221: How your story can be your content marketing strategy | Teisha Rose

Your story can change the lives of so many…

And in those moments of fear, it is important to remember - it isn’t about you. It is about the people you can help. 

If you want to share more of your story but don’t know how, this podcast episode is for you! 

Join me as I chat with the amazing Teisha Rose about her journey from hurdle to hope and how she made that her brand, her story. 

We will also share how storytelling can be done and how it can be a core part of your content marketing strategy. 

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share this on your Instagram stories and tag us @contentqueenmariah and @hurdle2hope. 

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KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS 👇

  • How can storytelling can make for a great content strategy 

  • How to tell your story without fear 

  • Why you should tell your story 

SHOW RESOURCES 👇

If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @contentqueenmariah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Other than that, enjoy - chat next week 💕

ABOUT THE GUEST

Teisha Rose, the founder of Hurdle2Hope and the creator of the Hurdle2Hope Roadmap, has faced chronic illness for over 25 years, starting with multiple sclerosis and now battling stage 4 breast cancer. These challenges have reaffirmed one truth: our MINDSET IS EVERYTHING.

Motivated by this discovery, Teisha offers courses, coaching, and workshops for those impacted by health conditions, aiming to guide them towards a happier, healthier, and more abundant life. Teisha also shares insights and resources through her podcast Wellbeing Interrupted.

PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

This is episode 221, and I'm talking to the most incredible Teisha Rose, all about storytelling and how much impact it can have on the lives of others.  Welcome to the content queen podcast. I'm your host, Mariah, entrepreneur, storyteller, digital nomad, creator of Content Bootcamp and founder of Content Queen.

I'm here to teach you how to share your unique story, create content and market your business with strategy through the channels that work for you. Each week, I'll deliver a story to help you connect to a powerful strategy around marketing and content. Business and content creation. I'll also be joined by amazing souls and entrepreneurs who are here to share their own journey along with actual steps to help you take your business to a whole new level through amazing storytelling, powerful aligned marketing and content strategy.

Let's do it. Hello gang. Speaking of storytelling, oh my god, there is just so many things that have happened in the last few weeks since I've done like an intro and things like that. But basically, we are now in Chile and we're about to head back to Australia in the next week or this week. Um, but I needed a visa and I didn't know about said visa until Last Monday,  a week before we were going to fly to Chile.

And so I jumped online, started to apply for it, did some research and it turned out it can take up to 20 days for the approval of said visa.  So you can imagine the panic and you can imagine the level of stress, which is not good for anyone, but just not good on my body. So we are calling people, we are contacting different consulates.

In the end we, cause I applied through the La Paz in Bolivia consulate. We went there, we spoke with them. We told them my story cause I actually have to be home for my appointments, everything. Um, I have to be home every six months for those. So anyway, it was a massive lesson, but the visa arrived in my inbox on Thursday.

And then we went and we printed it out and I had it in my hand. And then we went on this most beautiful weekend retreat where I wrote my book, which is very interesting that this is coming up with this episode, because my book and what I'm going to write is about my health journey, my story, trauma,  listening to your body, all these different things that are coming up as I'm writing it.

And this amazing guest is,  you know, like I have met her before.  I learned so much from this woman. You will learn more about her story, but her story is insanely.  Inspirational, but also impactful, which is something that she mentions as well is, you know, having a story and not just sharing it to be inspirational, but how can I actually help people?

So anyway, we'll go on this retreat and write some of my book and then, um,  yeah, like,  well, firstly, come back online to hear about everything happening in Bondi in Australia.  If you're not from Australia, it's been horrific tragedy. Um, another attack on women. And part of my book talks about my own experience with, um, yeah, anyway, I don't want to talk too much about it because I'm still going through the journey of writing this book, but it was just wild that that all came up  as I'm typing these stories.

So  yeah. It's been a heavy and crazy week. Um, but I, I go through the airport and I finally get asked for that visa in Chile. I was like, someone asked me for this visa. Cause I just went to great lengths to get this visa.  Anyway,  it's been a crazy, crazy time traveling at the moment, and then heading back to Australia where there's just a lot going on.

Um, and my thoughts go out to everyone impacted by what happened in Bondi. Um, I, and, and as I was actually, I was writing my book.  And I was writing the chapter of me being in hospital. And in fact, I could see that shopping center Bondi Junction from my hospital window.  And I remember typing it on the weekend.

And it wouldn't have been when that was happening because that would have happened in my early hours. But  yeah, it's just, it's crazy. It's emotional. And, um, yeah, my thoughts and hearts go out to everyone that was involved,  but let's, um, Talk about storytelling and the power of it and how it can just impact so many people's lives And we all have a story and it like it can be any story.

