Do Something That Matters: Tell Your Story

4 years doesn’t sound like a long time but when I look back at 2014 my life was totally different. I got my first official paying web design client in 2008 so by 2014 I was 6 years into my business career and I had finally figured out how to build a web design business. But it was too late. I didn’t want to be a web designer anymore. When things first started to work in the web design business I had a real ‘once I was lost but now I’m found’ moment. But by 2014 I had fallen out the other side of that and I was lost again. It’s a lot scarier second time round.

TELL YOUR STORY LIVE IN LONDON ON 26 & 27 FEBRUARY 2019

When I hear people reflect my journey back to me it goes something like: “First you had your web design business, then you made your Be Yourself film and now you have the business you have today helping people be authentic in their work and marketing.” On one level that’s true, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

4 years ago I was over web design and straight-up marketing consulting because I had glimpsed my real work. I knew I wanted to help people show themselves in their marketing and business. I sensed that marketing could be an art form, an expression of our truest selves. But I couldn’t figure out how to communicate all of this in a way that connected with people. They just didn’t get what I could do for them and how powerful it would be. I came at it from every angle. I was in not one but two high-level mastermind groups that year. One in the US and one in the UK. Both cost 5 figures to join. And STILL despite all that expert input I wasn’t able to crack it.

One of the masterminds I was in was Perry Marshall’s Roundtable. Towards the end of the year I figured out how to apply Perry’s advice about the power of simplification. I realised the only way to simplify my message was to tell my story. I needed a story to communicate things in a way people would get. To satisfy my own curiosity I had been studying storytelling and screenwriting but I was still a recovering direct marketer so I was used to taking a much more linear approach to my marketing messages. Story can communicate the truth in a way linear, direct messages never can.

I wrote my story and made the film and people heard my message loud and clear. They finally got it. But the film was just the beginning…

“I Wish I’d Said More”

At the retreat I hosted in Ireland this past April we spent the first few hours together getting to know each other. I asked each participant to spend 10 minutes or so sharing a bit about their background, story and why they were at the retreat. As we went around the room we all began to sink into the stuff below the surface and with each person the sharing got a little more real. One participant disarmed the whole room with total honesty about what was going on in her life. As she revealed herself the rest of us simultaneously and collectively shed another layer of persona. She did us all a great service.

We took a short break before moving on to the next person and my friend, Peter came over to me and said, “This is great. People are becoming three-dimensional.” That’s exactly what was happening. As the layers of persona were being peeled back we were all becoming visible and knowable to each other. By the end of the session a guy who had bravely volunteered to be one of the first to share his story had some regrets. “Now that I’ve listened to everyone else I wish I’d said more. I could’ve said so much more.”

Being yourself in your work is a process

Not too long after I released my film, that’s exactly how I felt. Shedding your professional persona and being yourself in your work is a process and as time went by I kept peeling away layers and finding deeper truths and more fundamental pieces to my story. I realised that telling my story in the film was not a one and done thing. I had so much more to say. So I decided to continue leaning into being myself, sharing my story and conducting my work in a human way.

Taking Storytelling to the Next Level

For myself as much as anything else, I formalised my storytelling process. I analysed what I’d been doing unconsciously and made it conscious. I defined my storytelling model: the 4 acts and 14 elements of an effective Shared Story. I started teaching my model in my Tell Your Story program and guided people through the process. And they were seeing results, both expected and unexpected. Telling their story in their marketing was working – it was converting more customers and drawing their ideal clients closer. But they spoke of something deeper too. Laura Prisc, an executive coach from West Virginia said working through the Tell Your Story process “sparked a knowing of myself at a level I couldn’t see on my own… Not only have I come to recognize my truth through this process, but I can also see my son more clearly, as well, as his story unfolds.”

Telling their story in their marketing was working – it was converting more customers and drawing ideal clients closer.

Shortly after working with another client – a best-selling author and educator – he invited me to a talk he was giving in London. He’d been sharing his teachings for decades but the work we did together was the first time he’d put his story together in one cohesive narrative. I arrived 20 minutes early for the talk and the place was already packed to the rafters. I settled into one of the last empty seats at the back of the balcony and as he came on and began to speak my ears pricked up. “I recognise that line,” I thought. He was telling his story. The story work I’d done with him was a script for a short film. I wasn’t expecting him to tell his story at this event. Over the next hour he used his story as the framework for the talk and weaved his teachings into it. He would tell me later that evening it was the first time he’d told his story like this at a live event and he could feel the audience responding.

