The Power of Storytelling with Kindra Hall: An EOFire Classic from 2022

0:01John Lee Dumas:Boom, shake the room, Fire Nation, JLD here, and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by High Level, the all-in-one sales and marketing platform. On today's classic episode, we'll be breaking down the power of storytelling. And to drop these value bombs, I have brought Kindra Hall into EO Fire Studios. Kindra is a best-selling author and the former chief storytelling officer of Success Magazine, whose work teaches individuals and brands to harness and leverage the power of their stories. And today we talk about how success is an ongoing process. Your pain doesn't define it. How storytelling is fundamental to who we are.

0:35John Lee Dumas:And focus on what you want and use your story to move you forward and to owe so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Kendra and our sponsors. Stop duct taping your business together. High Level runs your website, your funnels, email, automation, scheduling, payments, and memberships all in one place. And when you sign up at highlevelfire.com, you get a 30-day free trial plus my exclusive bonus stack that includes weekly office hours with me and much more. Visit highlevelfire.com. Highlevelfire.com. Fire Nation, if you have a high ticket offer and need more quality leads, Nexus Install is designed for you.

1:13John Lee Dumas:We'll book you eight to 20 qualified calls each month, then train you to run the system yourself. Email my team at john at eofire.com to learn more and see if Nexus is the right fit for you. Kindra, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. I would say something I believe about becoming successful that maybe isn't the most popular opinion. And I think it's important to start with the fact that becoming successful is an ongoing process. If there is the definition of, you know, it's about the journey, not the destination.

1:51Success is it. There is no destination when it comes to success. But I would think that say the thing I disagree with is the pain that has to be involved with it. I, for a long time, was a subscriber of the hustle, the hard work, the, you probably remember that old Will Smith clip where he said, you know, while you're sleeping, I'm working, while you're eating, I'm working. And I was like, yes, yes, yes. Until I realized that all of that, I was starting to measure my success by pain. And if I wasn't in pain, if I wasn't burning the candle at both ends, if I wasn't missing my family or having to say no to things I wanted to do because I needed to be successful.

2:45I wasn't being successful. And I know, of course, we hear about balance is a fallacy, but I think that we don't even take that seriously. The pain doesn't always have to be there. The pain is not what defines your success or what will make you successful. So go ahead, take a month off, take a year off if that's what you need. I fully believe in that.

3:15John Lee Dumas:Yeah, I personally take five to six days off a week. I'm really working hard one day a week and then I'm giving myself space to not work hard the other days of the week. But mind you, that was on the back of working really hard for a long time to build a business to where it's at now. And that's not to say that consistency see and putting in the hours and embracing that hustle is a really important part if you're in that launching phase, if you're trying to get things off the ground. But again, with becoming successful, there is a phase where I'm sure like I was holding on to that. I'm 10 years in and I feel guilty when I take my dog for a walk.

3:54I'm like, I should be working. I should be listening to a podcast.

3:57John Lee Dumas:You're thinking of Will Smith outworking you. And I wonder if they redid that clip where they add the part of him be slapping Chris rock on stage just to kind of add the emphasis. I'm curious. Isn't that crazy? I was thinking about that. I'm like, wait now, look at, look at Will Smith. But I mean, this is the thing I think we're really saying fire nation is there needs to be seasons of your life. Like for me, there was a season for a couple of years of, of really working hard and building the business from nothing to where I needed to get to that I could then hire teams and take some time off and, and do an asset more balance in.

4:28John Lee Dumas:And then, you know, I'm currently in a season right now where I'm really not working that hard. I'm working five, six, maybe seven days a month total. And I'm taking a lot of time to focus on other things, travel, family, you know, just health, wellness, all those different things. And then guess what? There may be a season in my future when that next thing comes across my plate that I'm really excited about that I go all in on again. But I know it's going to be a season. It's going to be a sprint. It's not going to be all the things. But listen, we have a lot to talk about, Kendra. It's all about the power of storytelling today.

4:59John Lee Dumas:And this is a powerful, powerful conversation. I always love to say, when you think about history, break up those two words. It's his story. And I always love to also add her story. That's what it's all about. It's history, his story, her story. That's what was passed along over the generation. So what makes storytelling so important? I mean, storytelling is fundamentally, stories are fundamentally the building blocks of what makes our species who we are today. This is how we pass information along. This is how from the very beginning, right? There's the research about that this is what differentiated the earliest caveman and woman from other species is we had the ability to tell stories about what we had just experienced so that future generations of our species could make informed decisions and not have to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

6:03right? So this really is, this is how we make sense of the world around us. This is how we make sense of our place in it. And that is true, whether it's on a personal level or on a professional level.

