this conversation. But much more than that, you'll learn from my guest. Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story. She trains entrepreneurs, leaders, and change makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool. In this episode you'll hear what claiming her framework has made possible. Here's some of what we talked about: Why it helps to have a unique method How she uses her own framework in telling her stories What she learned by listening to thousands of stories Why she left social media The difference between being "liked" and truly connecting Taking a stand with your stories What she learned from being thrown off during a corporate presentation Realizing her inner eye rolls and grumbles were giving her important information she needed to share Rituals and meaningful choices she makes about her time Show notes at http://rebeltherapist.me/podcast/136

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How to Tell YOUR Story!

Let's Keep It Real

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2020 60:03

Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a full-service communication consulting business that trains entrepreneurs, leaders, and change makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool. She’s worked with leaders across industries — social justice nonprofits, women-owned small businesses, tech start-ups and Fortune 500 companies — to communicate an authentic narrative through 1-on-1 services (now fully virtual) and the long running Tell Me A Story Live Show (virtual for the time being).

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EP 301: Taking A Stand With Tell Me A Story Founder Hillary Rea

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2020 46:57

My 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. Now, you might think Hillary had this whole speaking up and taking a stand thing under control. She did, too. In fact, in episode 226, Hillary shared how she's found the confidence to stand on stage and share vulnerable personal experiences through storytelling. But 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 wanted her to fit into. This is the story of how she reversed course, started speaking up for real, and the challenges she faced as she did. Hillary and I talk about how her business shakeup this year helped her see what had become a big problem, how she tried to fit in and avoid looking like a weirdo, the concrete changes she made to how she presents her work, and the ongoing challenges of continuing to speak up in a stronger way. The post EP 301: Taking A Stand With Tell Me A Story Founder Hillary Rea appeared first on What Works.

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Episode 153: How the Conventional Happiness Formula Is Keep Us Stuck with Kim Stobel

Happiness Hacks

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 59:37

Frequently we will ask ourselves—why am I unhappy? But the key component is the question underneath the question. What is making you unhappy? Or better yet, what would you know if you were happy? A friend, former guest, and storytelling expert, Hillary Rea, shared that it might come down to asking a more beautiful question—a question that helps you get to the heart of the question to uncover the answer. Often, Hillary uses the phrase—ask a more beautiful question—to prompt her to get to the heart of an issue. Throughout my own experiences, I’ve found that the beautiful question is usually underneath the question that’s important and so today’s episode is a study into the question underneath the question concept. I’m talking with Kim Strobel who’s a happiness and empowerment coach and the founder of Strobel Education. As a leadership consultant and happiness coach, Kim helps businesses, organizations, and high-achievers prioritize their health and well-being so they can reach new levels in their business and their life. And as a result, businesses and organizations take massive actions and create positive change in every area. Listen to the full episode to hear: The conventional happiness formula and how it keeps us stuck Adding gratitude and affirmations into your life in a helpful way (you know I have some opinions about these 2 concepts so Kim and I break it down for you!) How Kim’s panic disorder affected her life, how she overcame it, and what happened when it reared its ugly head again How the process of learning to live with her panic disorder helped bring her happiness Learn more about Kim: www.KimStrobel.com www.StrobelEducation.com The She Finds Joy Podcast She Finds Joy on Facebook Follow Kim on Instagram Follow Kim on Twitter Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach In Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.

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Episode 142: Finding Freedom Through Our Personal Stories with Hillary Rea

