Storytime with Lori

In this episode of Storytime with Lori, Lori Mayer sits down with Ana for a real, heartfelt conversation about connection, courage, identity, and quiet leadership.Ana shares her journey from Albania to England to the United States, navigating education, immigration, visa sponsorship, career pivots, and her unexpected path into the tech and data center industry. From attending Channel Partners solo to finding community in women in tech, Ana’s story is a powerful reminder that authentic networking, mentorship, and human connection can change everything.This conversation explores women in technology, career growth, immigration resilience, boutique companies, leadership, mentorship, professional development, and what it means to live authentically.🎧 Listen for a story about courage, community, and becoming who you are meant to be.#StorytimeWithLori #WomenInTech #LeadershipPodcast #CareerGrowth #AuthenticLeadership #ImmigrationJourney #TechIndustry #DataCenters #ChannelPartners #Networking #Mentorship #WomenSupportingWomen #ProfessionalDevelopment #QuietLeadership #SanDiego #AlbanianWomen #Resilience #PodcastEpisode #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerJourney

🔥 “This is what it took.”That’s the line I keep coming back to after recording this episode.Because if I’m being honest…This wasn’t a straight path.It wasn’t clean.And it definitely wasn’t easy.Over the last 10 years, I’ve navigated:leaving a relationship and rebuilding as a single momliving in an environment that didn’t feel safe or stablebecoming estranged from my birth familyopening myself up to love… and getting it wrongcarrying trauma while still showing up every daybeing laid off multiple times (shoutout to the economy 🙃)while also being promoted, leading, and buildingmanaging a $400M+ sales careerbuying a home on my own with no safety netAll at the same time.And here’s the part I think people don’t talk about enough…👉 You can be breaking and building at the same time.👉 You can be healing and performing at the same time.👉 You can be carrying more than people see… and still show up.That’s not failure.That’s real life.This episode of Storytime with Lori is about that duality.It’s about what it actually takes to:✨ choose yourself✨ leave what’s breaking you✨ rebuild when everything falls apart✨ trust again when it would be easier not toAnd also this—This is just one piece of my story.Just like you’re living one piece of yours.We’re all navigating something.Different timelines. Different circumstances. Same weight.So if you’ve been feeling like you’re holding everything together while quietly figuring it out…You’re not alone.🎙️ New episode is live:#StorytimeWithLori #Authenticity #WomenInLeadership #CareerGrowth #PersonalDevelopment #Resilience #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #GrowthMindset #WomenSupportingWomen #SalesLeadership #TechSales #SingleMomStrong #HealingJourney #RealTalk #LifeLessons #PodcastLaunch #SelfGrowth #MindsetShift

POV: You walk into a new room… and instead of shrinking, you own it 🔥This episode of Storytime with Lori is a full-circle moment—sitting down with two women who don’t just enter rooms… they shift the energy.Back in our Verizon Connect days, I remember the exact moment Sarah Wicker and Ofelia Petty walked in—✨ One brought bold, undeniable presence✨ The other? Quiet, commanding finesseAnd together? We built, collaborated, and leveled each other up💡 In this episode, we get real about:How to step into new environments without losing your identityNavigating imposter syndrome (yes, even at the top)Building trust + influence FASTWhy relationships ego every single timeThe truth about leadership, culture, and co-creationAnd let’s be honest…👉 If you’re “the new person” in the room right now—this one’s for you#Leadership #WomenInTech #AuthenticLeadership #CareerGrowth #PersonalBrand #ImposterSyndrome #CorporateCulture #Storytelling #PodcastEpisode #YouTube

🎙️ No One Is Coming to Save You | The Mindset Shift That Changed My Life In Episode 3 of STORYTIME with Lori: Lori Knew Before I Did, I’m sharing one of the hardest, but most empowering, lessons I learned in my early 20s while working straight commission sales and building my career from the ground up:✨ No one is coming to save you. This episode is about:💥 Taking ownership of your life and career💥 Building self-discipline and resilience💥 Why successful people stop waiting for permission💥 Developing a growth mindset in hard seasons💥 The mindset shift that creates confidence and momentum. If you’ve been feeling stuck, overlooked, underestimated, or waiting for someone to “notice” your potential… this conversation is your reminder:👉 You don’t need saving. You need ownership. This episode is for anyone focused on:-Personal development-Leadership growth-Career motivation-Confidence building-Entrepreneurship mindset-Women in leadership✨ Subscribe for weekly motivation, leadership insights, and real conversations about becoming the person you’re meant to be.