6:18John Lee Dumas:So Fire Nation, you know this, you're an entrepreneur, you're a small business owner. So I want to make what we're talking about here today relevant for you. So Kendra, how can businesses use stories to improve their bottom line? One of the ways that business can go wrong is focusing too much on the business aspect of it and the numbers, the nuts and bolts of what a bottom line is. Remember that your bottom line is always going to be humans. So by eliminating the human aspect out of it, by not telling stories and being really intentional about it, you're missing key opportunities to connect with humans, which, of course, the human behavior is what influences your bottom line.

7:05So regardless of what point you're at in your business, entrepreneurs, if you're just getting started and you're trying to differentiate yourself in a competitive marketplace, your story, why you do what you do, why you believe in this so passionately, the moment when you came up with the idea, that story is what's going to differentiate you. when you're trying to, people want to do business with people. They don't want to do business with business. So using stories to humanize why, why this business is there. That's, um, that's an essential skill to have.

7:43John Lee Dumas:Now, not to get too in depth on this next question I have for you, but I would like a concise example of somebody who you've seen do this. Well, maybe it's yourself. Maybe it's just somebody, you know, while you were working at Success Magazine or just somewhere along the lines. Give us a short, quick, concise story about this. I hate to go into one of the big, easy brands to refer to, but Airbnb is who they are today because of the stories that their founders chose to tell in the very beginning days. The stories of putting air mattresses on the floor in their apartments and charging people to stay there because there was a big conference in San Francisco and all the hotels were sold out.

8:26They would take that story and bring it in to their pitch presentations. And that is why the VCs invested. They were sold on that story, the match between the founder and the product, the service they were selling. And we can see years and years later, Airbnb is who they are today because they were fearless in sharing that story in the beginning.

8:49John Lee Dumas:Let's talk mistakes. We all make mistakes as entrepreneurs. We all want to learn from those mistakes. I love how you said earlier in this episode, like, hey, like that's part of history. That's part of storytelling is like we can learn from our ancestors mistakes and maybe not, you know, repeat them so quickly and so easily and maybe build off of their successes as well. What are some of the most common storytelling mistakes that you see? I'd say one of the most common mistakes is people trying to be trying to fit too much into a story. say, oh my, the story is just so big. And by the time they end up telling it or they're in the middle of telling it, it's so watered down because they're trying to fit everything in there.

9:34Instead of trying to fit your whole story into one landing page or one video or one hour story website page, Instead, focus on one particular moment, one instance, one decision, one aha, and tell that small story. Small stories have more power. Now, with social media, with all the different opportunities we have for storytelling, do not fear. You will have an opportunity to tell all of the different pieces of your big story. Just don't try to tell them all at once.

10:11John Lee Dumas:I like how, Kendra, you're being very specific. about how you're delivering these things, the quality aspect over the quantity aspect. And Fire Nation, we'll be talking about how stories affect our day-to-day lives, the negative self-stories that we tell ourselves, and so much more when we get back from thinking our sponsors. Fire Nation, if you have a high ticket offer, but you are not getting enough quality sales calls on the calendar, Nexus Install is exactly what you need. This is a custom LinkedIn client acquisition system built to help you connect with the right prospects start real conversations, and turn those conversations into booked calls, here is what makes it different.

10:50John Lee Dumas:We do not just hand you a bunch of theory and tell you, good luck, we build the system with you. Dial in your audience, sharpen the messaging, run the outreach, and aim to book you 8 to 20 qualified calls each month. Then, once the system is proven and installed, we train you on how to run it yourself so you are not dependent on another agency forever. If you have a strong offer, a clear result, and are ready for more quality conversations with real prospects, email my team at john at eofire.com and then we'll set up a call to see if Nexus Install is the right fit for you. Simple, focused, and built for predictable, long-term, quality lead flow.

11:29John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, ideas are exciting, but systems will allow you to create freedom. That is where High Level comes in. High Level allows you to build and run your entire business from one platform, website builder and hosting, funnel and landing pages, email marketing, automation and workflows, calendar booking, payments and subscriptions, even course and membership hosting. Everything works together seamlessly. Plus award-winning 24-7 support so you are never stuck. And when you go through my link at highlevelfire.com, you unlock my full bonus stack, a 30-day free trial of High Level with full access, a private 50-minute coaching call with me, weekly live office hours with me, a digital copy of my book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, my 50 Days to Something Execution Roadmap, and more.

