Big Leap Creative and The Breaking Trail Podcast

21/10/2025

"Fast and free buses."

That's what people say to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani when they see him on the street.

Not his credentials. Not his comprehensive policy platform. Three simple words.

People remember about 10% of what you tell them. TEN PERCENT. Which means 90% of everything you've wracked your brain to develop so people will take the action you hope they will? Gone. P**f. Into the mist…

So the real question is: What's the 10 percent you want them to remember?

Most of us are trying to cram too much into that precious 10 percent. We're being vague when we need to be specific. Generic when we need to be sticky.

So here's my question for you: If someone stopped you on the street tomorrow, what would you hope they recalled back to you about your work?

Whatever your answer is—that's your starting point.

Read more on The Power of Memorability, where I talk politics without getting political. 😉

"Fast and free buses." That's what people call out to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani when they see him on the street.

07/10/2025

Are you an energy leader or reflector? I have had a few conversations over the past few weeks, along with some realizations. We can go along with the default stories our crazy minds create inside our heads (wait, sorry - maybe I should speak for myself on the craziness in my mind), or we can manufacture more productive feelings, which lead to more productive actions. When we lead the energy, we bear gifts.



https://lisagerber.com/lead-the-energy/

16/09/2025

Who are your role models? What can we learn from them, AND what can we do differently? (An important tact to take with anything, right?) This article is the result of not having this information top of mind when I was asked at the end of my keynote, which role models I had in the leadership storytelling. Our brains don’t operate that well when we are under pressure, and all this came to me an hour after I stepped off the stage. So, to the gentleman in the back who asked the question, here is your answer: https://lisagerber.com/he-story-driven-leader-yvon-chouinard/

03/09/2025

Last week, with no notice whatsoever, many of us had a national holiday dropped on us, and the internet came to a screeching halt as we obsessed over the exciting Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engagement.

As if we haven’t had enough of the TNT content, I’m adding to it with my take on how we can use storytelling to build community. A little dabble into some of her lyrics and some fun editorializing on my part. If you’re a fan or not (especially if you are not a fan! I hope you’ll take a moment to read.)

And I’d love to know what you think.


https://lisagerber.com/the-billion-dollar-business-of-storytelling/

19/08/2025

For decades, being "results-driven" has been a badge of honor. The problem is that results-driven leaders hit a ceiling. Despite their expertise, they get overlooked for promotions, struggle with team retention, and watch less qualified competitors win because they can't inspire emotional buy-in.

I noticed this early in my career when I moved to a new community for a new job and found myself quickly overwhelmed. It forced me further head down to keep up rather than connecting with others to build a network that could achieve more.

What story is your leadership telling?


https://lisagerber.com/the-story-driven-leader-era/

05/08/2025

Stories aren't built on every single thing that happened. They're built on moments – those critical turning points where everything could have gone differently.

Like when Chobani's founder almost threw away the postcard that led to his yogurt empire. Or when my client sat in that gas station parking lot, making 76 calls to find a shelter.

These moments? They're your tent poles (or baby trees, depending on how I'm feeling about metaphors today 😅). Everything else in your story should build up to them, around them, down from them.

When you're crafting your next pitch, presentation, or even your about page, ask yourself: What's the moment that changed everything? That's where your story lives.



https://lisagerber.com/the-power-of-moments-in-storytelling/

29/07/2025

You might skip over it in your bio, hide it from your Zoom background, or think it's not important enough to even bring into the conversation.

The hard part of being real is our innate fear of judgement.

Criticism is hard to take, especially when it's about you personally. But I've found time and time again, in my personal experience and when working with clients, that you never know the impact your story will have until you tell it. And when you do, I think you'll be surprised to find the very thing you didn't want people to know is the very thing that allows them to connect with you.

I'm not talking about revealing your deepest darkest secrets but maybe your passion for fly fishing, or that you care about an issue in your company because it relates back to a personal experience of yours - when you bring your essence into the experience of working with you, you'll start to see what it's like to have better relationships that lead to new opportunities.

You can learn more about this in my book The Power of Story: Connect with Purpose; Unlock Your Influence. Download a complimentary digital version or purchase the print copy here: https://lisagerber.com/the-power-of-story-order/

22/07/2025

This one is for the people pleasers out there. We just want to be friends with everyone. Difficult conversations? Those are to be dreaded, avoided at all costs. Corporate Natalie did a reel on Instagram the other day from a cocktail bar: “When the drink isn’t what you ordered but you’d rather die than inconvenience someone.” Yes. This is for you (and me). It’s about facing difficult conversations. And what happens when we do. :)



https://lisagerber.com/the-test-every-leader-faces/

08/07/2025

Any Taylor Jenkins Reid fans in the room? As I read Malibu Rising over the weekend, I noticed some overlap in the characters of her totally unrelated books and it prompted me to pick Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo back off the bookshelf to read about her third husband, who is the father in Malibu Rising, (and a cameo party guest in Daisy Jones in the Six) I then of course googled to learn more and it’s a whole universe she’s created.

Because I love learning from the best storytellers, this week, I explore how we can use easter eggs in our stories to build community through a sense of surprise and discovery. Yes, there is another Taylor Swift reference, and I even have an easter egg in my article. See if you can find it.

hashtag hashtag hashtag

https://lisagerber.com/the-secret-to-building-community-hidden-in-plain-sight/

24/06/2025

I wrote an article about AI, and it needed editing. I felt lazy. So I decided to ask Claude to edit it then I had a better idea. I had a conversation with Claude about authenticity, creativity, and why your stories make you irreplaceable.

https://lisagerber.com/a-conversation-with-claude-why-human-stories-still-matter-most/

10/06/2025

I’ve been having several conversations with coaching clients about the things they are pursuing - the goals and dreams they have for themselves. One topic we are all exploring is how to release the tension just enough so we don’t beat ourselves up trying to reach the proverbial “there.” It’s all about the stories we tell ourselves…



https://lisagerber.com/when-dreams-meet-resistance/

28/05/2025

Where there is no thought, there is no problem." Byron Katie wrote this in Loving What Is. How carefree would life be without thoughts? Or just certain thoughts. I wrote about them today.



https://bigleapcreative.com/not-today-becky-naming-and-aligning-our-thoughts/