Happiness Hacks

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2020 64:16

In the self-help/personal development world, the idea of stories—and the stories we tell ourselves—is seen as a negative thing. The message is: if we were better people, then we would know all of our “stories”—and if we are honest about them, they wouldn’t get in our way and hold us back from living our full potential. Instead, we could change our limiting beliefs by simply “changing the story.” That phrase drives me crazy. As if it’s that easy to change your story! And while the self-help world might portray stories as a challenge to overcome or as an opportunity to rewrite, I have always seen it differently: stories are what make us the amazing, unique humans that we are. Today, I’m so excited to introduce Hillary Rea to you. She is a storyteller by trade and has a refreshingly different take on the stories that we tell ourselves, the stories we tell about ourselves to others, and the stories that others tell about us. Hillary is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a full-service communication consulting business that trains entrepreneurs, leaders, and change-makers to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool. She is also the producer and host of Rashomon, a narrative storytelling podcast in which one family shares every side of the same story. Listen to the full episode to hear: How our stories play a role in our lives and how Hillary has found that telling them NOT changing them is how we find freedom How telling our stories helps us build self-loyalty which is key to dealing with our high functioning anxiety Her love of storytelling and why it is so important to her and the larger world What Joseph Campbell’s Hero Journey might be lacking in and what Hillary teaches about the 5 facets of storytelling Learn more about Hillary: tellmeastory.info Join the Speak Up Newsletter Roshomon Podcast Instagram: Tell Me A Story Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you

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Hillary Rea: Tell Me a Story

The Radiance Project

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2020 56:43

Heidi and Hillary talk about storytelling and the Rashomon effect. Hillary is a Taurus Rising, Taurus Sun and Capricorn Moon. POEM "The Bell and the Blackbird" by David Whyte, "Weren't we Beautiful" by Marjorie Saiser LINKS Tellmeastory.info Rashomon Podcast

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I'm Not Sure What I'm Chasing Either

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 20:45

"Here we are sitting in the basement, characters in our own story. Making something beautiful together."This special bonus episode of Rashomon Season 2 is a story written and produced by Nicki Stein.Nicki sits down with her dad, Victor, to comb through old memories and to use each of their sides of the same story as a path for understanding each other in a new way.I'm Not Sure What I'm Chasing Either was written and produced by Nicki Stein. Music in this story is by Blue Dot Sessions and Brower.Thank you so much Nicki for letting us share your story. You can stay up to date with Nicki and her audio work on her website and her Soundcloud.You can also follow Nicki on Instagram and Twitter.Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary Rea.Theme music is by Ryan Culinane courtesy of the Free Music Archive.Podcast artwork is by Thom Lessner.Stay in touch with Rashomon on Instagram, Twitter, and the show's website.

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EP 226: Showing Up With Confidence With Tell Me A Story Founder Hillary Rea

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2019 42:13

Hillary Rea has always found confidence in showing up on stage and sharing stories. But when she realized that a project she'd been working on for 8 years hadn't grown the way she hoped, her confidence took a hit. We talk about how Hillary found her love for storytelling, how being visible makes her feel more confident, and how she's finding a new sense of confidence after a setback. The post EP 226: Showing Up With Confidence With Tell Me A Story Founder Hillary Rea appeared first on What Works.

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Season 2 Trailer

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2019 2:47

Rashomon returns on April 30th for Season Two. This season you'll hear 5 families telling every side of two stories. In this trailer you heard music by Paul Defiglia and the voices of the Leonard Family. You'll hear more from them in Season 2, Episode One. As always Rashomon is hosted by Hillary Rea. This podcast is now listener supported through Patreon. Please visit our page and consider contributing. The more audience support that we get, the sooner we can release new episodes and bring others on board to help make this podcast the best that it can be. That's https://patreon.com/rashomonpod We're on Instagram and Twitter - @rashomonpod If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or text an episode to a friend. Thanks for listening!

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The Robbins Family

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2018 44:33

Rachel Robbins was used to her family's Passover dinners. They were always the same from start to finish. But one year there was an unexpected turn of events during dessert. Rachel, along with her family and friends piece together what actually happened through hazy memories and humor. The Robbins Family is Rachel, Eve, Les, Judy, Sarah, and Jake Robbins. Other family members included in this episode are Beth Oswald, Jane Easley, and Stan Oswald. You also heard from Meredith Levy. Special thanks to T.J. Hurley for our interview in the audio closet. You can check out the first part of our conversation in The Cohen Family episode. Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary Rea. You can learn more about the show on our website: http://rashomonpodcast.com. Please say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Theme music by Ryan Cullinane (courtesy of the Free Music Archive). Episode music by Paul Defiglia Thank you to Thom Lessner for our amazing podcast art. This is the final episode of Season 1. As we get ready for Season 2, we want to hear from you. You can email us at rashomonpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com. We'd love to meet more families and hear all versions of their stories. We'd love sponsors. And we'd love to work with collaborators and podcast networks. Thanks! Help us make podcasting a sustainable art by supporting Rashomon on Patreon.

