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The Story Effect: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Danielle Krischik
The Story Effect, hosted by Danielle Krischik, shares raw, vulnerable stories from leaders and experts that inspire hope, spark ideas, and motivate you to embrace your own journey and transform your life.
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- 5 days ago1h 38m
#48 The Michael Jordan of Ghostwriting on the One Thing Nobody Ever Told His Clients: A conversation with author and screenwriter Michael Levin
You hit the milestone everyone wanted, and the voice in your head only got louder. Now you have to be even better, and some quiet part of you is terrified you won't be. Michael Levin has been called the Michael Jordan of ghostwriting: more than a thousand books, New York Times bestsellers, a screen credit for Disney, and a client list of billionaires, CEOs, and world-changers he mostly can't name. He's also a marathoner and triathlete, still racing at 68. And after decades sitting across from the most successful people alive, he's noticed something they almost never say out loud, no one ever told them they were enough. If you've spent your career proving you're enough, this is the conversation that finally lets you off the hook. Additional Resources: Connect with Michael Levin: https://www.michaellevinwrites.com/ The Story Effect: http://thestoryeffect.com/ Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Follow The Story Effect on Instagram: http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Learn about Knight Agency: http://knightagency.com/ Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network Key Takeaways: The fear never fully leaves, even at the very top of your field, and that is not the problem you think it is. Many high performers never developed a sense of "enough," and a single sincere "I'm proud of you" can change someone who has heard everything but that. There is a difference between people who want to win and people who have to win, and you never bet against the second kind. Build your own definition of success and failure so the scoreboard stops belonging to everyone else. The freedom in "I can't turn down everybody, but I can turn down anybody" means the honeymoon always tells you what the marriage will be like. The real question underneath most frustration is "what am I tolerating?" and raising that one standard raises everything else.
- 2 weeks ago59 min
#47 Your Environment Can't Take Your Soul, Only You Can Give It Away: Leadership advisor and author David Lapin on what actually endures
We've gotten good at blaming the environment. Especially at work. David Lapin has sat with people who kept their humanity intact inside concentration camps and Hamas tunnels. And he has a much harder question for the rest of us. Lapin has been teaching leadership authenticity and vulnerability since long before the rest of the world caught up. A consultant, advisor, and author of Lead by Greatness, he built his entire body of work on ancient principles that have outlasted every management fad, which is why his talks from decades ago still sound like they were recorded this year. He studied briefly under Viktor Frankl, advises leaders across the globe, and lives in Israel, where much of this conversation was shaped. Additional Resources: Connect with David Lapin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlapin Lapin International on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/lapin-international/ Visit Lapin International: https://www.lapininternational.com Lead by Greatness by David Lapin: https://amzn.to/4kxb7gU David Lapin on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadbyGreatnessVideo/ The Story Effect: http://thestoryeffect.com/ Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Follow The Story Effect on Instagram: http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Learn about Knight Agency: http://knightagency.com/ Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network Key Takeaways: What separates the people who break from the people who come out whole Why faith (in anything bigger than you) turns out to be the real differentiator when everything else gets stripped away The difference between belief and knowledge and why belief is the one thing AI will never be able to fake How to chase efficiency without quietly letting it become your entire culture Why happiness and safety are inner states you build, not conditions your job is supposed to hand you How your energy travels, reaching people you'll never meet, and showing up everywhere from a company's share price to whether you actually bothered to get dressed for the Zoom
- Aug 18, 20261h 8m
#46 This Is How You Connect With Anyone: A masterclass on authenticity with Mastercard's Randall Tucker
Randall Tucker, Chief Community and Belonging Officer at Mastercard, has been welcomed into palace conversations in Europe and restaurant kitchens at 2 a.m., and he'll tell you the exact same thing gets him through both doors. It isn't polish. It's the willingness to show up as exactly who you are. From a dirt road in rural southern Virginia to a global career leading belonging and inclusion work at Marriott, Starwood, and now nearly a decade at Mastercard, Randall has spent his life proving that authenticity is what actually connects people. He joins Danielle (an old friend and former Starwood collaborator) for a conversation that moves from imposter syndrome to ancestors and lands somewhere unexpectedly emotional. It builds toward one of the most quietly emotional answers we've ever gotten to our closing question. Stay for it. Additional Resources: Connect with Randall Tucker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randall-m-tucker-0a93905/ The Story Effect: http://thestoryeffect.com/ Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Follow The Story Effect on Instagram: http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Learn about Knight Agency: http://knightagency.com/ Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network Key Takeaways: Why authenticity isn't the soft option, it's a strategic advantage that "activates something in other people" long after you leave the room, because people are always watching The counterintuitive truth about belonging: the small stuff is the big stuff (did you say hello, did you wave someone into the circle?) We over-architect a solution that starts with basic human decency How to take brutal feedback as a gift Why saying yes to the opportunity that scares you is how a kid who'd never been on a plane ended up circling the globe The difference between a tribe that heals and a tribe that harms and the one question to ask about your own
- Aug 4, 20261h 10m
#45 AI Can Write Your Copy. Here's Why You Shouldn't Let It: Communications strategist Dan Roth on the human touch that actually sells
