#107 Our Shared Stories Need Platforms

Today, I interview Trish Tonaj. Trish was the firstborn, and her parents encouraged her to be herself, which meant a childhood full of art. She loved to paint anytime she got the chance. She even took classes in school. However, when she was reaching the end of high school and beginning to forge a path for her life, her father suddenly discouraged the idea of her becoming an artist, despite having paid for lots of classes and extracurricular art activities. He told her she would never make any money. Trish was shocked.With that, she chose to go into marketing instead. She was still able to use it as a creative outlet, developing lots of programs and tools to help her clients succeed. In her corporate career, Trish never really had a problem speaking when giving presentations. She says that's because she was talking about the company – she wasn't sharing personal details about herself. She wasn't speaking from her heart.Later, she paused and considered her future. She decided to make a change and follow her passion to become an artist. She was going to be marketing something different: herself. She began facilitating storytelling outlets and rediscovering her love for art.Trish got into photography, watercolor, oil painting, and drawing, and finally chose acrylic painting. She says the challenge as an artist is to connect your own heart to that of the buyer. You have to find the right way to create something that will bring joy to both hearts. It's a psychological assessment of what the client really wants to see and why.When she began her own projects and writing her own material, that's when the stage fright crept in. She was putting herself out there in a truly personal way. She was afraid she'd forget what she wanted to say. She found that the best way to build her confidence was to "practice, practice, practice".Over the years as her programs and goals have evolved, her marketing has evolved along with it. Trish believes that everyone has a story to tell and that all we need is the right platform and the opportunity to share those stories. She believes that sharing our own life experiences helps others. She points out the importance of giving ourselves permission to revisit who we are and where we're going, and to make changes along the way.__________________Trish Tonaj is an award-winning marketing consultant, author, and founder of ShareYourStories.online, and is following her passion for the arts and trading a pen for a paintbrush as an artist.Trish started painting at an early age. Her work is best described as abstract and whimsical using pure color. Whether you hang her work outside or indoors, enjoy a splash of color to highlight your personal space. She invites you to explore your own creativity in a series of workshops “Colour Outside the Lines”, designed for corporate teams and entrepreneurs. Her work is found in Europe, the United States, and Canada.As a published author and speaker, she has two books: Breaking Barriers: 10 Entrepreneurial Women Share Their Stories and A Diary of Change: 12 Personal Tools.Trish is the founder of shareyourstories.online, an international marketing platform featuring business stories and sharing great ideas. She is the host for Business Mentorship; Keepin’ It Real, live and unscripted interviews introducing you to the person behind the logo.Find Trish here:https://trishtonaj.com/ https://ca.linkedin.com/in/trishtonaj https://www.linkedin.com/company/shareyourstories-online/?viewAsMember=truehttps://www.instagram.com/trish_tonaj/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/trishtonaj/ https://www.facebook.com/Phaze2inc https://twitter.com/phaze2inc __________________I'm Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking: https://www.doreen7steps.com. Support the showI’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.