It doesn't have to be  Uh something so  Devastating or so motivational or anything that happened to you any story can impact someone  And what we talk about in this episode is the underlying lessons or teachings from these stories that can have great impact on people. So I'm so excited to introduce you to Teisha Rose.

She's an incredible person. She's the founder of Hurdle to Hope and the creator of the Hurdle to Hope Roadmap.  She's faced chronic illness for over 25 years. starting with multiple sclerosis in her 20s  and now battling stage four breast cancer.  These challenges have affirmed one truth, our mindset is everything.

Motivated by this discovery, Teisha offers courses, coaching and workshop for those impacted by health conditions,  aiming to guide them towards a happier, healthier, and more abundant life.  And Teisha also shares her insights and resources through her podcast while being interrupted.  This honestly,  This story is not just here to motivate you.

It's here to help create some kind of change. But I have worked very closely with Teisha as a client of mine, um, supporting her,  getting her story out there and her content. But also she's helped me so much in my own journey and she's coached me through Some really hard times traveling, especially getting sick, um, and really trying to prioritize myself, which is a goal for me this year and my health, even though it should always be, um, we go through stages.

So I'm really excited for you to hear from Tish and hear her incredible journey, but also what she can share with you and what has came up from it. Welcome Teisha to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you on. Can you please tell everyone a little bit more about who you are and what you do? so much for having me.

Hey, Mariah. So happy to be here to chat to you. So my name is Teisha Rose. Rose is a surname. Sometimes people get a bit confused, think it's all one name, but Teisha Rose, um, founder of Hurdle to Hope. And what I do is really support And, um, people living with life changing illnesses. My focus is absolutely on mindset, and I've created healing mindset course, coaching programs, and now I'm also doing some workshops with people living with an illness, but also those supporting us with illnesses.

Oh my gosh, I am so glad that our paths crossed because those that listen to this, this podcast know that I've dealt with my own life changing illnesses and you've supported me so much with all your teachings and you're totally right. Mindset is massive and you had to do. You know, so much work on your mindset because you have like one of the most incredible stories I've ever heard.

And I talk about it all the time. I talk about you all the time. So I would love for you to share your origin story, how you got to where you are starting, you know, your own business, supporting others. And yeah, tell us how you got to where you are today and share your story with us. Cause it is absolutely incredible.

Yeah. Thanks Mariah. Um, I guess I liked sharing my story in two pivotal moments that have really defined my life. One was back in 1997. Um, I was 22 years of age at a time where I've just completed two university degrees, a bachelor of business management, a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology. I applied for lots of graduate programs.

I got on one graduate program with Telstra. For those of you not in Australia, that's our largest telecommunications company. And I was living in the city and living the life I always thought would be mine. And I was healthy.  But little did I know that six months later, I'd be diagnosed with MS or multiple sclerosis.

Um, and that's a neurological condition and it impacts your nervous system, meaning that at times you're affected, your mobility is impacted or your sight might be impacted or, you know, whatever it is, it's very random.  Um, so, um, That changed my life enormously because I kept pushing through wanting to continue on with my corporate career.

But my body, by the time I was 25 said enough. And I spent months and months in hospital, unable to move. Um, and I finally got out of bed, got out of the wheelchair and I got back to my desk at Telstra and I thought, is this worth it? risking another period of poor health for, and the answer clearly was no, and my life changed.

I traveled overseas. I went by myself, lived in the UK or Scotland for a year. I came back to Australia, changed my career, went back to university, studied social work. Um, and then Yeah, I had a C change, met my life partner, massive things happened. Then life was  going great. You know, I had stopped the relapses.

My last one was in 2012.  I just started, I'd written a book, um, sharing my story with MS. I was about to launch a course, helping others live with MS and embrace life with this disease.  Just as I was about to pay for my Facebook ad, so fortunately I didn't.  I felt a lump on my breast.  And I was confused.  I never even contemplated the thought of me having any, any tumors in my body.

I thought I've got my disease for this lifetime.  But unfortunately,  the, um, this was in Feb 22.  I went, did the thing of going to my local doctor, went to have a mammogram. Um, and biopsy, ultrasound and the results came back that I had breast cancer  and that was petrifying,  but I guess, and we'll go into it a little bit more later, but I got my head around having that and then the added dimension of that beer was I was, diagnosed within two weeks of stage four breast cancer.

So it already spread to my liver and sternum. So again, everything in my life was turned upside down.  Um, but  part of navigating through that was realizing that I've gained so many insights in dealing with MS  that became a bit of a silver lining. And that became my motivation to use that to help myself, but now to Broaden hurdle to hope and use everything I've gained with these two significant illnesses to help in others as well.

