We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Swanson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kelly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

My entire career has been a series of risks. I always thought I would be more of the “get a job” type than the “start my own business” type. As an artist, I have always loved writing comedy and stories. Turning that into a business was something else entirely. The first risk was investing in myself enough to believe that people would pay me for what I love to do. Every time I stepped up on a stage, I was taking another risk by stepping over all the voices in my head that kept telling me I didn’t deserve to be there or that I wasn’t good enough. Because my style is so different from other speakers, I took a risk in creating something that had not been seen before and that would be harder to package and sell. Another risk came when an agent reached out and asked me to create a theater show, in my fifties, when I knew nothing about theater! It seems that my life is a constant shift from comfort zone to new challenge. It is stressful and it is exhilarating. It is overwhelming and confusing, and yet it pays off too. I have never regretted betting on myself. But I did have to learn the difference between smart risks and dumb risks.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Motivational Speaker & Master Storyteller
Kelly Swanson is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, hall-of-fame inspirational speaker, Huffington Post Contributor, and cast member of The Fashion Hero television show airing on Amazon Prime. She is also author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, The Land of If Only, The Story Formula, and The Affirmation Journal for Positive Thinking.

She was a featured entertainer for Holland America Cruise Lines, keynote speaker for the International Toastmasters Convention, and has keynoted major conferences and corporate events from coast to coast. She recently launched her one-woman show Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale in theaters and it is being booked all over the country. In July of 2022 she was inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame. In early 2024 Kelly will be launching launching her second theater show, A Tribute to Prides Hollow.

Kelly’s wacky wit and powerful stories have charmed hearts and tickled funny bones for over 20 years. In addition to her role as a funny motivational speaker, Kelly teaches people how she does it by sharing what she has learned about connecting and engaging to have more influence in business, through the use of one tool – strategic storytelling.

Sharing her own powerful journey through story and the formula she discovered, you come to that magical place where the art of story meets the business of persuasion.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the belief that because I feel it, it must be true. I gave emotions WAY too much power over my business. I had to learn that emotions are important – they are check engine lights to things that need to be addressed, not ignored. But they are only that – a sign. They shouldn’t drive the car. Truth needs to drive the car.

For example: I used to feel anxious and “less than” in front of male audiences. I was making decisions in my business that were impacting my performance, based on the belief that men didn’t really want to hear from me. Once I was aware of my inner script and this negative emotion it brought, I was able to study it to determine whether this belief was truth or just a story I was writing. Turns out it was just a story. The emotion was not valid, yet it was driving my car. So I put it in the back seat by redefining the truth and reprogramming my inner script to follow. This new truth started driving my car.

Now I have a strong portfolio of clients who are men – who love me, respect me, and want to do business with me. Now THAT is a truth I can believe in.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Covid was a pivot moment for me, as it was for many people. Up until that point, I had defined my services and the audiences who needed that. However, when the pandemic changed the landscape of society, I noticed that my market changed too. While they still needed the same service, they needed it for a different reason. This meant that I had to change how my products and services were packaged to fit a new need, and to stay fresh and relevant. People never buy what you’re selling, they’re buying what it means in their lives and in their work. When the need changes, you have to pivot your packaging.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MotivationalSpeakerKellySwanson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_swanson_speaker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotivationalSpeakerKellySwanson
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/motivationalspeaker1/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/motivationspkr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxJ-_s6URKYlK6bOv1DCqeA
• Other: https://www.StoryImpactNetwork.com