I knew the story; I helped him develop, structure and script it. But still, listening to it now I got goose bumps. My experience was not too different from the hundreds of others in the audience that night. A good story moves us even when we know what’s coming next. That’s when I knew I was on the right track with this work.

So Good They’ll Read it Again and Again

As I saw what was happening, not just when I told my story but when my clients told theirs, I started trusting my storytelling model more and more. I let it infuse all of my marketing. I stopped writing traditional ‘best practice’ sales pages. The ones I’d studied for years to perfect. I stopped thinking in terms of ‘sales pages’ or ‘sales letters’ and started thinking in terms of ‘sales stories’. When the time came to launch a new service that I’d normally have written a classic direct-response marketing long copy sales page for I did something different instead.

I went to my favourite cafe and mapped out the story structure.

I went to my favourite cafe with a pen and paper. Down the left hand side of the page I wrote the 14 key elements from my storytelling model and I began to map out the story that would reveal the origin, philosophy and benefit of the service I was launching. It was an experiment to see if this story model would work for sales copy too. Within an hour it was clear to me that this would work. I was excited and relieved because writing the usual sales messages had become more and more difficult – it didn’t feel right. It didn’t fit with the work I was doing and the whole process had become kind of fraught for me. I knew how to write great traditional sales copy but by now I was very clear that isn’t who I am. Using the storytelling model felt right.

It wasn’t a sales page to me, it was a standalone piece of art.

I wrote the sales story and just after we launched it I ran into a client and friend who told me, “I read that sales page over and over again. I think it’s one of the best things you’ve ever written. So powerful. It really moved me.” As he told me how he felt about it I was reminded of an experience I had a couple of years earlier. Perry Marshall had just announced an event he was doing in Chicago called Influential Writing. I read the sales page two or three times. It spoke to me. This was no run-of-the-mill formulaic sales page. This was a piece of writing with heart and soul. I copied and pasted it into a Word document so I could come back to it and read it again in the future. It’s still sitting in a ‘Resources’ folder on my computer, I’m hanging onto it. I knew I didn’t have the $12,000 it cost to attend the event but the sales page had me doing some sums to see if I could swing it someway somehow. It wasn’t to be but that sales page was a crucial factor in my decision to join Perry’s Roundtable mastermind group a year or so later. When my mind questioned the $20,000 joining fee I would remember the Influential Writing sales page and be reminded that it would be worth it to learn from the guy who wrote that piece. It wasn’t a sales page to me, it was a standalone piece of art. It took me on a journey and spoke to something deep inside me. If I could give people even a fraction of that experience with my sales messages, I would be very happy.

There was no way I was going back to the old ways of doing things. No more dry sales messages. I was committed to telling my story.

Giving It All Up

It was around the same time that I realised I’d have to stop doing ‘straight up’ copywriting of landing pages or sales pages for clients. It was easy to decide to take a different approach in my own sales and marketing but when it came to doing this work for clients it was hard to let go of. There was a time in the not too distant past where being a direct-response copywriter was the dream. Now I was being paid to do exactly that and I was facing the reality that I had to give it up. Another thing that was a once-dream-now-reality was my web design business. The web design business and direct-response copywriting are what paid the bills as I developed my work and figured out my new direction. Now I was clear on that direction I realised I had to let go of all of that to make room for my real work to blossom.

I had to let go to make room for my real work to blossom

I was haunted by the words of one of my fellow mastermind group members. In one meeting I explained my plan to build up the new direction of the business – namely consulting and helping people be themselves in their work – until it was making enough to replace the web design revenue. Only then would I jettison the web design part of the business. This guy stopped me in my tracks and said, “This reminds me of someone else I know. He’s been talking about executing exactly that plan for the past 10 years. I think you need to draw a line in the sand. It’s too easy to remain addicted to the web design cash.” I had tried to ignore his advice for a year or more but I couldn’t pretend any longer. I was never going to have the business I really wanted if I didn’t step away from the safety of the web design business first.

So the decision was made. No more touting for web design business. No more new web design clients unless it was someone I was consulting with about authenticity, story and doing work that matters. We were no longer running a straight up direct-response web design agency.