Your team is nervous. AI is coming for the copy, the campaigns, the creative. And here's the uncomfortable part: it can do a lot of it. Dan Roth's argument is sharper than "the robots can't." It's that the copy AI hands you is the copy that makes you sound like everyone else. Dan has spent his career in the trenches of communications, from local TV spots to direct-response advertising, to internal comms at Ford and Slate Auto. Now a fractional communications strategist and podcast host, he joins Danielle for a fast, funny, occasionally furious conversation that every leader watching AI reshape their org needs to hear. Equal parts gut check and permission slip. If someone on your team is quietly panicking about AI, send them this one. Additional Resources: Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rothdan/ Listen to Dan's Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VSKnp7OEKXKRfrTgmKeI3 The Story Effect: http://thestoryeffect.com/ Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Follow The Story Effect on Instagram: http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Learn about Knight Agency: http://knightagency.com/ Key Takeaways: Why AI is a trend-following machine and why standing out requires the exact opposite The double standard that should stop every leader cold: you'd never let AI near your financials, so why hand it the message your entire company is judged by? How to separate the deliverable from the goal and why the request a client hands you is almost never the real problem to solve Why the stories that build trust come from the ground up, not a corporate mandate to "share this on your socials" The neuroscience of being forgotten: 70% of a fact-based town hall is gone from your people's brains within 24 hours, and what to do instead What "nobody cares about the science" really means for anyone still selling features when they should be selling the benefit
- Jul 21, 20261h 17m
#44 The Stories You'll Wish You'd Captured: Roy and Yvette of LifeBook Memoirs on legacy, memory, and why context is everything
Somewhere in your family there's a story only one person still remembers. When they're gone, it's gone, and no amount of Googling brings it back. Danielle knows this one firsthand. That ache is what Roy and Yvette built a business around. As founders of Lifebook Memoirs, they've captured personal and corporate legacies across more than 40 countries, 20,000+ books and counting. Additional Resources: Connect with Yvette and Roy: Follow Yvette on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvette-conn-5825b1140/ Follow Roy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-moëd-lifebook-memoirs/ Visit their website: https://www.lifebookmemoirs.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifebook_memoirs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeBookMemoirs YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LifeBookUK Connect with Danielle: The Story Effect: http://thestoryeffect.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Instagram: http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Knight Agency: http://knightagency.com/ Connect with PeopleForward Network: Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peopleforward-network/ Learn more about PeopleForward Network: https://peopleforwardnetwork.com/
- Jul 7, 20261h 12m
#43 How To Speak Up And Know When To Walk Away: With Stephen "Shed" Shedletzky
There's a difference between sacrifice and torture. Sacrifice is doing something for a known period of time and for a clear end in mind. Without either, sacrifice becomes torture." That's the quote that made Stephen "Shed" Shedletzky quit his miserable corporate job and start the career he actually wanted—which led to 10 years on Simon Sinek's team, a book on speak-up cultures, and a worldview that will make you rethink every "I'll just stick it out" you've ever told yourself. In this conversation, Shed and Danielle dig into why the trusted circle of people who don't clap for everything you do is the antidote to narcissism, why "I want you to speak up... so long as you agree with me" is the most toxic phrase in corporate America, and the story of his grandfather—a Holocaust survivor who walked home at night for two months that gave him the courage to demand more from his own life. This is the episode you send to a friend who's stuck. Don't sit on it. Connect with Shed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenshedletzky/ https://www.shedinspires.com/ https://shedinspires.substack.com/ https://www.instagram.com/shedinspires/ https://www.youtube.com/@ShedInspires Connect with Danielle: The Story Effect http://thestoryeffect.com/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Instagram http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Learn about Knight Agency http://knightagency.com/ Connect with People Forward Network: Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network
- Jun 23, 20261h 10m
#42 This Is Why You're Exhausted: The truth about holding in anger with executive coach and author, Karen Thrall
If you've ever clenched your jaw in a meeting, said "sounds good!" while screaming inside, and then come home only to bite your spouse's head off, this episode is for you. Karen Thrall, executive coach and author of Lose Your Sht At Work*, has spent her career coaching leaders through their tempers, their silence, and everything in between. She joins Danielle for a conversation that gets personal fast (Danielle confesses, Karen confesses, you'll probably confess to yourself by the end). You'll learn why your anger is almost never about the thing in front of you, how to find your "first one," the difference between placating and enabling (and why both cost you confidence), and Karen's idea that every leader needs to steal: forget the recognition program, write your people fan mail. This is the rare conversation that makes you feel more capable by the end. Don't skip it. Additional Resources: Connect with Karen: Follow Karen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenthrallinc/ Visit Karen's website: https://www.karenthrall.com/ Connect with Danielle: The Story Effect: http://thestoryeffect.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Instagram: http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Learn about Knight Agency: http://knightagency.com/ Connect with People Forward Network: Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network
- Jun 9, 20261h 10m
#41 You Don't Need A Crisis To Need A Coach: Executive coach and author Matt Dickerson on what high performers are missing
High performers have a formula. Outwork. Out-execute. Don't unravel what's working. Danielle lived this for years, until the formula stopped working at the next level. Enter Matt Dickerson. Founder of Coaching for Clarity, ICF-certified executive coach, and author of a book born out of his own imposter syndrome. In this conversation, Matt explains what coaching actually is (hint: it's not mentorship, it's not therapy, and it's definitely not someone telling you what to do), why 100% of his clients have imposter syndrome, and the moment he discovered his real core value and almost fell out of his chair. You'll leave with two daily practices that every leader needs and a much bigger view of what's possible for you. Additional Resources: Connect with Matt: Follow Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-dickerson- Check out Coaching For Clarity: valued/https://coachingforclarityllc.com/our-team/matt-dickerson/ Connect with Danielle: The Story Effect: http://thestoryeffect.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekrischik Instagram: http://instagram.com/storyeffectpodcast Learn about Knight Agency: http://knightagency.com/ Connect with People Forward Network: Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network
About The Story Effect
The Story Effect, hosted by Danielle Krischik, shares raw, vulnerable stories from leaders and experts that inspire hope, spark ideas, and motivate you to embrace your own journey and transform your life.
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