Why So Many Experts Sound the Same and How to Actually Stand Out with Christie Bilbrey

Michael welcomes strategic communications advisor Christie Bilbrey, founder of Stella Nova Media, to discuss why many professionals sound the same and how to stand out through clearer positioning and storytelling. Christie explains that credentials alone don't differentiate; what people hire is perspective and relatability rooted in understanding an audience's pain points and desired outcomes. She outlines a strategic approach to storytelling: define the goal, work backward to select a relevant moment, zoom in on key turning points, and share thoughts and emotions from the journey while protecting sensitive details when necessary. The conversation also broadens "audience" beyond clients to include gatekeepers, media, organizers, and communities, and addresses avoiding "AI slop" by letting human direction and experience lead. Michael also mentions his newly launched national workforce study, Rethinking Change Management.

Timestamps:
00:24  Welcome 
01:44  Meet Christie Bilbrey
04:12  Why Everyone Sounds Same
04:46  Perspective Over Credentials
07:12  Audience First Storytelling
10:12  Finding Your Real Audience
13:24  Vulnerability That Connects
15:49  Story Structure That Lands
21:32  Senior Leaders and Safe Sharing
28:33  Avoiding AI Content Slop
31:29  Key Takeaways to Stand Out
33:34  Proud Moment and Growth
36:19  Where to Find Christie
37:10  Closing

Connect with Christie:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey/
https://www.stellanovamedia.com
https://www.instagram.com/stellanovamedia/
https://www.youtube.com/@christiebilbreymedia

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Top Voice Podcast, where each week I sit down with leading voices in business, leadership, and transformation to unpack the issues that matter most. Together, we explore fresh insights, bold ideas, and real-world stories from people shaping how we think about change, culture, and what's possible. Hello and welcome to the Top Voice podcast. It is April 7th, and I'm super excited to have not just an incredible PR and media person, but uh a now dear friend, Christy Billbray, on with me today to talk about how to stand out. Now, I should say this up front at the beginning of the show. Uh, Christy and I, not only are we top voices together, but we've done some work together, and you've helped me recently with the launch of my new study, which we'll talk about. So just a self-declaration there that we have a business partnership now that's evolved from our meeting each other. But before I give you a chance, Christy, to talk about your story and tell us about how we can stand out. Um, as usual, for those of you that are tuning in live, uh, please do let us know where you're tuning in from, leave a comment or a question. We love to get those and have uh interesting sidebar conversations through our discussion. And for those of you listening on your favorite podcast platform, please do subscribe. It's the best way to support the show. Uh Christy, we're gonna talk about why so many people sound the same and how to stand out. Before we jump in, tell us a little bit about who you are and and and how you got here.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Sure. Well, thank you so much for having me on the show. I'm excited to be here. I am a strategic communications advisor. I'm a found, the founder of Stella Nova Media, and that's a strategic communications and PR firm. So we really work with leaders and companies who have a deep level of expertise, but their market may not know that yet. And so we help them get the visibility with the right people in the right way that they don't have. So we do strategy and then we do things like media placements, podcasting content, making sure that the way that they want to be perceived in the market is actually what's happening. So, you know, a lot of people are amazing at what they do, but they're so focused on what they do that they're not as focused on how they communicate that to people who don't know them. And when I started my career in I was blessed to be able to start in the Senate and the White House and corporate roles, and I saw that a lot of leaders were making decisions, they have to make decisions quickly, and they typically have to make them with limited information. And so the way that you are perceived carries a lot of weight. So unfortunately, it's not just about doing great work and having great results. Um, that doesn't necessarily speak for itself because if you're not clearly communicating that to the part of the market that isn't seeing you interacting with you on a regular basis, how are they supposed to know what you bring to the table or that they need to bring you in? So I just like to shift people's thinking about that. That's what we really help to solve at Stella Nova Media, making sure our clients are clearly understood by their audiences and that they know what sets them apart from everyone else, which is, I know what we're gonna dive into today with storytelling and positioning. So I'm looking forward to that.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