I let go of the old business at the most frightening possible time. The decision was made as John and I were trying for a baby so I knew I’d be off work for at least a few months and then I’d be working a lot less than before. Having a baby felt a bit like stepping off a cliff. I didn’t know what life or work were going to look like after that. Then my daughter was born and I had to let go of the old business and the old me in many different ways. I learned a lot about surrender through that time.

Having a baby felt a bit like stepping off a cliff

Now I have re-emerged and the business I envisioned a few years ago is a reality. It’s a new day. A few weeks ago I got an email from a guy who, on a friend’s recommendation, had just watched the film we made 3 and a half years ago. After hearing my story he wanted to talk about working with me. With virtually zero effort from me it turned into a 5-figure sale. All I did was tell my story a few years ago. It’s in moments like this I realise the risk I took is paying off again and again and again.

Selling Out

Back when I had itchy feet in the web design business but still didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in next I had a secret idea to do a retreat in Dunfanaghy. I scribbled my thoughts at the back of my notebook not knowing when or how any of this would be possible. I was finally able to do it earlier this year. It sold out and is maybe the best thing I’ve ever done; I’m still trying to take in some of the feedback we got. Afterwards I realised the whole thing was underpinned by the power of story. There’s no doubt in my mind that the reason we were able to sell it out, have people pay a premium and travel to the middle of nowhere in Ireland from as far afield as the US, South America and Australia is because the sales page was a shared story. I followed my storytelling model and told the story I knew would encompass everything people needed to know about the retreat, my journey and their own. One client reached out to me after we released the details of the retreat. “I read your story and wept,” she said, “your story is my story.”

Sharing our stories is the most generous and transformative thing we can do

When people came to the retreat I was struck by how open and willing they were. Having people show up ready to get real and share their stories is a great privilege in my work. I realised it happens because I go first by sharing my story in my marketing and writing. This is why I say telling your story is about more than marketing; it’s about impact and your real work. Sharing our stories is the most generous and transformative thing we can do.

People have described the retreat as ‘pivotal’ and ‘transformative’ in no small part because it was a group of people sharing their stories with each other. I didn’t design the retreat to be about story but we ended up talking about it a lot.

One of the retreat participants was Perry Marshall. When he walked in on the first day half the room were star struck and the other half were googling him to see what the fuss was all about. Perry’s been an important mentor for me over the years so I was excited, if a little nervous, to have him at the retreat. He decided to attend because a few months earlier we’d had a brief conversation about his story. We were talking about how he was marketing his Evolution 2.0 project – a book and technology prize – and I told him I thought he should tell his story. I told him that despite knowing him, following his work closely, and being familiar with parts of his narrative I still felt like I didn’t know the whole story. Our conversation continued over email and he decided he’d come to Ireland to see what would unfold.

Perry very generously let me poke and prod at him in front of the group

Over dinner on the first night of the retreat this conversation started up again and people were curious about my storytelling model so I decided to do an impromptu story session the following afternoon. I used Perry as my guinea pig because I knew a lot about his work and the pieces of his story already. Perry very generously let me poke and prod at him in front of the group and over the course of an hour I mapped out his story. Namely, the version of his story he needs to tell to get the word out about his project.

After a short break Perry came back into the room and said, “The story structure you’re using is not wildly different from anything I’m already familiar with but there are nuances to what you just did that are significant. There’s stuff here I never put together before.” He went on to say the big lesson for him just happened in the hall. My friend, Peter who’s also been around Perry and his work for a few years had approached him. “Peter just came up to me and said, ‘Hey Perry, I’ve tried to read your Evolution book twice and never got very far. But now that I’ve heard your story I REALLY want to go read the book.’

The Most Important Thing of All

We all have an important message to share. There’s an idea or philosophy that underpins your work that you want the world to know about. We all tend to focus on that message because it’s what we’re passionate about. But I’ve come to learn this: Your story is more important than your message.

Your story is what opens the door for people to want to hear your message. If you’re doing powerful work the world needs to know about, you need to tell your story. And not just any version of your story – you need to tell the version of your story that will speak to your audience and open them up to your work. When you do that, people hear your story and say, “I’m on board, tell me more. I want to know whatever it is you’re teaching.”