12:15John Lee Dumas:Stop piecing tools together. Start building momentum. Visit highlevelfire.com and start building your something today. Kendall, we're back. And as I mentioned before the break, stories that we tell ourselves, they affect our day-to-day lives. Break down how. Let's go back to the beginning of this conversation that humans, we are storytelling creatures. We're made of stories, not atoms or molecules. We are built on the stories that we've experienced, the stories that we've been told that have been handed down. So make no mistake, whether you're aware of it or not, all day, every day, you are telling yourself stories.

12:59And these stories influence the decisions you make, the actions you take, the challenges, two challenges. Number one, this process of self-storytelling has been automated over, you know, hundreds of thousands of years, much like the breath in your lungs and the blood in your veins. the stories that just play in your mind happen automatically. You don't have to think about it. But number two, the challenge is that these stories are often negative. Our subconscious is constantly collecting and curating, again, the mistakes that we've made, the embarrassments that we've had, the lessons that we've learned, because our ancient brain wants to keep us safe.

13:46So it's going to catalog the negative stories because it wants us to see another day. So these automatic, often negative stories, don't even see them. They're completely invisible. Then pop up right before we're about to take action, right before we're about to take that risk and send that cold call email. It's the stories of, remember the last time you sent out a bunch of cold call emails and nobody got back to you. And so you hear that story without realizing it, and it keeps you from taking action. Now, this happens time and time again, and we wonder why we're stuck. Ultimately, it's the stories we tell ourselves.

14:30John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, the stories that we tell ourselves. And you did mention the fact that negative self stories are unfortunately a part of what we do as human beings. I mean, it's just one of those things, you know, just like we have these innate fears, doubts, stressors, anxiety, imposter syndromes. We all have negative self stories. So let's get even more detailed about how we can rewrite our negative self stories to create positive ones. You know, we can beat ourselves up about this. Why do I have this self doubt? Why do I feel like an imposter? And it brings us down. I've been there. I'm sure you've been there before to know again that this is part of our biology.

15:10However, less about, and of course there is the opportunity to reframe, rethink our negative stories. But the thing I want you to know is just as the negative stories are there, so are the positive ones. So are the stories of the successes that you've had, the risks that you've taken that have paid off, the challenges that you've faced head on and conquered. and maybe you didn't conquer it in the first try, but try, try again and here you are. These stories, these positive stories can be big or they can be very small, but keep in mind, no matter their size, our subconscious kind of glazes over them because it's much more concerned about the negative self stories.

15:58So step one really is recognizing that yes, as these negative stories are there and they are, they are a part of us to refocus our attention and choose to tell ourselves the positive stories about ourselves. The times that we have won, the times that we have been successful, that is as important because it then becomes a rewiring of our brain to believe in ourselves versus to keep us safe.

16:33John Lee Dumas:Fire Nation, you have a choice. You can choose to focus on your own negative self stories and spiral down, or you can do the opposite. Let's focus on positive self stories. And that's how I want to end this conversation today, Kendra, is positive self stories. How can we use positive self stories to create positive changes in our lives? And let's get to a couple real examples that you've seen either again in your life or just your overall experience? Okay, here's one from my life. I had a period of time, gosh, it was like December 2020, which I know 2020 is like a four letter word. And my favorite form of exercise is spin class.

17:11I love going to group spin classes. It's even less about my physical health, more about my mental health. However, New York City, December 2020, in person cycling classes weren't really a thing. And they hadn't been for quite some time. And I was starting to see the physical expression of a lack of exercise. And I was also feeling that apathy, right? When you kind of get out of a habit or if anyone's ever had a hard time trying to get into an exercise routine, I was there. I just couldn't move forward. I couldn't take the right actions. Now, it wasn't necessarily about the negative stories I was telling myself, though I had a few of those.

17:55My husband would just lace on his shoes and go out for a run. I would get so mad. I would tell myself, of course he can go for a run. He doesn't have to think about the kids and whether or not they've been fed. He doesn't have to worry about the laundry and the washing machine. I had a few of those. Again, here we are talking about choosing the positive stories. There was a change I wanted to make in my life. I wanted to get back on a bike. I had a bike at my house. Make no mistake, I could get on that bike and do the exercise that I love. And so I wondered, I was actually right in the middle of writing and researching about our positive self stories.

18:33And I thought, what if I were to choose to tell myself a few of the stories from previous times in my life, where I had been active, when I had been committing to my own physical well-being, and I felt really good. What are a few of those stories? I wonder if they would work here. So I remembered one story. It was a wedding that my husband and I had gone to a couple years earlier, and I was in excellent shape. I just felt, you know, those days or those months or those seasons in life, if you will, where you just feel great. I mean, I remember exactly what I was wearing. It was a blue dress. I remember the shoes.