No, really, and I you're very good at what you do. I'm just gonna say that to the world. So you've helped me with that same conversation. And it's it's interesting. I feel like we we both simultaneously live under a microscope these days, but then also in a crowded room where there's so much AI-driven content and so much messaging and so much content coming from everywhere that it's it's getting harder and harder. So maybe let's just start from the beginning about sounding the same. Because I think that's a problem many people have in our bios. We start with credentials, we start with our background. Shoot, I just asked you about your background in this opening question. So we start with all the same questions. How do we just maybe think about the baseline of standing out from the herd as it's as it relates to the basic information, not even getting into our storytelling just yet, or maybe that's not a fair question. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Well, I think I think you're right on that. We we focus on credentials more so than we focus on perspective. And so I think that we're taught in the form of resumes. Okay, you're gonna list where you worked and what you did. And so we assume that's what we've done for job interviews since our first job, probably. And so we assume that's the way the business world wants us to connect and communicate. But that's also what everybody else is doing. And even if they haven't worked for the same company or the same exact position, how many times have you heard, I'm a strategist with 15 years of experience and I help my clients achieve great results? Okay, you know, that sounds like so many people. So, how does someone who's trying to hire someone know what's the difference? How do I make a good decision? So I think it's it's thinking in terms of not as much, I mean, your experience matters, but it's really your interpretation of so what does my experience mean for my audience in the way that I help them? It's your perspective. And that is what people hire, that's what they need, that's what they're hoping that you offer. So I think just shifting your mind into that makes a huge difference when it comes to positioning and connecting and getting yourself out there.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Yeah. I I come from the world of sports and I I have a maybe it's a bias or a blind spot or both, but I always tell people look at the scoreboard, look at your stats, that's your resume. And I I have been guilty myself of over-relying on the numbers or the stat line, because I feel like it's that's the proof is in the pudding. But uh, in what you're describing is there's a lot of people with a good stat line in the business world and wherever you're looking. So, so how do I start to then think differently about my story? Because that's a more nuanced part of this equation. And you don't just tell it all at once. It's something that has to become part of a process. Let's just, let's just, okay, I've decided I need to tell a different story and not just rely on my experience and my background. How do I even start to think about what I should talk about next?

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Well, before we even get to that, I just want to say something back up just a step. You were talking about stats and things speaking for themselves. Everybody has gone to a doctor, or maybe you have a parent or a grandparent, depending on your age, um, who's gone to a doctor. And how many people would say, I don't care if the doctor says that they were number one at Harvard Medical School, if they aren't actually paying attention and listening to what I'm telling them is happening to me or my parent or my grandparent, get me out of there. I want somebody who will listen to me, who knows what's going on with me. That's all I care about. And most people, when they're making a hiring decision, they are hurting. Maybe not physically, maybe physically, um, but maybe not. And so I think while all those things matter, again, your part of your perspective should be this human connection and human element of listening and knowing what you're we're segueing into the story question. Knowing the pain points, knowing the desires of your audience. How well do you know them? Talk to them more, listen to them more, because whatever you tell them should resonate with what they care about, not just, I've done great things for other people. Okay, but what are you gonna do for me? How does this relate to me? So when it comes to where do you start from storytelling, it should start from knowing your audience and what really matters to them. And so you need to understand them, you need to understand their pain points, their desires that you are gonna do something about. And then you do, you go into your goals. So let's say probably a lot of people listening have a website where they're trying to grow an email list. And so they probably have some sort of freebie or something that they offer, a download for someone. So let's say their goal is I want to tell a story, and my goal is that more people will download what I offer. So is the best thing to do to say, hey, person, here's my life story. Now I want you to go here and get this. What if those are completely disconnected? So your goal before telling a story is what result do you want to have happen? And not any story will do. You need to find a story somewhere in your life's experience. And honestly, it doesn't even always have to be business related. It can be personal, it can be business, but where did you relate to where your audience is now? And if you tell that story, it's going to relate to ideally what you want them to download. And that's where the connection happens. So it has to be strategic with where do you want them to end up? Work backwards. If you know where you want them to end up, you know what pain point or desire that addresses, where in your life have you experienced that? That's what you need to tell.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