And when you tell your story well your audience begins to transform even as they hear it. If you’re not telling your story, you’re not really doing your work, not yet.

An Unexpected Resolution

Back when I was building my web design business I was in a mastermind group in the UK. It was led by a big marketing guru and he would bring his web design guy, Dave to the meetings. I looked up to Dave. At that time he was my idea of success. He was running a direct-response web design and marketing agency and had this big guru as a client. If I ever had any problems or questions Dave was always kind enough to take the time to talk them through with me. He was a font of knowledge when it came to all the latest software and technology.

As I moved away from web design and into my real work I left that particular mastermind group and didn’t see Dave around anymore. A few years later I heard he had died in a freak accident. I didn’t know him well at all. I didn’t have his email address. We weren’t friends on Facebook. But the news of his death got inside my head in an unexpected way.

I don’t think I knew it until that moment but I was still harbouring doubts about the decision I’d made. Maybe I should have stuck with web design. Maybe I could have made a fortune if I’d have stayed on that path instead of cannibalising that part of the business.

But contemplating Dave’s passing, it seemed irrelevant to me that he had this successful agency. All I could think about was his wife and young kids and the stories he’d told me about having to work morning, noon and night. And I realised no matter what you do and how successful it is you’re always giving your life for your work. So you better do something that matters to you. Even if I had stuck with web design and achieved the success I’d once sought in that arena, what would it all have been for? I wouldn’t have been doing the work I was made for. I wouldn’t have been being myself fully.

I had begun to live the story I want to leave behind when I’m gone

At last I could let go of the idea of what could have been. This path I had chosen wasn’t easy. Things didn’t always go according to plan. I still had moments, hours and days of fear and frustration. But I had made the right decision; I knew that now. I had begun to live the story I want to leave behind when I’m gone.

That’s the funny thing – telling your story is a crucial step towards living the story you want to leave behind when you’re gone. Our real job in this life is to make ourselves visible to the world. To not just know who we are but to outwardly be ourselves. To tell our story. Until we do that we are in hiding. Playing small.

So many of us resist putting our story front and centre because we’re not sure why it matters or what comes next. But the simple act of uncovering and telling your story immediately gives you clarity about your journey so far and your next steps.

Story As The Ultimate Foundation

Story is the golden thread that holds your whole body of work together. My web design business was fatally flawed because it wasn’t connected to my story, my deepest passions and the questions that permeated my existence. If the work you do is divorced from your true identity and your innate drives and curiosities then you’re in a very precarious place.

Story is the golden thread that holds your whole body of work together

Every robust business and coherent body of work is underpinned by story. A story that connects you, your audience, and your work. When you get clear on that story you don’t just get a powerful marketing piece, you get an unshakeable understanding of and confidence in yourself and the direction of your work.

When I first told my story in my film the business impact was immediate. Within days I was getting emails from people who wanted to work with me and promote my products as an affiliate partner. People were sharing my story and directing friends to my website. Sales of the product we just launched spiked. Within a couple of weeks I had accepted an invitation to speak at an event in LA where I shared the stage with Jay Abraham, the biggest industry name I could imagine. The next chapter of the business unfolded in front of me and my confidence in my work took root at a much deeper level.

When Julian Northbrook went through the Tell Your Story what we uncovered in his story made him realise that somewhere along the way he had lost sight of his love of art. As a result of the Tell Your Story process, he didn’t just make an artful film of his story to use in his marketing, he also re-engineered his business and marketing to be more coherent and aligned with who he is.

Christopher West had been telling his story for years as an author and public speaker but he wanted to do the Tell Your Story program to go deeper with his storytelling and make it more compelling. Together we uncovered key parts of his story he’d never talked about before. A year or so after our work together he wrote to me and told me, “I continue to use all I’ve learned from you in my public presentations to great effect. Last weekend we had near 50% sign up rate to the Membership after telling my story to a room full of over 200 men. That was exceptional, but even at my typical events, telling my story as you have helped me to do has led to a significant increase in sign ups. Keep doing what you’re doing, Megan!”

Karen Maxwell did the Tell Your Story program to create a powerful authentic marketing piece but got more than she bargained for: “Going through Tell Your Story was one of the best experiences I have ever had because I took a deep dive into ME. It had a profound effect on how I now see myself.”

