Craft and tell the right stories with confidence

You have solid platforms and an audience,
and frankly you’re poised to be a big deal.

Nice! You’re ready for the next level, and you know the stage is the key to reaching more people.

But … the stage? Gulp.

You see other women business owners, your peers, making huge strides or being asked to speak on virtual or actual stages, and you’re confronted with thoughts like:

  • “Man, I’m jealous. She is captivating on stage. I could never do that, I’d just trip over my words and sound like an idiot.”
  • “My area of expertise just comes across as boring an inaccessible … there is no way to make this stuff exciting to my audience or make it easy to understand.”
  • “I know what I would say if I were to get on stage, but I’d sweat like a campfire weenie over the embers. And there’s no guarantee I wouldn’t puke.”
  • “Oh, she’s so interesting. I don’t even have any good stories.”
  • “I have a message that is worthy of that stage, too bad I sound like a fool every time I try to speak in public.”
  • “I wrote a book to take my biz to the next level, so I need to promote it with gusto. How the heck do I that without my stories in place?”

Honestly, the prospect of taking the stage has you completely freaked out.

What if a colleague calls you out for your ineptitude on the stage? Or someone in the audience makes fun of you? Or worse, what if a prospective client or business connection thinks, “Geez, this person can hardly pull her thoughts together. She’s tripping over her words. She clearly isn’t an expert.”
Is your company making the impact you know you can make … or are you stopped shy, afraid you might not be able to do what needs to be done?

I am on a mission to help every woman business owner become the hero of her own story.

What would it mean to your business if you …

  • Actually felt CONFIDENT on stage?
  • Could banish the thought, “I stink at public speaking”?
  • Had your audience hanging on your every word, blown away by how entertaining you are?
  • Had a personal brand so powerful, your reputation preceded you?
  • Could add a TEDx Talk or keynote to your resume?
  • Could leave an imprint on the hearts and minds of others whenever you speak?
  • Were able to express yourself clearly and without fear?
  • Were calm and collected and empowered on stage?
  • Were seen and recognized as an authoritative leader?

You want to reach that bigger audience and achieve your financial dreams. You want to know your voice is worth hearing.

JOIN STORY POWER

As sure as a bear does his business in the woods … you can have that.

Yes, really.

Here’s what I know, from experience:

Story is the most powerful tool in your communication tool basket.

It is relatable, memorable, and motivational.

EVERYONE has a story, and your storytelling and performance skills are not innate

 … they can be learned.

But to express yourself clearly and powerfully, to gain real respect from the audience

You’re trying to reach, to feel at home on stage … you can’t fake it.

Good news: You don’t have to figure this all out yourself! From education, one-on-one coaching, accountability, and so much more…

JOIN STORY POWER

Here’s how I can help.

introducing Story Power.

Story Power is a yearlong story-coaching group program where you will join a community of powerful storytellers to learn to step into your full voice and curate your narrative to your needs and the needs of your audience.

Story Heroes (a.k.a., you!) will hone your skills alongside like-minded women and business owners who are on a journey to get clear on their stories, craft creative narratives, fight their fears, to speak up and stand out, and connect with your audience in a powerful way.

Telling your story is a powerful way to fight your fears and become a bigger version of yourself.

 

And. Feel. Amazing. Doing it.

Story Power is based on my Core 7 Stories for Business™ framework.

When you complete Story Power, you will walk away with:

  • Your Core 7 Stories for Business™ crafted, practiced, performed, and ready to go!
  • The confidence that comes from learning and progress
  • Strategies and tools to craft compelling narratives forever and ever amen
  • The ability to use your voice to draw your audience in, to entice and entrance! (Did I mention that I’m a professional voice and speech coach?)
  • The transformation and clarity that can only come from the journey of intentionally curating your story
  • The lovely relationships you will develop from sharing stories and supporting the troop of heroes that will go on this journey with you (whoops, that got too sappy there, didn’t it?!)

Story Power is built to help you succeed

As your Story Coach, my approach is grounded in positivity, recognition, and providing hands-on practice. This means you will: As your Story Coach, my approach is grounded in positivity, recognition, and providing hands-on practice. This means you will:

  • Be recognized for your efforts
  • Be guided from a positive approach
  • Get lots of time to practice

Hard things need to be celebrated. Recognition plays a huge role in personal progress because it allows us to acknowledge and then build upon our success.This is why, as heroes work through the program, they collect Story Power badges. And if they collect all 15 badges, they are awarded the Storytelling Sash at our annual live retreat in the Canadian Rockies.*
*This event is not included in the cost of Story Power.

So what’s actually included?

1. Live online workshops

Every 5 weeks, covering 15 units on every skill you need to be a master storyteller.

2. Powerful story community

Access to an exclusive, powerful story community you can learn from and build relationships with.

3. Mastermind coaching sessions

Every 5 weeks.

4. Bi-monthly open mic

Where you can practice your story in a safe space with other community members.