Yeah. Excuse me. I I had someone tell me once that I, and I remember this comment very plainly, uh, because I want to talk about audience. And he said to me, My audience doesn't necessarily have to be my client. And it was an interesting shift of there's a lot of people I talk to that get value from who I am or what I do, but they may not be the ones who buy from me. I'm I'm curious and I'd love to hear how do we find our audience? How does somebody do that? Because I think a lot of people shout into empty tunnels and into dark rooms and they share, which is great. They share without any expectation of getting anything back. They're sharing their expertise. And yet there's a there's a there's a consumer base for that, but we don't always know who's listening or what they're getting from it. How do we how do we find that if we don't know who our audience is?

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Well, I think since we're talking about visibility, let's expand what we mean by audience, because your audience, yes, it's clients and potential clients, but it's also who might be their gatekeepers and who do you need to develop relationships with? Who in the media covers your area, which conferences, which organizers? There's there's different audiences that you need to have. It's beyond just who your clients are. Um, it can be referral sources, right? So who is surrounding the people that you really want to get to, whether that's from media, whether that's other businesses, vendors, um, it could be organizations that they're a part of. It could be certain philanthropies. You know, there's a lot of civic ways to get involved. So audience can mean a lot of things. And when you delve into the world of communications and visibility, think about how many, you know, use sports as an example, how many sports teams are connecting with their local communities, maybe local children's hospitals, different things, because they know, hey, these people care about sports, these people are listening. And so it's really broadening to which communities do you want to be a part of, whether that's geographic, whether that's a specific niche within an industry, and who, where are they, what are they listening to, and who's listening that may be indirect or maybe directly who I want to get in front of. So it's it takes uh some thought, takes some thoughts to figure that out.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