I’ve been running the Tell Your Story online program for the last few years but this year I’m doing something different…

Tell Your Story Live in London

TELL YOUR STORY LIVE, LONDON, 26 & 27 FEBRUARY 2019

Over the past few years I’ve run my Tell Your Story (TYS) program once or twice a year as an online program accompanied by a one-to-one call with me. When I started the Tell Your Story program the focus was on crafting your story to use in your marketing. My experience and understanding of the process has expanded since then and I’m now keenly aware that the TYS storytelling model I use and the process I take people through is about so much more than marketing. The fact that the story you end up with is the best marketing piece you’ll ever have is almost incidental. A happy side effect. This work gets to heart of your identity, your work and your direction in the world.

So I’m doing something different. I’m gathering a group together for two days in London to tell our stories and be transformed. Over the course of the two days at Tell Your Story Live I’ll walk you through my storytelling model and I’ll work with you directly to map out the most powerful and effective version of your story.

WE’RE SO CLOSE TO OUR OWN WORK AND OUR OWN STORIES THAT IT’S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL YOUR STORY ON YOUR OWN

As well as having me work directly on your story you’ll also get to see me draw out and crystallise other people’s stories. This is a key part of the process because sometimes it’s a subtle detail in someone else’s story that unlocks the deepest insights for you. We’re so close to our own work and our own stories that it’s virtually impossible to tell your story on your own. Seeing yourself reflected in someone else’s story is often the only way forward.

My customers are truth seekers and truth tellers. They all share a common story on a deep level. Unearthing your story and bearing witness to others’ in a group like this is a profound thing.

The Format

TYS LIVE, LONDON, 26 & 27 FEBRUARY 2019:

We will gather in London on February 26th and 27th and over the course of two days I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about uncovering, structuring and telling your story. Everyone will get a ‘story hot seat’ where I’ll work on your story in front of the room. Together we’ll map out the 14 key elements of your story. At the end of your hot seat you’ll have a clear structure for your story.

ONE-TO-ONE PREPARATION CALL: STORY DISCOVERY

In advance of our time together in London, you and I will have a private 30 minute preparation call. On that call we’ll begin the process of unearthing the raw materials for your story. This means by the time we get to London both you and I will already have some clarity about the potential key pieces of your story.

ONE-TO-ONE DEBRIEF CALL: STORY FINALISATION

A few weeks after our time in London, you and I will have a private 40 minute de-brief call to make sure you’re totally clear on your story and the best way for you to put it out into the world. By this time it will have settled in your mind and you can be sure it feels right and will do the job you need it to. This call is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions that might come up as you reflect on your story and your experience in London.

What We’ll Cover

My Unique TYS Storytelling Model: The 4 Acts and 14 Elements of every effective Shared Story

I’ll walk you through the 4 acts and 14 elements complete with examples of the model in action. This is by no means a formula. It’s a model that we’ll use as a guide. There is a certain poetry to a well-told story, as you’ll see, but the TYS model is a powerful starting point and guide as we uncover the most authentic and impactful version of your story.

Uncovering your audience’s story

You can’t tell your story effectively without understanding who the audience is and what their story is. That doesn’t mean you inhibit yourself or manipulate your story, but it’s important to understand who you’re talking to. I’ll help you clarify the purpose of your story and show you how to dial into your audience’s psychology.

The difference between your Story and your Shared Story

We all have so many experiences in our past that we could tell our story a hundred different ways. I’m interested in uncovering the exact version of your story that will speak to your audience and move them to action. Your audience might be your customers but it also can be any person or people you want to influence or be seen by.

Shedding your professional persona and being yourself in your work is a process. It’s difficult and vulnerable at times. The Shared Story approach I’ll walk you through is what offers containment for your story to be told authentically, and in a way that the audience can follow and that doesn’t leave you feeling raw and exposed. It allows healthy boundaries to remain in place while getting the full power and emotion of your story across.

The containment is key. Perry’s story was in pieces and uncontained before we worked on it. That’s why I felt like I had a lot of information about him but still didn’t know the whole story. The process I took him through began to contain it and bring it into focus for him AND for the audience.

How to use your story as a Defining Piece of your marketing and business

I’ll help you uncover the story that becomes the thing that ties everything else together in your work. Gone are the days of slogging your guts out to craft a marketing piece that doesn’t encapsulate you and that you will outgrow or cringe at in a matter of months.