19:08I remember exactly the wedding. I remember actually a woman coming up to me at the wedding and saying, you are just radiant. And I was because it was coming from the inside out. So I told myself that story, even as I'm telling it to you here, I'm seeing myself in that moment at that wedding. I told myself another story of a time that we went to a party. So there was another story there. And there was one more story that I told myself. It was in graduate school long before I'd met my husband. And I was dating this kid named Pool Boy. Don't ask. He had a real name, but I just called him pool boy.

19:46And I remember when he picked me up from picked me up to go on our first date. Now I met pool boy at the pool when I was swimming laps. So there you were. And I just felt so great. And I remember opening the door. I remember again, exactly what I was wearing. Then I remember the look on his face and he just looked at me and said, wow. And I felt so amazing. Now here's the thing. It wasn't just I felt amazing because, oh, someone thinks I'm pretty, but it was like verbal confirmation in each one or confirmation in each one of those scenarios where like my investment in myself was now was radiating out into the world, if you will.

20:27So I sat down, I told myself those three stories and suddenly I wanted to get on my bike, right? So my kids were home. My husband had gone for a run and I said, you know what? Here, play your video games. don't eat and don't, it was, oh yeah, unless someone's choking or bleeding. And then I said, actually don't eat anything. Unless someone's bleeding, leave me alone. I'm going to be on my bike. Let me ride. And that was actually the beginning to a new season of me committing to myself and my physical wellbeing.

21:00John Lee Dumas:So again, it was less about the negative stories and more about, I wanted to influence positive action in my life, but I couldn't quite seem to get myself there until I told myself the stories that made me feel the way I wanted to feel. And I knew my bike was going to be the way to get me there. It was the stories that influenced the actions, the actions that compounded over time. And now I sit here today feeling stronger than I've felt in a very long time. Fire Nation, I hope you were envisioning some of those moments in your lives as Kendra was sharing her stories. And we're talking about the power of storytelling.

21:40John Lee Dumas:So Kendra, take us home. What's the one takeaway that you really want to make sure Fire Nation walks away with from our entire conversation today? I would say think about the most important thing that you want right now, whether it's in the outward stories that you tell, the business success that you're looking for or the internal renegotiations to feel better and feel like moving forward, have that motivation that you're seeking. And then trust in the fact that in either case, a story is the thing that's going to get you there. So if you have an upcoming meeting or a meeting that you know you should make, someone you should reach out to, a big presentation, think about the most important thing you could say in that meeting that would seal the deal, that would close the sale?

22:34And what is a story you could tell to illustrate that important point that you want to make? Or if you're feeling stuck in your life somehow, what's a story that you could tell yourself about your past of when you've overcome a similar obstacle before and use that story to propel you forward?

22:53John Lee Dumas:How can Fire Nation connect with you? Any call to action you have for us? And then we'll say goodbye. I am on social media. My favorite platform is Instagram. It's just at Kindra Hall, K-I-N-D-R-A-H-A-L-L. You can, of course, find me on my website, kindrahall.com, where there is a place where you can sign up to get messages from me. I send weekly storytelling videos to keep your storytelling skills sharp. My books are available wherever books are sold, stories that stick and choose your story, change your life. And I would love to hear from you. Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

23:34John Lee Dumas:You've been hanging out with KH and JLD today, so keep up the heat. Head over to eofire.com, type Kendra, K-I-N-D-R-A in the search bar. Her show notes page will pop up with everything that we've been talking about. Kendra, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you, and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thanks, JLD. Hey, Fire Nation. Today's value bomb content was brought to you by Kindra. And Fire Nation, are you ready to rock your very own podcast? Check out our free podcasting course where I will teach you how to create and launch your podcast for free.

24:11John Lee Dumas:Freepodcastcourse.com. Freepodcastcourse.com. I'll catch you there or I'll catch you on the flip side. Stop duct taping your business together. High Level runs your website, your funnels, email, automation, scheduling, payments, and memberships all in one place. And when you sign up at highlevelfire.com, you get a 30-day free trial plus my exclusive bonus stack that includes weekly office hours with me and much more. Visit highlevelfire.com, highlevelfire.com. Fire Nation, if you have a high ticket offer and need more quality leads, Nexus Install is designed for you. We'll book you eight to 20 qualified calls each month, than train you to run the system yourself.

24:52John Lee Dumas:Email my team at john at eofire.com to learn more and see if Nexus is the right fit for you.