Stop Selling, Start Telling: Jillian Ivey Your Story, Told Your Way

What separates a brand people remember from one that sounds like everyone else? In a world overflowing with AI-generated content, corporate jargon, sales pitches, and interchangeable marketing language, authentic storytelling has become a competitive advantage. On this episode of Let’s Have This Conversation, I sit down with Jillian (Jill) Ivey, communications strategist, writer, editor, journalist, and founder of Jilletante Creative, a story-first content consultancy helping founders, executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations discover what makes their stories worth telling. Jillian has built her practice around a simple but powerful philosophy: tell, don’t sell. Rather than helping businesses produce more noise, she helps them communicate like humans. Her work focuses on uncovering an organization’s authentic voice, developing compelling narratives, clarifying key messages, understanding audiences, and transforming expertise into content that creates genuine connections. With a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University–Camden, along with years of journalism, editing, writing, and media relations experience, Jillian brings a storyteller’s eye to business communication. She has been quoted by Law360 on storytelling for lawyers and has appeared on Peter Shankman’s Faster Than Normal podcast. Through Jilletante Creative, Jillian works with clients across the entire content lifecycle—from high-level content strategy to day-to-day copywriting and editing. Her work includes developing brand narratives, executive and organizational voices, key messaging, website copy, professional bios, editorial calendars, thought leadership articles, white papers, speeches, and social media content. She also offers the Jilletante Creative Story Audit, a 45-minute live examination of a business’s messaging and content designed to identify what is resonating, what is missing, and where the organization's story can become stronger. During our conversation, Jillian and I explore why so much business communication sounds the same, what authentic storytelling actually looks like, and why organizations should focus on telling their stories rather than constantly trying to sell something. We also discuss how founders and executives can discover their unique voices, why thought leadership requires a genuine point of view, the relationship between storytelling and trust, and how organizations can create content strategies that remain consistent without sacrificing creativity or humanity. At its core, this conversation asks an important question: In an age when virtually everyone can create content, what will make people care about yours? The answer may have less to do with producing more content—and much more to do with telling a better, more human story. Join us for a conversation about authentic storytelling, brand voice, communications strategy, thought leadership, content marketing, executive communication, and the power of telling—not selling.   For more information:  jilletante.com Follow: @JillianIvey Email: [email protected]  book a story audit on my website for $50 off using code MCSHAN. Instagram: @jilletante   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices