Ep 10: The Story You’re Telling Yourself - Is it serving you and your clients?

If you’ve ever felt held back in your business by self-doubt, fear of visibility, or those relentless “what ifs,” this episode of The Business of Stories is for you. Join Susan Payton as she shares her own powerful journey of overcoming a debilitating fear of public speaking, and learn how YOU can change the inner story that’s keeping you stuck.From sweating hands and panic attacks to speaking calmly on big stages, Susan reveals the pivotal moments (including an unexpected public challenge from Daniel Priestley and a career-making five-day launch) that helped her rewrite her ‘inner narrative.’ Discover the mindset shifts and storytelling strategies that allowed her and hundreds of her clients to show up with confidence, connect with ideal clients, and build a business that feels authentic and inspired.Here are the highlights:Why worrying about judgment, rejection, or failure stems from stories you picked up as a child and how to notice and rewrite them.How to stop making it about you. The life-changing advice that showed Susan how to shift focus from self-consciousness to serving her audience.Embracing your unique self. Why being fully, unapologetically YOU is your greatest superpower in business and how to use your personality, gifts, and life experiences to attract perfect-fit clients.The power (and honesty) of sharing self-doubt.Why talking about moments when you felt ‘not good enough’ can create deep resonance and connection with your audience and clients.The power of mastermind communities. How surrounding yourself with people who are ahead of you can fuel your growth, and how to use comparison as inspiration not discouragement.Listener Q&A: Doing things that feel scary, and the importance of recognising how far you’ve come and how capable you are.And a practical action step on sharing a time you doubted yourself, but found the strength to keep going.Susan’s honest reflections and actionable advice in this episode will help you identify the stories holding you back, rewrite them, and start showing up for the people who need you most. If you want to stop hiding and holding back, and instead feel excited about your business again, this is a must-listen.If you have a question you would love Susan to answer on the show, please email it (in writing) to [email protected] a free copy of The Business of Stories hereGrab The Storyteller’s Starter Pack hereCheck out Storytelling Mastery here About your host Susan Payton:When Susan told her ‘ordinary’ story to 1,500 business owners back in 2015, the response from people who resonated with it and felt connected to her as a result of hearing it, blew her away!In fact, that moment completely changed her business - and her life.Susan has since worked with entrepreneurs all over the world, written the international bestselling book, The Business of Stories, hosted the podcast of the same name, and become a leading authority on how to use storytelling to stand out in your industry.Thousands have used her simple framework to share their message with impact, attract ideal clients and grow their business.Susan has also spoken on stages from Brighton to Barcelona, guested on panels and podcasts and run numerous masterclasses, guest expert sessions and workshops, both online and in person.In a world where it’s getting harder and harder to be heard above the noise, Susan is passionate about showing business owners how to clearly articulate their value and speak to the right people, at the right time, with a simple message and a great story.See my bio here And my speaker page hereConnect with Susan:Email: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanpaytonuk/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanPaytonUK/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebusinessofstories/Produced by Winter Audio.Mentioned in this episode:Free storytelling masterclass I’m running a free 60-minute storytelling masterclass on Friday 18th September at 12 noon UK time. We'll start in a thrift shop in New York. We'll talk about James Bond. You'll see that you have SO many stories you could be sharing in your business, how to break them down into short, easy to share stories ... and we'll work on one of them on the call. To join me, simply: 1. Register at thebusinessofstories.com/freemasterclass 2. Look out for the zoom link you’ll get sent, and 3. Put Friday 18th September at 12 noon in your diary I’ll see you there.