A Lawyer, Professor and Copywriter Walk into a Coffee Shop...
This is how I should open every talk I ever give from now on. All that’s missing is is the punchline. I don’t have that (yet), but I do have a story.
I’m Michele Lashley — lawyer, professor and copywriter. Yep. It’s a classic case of not being able to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. So, I said, “The heck with it. I’ll just be all three because I’m the boss of me!”
I look at my career path as one driven by curiosity. (Others might describe it as one shaped by a fear of commitment — but, who cares?)
Each of my chosen professions requires unique skills and expertise. They also require these two SUPER important things:
1. The need to explain complex topics and ideas in ways that a wide variety of audiences can easily understand.
2. A willingness to experiment with and use the latest technologies to streamline business building AND to tell more engaging stories.
And guess what? Not only do I love doing both, I love teaching others how to do them!
This is why I started The Story Sandbox. As human beings, it’s natural for us to tell stories. But when it comes to business, what we struggle with is how to tell effective and engaging stories that connect us with our audiences.
I don’t profess to have all of the answers to this dilemma. In fact, I’m still learning — even after more than 25 years of practice.
What I can tell you, though, is that the way I approach storytelling is by having fun with it. I get in the metaphorical sandbox with my bucket and shovel and just start building. If something doesn’t work, I tear it down and start over again — because THAT’S OKAY.
So, I’m inviting you to join me in The Story Sandbox where playing with stories is what we do and learning from our messy mistakes is part of the fun!
Are You My "Kate"?
Who I’m here for —and who I’m not.
We’ve all heard this bit of advice: FIND YOUR NICHE (or, as I prefer to think of it, KNOW WHO YOU’RE SERVING).
“But, wait! What if I’m leaving someone out? I can serve everyone!”
Uh — no you can’t. And neither can I.
Over time, I’ve become keenly aware of who I want to show up for with the work I’m fortunate enough to do. For kicks and giggles, let’s call her Kate. Let me introduce her to you:
My marvelous Kate is:
- A woman who’s SO DONE with the 9-to-5 grind and working for “the man.”
- Either thinking about starting her own business or is in the early stages of growing her business.
- Opening up to the idea that her most rewarding years are ahead of her. Others might have dismissed her because she’s “of a certain age.” But that was a HUGE mistake.
- Knows that she shouldn’t farm out content creation for her business to someone else — because no one knows her brand better than she does.
- Eager to learn how to become a better and more effective storyteller for her business.
- A bit intimidated by all of the shiny technologies out there — like AI. But she knows that spending time upfront learning how to use them will help her streamline and improve the content creation process for her business.
- A woman who’s curious and a lifelong learner.
- A believer in the power of grace — giving herself and others a break when mistakes are made.
- Aware of and embraces the reality that there’s no magic unicorn dust when it comes to building her business. This includes content creation. Things take time.
- A nice person.
- An animal lover who shares just as many photos of her pets and local wildlife as she does of her kids and/or grandkids. (This is a nice-to-have quality — not a must-have. As long as you’re nice to animals, we’re good.)
So, who am I not here for? The list is pretty short. Here it is:
- Mean and/or difficult people.
- Anyone who’s looking for a get-rich-quick solution.
- Someone who’s unwilling to put the work in to learn new skills.
- Know-it-alls.
- People who don’t live their lives with a sense of gratitude.
If you’re my “Kate”, I’m so happy we’ve found each other! I can’t wait to get to know you better!
If you’re not my “Kate”, that’s okay. Thanks for stopping by. I wish you well on your journey.