“I don’t have a story.”

Sara Lohse hears those words almost every day, and she doesn’t buy it for a second. Her proof? A spot on one of the biggest finance shows around — landed by offering to tell the story of a regrettable tattoo she got on holiday in Ireland. As Sara puts it, “you don’t need to have that massive story. You just need to tell it to people in a way that connects with them.” This episode is about finding, and finally telling, the stories you’ve been sitting on.

Sara is a podcast producer and strategist, and the founder of Branded Media and Favorite Daughter Media. She started in advertising, landed in wealth management where she was handed a podcast and told she was now the executive producer, and fell so hard for the medium she went all in — now helping everyone from wealth managers to solo creators use podcasting and storytelling as genuine marketing tools.

We Also Talked About

• Why “I don’t have a story” is almost always false — and how to spot the story you should tell first.
• The “use your outside voice” test for finding a podcast topic you’ll never run out of steam on.
• Why we’re not short on information anymore — we’re short on connection, the one thing AI can’t fake.
• The counterintuitive trick of giving away the ending up front, and why it works especially well for ADHD brains.
• What podcast monetization really looks like — and why “return on impact” beats “return on investment.”
• The reframe that turns 20 downloads from an empty stadium into a crowded living room.
• How short-form video and long-form audio feed each other, and why your face on screen builds the trust that sells.

Want this kind of practical, expert help every week — before your competitors do? Get tips and strategies for growing your business delivered straight to your inbox: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter

Resources Mentioned

• openthisjournal.com — Sara’s hub: download her storytelling journal exercises free, grab the book, and find her socials and calendar.
• Open This Book: The Art of Storytelling for Aspiring Thought Leaders (affiliate link) – Sara’s book
• Branded Media — Sara’s podcast production company.
• Favorite Daughter Media — Sara’s strategic podcast guesting company.
• Podmatch (affiliate link) — the guest-matching tool Trudy uses (and how she found Sara).
• Descript (affiliate link) — the tool Trudy uses to transcribe and edit episodes.

My newsletter is for people who want to build a real income from home — practical, doable ideas each week for creating a better life for you and your family, without the overwhelm: https://onlinebusinessliftoff.com/newsletter