I was uh for those people that are listening, you're probably thinking, okay, I gotta know this group is this, this group is that, this group is that, and there's there's a there's a lot of segmentation that goes on, and and it does take a lot. And so I think it it also takes a lot of experimentation. I I certainly have learned over the years, for example, clients that I really know I'll connect with and those that I can tell pretty quickly. Maybe it's it's rarely my knowledge that is the distance between our connection, it's my style and knowing how that will come across and and you know how I like to work. So, so let's talk about the substance part now, because I think, you know, there's a there's a real ask of people to courageously tell their story, and that is easier said than done. I've certainly heard a lot of people say, why would anyone think I'm interesting or why would anyone want to know that about me? How do we start to help people move into that space to be more comfortable with vulnerability, authenticity? Pick the word that makes the most sense there.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Sure. Okay, so pretty much everybody who comes to me who wants to figure out what their story is, a lot of people, it's like, oh my gosh, I don't know. What do people actually care about when it comes to me? I don't want to just share a bunch of stuff that you know nobody, nobody needs to know. So one thing I feel like people fall on either side of the spectrum. And sometimes the same person falls on you know different sides of the spectrum at different times or with different stories, but people will typically either want to make something ordinary become extraordinary, right? A story. Okay, I feel like I have to have this dramatic moment, this really intense experience. I that really hasn't been how do we how do we jazz it up a little bit? Um, other people feel like I would love to tell this story, but I don't want to feel like I'm bragging because that's not who I am. That's not what I'm trying to be about. So I don't tell it. I just don't tell it, even though I'm sure my audience needs it because I do I'm so concerned about coming across the wrong way and turning people off. So, whichever side of the spectrum people are on, I say it doesn't matter how extraordinary your story is, it doesn't matter how ordinary it is. What your audience cares about the most is relatability. So the think about the actual experience as more just context to paint a picture, but you're really trying to zero in on how can I relate to my audience? Because at the end of the day, they want somebody who hears them, who understands them. So I feel like that is a good starting point. And then when it comes to, I don't know if you want me to get into bones of storytelling yet, or if we'll do that later. Okay. So once you can say, okay, okay, I'm not gonna stress out. I sometimes will give the example. If a woman was an astronaut and now she has retired and she has a business for moms, stay-at-home moms, and people think, and she may think, how can my experience as an astronaut relate to stay-at-home moms? Then I get into what do those have in common? There's a lot of isolation when you're an astronaut in space. There's a lot of isolation when you're a stay-at-home mom. There are there are human themes that everyone shares. And so it doesn't really matter how extraordinary, how ordinary you're relating on these types of themes that express the human experience. Okay, so if we have that as our foundation, then we go into actual storytelling. We've already talked about the goals. How do you figure out which story to tell? Well, it depends where you want people to end up. So once you know, I know where I want them to end up, I've identified a story in my life that can express that, then how do you actually make the story land well and connect? If you think about movies, TV shows, they may take you into an hour or a decade of someone's life, but they're not going to share every single second of that time frame. They are going to choose a few, you know, dependent on the length, one, two, three, really significant moments within that that were essentially turning points of how did you go from one thing to something else? What shaped your belief, your perspective, your approach to something? Find a moment and zoom in on that moment. You don't need to tell every piece of it. And if you only do the before and after, people won't connect. They need the part of the journey that's where they're at, where they're stuck. And most people will tell a story from the perspective of, well, it's hindsight. I already know everything. So I don't have the same level of emotional connection to that moment because I already know how the story plays out. So you kind of have to forget that and you have to relive a moment with your audience and you need to walk through what you thought, what you felt. Um, maybe you were hesitant, maybe you wanted to run away and not deal with something. And that's okay to share because newsflash, your audience is thinking the same thought. And so if you're willing to relate and be vulnerable, you don't have to share every single detail of everything. You don't have to share your deepest, darkest secrets, but you need to share the point where you can relate. Or maybe it's a situation where uh you are working with a client and you thought, I should speak up. They're they're not gonna approach this right, but you think, but this could this, they might interpret it the wrong way, they might damage the relationship. And then maybe you didn't speak up and something did happen the wrong way. Admitting that and saying, I learned. And so for those of you in this spot, I'm gonna say, I didn't handle it the way that I should, but now I know. And so now that's why that's so critical to my approach to this, because I've seen how it hurt that company when I didn't speak up. So I think those, you know, you might think, oh, it's showing my flaws, it's showing my flaws. If it's showing something that's helpful information and they can see that you're willing to give, vulnerability encourages vulnerability. So if you are vulnerable in telling that, your prospect, client, gatekeeper, whomever you're trying to get in front of, their response in vulnerability is just saying, Hey, I heard you say this, and I think, I think I may need to talk to you. Honestly, because you've been in that position with somebody else. And so that is a step in vulnerability because you don't know what you're stepping into. So if you want people to come to you with that, and those are the right people who are stuck at the right moments, then you need to share either you've been in that situation or you've worked with people in that situation and you understand the difficulties. So I think when it comes to what is vulnerability supposed to look like in stories for your brand, those are kind of my go-to's.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Yeah. Yeah. There's a phrase I use with my clients all the time, which is the uh it's a phrase about change, which is the growth is in the struggle. And it's a reflection of the idea that if you want to get on the other side, then you're gonna grow because you go through the hard part. And part of what it just landed with me as you were telling that is the story is also in the struggle. And I think people want to know how did you navigate all of this? And it's it's interesting. I, you know, I talk about change and I do work with clients on that level, but I get a lot of questions about what's it like to run your own business? How do you navigate the world of big consulting against small consulting? And how do you do business development? And how do you just deal with um having small kids at the same time and all the stuff you do? What's it like to have a podcast? All these things. And I often go, I don't I don't know, you just kind of do it. But people want to know behind the scenes, and maybe I'll I'll share our experience together and the work that we've done. I think what you did a really good job of and is is asking me questions that I take for granted the answer. And I think that's an important part of getting feedback. So look, you've you've spent time in the White House and the Senate in places that are pretty high stakes. How does that let's let's take a senior leader who's figured it all out, has all the answers, maybe a little bit of imposter syndrome. How do you break through some of that? Because I know when you were working with me, you're asking questions that are really help people be reflective, but there's also a barrier to some of that that people, I'm assuming, don't want to get into in high stakes uh environments.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Okay. So you're asking for peep for people who don't want to share specific details. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

