** Grab tickets for The Energy Game Melbourne launch (29 July, 6:30pm) here and order The Energy Game book here.** 

What if the stories you're most afraid to tell are the ones people most need to hear? 

Christian O'Connell has spent 28 years pulling stories out of strangers on live radio. He's had two number one breakfast shows on opposite sides of the planet. And yet off-air, he still catches himself at dinner with his family thinking he hasn't said anything funny in a couple of minutes, and that inner critic starting to spiral. 

In part one of our two-part conversation, I sit down with Christian to explore what he's learned from nearly three decades of live storytelling - and why most of us are telling our stories all wrong. 

Whether you tell stories for a living or you just want to hold a room for 30 seconds at a dinner party, this conversation will give you a completely different way to think about why some stories land and others don't. 

Christian and I discuss: 
The woodshed: the note-taking habit Christian uses so he's never stuck for something to say 
Why the stories you least want to tell are usually the ones that land hardest 
The two levels inside every story, and why most of us only ever tell one of them 
The physical test Christian uses to decide if a story is worth sharing 
Why the best storytellers relive rather than retell, and what that looks like in practice 
How speaking anxiety comes down to one thing, and it's not what most people think 

Key quotes 

"Vulnerability is the currency of great storytelling. If there's no vulnerability in here, there's no real connection in it." 

"The more you dial into the particulars of a story, somehow it becomes more universal." 

Connect with Christian O'Connell on Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and his website. Tune in to The Christian O’Connell Show and check out his latest book Unscript: The Radical Act of Being Yourself. 

 

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/ 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au 

Credits: 
Host: Amantha Imber 
Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

**&nbsp;Grab tickets for The Energy Game Melbourne launch (29 July, 6:30pm)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/hirer-events/the-energy-game-amantha-imber-in-conversation-with-lisa-leong">here</a>&nbsp;and order The Energy Game book&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.asia/d/0fsTmpfK">here</a>.**&nbsp;
What if the&nbsp;stories&nbsp;you're&nbsp;most afraid to tell are the ones people most need to hear?&nbsp;
Christian O'Connell has spent 28 years pulling stories out of strangers on live radio.&nbsp;He's&nbsp;had two number one breakfast shows on opposite sides of the planet. And yet off-air, he still catches himself at dinner with his family thinking he&nbsp;hasn't&nbsp;said anything funny in a couple of minutes, and that inner critic&nbsp;starting&nbsp;to spiral.&nbsp;
In part one of&nbsp;our&nbsp;two-part conversation, I sit down with Christian to explore what&nbsp;he's&nbsp;learned from&nbsp;nearly three&nbsp;decades of live storytelling&nbsp;-&nbsp;and why most of us are telling our stories all wrong.&nbsp;
Whether you tell stories&nbsp;for&nbsp;a living or&nbsp;you just want&nbsp;to hold a room for 30 seconds at a dinner party, this conversation will give you a completely&nbsp;different way&nbsp;to think about why some stories land and others&nbsp;don't.&nbsp;
Christian and I discuss:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">The woodshed: the note-taking habit Christian uses so&nbsp;he's&nbsp;never stuck for something to say&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Why the stories you least want to tell are usually the ones that land hardest&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">The two levels inside every story, and why most of us only ever tell one of them&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">The physical test Christian uses to decide if a story is worth sharing&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Why the best storytellers relive rather than retell, and what that looks like in practice&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1">How speaking anxiety comes down to one thing, and&nbsp;it's&nbsp;not what most people think&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Key quotes&nbsp;
"Vulnerability is the currency of great storytelling. If there's no&nbsp;vulnerability in&nbsp;here, there's no real connection in it."&nbsp;
"The more you dial into the particulars of a story, somehow it becomes more universal."&nbsp;
Connect with Christian O'Connell on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mrchristianoconnell/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/oc?lang=en">X (Twitter)</a>,&nbsp;LinkedIn and his&nbsp;<a href="https://christianoconnell.com/">website.</a>&nbsp;Tune in to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thechristianoconnellshow.com.au/">The Christian O&rsquo;Connell Show&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;check out his latest book&nbsp;<a href="https://christianoconnell.com/unscript/">Unscript: The Radical Act of Being Yourself</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
My latest&nbsp;book&nbsp;The Energy&nbsp;Game&nbsp;is out&nbsp;now.&nbsp;You can order a copy here:&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/48ID29M">https://amzn.to/48ID29M</a>&nbsp;
Connect with me on the socials:&nbsp;Linkedin&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber">https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber</a>)&nbsp;
Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanthai">https://www.instagram.com/amanthai</a>)&nbsp;
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and&nbsp;simple to apply&nbsp;tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at&nbsp;<a href="https://amantha.substack.com/">https://amantha.substack.com/</a>&nbsp;
Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcast">https://www.amantha.com/podcast</a>&nbsp;for full show notes from all episodes.&nbsp;
Get in touch at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a>&nbsp;
Credits:&nbsp; Host: Amantha Imber&nbsp; Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler&nbsp;

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets&nbsp;- the daily strategies behind their success through to&nbsp;life hacks and productivity hacks they&rsquo;d rather keep to themselves. We&rsquo;re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that&rsquo;ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who&rsquo;ve cracked the code.

Have you ever wondered if the worlds leading entrepreneurs, writers, musicians and business people construct their day differently to you?

How I Work

Part 1: Christian O'Connell on the habit that means he never runs out of stories

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/4e7aea68-345d-458b-9dcf-b481003c93f1/transcript