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The Gethard Family (Part Two)

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2018 24:44

When Gregg Gethard was in 8th grade, he was selected to be a contestant on the PBS game show, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. Once Gregg's episode aired, the footage took on a life of it's own and stayed with him for decades. For better or for worse. This episode is the conclusion to the Gethard Family story. Make sure you listen to Part One beforehand. The Gethard Family is Gregg Gethard, Chris Gethard, Ken Gethard and Sally Gethard. Special thanks to Greg Lee and Pinch Lee. Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary Rea. You can learn more about the show on our website: http://rashomonpodcast.com. Please say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Theme music by Ryan Cullinane (courtesy of the Free Music Archive). Episode music by Paul Defiglia Thank you to Thom Lessner for our amazing podcast art. Help us make podcasting a sustainable art by supporting Rashomon on Patreon.

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The Gethard Family (Part One)

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2018 39:43

When Gregg Gethard was in 8th grade, he was selected to be a contestant on the PBS game show, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. He had a hunch that it was going to be a strange day, but did not know to what extent it would be life changing. This is part one of a two part episode. Part two will be released on June 7th. The Gethard Family is Gregg Gethard, Chris Gethard, Ken Gethard and Sally Gethard. Special thanks to Greg Lee and Pinch Lee. Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary Rea. You can learn more about the show on our website: http://rashomonpodcast.com. Please say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Theme music by Ryan Cullinane (courtesy of the Free Music Archive). Episode music by Paul Defiglia Thank you to Thom Lessner for our amazing podcast art. Help us make podcasting a sustainable art by supporting Rashomon on Patreon.

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The Cohen Family

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2018 18:23

Jackie and Stu Cohen dive deep into the story of how they first met and how the Rashomon Effect plays a role in their story and their clinical psychology practices. The Cohen Family is Jackie Cohen, Stu Cohen, and Rita O'Keefe. Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary Rea. You can learn more about the show on our website: http://rashomonpodcast.com. Please say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Music in this episode by Paul Defiglia. Thank you to Thom Lessner for our amazing podcast art.

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The Bieber Family

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2018 16:06

KT Bieber is on a mission to find the truth in a family joke that has plagued her for years. The Bieber Family is Paul Bieber, Cydney Bieber, Max Bieber, and KT Bieber. Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary Rea. You can learn more about the show on our website: http://rashomonpodcast.com. Please say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Music in this episode by Eigenheimer, Emerald Park, and Ryan Cullinane (courtesy of the Free Music Archive). Thank you to Thom Lessner for our amazing podcast art. Help us make podcasting a sustainable art by supporting Rashomon on Patreon.

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The Chapman Family

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2018 23:36

Cecily Chapman had a prom night she wanted to forget. So she did. Until a decade later when she shared it with a room full of strangers at a live storytelling show. The Chapman Family is Cecily Alexandria Chapman, Ruth Chapman, and Khalil Chapman. Cecily is the author of Vagina Strong: Faith, sex and life through the journey of a virgin. (Amazon) Rashomon is produced and hosted by Hillary Rea. You can learn more about the show on our website: http://rashomonpodcast.com. Please say hello on Twitter and Instagram. Music in this episode by Jahzzar, and Ryan Cullinane (courtesy of the Free Music Archive). Thank you to Thom Lessner for our amazing podcast art. Help us make podcasting a sustainable art by supporting Rashomon on Patreon.

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Season 1 Trailer