Episode 230: Your Story Matters – Interview Amy Chandler

Episode 230: Your Story Matters - Interview Amy Chandler

Welcome to the Love Your Story podcast. Every once in awhile I find another story practitioner who preaches the same truths I teach. Birds of a feather - another who understands this simple but often overlooked idea of how much our stories matter, how powerful we can be when we realize the power in our stories, and our ability to write them with intention. Today is one of those days. Amy Chandler is an entrepreneur who helps people become an active agent in their story. She is the founder of a non profit called My Story Matters, that started forming about 15 years ago - one chapter at a time. She understands her mission is to empower people with the tools and resources they need to write their own story. As they do so, they choose to claim and create the future they want to achieve. She knows that within each of us is a unique skill set designed to help us achieve far more than we realize. Tune into the audio program for our talk - because Amy has been to correctional facilities, in elementary schools, in high schools, all over the place helping people tell their stories, and I think you’ll like hearing about her adventures and seeing what they tell you about the importance of your own story. I asked Amy questions like:

1. Amy, let’s start off with what you do in My Story Matters. What exactly do you do and who do you do it with?
2. In your work, what stories can you share of watching people step into their power as they own their stories?
3. Let’s talk about intentional living. What is your take on that - specifically about healing? Share any specific story of this happening?
4. You talk about claiming and creating a life of miracles. What does that mean to you?
5. One of the quotes you often share is “When we give voice and energy to our war stories they consume us. When we give voice and energy to our champion story it transforms us.” This sounds a lot like what I call - THE STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES. Let’s talk about this a bit.
6. I’d really like to hear about what you call, "dealing with life’s detours through the growth zone”
7. Let’s end with some stories of transformation that you have witnessed as the people you have worked with have stepped up to find, tell, accept their stories.

Find Amy: amy@mystorymatters.org www.mystorymatters.org www.safeharborscourse.com @mystorymatters Why do our stories matter? I think they matter on multiple levels. They matter to us individually because they are literally the playing out of our lives. They matter to us because we want to have adventure, fun, love, accomplishment, satisfaction, growth. They matter to us because if our lives don’t matter, the foundation of purpose starts to dissolve. Our stories also matter from a simple space of empowerment. When you know who you are and the power you have to create just what you want, you realize you are powerful, you matter, and that ties us into why our stories matter to each other. Our stories matter to each other because we are all in the same giant play. Our characters interact, we benefit from one another, we share with one another, we hurt one another sometimes, we set off domino effects everyday that matter to many people (in kind and positive ways as well as cruel and difficult ways), we shine a light on the way ahead as we share our stories and support one another. No one does life alone, we all need each other, and like it or not, acknowledge it or not, our lives are woven together like a tapestry. We are almost inseparable. Our living, our loving, our growing, our falling down, our being, matters deeply to the world. Challenge for the week: Take the opportunity to let someone in your life know how much their life affects you. Share this episode with just one person this week - more if you’re willing to go the extra mile. And remember that Your Story Matters.