5. Bi-monthly Story Slam WORKS events

where you get to perform in front of our live audience (and amplify your visibility!). BONUS: For Story Power members, Story Slam WORKS comes with pre- and post-performance support and feedback from multiple performance experts.

6. Learning guide

with goals to track your progress.

6. Learning guide

with goals to track your progress.

7. Training video series

Access to the 18-part Master Your Voice training video series.

8. Workbooks + Tools
  1. Access to an extensive suite of workbooks + tools (Story Power Online).
9. Video Feedback

Personalized written and video feedback from Jilliane on one video submission each month.

10. Unlimited Email & Calendar Links

Unlimited email access to Jilliane during the coaching process.  Calendar links sent to you so you never miss a session.

STORY POWER

CAD$2399

  • the nitty gritty

  • What you’re going to learn

  • Story Power is comprised of 8 units, and each unit has an associated badge that you can earn as you work your way through the program.

JOIN STORY POWER
Unit 1 - Performer’s Mindset

Get your head in the game! Performer’s Mindset is one of Story Power’s most loved modules. If you feel sick to your stomach, your heart pounds, or you get lightheaded before you go on stage, this unit has you covered.

In this unit you will:

  • Learn the “3 B’s” framework for managing stress.
  • Understand how come your nerves are really there to serve you.
  • Create and practice your own pre-performance ritual to ground you and help you manage any pre-performance anxiety.
Unit 2 - Responsive Speaking

Responsive Speaking is about feeling confident to get up on a stage or in front of an audience and speak off the cuff. A lot of people feel like they “ramble on” or “mess up” or can’t get their point across succinctly. Responsive speaking empowers you to have a spontaneous, alive, fresh feeling as a speaker.

In this unit you will:

  • Learn about extemporaneous speaking: what it is and how to do it.
  • Learn the skills and build the competence to speak without preparation.
  • Learn to adjust mid-performance in response to the audience’s reaction.
  • Practice responsive speaking in front of an audience.
  • Learn about audience engagement and how to perceive their responses to you and respond to them.
  • Learn how to “accordion” your story: make it 5 minutes long or 30 minutes long.
Unit 3 - Story Crafting

Use Story Crafting tools to deliver stories that are exciting, captivating, and engaging. Emotion is the key to any great story! Let’s take your stories to the next level.

In this unit you will:

  • Explore the tricks of immersive storytelling; learn how to show instead of tell.
  • Discover different tools and tricks to flip your story from being dry and boring to being like an engaging movie.
  • Learn to use dialogue, speaking tense, facial expression, and gesture to make your story enthralling.
  • Learn to be keenly aware of your conflict.
  • Learn when to place your audience as the hero.
  • Learn how to create conflict with not just content, but also your voice (e.g., pause, pace, etc.).

Learn to express emotion with not just words, but with your voice and face to create an emotional story arc.

Unit 4 – Your Core Story Collection

Here we actually craft your Core 7 Stories for Business™. These stories will allow you to convey the urgency of your mission, attract (and repel) the right (and wrong) people, illustrate what it’s like to work with you, and more.

In this unit you will:

  • Learn the Core 7 Stories for business: the names of the 7 stories, the definition of the story type, when to use it, and what it accomplishes.
  • Brainstorm, select, craft, refine, and rehearse YOUR Core 7 Stories for Business.
  • Walk out with your Core Story Collection: a tool belt full of tales to tell.
Unit 5 – Master Your Voice
Listen up, Story Heroes: most of what we communicate is NOT THROUGH WORDS. Tap into your ability to convey more meaning and emotion by using your voice, face, and body with intention.

In this unit you will:

  • Learn how to use your diaphragm and sustain your breath.
  • Master pitch, pace, projection, and inflection.
  • Discover how to use your voice to sound engaging.
  • Learn to use pause with intention. Create suspense, draw your audience in, build momentum, highlight or draw attention to a particular word or phrase.
  • Learn to show emotion with your voice, face, and body.
  • Learn to use your face and body to help tell the story as opposed to distracting from the story.
Unit 6 – Ethics

Even in the world of storytelling, it’s important to uphold a high moral standard. You’re a good person, after all! This unit looks at governing yourself ethically as a storyteller.

In this unit you will:

  • Explore morality in storytelling. When must you tell the truth, and when can you embellish?
  • Examine showing respect and protecting yourself and others by being ethical.
  • Learn how to get clear on which stories are yours to tell and which are not.
Unit 7 – Vulnerability

These days, being vulnerable has become a catchphrase. It’s true that vulnerability in storytelling has great connective power. Still, vulnerability has its limits. Sincere thought and intention around vulnerability empowers you to connect with your audience in a meaningful way while still protecting yourself, people you care about, and your audience.

In this unit you will:

  • Come to understand the value and purpose of showing vulnerability in storytelling.
  • Learn the limits of vulnerability and what it means to offend on purpose.
  • Learn how to express that (right amount of) vulnerability in the structure of the story itself, using your voice and expression, and more.
Unit 8 – Performer’s Glory

This unit is where the rubber hits the road. “Performer’s Glory” provides the platform to practice the storytelling and performance skills you’ve been working on. The most important thing you learn from performance is that YOU CAN PERFORM and succeed.

