Meet Story Coach Laura Lewis-Barr
Where did you grow up?
Chicago
Where do you reside currently?
Chicago
What is your top personal value?
Serving people to help them tell their own stories. I recently worked with Arlene. She was having a terrible time in her job interviews. She would freeze up and be unable to talk about herself at all. I felt lots of compassion for Arlene, and also curiosity about her story. After a couple of sessions, Arlene began to relax and she was much better at sharing her knowledge and dreams with me.
What do you do when you aren't working?
I make stop motion films!
What makes you unique?
I've been exploring story since grammer school. I remember putting on short little skits with my friends. I feel a bit unique in that I have never stopped studying stories, both
formally and informally, within fiction and nonfiction realms.
Which industry do you work in?
Coaching, Training
What is your professional role?
I'm a coach and a trainer.
What do you love about what you do and how do you help others?
In addition to coaching individuals on zoom, before the pandemic I also coached groups. George was part of one of my public speaking classes. He was pretty angry at me during the second day. He felt unable to simplify his message and he didn't understand why I wanted him to do this. I've seen thousands of speakers have breakthroughs, so I was able to stay enthusiastic with George. We worked together through lunch, and he ended up having his own major aha moment. He stopped speaking hypothetically and really shared his heart with the class. It was inspiring and powerful.
What is the number one goal you are trying to achieve in your professional life?
Help people tell their stories.
Expert Interview Coach
Laura's expertise is helping people talk about their skills, knowledge, and experience by telling stories. Stories help us remember what we know and we can practice these until they are rock solid. Also, current research says that stories are a way to "hack into" your interviewer's brain. Stories make you memorable and they actually create empathy in the listener. For interviews we can also practice stories to handle the most difficult types of questions-- former work situations, bosses, unethical situations etc. Having these great stories ready will be super useful as you go through any stage of the interview or networking process.
Storytelling is an art. Understanding the necessary ingredients as well as the length and delivery are my specialties. Learn more on the Training 4 Breakthroughs site.
MarketAPeel helps professionals and businesses define their brand stories and build out their digital footprint to grow their audiences. Our clients are thought leaders, business owners, and professionals who want to stand out from the crowd.
