RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2026.10.05
Podcast (The Story Power Marketing Show)
How To Get Curious About Yourself Before You Get Critical (with Antoine Wooten Jr.)
Antoine Wooten Jr. is a coach and educator. In his coaching and in his book, It’s More Than Winning for You, he helps people see who they are beyond what they produce and how they perform.
He knows the pressure from the inside. Athletics. Training. Real estate. Nonprofit leadership. Every new title looked like success from the outside. Underneath, he was running from a fear of becoming irrelevant. And he was burning out.
We talk about where that pressure comes from and why shame grows when you measure yourself against someone else’s win. He also shares what he teaches the high school athletes he coaches about fear. His alternative to beating yourself up is to get curious about what’s driving you. And he walks through a simple model he teaches. You perceive something. You give it a meaning. Your behavior follows from that meaning.
If you’ve ever wondered who you’d be without the next accomplishment, start here.
DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE
~00:54 — Episode Setup
~02:13 — More Than Winning
~04:54 — Titles And Burnout
~09:34 — Value Beyond Doing
~11:31 — Shame And Comparison
~15:05 — Coaching Young Men
~16:35 — Fear And Coverings
~20:00 — Curiosity Over Criticism
~24:35 — Perception Drives Behavior
~27:22 — Get The Book
~28:11 — Final Takeaways
~30:44 — Outro And Resources
LISTEN ON: Apple | Spotify | Amazon
Recommended Reading
Was Humourless Hopkins Right or Not?
Should you be funny in your marketing? You know where I stand. In my Story Power Profit Pack, I tell you to weave humor into your content. Jokes. Funny stories. Wordplay. Make your audience smile, and they’ll stay tuned in, feel more connected to you, and be more likely to act.
Claude Hopkins would have argued with me. Drayton Bird calls him arguably the best advertising man ever. And Hopkins couldn’t stand humor.
So who’s right? Bird says even geniuses can be wrong. Humor can work. The danger is that people pay more attention to the joke than to the sales message.
That’s a valid warning. Use the humor. Just make sure the joke doesn’t distract from your message.
Read: Was Humourless Hopkins Right or Not?
Recommended Viewing
7 Stoic Strategies to Deal With Jerks
Rude people aren’t going anywhere. Marcus knew it 2,000 years ago. When you run into one, he says, remind yourself that a world without rude people isn’t possible. Then answer the rudeness with kindness.
In this video, Ryan Holiday (and his guests) take it from there. The video explains how civil rights leaders trained, over and over, not to take the bait. It borrows a habit from restaurateur Danny Meyer. It assumes good intent.
And as he always does, Holiday cites a great Stoic philosopher: The best revenge, Marcus Aurelius says, is not to be like the jerks.
Watch: 7 Stoic Strategies to Deal With Jerks
Recommended Event
First Conversation to Yes
You had a great sales conversation. They seemed interested. They even asked to stay in touch. And then… crickets.
Lynn Whitbeck, a former Fortune 500 sales leader and the author of Joyful Sales, says the real problem often happened much earlier in the conversation than the close.
In this live 90-minute Zoom workshop, she’ll show you why promising conversations stall and how to spot the mindset traps that pull your attention off the person in front of you.
It’s tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT (2:30 to 4 p.m. ET). The cost is $19.
Register: First Conversation to Yes
Recommended Listening
Home
Melissa and I saw Sara Bareilles on Friday night at the Stifel Theatre in St. Louis. It was fantastic.
She opened the show with this song.
Bareilles wrote “Home” after hearing Stephen Colbert tell Anderson Cooper about losing his father and two brothers when he was 10. It’s a song about grief. And it’s about what happens when we stop staying silent and start telling our stories.
Sad. Hopeful. Worth five minutes of your Monday.
Watch: Home (Official Music Video)
Words to Ponder
“Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.”
— Colin Powell, quoting a priest at his church in his book “It Worked for Me”
Don't go away yet..
p.s. Coaches, authors, and consultants hire me to power-up their creative content and storytelling to captivate prospects, stand-out and book more business.
Whenever you're ready, here are several ways I can help you become a storytelling stand-out so you'll land more clients without pitching and prodding:
1) Get the Story Power Profit Pack -- 52 Strategies, Tips, and Tactics to Transform Your Content from Ignored to Adored.
2) Watch the free, 7-minute Micro-Training: “The 3 Most Important Storytelling Keys to Captivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Act -- Without Pitching and Prodding.”
3) Become a Story Power VIP: Master how to discover, assemble, and deliver business-building stories. Twice-monthly live masterclasses. Members-only content. One-on-one feedback and consulting sessions. And more… If you'd like to learn more about our VIP program, just reply to this email and put "Story Power VIP" in the subject line. I’ll contact you with more details.
4) Work with me one-on-one: If you’re interested in working directly with me -- to discover, assemble, and deliver powerful, business-building stories -- simply reply to this email and change the subject line to "Private Client." Tell me a little about yourself, your business, and what you'd like to accomplish, and I'll reply to discuss options.
5) Invite me to speak at an event: I can tailor a presentation that meets the specific needs of your organization. Informative. Entertaining. Virtual or live. Potential for continuing education credits when applicable for your group. If interested, reply to this email and change the subject line to “Speaking Engagement.” I’ll circle back to discuss the possibilities.
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