The night everything changed, I was watching strangers climb mountains...

 

It was midnight.  I was lying in bed, laptop balanced on my chest, watching a documentary about mountain climbers.   Everything in my life looked successful from the outside - thriving business, financial stability, ok relationship, all the boxes checked.  But I felt like I was suffocating.

I wasn't walking my talk, I wasn't being the example I wanted to be for my kids.  I was making money, but I wasn't making a difference.  And worse, I could feel my childhood dream of Everest slipping further away with each "responsible" day that passed.

That night, something shifted.  Maybe it was the climbers on my screen living their dream, or maybe it was finally admitting that "fine" wasn't enough anymore.  I closed the laptop, opened another browser, and booked a trekk to Everest Base Camp.  Six months out.  Oh yeah....and I wasn't even a hiker.

The mountain taught me about the power of authentic story

The moment that changed everything happened on a 25-minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Shortly after takeoff, I caught my first glimpse of the Himalayas.  Somewhere in that majestic mountain range was Everest.  Right there.

Chills covered my entire body.  I got emotional.  There was a visceral, soul-deep knowing: I was living a dream come true moment.  And in that instant, I had this overwhelming wish that everyone in the world would experience their dream come true moment at least once.

When I came home, I started sharing this story. Not the sanitized version, but the real one - the midnight crisis, the fear, the preparation, the moment of pure awe.  And something beautiful began happening.

People would approach me after speaking events and say, "If you can do that, I wonder what I can do?"  They weren't just inspired by the mountain.  They were moved by the authentic sharing - the vulnerability of admitting I felt lost, the courage to act on a dream, the raw honesty about what it meant.

 

That's when I discovered story isn't just personal - it can be strategic

I launched Connected Conversations because I wanted to  create more of those moments.  Intimate gatherings where fascinating humans shared not just their business success, but their humanity.  The struggles, the breakthroughs, the values that guided them through dark times.

After every conversation, someone would tell me how deeply the stories had impacted them.  I have letters from people saying Connected Conversations saved my life.   That's when I understood authentic story doesn't just inspire - it transforms.

I want a world where people feel like they matter.  Where everyone gets their dream come true moment.  Sharing stories canmake that happen.

Business can change the world - if we do it differently.

After almost 30 years of building businesses and a decade of facilitating WHY Discoveries based on the work of Simon Sinek, I've learned that traditional business isn't enough. We need purpose-driven organizations that care about their people and let the their values guide them.

But here's what I see constantly: leaders who have incredible missions but can't articulate what they stand for.  They know money matters, but their true metric of success is impact.  They want to create a better world, but they're using cookie-cutter strategies that don't reflect who they really are.

The most impactful way to get people onboard with your mission - whether they're investors, team members, or customers - is through story as your strategy.  Not marketing fluff, manipulation, or coercion, but authentic narrative that connects your personal why to your business purpose.

When you can clearly articulate not just what you do by why it matters, everything changes.  Your strategy becomes uniquely yours.  Your team understands the deeper mission.  Your supporters don't just buy your product, they join your movement.

Your story isn't just personal history. It's your blueprint for changing the word.