Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
Confidence Classic: Captivate Any Audience with These Expert Secrets of Storytelling with Ashley Stahl Top 100 TEDx Speaker
Tue, 18 Mar 2025
Sharing your story in an impactful way can turn you into a magnet for the opportunities you dream about. In this episode, I’m bringing back my conversation with TEDx Speaker, Bestselling Author, and Speechwriter, Ashley Stahl. Ashley shares how to transform your personal experiences into magnetic narratives that can literally change your career, attract clients, and build your confidence. Whether you're dreaming of a TED Talk, want to crush your next podcast interview, or just need to communicate more powerfully in your everyday life, Ashley's going to give you the exact tools to turn your stories into your superpower. In This Episode You Will Learn Powerful storytelling to transform your experiences into compelling narratives. How to attract your dream audience and opportunities. Tips to craft a signature talk to revolutionize your personal brand. Storytelling techniques to apply across podcasts, stages, and conversations. How to deliver a memorable talk that pulls your audience in. Resources + Links Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/monahan Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning at NetSuite.com/MONAHAN. Want to do more and spend less like Uber, 8x8, and Databricks Mosaic? Take a free test drive of OCI at oracle.com/MONAHAN. Get 10% off your first Mitopure order at timeline.com/CONFIDENCE. Get 15% off your first order when you use code CONFIDENCE15 at checkout at jennikayne.com. Call my digital clone at 201-897-2553! Visit heathermonahan.com Sign up for my mailing list: heathermonahan.com/mailing-list/ Overcome Your Villains is Available NOW! Order here: https://overcomeyourvillains.com If you haven't yet, get my first book Confidence Creator Follow Heather on Instagram & LinkedIn
Chapter 1: Why is storytelling crucial for captivating an audience?
Why would we do one conversation after the other when we can just stand in front of an audience of 500 people and just move them so powerfully that they come to find us to work with us? It's just unlike any other method I've found so far.
Come on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals, overcome adversity, and set you up for a better tomorrow.
I'm ready for my close-up.
Hi and welcome back. I'm so glad you're back here with us this week. Okay. You know, it's so rare that I have a guest on multiple times, but today I just had to do it. One, she's my friend, but two, this girl drops gems and teaches just at a whole other level that I had to expose you to it yet again. Okay. Ashley Stahl, she's the founder of Wise Whisper Agency.
She's literally crafted hundreds of TEDx talks and speeches, stages all over from South by Southwest, MGM, so many venues and events, other level. I mean, her speaker agency is crushing it and she's turning dreams into reality for hundreds of people and she can do it for you too. Ashley, thank you so much for being here with us today. Thank you for having me. Okay.
So there's so much we want to talk about today, how to craft an ideal talk, how to be a captivating storyteller and blow people away and how to go viral. But before we get into your wheelhouse and you've done all of those things, and I can't wait to hear from you on it.
I was just asking you offline about when you worked at the Pentagon and you took me into this whole story about how, when you were at the Pentagon, you were asked to speak and give your first keynote ever and talk me through how that went. Cause I know, I know a lot of people that are listening now have never gotten on stage, have always thought about like, how do you do it?
So break it down how it all happened and how you were able to pull it off.
It's so funny. I always used to think that when we would see somebody on TV, somebody like went running after them to grab them and put them there. And what I didn't realize is that that person is a publicist, not like somebody else that just wants them to be there. I don't know why, like...
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Chapter 2: How did Ashley Stahl transition from national security to storytelling?
Another educational tool is obviously data. Really, really powerful. So there's many things you can do with storytelling, but hopefully this gives everybody listening some starting points on how to craft a speech that really can move people.
Ashley, I mean, obviously you're so gifted at this, but so for someone, because I'm even thinking of myself now, because I've never thought at this level in depth in regards to strategic, you know, being this strategic about an approach. So is there something to be said about the audience that you're addressing and which approach is best for them?
That's a great question. I mean, every audience is different. And I think it kind of goes back to what I said with like the doctor and the leg being broken. There are some service providers where they really are fixing a broken leg and their speech rights itself. You don't have to put the frills on. It just makes it for a better school bus ride if you put the magical storytelling on it.
But your tips alone, you're in a desert and they need water and water is going to taste better than it's ever tasted if they need it that bad. So I would say some audiences, they just need your information and you're the subject matter expert and you don't have to put the pressure on yourself. And I tell clients this all the time because in our offer, it's called the Speaker Skyrocket Program.
We have pitched so many clients on stages. Some of them, it's a panel and they'll be like, how do I prepare? And I'm like, honestly, this is like a scratch and itch panel. Like you are such an expert. This is a panel about the topic you know. You don't need to zhuzh it up with stories. Just know what they need to know, and you already know what that is. You don't even need to have it written down.
You don't need to put more work in. Then there's other audiences where maybe it's a more general audience, and they're there to inspire. That's when the storytelling becomes pretty crucial.
OK, you brought up panels and this is something that maybe this is just me, but I find panels so boring.
What is it like that? Is it because people aren't given enough time or autonomy to tell stories and they're just answering like a bulleted direct question? But I can't be the only person that feels that way.
You know what? I do find that a lot of panels have been super boring. I personally think I'm better on a panel than I am as a keynote because I'm somebody that has a lot to say. I have a lot of content. And when people can meet me where they are, I can hit that exact need so much more than I would if I did a keynote speech in front of everybody. And it's more of a blanket topic, right?
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