What does real leadership actually look like?Not the polished version.Not the LinkedIn highlight reel.The real version.In this episode of Storytime with Lori, I sit down with a powerhouse leader from Amazon Web Services — and we go there.We talk about:🔥 What it feels like when your authority is questioned🔥 How to lead without becoming rigid or ego-driven🔥 The balance between power, humility, and authenticity🔥 Why bad leadership can feel like trauma (and what to do about it)🔥 Raising the next generation of leaders — at home and at workAnd one truth that hit hard:👉 “Your presence is non-negotiable.”If you’ve ever:Questioned your voiceFelt out of place in a room you earnedOr wondered how to lead without losing yourself…This conversation is for you.🎧 Listen, reflect, and step into your space.#storytimewithlori #confidence #career growth #leadership development #authentic leadership

This episode is about evolution—the kind that doesn’t get applause.After sitting on this idea and reworking it over and over again, Lori finally launches something that feels fully aligned—and shares what it took to get there.From fear and vulnerability to clarity through action, this episode dives into what real growth actually looks like.We also explore what’s happening with AI—how the playing field is leveling, why adoption matters, and why presence is becoming the real competitive advantage.Because no matter how fast things move…You still can’t outsource who you are.—If something from this episode sticks with you—let it.That’s where the growth lives.Storytime with Lori — real life, real laughs, real lessons.

Lori Mayer and Dr. Sheila Volante dive into a conversation about reinvention, identity, and leadership. Sheila shares her journey from corporate success to entrepreneurship, what it means to align with your truth, and how she’s helping leaders step into the future with AI. If you’ve ever wondered when to let go of the familiar to build what’s next, this episode is for you.

In Part 2 of Lori’s conversation with Cass Cooper, the focus shifts from identity to execution.After stepping into your voice and leadership identity, the next question becomes: what do you build from it?Cass shares how she helps leaders move from chaos to clarityidentifying their unique strengths, communicating their value, and creating strategy around their personal leadership brand.In this episode we discuss:• how leaders identify their “secret sauce”• why many high performers struggle to talk about themselves• executive presence and the signals leaders send in their messaging• the difference between coaching, therapy, and strategic leadership development• why many fears about visibility are actually “future-think problems”• moving from ideas to action when building a business or leadership platform• how clarity around one audience, one goal, one message transforms communicationCass also shares details about her work helping leaders develop clearer messaging through programs like Chaos to Clarity sessions and the Executive Signal Lab.If you’re building your next chapter, whether that’s a new career path, a business, or a stronger leadership presence, this episode offers insight and practical perspective.Storytime with Lori is a podcast about leadership, personal growth, and the real conversations that help people keep becoming.

Well… this conversation got real. 🎙️✨Kicking off Part 1 of a two-part series with Cass Cooper on Storytime with Lori, and let me just say… this one goes deeper than your typical leadership chat.Cass is someone who can walk into chaos, listen to it, translate it, and somehow help everyone else find clarity. (A gift, honestly.) 🧠✨We talk about:• identity and stepping fully into who you are 💫• what leadership actually looks like when life is messy• motherhood, boundaries, and building chosen community 🤝• and why hiring a single mom might be the smartest project management decision you’ll ever make 😉There are some moments in here that made me laugh, pause, and go “yep… that’s the truth.”Part 1 is live now. 🎥Part 2 drops tomorrow where we get into how Cass turned all of this into her business and the work she’s building.Watch here 👇#StorytimeWithLori #Leadership #KnowBetterDoBetter #WomenInLeadership #ExecutivePresence #PodcastLaunch

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Storytime with Lori, Lori sits down with communications and organizational change leader Cass Cooper to talk about identity, leadership, and navigating chaos with clarity.Cass has spent more than 15 years helping senior leaders and global organizations communicate through complex change. But this episode goes deeper than professional strategy. It explores the human side of leadership, identity, belonging, community, and learning to trust yourself.In this episode, we talk about:• Cass’s journey from theater kid to executive communications leader• how stage presence translates into leadership presence• motherhood, empathy, and the leadership skills that often get overlooked• building community and chosen family• navigating difficult family dynamics while staying authentic• why trusting your instincts is one of the most powerful leadership tools• mentorship, networking, and the power of shooting your shotThis conversation is about more than career success. It’s about learning how to lead with authenticity while navigating complexity in both work and life.If you’re interested in leadership development, executive presence, personal growth, and authentic leadership, this episode will resonate.This is Storytime with Lori, real life, real laughs, real lessons.