I mean, I think you need feedback. You need good questions to help you as the as the storyteller start to appreciate the depth of your own experience. Cause I think a lot of people minimize it, like you said. But with a lot of senior leaders, there's probably senior leaders who are listening to this, executives, you know, big time people who have to feel like they've got it all together. How do they start to make that move to break apart some of those, maybe, you know, that shell or that layer that doesn't want to get into some of those things?

SPEAKER_01 22:40

Well, there's a few different pieces that we're we're talking about, some big stuff. So one uh that I want to hit on is assumptions. And I think this is why it is critical to have someone who is removed from you, from your day-to-day, come in because they're not gonna understand. Ideally, they're in a different industry or something where they are not gonna understand. And if what you do, if what you offer is to people who don't do exactly what you do and understand it, then you need to, you need somebody who doesn't understand you at all or your world. You need to be able to communicate to them. And so I think part of it is the assumption that, well, everybody gets this. No, they don't. They do not get most of what you're doing. They are smiling and nodding politely. And so I think having someone who will be honest and say, I have no idea what you're talking about. I have no idea what that actually means. Um, that is critical to learning how to actually speak in a way that your market can understand you. So that's that's one assumption piece. And another assumption piece is why do people care? You know, we've kind of addressed that already with, well, it's it's the relatability. Now there are going to be some, especially like dependent on what your work is, maybe you're working on things that are classified. Maybe even if you wanted to tell, you you can't, you can't share some of these details. Or maybe for the sake of relationship, you don't want to like out somebody else who is involved in something that you know you don't want to get in trouble. Um, so how do you deal with delicate situations where maybe there was a big lesson to be learned that shaped what you do, how you approach things that you think your audience would appreciate? I think you can scale back in some level of detail and you can still speak specifically about a pain point without with um, you know, you always want to paint a picture, but it's okay if that picture is like a charcoal drawing as opposed to a fine point pen or, you know, so so you can scale back. You don't have to name names, you don't have to name companies, you don't have to name years. I see people do this beautifully. Well, they you're like, I really have no idea what you're telling me, but I totally understand exactly what you're saying. So it could, you could say something like, I was once in a situation where I was deeply hurt by someone in my life who I trusted, who was on my team. And I realized that I was trusting too much. I was I was not doing the due diligence that maybe um I should have been. Maybe it wasn't even required of me. I was, I met my requirements, but there was something in me that felt like I should have gone beyond and I didn't. And um I learned from that experience. I didn't say what the consequence was. I didn't say what the the client, the company, the year, the other people involved. But all that really matters is here's what I should have done, and that shaped it. So you can protect a lot that needs to be protected. If you're if you're coming from the standpoint of I need to have it all together at all times, or I could be fired. My board will call me in and say, we're not sure you're fit for this role. Okay. Well, that is that's where there's there's more than one thing going on there as well. So, first is you have to find a way to break through, and you may need to talk to somebody to help you break through. You don't have to have it all together all the time because you are a human being. You're not a robot yet. Yet.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

That's the next question that's coming. So we'll talk about that in a second.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