In this unit you will:

  • Be challenged to perform your stories at least 3 times at incredible performance opportunities like Story Slam WORKS and/or an open mic.
  • Get to witness real transformation happen as your skills are put in practice.
  • Learn from seeing other performers.
  • Get pre- and post-performance support so you can think critically about your performance and build on your success.

FAQ

How long is the program?

One year.

How many people are in it?

Never more than 20 women per cohort, but the group usually caps out at 10. It’s very important to me that this be a group where we can all know each other’s names.

How do I know if it’s the right fit?

Feeling good about what you’ve read so far? That’s an excellent sign.

If you:

  • are a woman business owner and/or leader ready to take her business to the next level, and you
  • want to identify your stories and tell them like a badass, and you
  • are looking for like-minded, supportive women, and
  • have the means to join us without breaking the bank …

This is 100% for you!

If you are still on the fence, book a Story Clarity Call with me and we can talk it through.

How much is the investment?

$2399 CAD

How is this program different?

Story Power isn’t just about clarifying your message, or crafting a good story, or entertaining your audience, or having a community, or getting practice opportunities. It’s ALL of these things AND performance coaching. You will learn how to select, craft, and deliver the right stories WELL. It is a one-stop shop for everything to make you a sensational storyteller.

What others have to say

Sarah Smith

Before I started working with Jilliane, I didn’t think I had any stories!

The program worksheets enabled me to brainstorm, organize and flesh out my stories. Videos on delivery helped me to practice in meaningful and effective ways. Her feedback throughout on content and delivery was invaluable!

From a biz standpoint, developing my stories gave me clarity on topics that were important to me and that I wanted to share with my clients.

From a personal standpoint it helped me to pinpoint my motivation and the desired impact I want to have on my clients and the broader community.

Jilliane is a powerful communicator and storyteller. Working with her has been an absolute privilege. I highly recommend Jilliane and Story Power!

~Sarah Smith, Steady Success Coaching

Heather Saffer

I started working with Jilliane because I wanted to become more comfortable with storytelling. Working together on crafting my story helped me whittle down the excess and hone in on creating impact with a lasting message. Jilliane is a wizard at crafting stories that make an audience “feel”.

~Heather Saffer, Shark Tank winner & founder of Dollop Frosting

Jenae Dunlop

Before Story Power, my stories were very vague – if you could even call them stories. There was a compilation of past experiences in my life that were represented as images, ideas, and themes in my mind. I had a sense that they could make great stories that others could relate to, but to be perfectly honest the process of creating concrete, engaging, meaningful stories out of all these ideas was a bit daunting.

Working through the Story Power program with Jilliane helped me gain clarity about my specific goals and values as a healthcare provider and as a business woman. Jilliane has a brilliant way of helping her clients craft stories that powerfully communicate their core values while engaging and entertaining their intended audience.

Shortly after Story Power I was interviewed on the radio and I shared my Values and Vision for the Future Stories and it had 88,000 views and I was asked if I wanted to have a regular TV spot!

~ Jenae Dunlop

Carlie Rioux

When I started Story Power, I wasn’t even sure what story I wanted to tell. I only knew I wanted to build a tribe around my business and my values. Through the process, I found Jilliane to not only be genuine and generous but unbelievably knowledgeable. She was born to be a storyteller and with years of experience under her belt, her mastery is clear to anyone who hears her speak. She coaxed my ideas out of the ether and helped me put together a coherent, authentic story that had immediate impact in my life – within a week of finishing I had landed a speaking gig to an audience of 200 simply because I was telling my story to a friend over breakfast! The tools in Story Power are clear and easy to use again and again. It doesn’t matter if you’re just looking to be a better performer or if you have a big dream that you need to convey, I highly recommend going through Story Power! Plus, the storytelling tribe you’ll become part of is wicked – what more could you ask for?

~Carlie Rioux, Co-Founder of Thea Caye

 

Simone Graw

I went into Story Power nervous and shy with only one goal – tell a story, benefit my business. I left with excitement and a whole new set of opportunities before me. Not only was the program fun, but I learned so much and now I’m a part of a storytelling community. Jilliane Yawney was incredibly kind, supportive and motivational. I cannot stop recommending this program to everyone and anyone!

~Simone Graw, Founder of Drive Her yyc

THE BOTTOM LINE

Story Power is here to empower you to be the hero of your story.

Story Power is designed to create energizing experiences where ideas will spark, and you will feel powerful and connected … because that’s what stories do. Most of my clients have breakthroughs when they craft and share their stories because they discover how capable they are or because they connect with their audience in a transformative way or because they have an aha moment when crafting their own story.

Feeling a little lost in the woods?

Wondering if this is the right choice for you? Let’s have a real conversation and talk it through.

STORY CLARITY, CALL JILLIANE