🎙 Welcome to Storytime with Lori.In this launch episode, I sit down with Jessica Reece, Sophos Channel leader and one of the most quietly powerful women in the industry.This isn’t a conversation about titles.It’s about how you lead when the room rewards ego.It’s about authenticity as strategy.It’s about influence without intimidation.And it’s about building a meaningful career while holding a full, real life outside of it. 🔥Jessica shares what it really means to:✨ Lead without hardening✨ Stay genuine in competitive environments✨ Champion others without losing yourself✨ Balance ambition with emotional intelligenceIf you’ve ever wondered whether you can rise without becoming someone you’re not — this conversation is for you.This is Storytime with Lori.Real life. Real laughs. Real lessons. 💛👇 Subscribe for weekly conversations about leadership, identity, reinvention, and becoming.#StorytimeWithLori #AuthenticLeadership #WomenInLeadership #SoftPower #ChannelLeadership

In this episode, I sit down with TJ Woodward, spiritual leader, co-founder of Element Q, and someone who has continually reinvented himself in a world that didn’t always offer language or safety for who he was becoming.We explore chosen family, healing, queer identity, emotional intelligence, and what it really means to trust the moment instead of performing from a script. This conversation is raw, reflective, and deeply human touching on shame, spirituality, trauma, and the courage it takes to live authentically.This episode also marks a turning point for me and the direction of this podcast embracing vulnerability, real stories, and the reality that we don’t get to separate our personal lives from who we are in the world.Press play if you’re ready for an honest conversation about identity, growth, and the quiet inner revolutions that shape us.

Sometimes, life teaches us the most profound lessons whenwe least expect it.As I launch my new series, STORYTIME with Lori, I am honored to have Jen Waltz as my first guest. Together, we opened up about navigating the rocky path of betrayal, loss, and the pressure of leadership all while striving to stay true to our purpose.Jen shared how resilience isn't just about bouncing back;it's about defining your own strength amidst chaos. After facing betrayal andcaring for her father's end-of-life, she chose to lean into truth and authenticity, refusing to minimize herself for societal expectations.Together, we realized that confidence and connection arepowerful, but trust in ourselves is everything. No matter how much the world tests us privately, our inner truth will always guide us forward.Maybe that's the point that our greatest growth often comesthrough our deepest struggles.Worth thinking about.

I want to take a moment with you to introduce myself to you. Hi, I am Lori Mayer.  I’m a single mom, entrepreneur, lesbian, and lifelong reinventor.   STORYTIME with Lori exists because life doesn’t unfold in clean lines. Leadership doesn’t come with a script. And becoming who we truly are almost always asks more of us than we expect. This season was born out of lived experience moments of joy and recognition, yes, but also heartbreak, betrayal, reinvention, and the quiet work of staying true when it would be easier to perform. It’s about what happens behind the titles, behind the applause, and behind the versions of ourselves the world feels most comfortable with. Every conversation this season is an invitation, not to admire perfection, but to witness humanity. We talk about leadership under pressure, identity, power, love, loss, and the courage it takes to keep showing up when the ground beneath you has shifted. These are stories about people who are brilliant, complex, and deeply human, people who have been celebrated publicly and tested privately. This space is for anyone who has ever felt like they had to hold it all together while everything inside them was changing. For anyone who has been told they’re “too much,” “too senior,” “too different,” or quietly questioned despite their track record. For anyone who has felt both magnetic and misunderstood at the same time. STORYTIME with Lori is not about fixing you. It’s not about five steps or perfect endings. It’s about telling the truth, sitting with it, and letting it do its work. It’s about laughter as medicine, honesty as a bridge, and reinvention as something we don’t do once, but again and again. As you listen through this season, my hope is that something stays with you. A sentence. A feeling. A moment where you realize you’re not alone in what you’re carrying. Growth rarely comes from answers, it comes from resonance. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening with an open heart. Thank you for walking this season of becoming with me. This is STORYTIME with Lori. Real life. Real laughs. Real lessons. And wherever you are in your own story, keep becoming.