But um, but you need to you need to know, okay, humans are allowed to have flaws. Which flaws do I share and to what extent? And that's where you probably would bring somebody in and say, let's let's kind of talk through this before I go on a podcast and divulge this whole story and my career blows up. You know, that's where you would probably want to bring in a professional to say, what, you know, how's how's how's the blowback? But it's never don't tell anything. It's never, if you, if you're trying to come across as perfect, you will never connect with the people you need to connect with. And the leaders that we respect and admire the most draw us into either tender moments or moments where um they they had to learn something. And so again, it doesn't even have to be from the business world. Maybe you had a big learning lesson when you were five years old and your family went through something difficult, and that shaped you and who you ended up becoming as a leader. That's a great moment of vulnerability. But yes, you should be able to say, as an adult human being, I am not perfect. I do the best I can. I have great people, I learn and grow. Um, but you can be careful about the exact details that you divulge.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

Yeah. I that's one of the best phrases I think anyone's ever used on the show, quite honestly, which is if you're trying to be perfect, you're never going to connect with the people that you need to. And I I really do just think that's such a poignant comment. There's a comment in the chat about not being a robot yet, by the way. So let's we're almost at time, and I want to ask one more question about the robots because they're they're coming. Um there is the world of of AI slop as I like to call it. There's a lot of good stuff, but there's a lot of AI slop, and I think a lot of people are churning out content that looks the same. I can spot an AI written post from a mile away. Not that I don't use AI to write things. I do always find ways to do that. I write a lot of my own stuff, but I find ways to use that. But how do we avoid the trappings of the easy button in storytelling by just letting the machines do it for us?

SPEAKER_01 29:14

Well, there's something, there's a couple things. One, I've heard a lot of people say, oh, I I just go for the ideas and outlines and then I do it. I actually do the reverse because I feel like my brain, what my soul, my brain, whatever you want to call it, um, that comes from my creativity and what my maker has given me to share. And so I feel like it's more important that I guide the direction up front. This is where I want this to go. I'm not looking for your ideas of what can and should I do. I'm telling you what we're doing here. This is what we're doing. Now let's, you know, you can create a draft of this, but I actually like to create the direction and the outline and then have it build what I want as opposed to it dictating who I am and what I want. So I kind of start from there. Um, and then you you always have to think, what's my perspective? How can I share my stories? What is my experience? How can I weave in a sentence here or a sentence there that that I know connects that it's not gonna know because it's soulless?

SPEAKER_00 30:26

Yeah, yeah. I think that's a great recommendation of going in and saying, hey, whatever AI tool you're using, I want to tell this story about this important moment in my life. Help me craft the big points or the big things, help me give me some feedback. That would be a great way to get that reflective surface without it taking your story and just telling it in a way that's not authentic.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

You can even ask it for prompts to say, I want to share a story about my life that um, you know, explains this. You know the goal, you're trying to figure out which story do I even have to share. What are questions I can ask myself to pull out those? What are three to five questions I can ask to figure out where that story is? And then you find the story, you share some of it and like make this shorter, make this, you know, whatever. But it needs to come from a person first, I think.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

I love that. I love that. Uh Christy, we've we've talked about a lot in this conversation. Uh, we're we're we're at time here. We could keep going. I say that every week. Maybe I have to make this 45 minutes now, but uh, we've talked a lot about standing out, how to tell your story. What are two to three things you want people to take away from this conversation about not sounding the same and truly standing out in a crowded marketplace of ideas and stories?

SPEAKER_01 31:52

I think it's know your perspective, your person and communicate your perspective. That matters probably more than anything else that you can offer someone. Be relatable. Being relatable is the name of the game. How do you approach things differently? How do you what do you see that others miss? That's your perspective. Share your perspective, be relatable, and find ways to be consistent because what really matters is that other people can explain you to somebody else. And if it's too complex, too long, too dense, different every time, then you're making it hard for people to share you with others. So simplify, simplify, simplify.