Using the TYS model to create compelling Sales Stories

I’ll show you how to develop a story that sells you and your work effectively and authentically. When you do this your audience engages with your sales messages in a much deeper way.

How to use the Tell Your Story model to create compelling educational pieces.

Story is the most powerful teaching tool there is. Pairing your philosophy or message with your story is the best way to get people to pay attention to it and remember it. I’ll show you how.

What to include and what NOT to include in your story

And how to know the difference.

Living the story

Your story is not just something you tell, it’s something you live and is constantly evolving. We’ll talk about the power of using the TYS model to get clarity around your current situation, where you need to go next and what you need to do to get there.

Behind-the-scenes story creation

I’ll give you an insight into exactly how I write stories in my work and marketing. I’ll share with you the actual outlines of some of my sales stories (including the story structure for the Retreat). You’ll be able to see the outline I started with and the final story I published. I’ll walk you through the exact process I follow to go from story outline to finished product so you can do the same.

By The Time We’re Done You Will Have In Place:

  • Your Shared Story, completely unique to you, to go out to the world with, to use for a video script, website copy, email series, direct mail piece, book outline, speech, etc.
  • A bank of additional stories to use in your e-mails, newsletters, blog posts and videos – never again will you be stuck for really compelling and trust building stories to use in your marketing.
  • A step-by-step sales funnel design that allows you to get your Shared Story and your authentic messages out to the world in a way that makes sense for you, feels right, and attracts your ideal clients.

The Details

Tell Your Story Live takes place in Clerkenwell, London on the 26th and 27th of February 2019. Over the course of the two days I’m going to spend time working on each person’s story so places are limited.

THE FEE

Story Hot Seat places are sold out. You can still attend Tell Your Story Live in London on an Observer Seat ticket for an Early Bird fee of £830 +VAT. As an Observer you’ll learn my storytelling model and watch me take people through the process but I won’t work directly on your story.

BRINGING GUESTS

You can bring a guest (or guests) for £830 +VAT each. Your guest can participate in every part of our time together over the two days but they won’t have a story hot seat and I won’t be working directly on their story with them. Guest places can be booked after you have registered. Email hello@meganmacedo.com if you have questions.

BOOKING DEADLINES

The booking deadline is Wednesday, February 20th. Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis so if you want to be with us in London secure your place by booking as early as possible. Story Hot Seat places are already sold out but you can still attend on an Observer Seat. See below for details.


Tell Your Story Live is happening on the 26th & 27th of February in London.

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Registration for Tell Your Story Live is Closed


Perry Marshall On His Experience With Megan

When we were having dinner with a group of people in London last year, Megan made an observation that was very astute and she invited me to come to her Ireland workshop in April. I knew that if I went it would be well worth the trouble and it was. Hopefully, everyone in business knows that most of us are too close to our problems to see them clearly. This is why we have mastermind groups, consultants and coaches. Well, this is just as true about telling our own stories. We are also too close to our own stories to see what’s really important about them.

Megan and I worked together in a 3 1/2 day workshop and I came out with a much clearer understanding of how to communicate my own story. And this is from a person who is considered by many people to already be a good storyteller. This was not a course on 'how' to write. It was a deep exploration of 'what' you write about. I experienced an immediate increase in the attention audiences gave me and access to more audiences. For example, a podcast episode that immediately turned into 3 more new podcast invitations. That had never happened before on this particular topic. Megan Macedo is a luminary. Ignore her at your peril.

Perry Marshall Author of 80/20 Sales & Marketing, Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords, and Ultimate Guide to Facebook Advertising

Reviews of Tell Your Story Live in New York, Sept. 2018

The email had me at “Story is the golden thread that holds your whole body of work together.” And getting a seat at the table, albeit a “hot” one, for MM’s Tell Your Story Live workshop in New York City, was a high point of 2018. Having the chance to have my daughter as a guest as well was an added bonus. The schmear on the NY Bagel. She’s at the early phase of a new business venture & I wanted her to see Megan in action.

And both Megan & my daughter helped keep me on track of the various dates & events in my life. The written preparation I sent to Megan ahead of the workshop helped her add the nuances to my story that I’d spaced on when I was in front of the group.

