Storytelling on Stage: Lessons From a Pastor Turned Marketing Pro

Welcome to another episode of My First Stage! I’m your host, Sara Lohse, and this is the podcast where I sit down with public speakers to get real about how they got started, how they landed their first stages, and how speaking helped transform their businesses and lives. This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dennis Meador—and let me tell you, his first stage story is unlike any I’ve heard before. If you’ve ever felt a little terrified to speak up, Dennis’s story of accidentally preaching a 45-minute sermon to 700 teenagers as a newbie is going to inspire you. Meet the Guest: Dennis Meador Let me introduce you to Dennis Meador. Dennis is a lifelong communicator and entrepreneur who now helps attorneys find their voices through the Legal Podcast Network. But before all that, Dennis was a pastor who cut his teeth speaking to packed church audiences—an experience that would set a foundation for everything that came after. Today, he’s an expert at turning spoken content into powerful marketing, and last year alone, he was a guest on 99 podcasts! What We Talked About Here’s a quick overview of what Dennis and I covered during our conversation: Dennis’s Unbelievable First Stage: The wild story of how he was thrown on a church stage—completely unprepared—with an audience of hundreds.From Pulpit to Podcast: How Dennis made the leap from church sermons to marketing, business, sales training, and large-scale content creation.The Art of Audience Engagement: How he uses stories, visuals, spontaneous “crowd work,” and even playful banter to keep audiences glued to the message.Finding Real Confidence (Without Faking It): Why Dennis believes true confidence comes from experience, not “faking it till you make it.”Turning Speaking Into Content Gold: How Dennis records and repurposes his every spoken word into newsletters, social posts, and long-lasting brand assets.Advice For Getting Onstage: The importance of getting your reps—taking EVERY opportunity you can, even when the audience is small or the show is brand new.Making Every Room Matter: Why Dennis approaches every single opportunity the same way—whether he’s speaking to one person or a thousand. If Dennis’s story struck a chord with you, here’s what you can do next: Share Your Story– I’d love to hear about your own first stage moment! Visitmyfirststagepodcast.comand let’s connect.Connect with Dennis– Want to learn about Dennis’s work with attorneys, marketing, and podcasting? Check outthelegalpodcastnetwork.comor find Dennis on LinkedIn.Subscribe & Review– If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe toMy First Stage, leave a rating or review, and let me know what you’re loving (or who I should invite next!).Start Your Own Speaking Journey– Host a webinar, join a podcast as a guest, or go live on your favorite platform. Every rep counts and every audience—big or small—matters. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode. Can’t wait to bring you more stories, advice, and inspiration on the next My First Stage! [embed]https://youtu.be/J-hHZhtsnro[/embed] Timestamped Summaries [00:00-02:13]– I introduce Dennis and he shares his jaw-dropping first experience speaking in public: a five-minute slot that turned into a 45-minute, life-changing moment in front of 700 peers.[02:13-06:06]– Dennis describes how he kept getting tapped to lead and speak, and what those early moments taught him about vulnerability and connection on stage.[08:31-12:39]– We discuss solo speaking vs. conversational formats and Dennis shares actionable tips on engaging audiences and making your presentations interactive (yes, even if that means standing on a chair!).[13:14-15:00]– We talk about stand-up comedy, crowd work, and why modern audiences crave authentic, real-time interaction more than ever before.[17:21-19:13]– Dennis tells me what to do when audience participation goes off the rails, and how confidence is the secret weapon for handling surprises.[20:08-23:49]– Dennis opens up about his background, the real roots of his confidence, and how he settles in before “getting into the zone” on stage.[24:08-28:43]– We dig into how public speaking powers Dennis’s entire business—he shares his process for turning casual conversations into a mountain of content.[30:29-33:51]– Dennis’s best advice for beginners: practice as much as you can, no matter the platform, and get comfortable watching your own “game tape” to continuously improve.[35:27-38:21]– We wrap up with a discussion on why you should treat every stage—big or small—as a real opportunity, and how relationships and referrals can blossom from the most unexpected places.