SPEAKER_00 32:42

That's really great. Having other people explain you to other people is a great way to have people pound the table on your behalf. I I that's a phrase I use quite a bit. And it's funny, you were mentioning the just the leadership perception of their own story. We were talking about the study, I'll I'll reference that here in a second. Is uh one of the stats from the work that we just released is that 67% of leaders have a gap between what they think is happening and what's actually happening in the experience of their workforce. And I was like, that that gap is probably bigger in my own mind about what I think other people might be valuing in myself, in my own stories. And so finding ways to ask people, finding ways to connect, it's going to help close whatever gap you're operating with. So what a great conversation, Christy. And as you know, we have a closing tradition on this podcast, which I shamelessly stole from another one, which is a bonus question left for you as you're eagerly anticipating. It's a pretty easy one, but there's always there's there's always great ways to um connect the dots here. But um, your question, the question for you, to help us get to know you. It's a great storytelling question. What is one thing you're most proud of that you've accomplished in your life, whether that was personally or professionally? This is your chance to put your own storytelling practice into work here. So we're all going to grade your answer.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

I know, I know, no pressure. What is something that I am most proud of? Honestly, I would say growth. I think we are all we're all born with different types of struggles, things that we have to overcome. And for me, um, the two biggest things have been fear and insecurity, feeling like feelings of inadequacy always held me back. And honestly, I feel like storytelling and learning, you know, first just kind of scientifically learning it, and then letting myself become vulnerable by pouring pieces of myself into it, that has helped me with confidently connecting in a way that feels comfortable to me without feeling salesy, without feeling slick or underhanded. Um, so I feel like being willing to be consistent and persistent in even though it's hard and feels awkward, the reason the reason that storytelling is so important to me is because it was such a struggle for me to put myself out there and promote myself. I'd promoted all these big name brands, no problem, because that's there's no emotional attachment there, right? But it's very different when it's yourself and it is hard. So if it feels hard for you, that's normal. But I would just encourage you to keep fighting through it because it does get easier. You get stronger and you learn um the pieces of you that really shine that you would never know if you weren't willing to start having those stories come come out and share those with people.

SPEAKER_00 35:44

Yeah, I I love that. And I think this whole conversation is just another example of we are a storytelling species. It it it literally is the thing that has led to the to humanity and the the growth of civilizations. Without storytelling, we would we would be nowhere. And so I think it just underscores the importance of putting yourself out there. And thank you for that example. It is a really, really wonderful example to share and a very appropriate one. So thank you for that. Uh, Christy, uh, thank you for the work that you've done with me. And I know the the work that you do for others. Where can people find you, follow you, learn more? So if they want to reach out and connect.

SPEAKER_01 36:27

Thank you. It was such a fun conversation. You made this easy. I told Michael this is the first time I've done a podcast interview live, so there's no takebacks. So he made this very easy.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

I'd like to ramp up the stress here.

SPEAKER_01 36:40

Yes. Um, so I would say the best place to find me is on LinkedIn. Uh, it's just Christy Belbury. And I'm also, you can go to my website, stellanovamedia.com. You can find me on Instagram at Stella Nova Media and YouTube as well, Stella Nova Media.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

We will put all of those in the show notes so that people can reach out. And thank you for those that have tuned in online. As I mentioned, and a closing thought uh this just this week, uh, we have launched uh a new national workforce study called Rethinking Change Management. It is a passion project of mine for the last several years. I do hope everyone will check it out. If you'd want to like to learn more about that, please go to michaeljlopez.coach slash slash research. You can download the free study preview or the whole preview. We're going to be talking about it a lot uh on LinkedIn, on Instagram, on this show, because I think we need to start a different conversation around the disruption that we're facing. So uh please do check that out. Christy, thank you so much once again. Thank you for all that tuned in. Thank you for being a part of the Top Voice podcast, and we'll see you next week.