The group dynamics helped me go deeper than I have ever gone by myself. I’m just too good at rationalizations & diversionary tactics to do this on my own. These new friends were very present & totally invested in helping me get to the core of my story. Picking up on Megan’s approach, everyone offered the gift of deep listening.

Having MM work out her trademark 14 ELEMENTS in 4 ACTS approach for your own story is like getting an update to your GPS. Your internal software seems more accessible & accurate. It helps you navigate, with more clarity, what is the right next step for your work/life journey. Like NYC itself, the work is a bit gritty, with periods of gridlock; all part of getting to the gems there for you to find.

At one point, while on the hot seat, I heard myself say to Megan... “How did you get that out of me?” I realize now that the pointed questions the group posed & my deep trust in MM & her process led me to blurt out... “It’s harder to be me than it seems.”

Once my hot seat was done I got to see & hear Megan, in real time, use her approach with others which took the live experience to another dimension. After hearing one especially complex story I caught myself holding my breath. Nervous for Megan, I wondered how in the world this was all going to fit together? Megan was in her zone, marker in hand, & then she emerged & “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” the 14 ELEMENTS in 4 ACTS started to emerge on paper. How does she do this? Is it her geological training that helps her see what’s below the surface? Is it because she’s Irish? Whatever it is it’s magically delicious.

Julie Pauls PhD, PT ATLAS Posture® Texas, USA

The most interesting aspect of telling my story in New York was noticing the same themes emerge at every stage of my life. No matter how varied my experiences may have been, there were threads that tied it all together. I saw the pieces of my life as a patchwork quilt. I could see the connections. I could see a map of sorts.

From the Tell Your Story in New York Event, I now have a simplified process for choosing containers and projects that allow me to build a really satisfying and meaningful body of work. That is a wonderful gift for which I am very grateful.

I’m still somewhat in the wilderness. I’m still excited and scared but I’m no longer directionless. My stories became my map and it’s a map I can trust.

Whether you have worked with Megan before or are new to her work, I encourage you to give yourself the gift of attending Telling Your Story Live. One thing I have found out over this six months is that we all need support to negotiate this business of being ourselves. Without support it is too easy to slip back into a meaningless existence and that would be a real shame for us and for those whose lives are touched by our courage to be ourselves.

Kellie O’Connor Australia

Working with Megan at Tell Your Story in NY was a life-changing experience. I was excited to be doing this, and honestly, more than a little nervous. Going up to NY on the airplane I kept thinking "Why did I want to do this? What if my story is just not that interesting?" I was very relieved that my turn in the Hot Seat would be on Day 2, so I could spend the first day observing and learning.

As soon as we began, Megan instantly put the entire group at ease. She created a safe space for story telling, sharing, and questioning, and out of that safe space, we all began weaving common narratives of desire for community, connection and sharing our gifts with the world. One of things I found most fascinating was that while the details of the stories changed from one person to another, the common themes were so often exactly the same.

Megan's trademarked format of 14 Elements in 4 Acts is quite remarkable in helping people to organize their thoughts and discover the "meat" of their own stories. Again and again I watched her work her magic with other participants on that first day. By the time my turn came on Day 2, I felt comfortable, safe and ready to explore my own story. I had a good sense of what my story was about, but I don't think I could have found a way to make sense of it the way Megan is able to do. She is a true master of getting to the heart of what matters in each person's life.

If you have the opportunity to work with Megan, take it. You won't regret a minute of it - from the pre-call to the follow-up call. I'm still learning and I look forward to exploring this format for future writings and blog posts.

Robbin Marcus Alexander Technique of Decatur GA/Marcus Music Studio Georgia, USA

The ‘Tell Your Story Live’ event was a lot more than a workshop on how to script my marketing message.

It was about discovering my own value, my audience’s own story, and how to connect with them naturally and honestly.

First, Megan managed to assemble a small group of incredibly humble and respectful people, which I guess is testament to how a well-crafted story can attract persons from various backgrounds but with similar values.

She created a “safe space” where I felt comfortable sharing details about my life that I wouldn’t usually reveal openly, but that were a necessary part of uncovering the themes of my story. Then Megan worked her magic and pieced together my story from the seemingly random vignettes and ideas I had come up with.

My hot seat gave me a lot of clarity about the worthiness of my life journey so far and how to best express it, and about the value I can offer to my audience. The debrief call a few weeks later was also particularly helpful to refine my story into something truly coherent that really felt “true to me”.

In many ways I learned as much from my own hot seat as I did from seeing Megan work on other participants’ stories. She masters the subtleties of the story structure, and the human details that matter, to make it flow seamlessly and truly connect with the audience. I had read various books on storytelling and scriptwriting in the past but Megan’s approach goes deeper. It’s tailor-made, with a true respect and understanding of the person whose story she’s helping to shape.

Yann Vernier Colombia

I had no idea what or who to expect at the NYC story workshop. It was intense. Megan was skilled at pulling cohesive threads out of our stories and developing useful themes. Everyone was comfortable telling their story to mostly strangers. Nervous and anxious, but comfortable. That says a lot about the facilitator.

Telling all the details and drivers of our happenings and choices to people we don't know can be exhilarating and unnerving all at the same time. But no one held back. To me that says Megan draws a circle of people that are mature, intelligent, and truly want to be open and even vulnerable. I would highly recommend attending one of her events if you are wanting to explore your story as part of your marketing. An open mind is helpful, sense of humour required.

Roberta Ravella Loan Officer Texas, USA

What People Are Saying About Tell Your Story

As an author and public speaker, I’ve been “telling my story” for over twenty years, but when I was introduced to Megan and her work, I knew I had things to learn that would make my story telling all the more compelling. I have not been disappointed. In fact, I’d call it providence that I came across the “Tell Your Story in 30 Days” program.

Megan is an incredibly gifted person who knows what makes human beings tick. She “got” me and my ideal customers. More than a marketing expert, Megan is an artist. She’ll operate on you with the skill of a surgeon and illuminate your story with the insights and thoughtfulness of a friend who’s seemed to know you for years.

At times in my session with her, I wasn’t sure if I was getting marketing advice or therapy. I came away realizing I needed a little of both, and she delivered. I can’t recommend her program enough. I’m convinced it will prove to be one of the best investments I’ve made in helping me find the people I’m called to serve.

UPDATE:
I continue to use all I’ve learned from you in my public presentations to great effect. Last weekend we had near 50% sign up rate to the Membership after telling my story to a room full of over 200 men.

That was exceptional, but even at my typical events, telling my story as you have helped me to do has lead to a significant increase in sign ups. Keep doing what you’re doing, Megan!

Christopher West Founder and President The Cor Project Pennsylvania, USA

It seems obvious that I would know my own story, but working with Megan through her Tell Your Story process sparked a knowing of myself at a level I couldn't see on my own. As they say, "you can't see the picture when you're in the frame!"

I now have a clear, compelling story to share with clients, prospects, students, and audiences that sets me apart from other coaches, teachers, and speakers and allows me to truly connect with people around their wants, needs, desires, insecurities, and hurts.
   
Not only have I come to recognize my truth thru this process, but I can also see my son more clearly, as well, as his story unfolds. 
     
Megan is a master at facilitating this journey and helping her clients see themselves in an intimate and powerful way. If you need to tell your story, you need to work with Megan. It's really that simple!

Laura Prisc Certified Coach, Teacher, and Speaker West Virginia, USA

I even find it hard to explain, but since coming on board and learning what I have, when I least expect it another layer of me is lifted. It doesn’t change the feelings of uncertainty of what lies ahead, but it has helped me to keep pushing forward, knowing I don’t have to have all the answers and I am going to be ok.

Going thru Tell Your Story was one of the best experiences I have ever had because I took a deep dive into ME. It had a profound effect on how I now see myself – from an authentic view, not how I would like to be seen. I look back from first signing up with you to now Megan...OMG...huge impact and I am such a better person for it today.

Karen Maxwell New Zealand


Tell Your Story Live is happening on the 26th & 27th of February in London.

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Registration for Tell Your Story Live is Closed


Tell Your Story Debrief

Julian Northbrook, Doing English, Japan

Tell Your Story Debrief

Yann Vernier, Colombia

Tell Your Story Debrief

Karen Maxwell, New Zealand

Tell Your Story Debrief

Felicia Gopaul, California

Tell Your Story Debrief

David Kauffman, USA


Tell Your Story Live is happening on the 26th & 27th of February in London.

****
Registration for Tell Your Story Live is Closed