Oh my gosh, every time I hear your story, I have like full body goosebumps. Like it's honestly inspiring. It's. You know, like,  people would say, Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, because it is at the same time, shit,  excuse my language. Um, but the way you handle it with so much grace is like so inspiring, not just to people that have been diagnosed with a chronic illness or a life changing illness, as we like to call it, because We don't like the terminology chronic illness and maybe we'll talk about that at some point.

I know there's a lot of can be toxic content around that, but it, yeah, anyone, any entrepreneur listening to this, um, you know, maybe can relate in some way of having something happen to them, but want to move on with life. But then their mind, their body, whatever it is, just says, absolutely not. You have to deal with this and you have to.

You know, it, unfortunately, we have our life all planned out, even in business. We know what we're going to, we know what income we're going to make. We know what we're going to do. And then something derails us, whether it's COVID, whether it's a life changing illness, whatever it is. even though, you know, people listening don't know what it's like to experience that kind of level of  WTF, what the hell is going on?

You know, it's always, you know, we can always take your story and what you've done with it and be so inspired. Like I'm inspired by you every day. I always have this like, what would Teisha do? Like with this, like that, and you've made me really see my, you know, what I've been through as well as a gift.

You've helped me see so many things and  People, you know, listening, so just like, Oh my God, this woman is incredible because you absolutely are. And what I love is you so openly share your story because when these things happen to us, they become personal to us. They become our own personal journey. They become, and that is totally, you know, okay for it to be private, for it to be personal, for it to be ours.

But what I love about what you do is you're brave enough to get on there and share it with the world because.  You know, I have a mentor and she's mentored you a full TC you know, words and medicine for others, and you absolutely use your words as medicine to others, your wisdom, everything. And you use your story as part of your content strategy, um, to make it sound a little bit masculine, but you use it to help.

You know, spread the word on what you can help with. And without this sort of story and plan and, you know, actionable steps, then it's hard for people to hear what we have to say. And to be out, you have to actually show up for people to know what, you know, what's it all about, but I want you to just take us through how you use your story as part of the content, like regardless of strategy, the word strategy, How you use it to create the content that you share on social media.

You have an amazing podcast. You do all these things to share. I would love for you to take us through how you use your story to get your name out there, but also get your amazing work out there as well. Yeah. And I think it comes down to  even my mindset, having studied social work and my degree in psychology, it's, that's been great foundation for me because it's like, well, all these things happen, but let's break it down.

You know, let's look at how can we break that down to help others? And I think I'm in a very unique position and I don't know why this has all happened to me, but it has, and how can I use that to help others, but in a way that is not just about. inspiring. Like, I don't want to share my story and people say, yeah, that's amazing.

Great. You know, this has happened, but how am I going to use it? How am I going to use it in my own life? So I build what I do on through connection. So it's like, I want people sitting there at home, overwhelmed about what has happened health wise or whatever it is to think she gets it. She understands where I'm at.

So with the sharing component of that,  I was a very private person going through all of this, but I thought I can't be, I need to be authentic because I don't want to see people think she's, she's doing okay now. She mustn't get it. She mustn't have gone through, you know, what we're going through. So I get it.

I connect through my story. But for me,  what I want to do more than anything is to help. People go through and take that story and apply it to their own life. So I have all these different stories and, you know, they've all happened,  but then it's about in my business, what am I wanting to do? And how can I use those different stories to support my message?

So the very first episode of my podcast that was on my diagnosis,  but I stopped it. You know, I stopped it at a certain point because it's like, this is not about me. This is what I did to get through these next few days. And you can use this if you're sitting there feeling overwhelmed to help you get through it as well.

So does that sort of, we can unpack some more of that, but to get the conversation going.  Yes, no, and this is one of the, you know, beautiful story formulas that I've, you know, talked about many a times when I've taught storytelling and content is having a story and sharing a lesson strategies, something that people can do because as we've talked about, Yes.

As you said, of course, I want to inspire people, but I want them to do something. And to do that, we have to say, well, what does it mean for me? Or what is it like, you know, what about me? Um, which is how we're wired, you know, we all, and that's beautiful thing. We should look after ourselves. Number one. So when we're listening to something or we're absorbing information from anyone, we should be saying, how does this work for my life?

But I love what you say about. being relatable as well because there's stories that you've told that have been so significant in your life. For example, you know, you've shared going from walking and then using a stick to help you and then now, you know, using a walker and your battles with that. And some people might say But in the grand scheme of things, like, is that really a stress?

But yes, it is. When you have like something, like some small things for me, it's like, Oh my God, I got to go to this restaurant and I have to like, ask for no onion and I've got to ask for this. And that's all embarrassing. It's like, is that really like what you're stressed about? It's like, yes, actually it is.

And this is what people living with, you know, a life changing illness or something that they get it. And that's what I love about what you tell, because yes, you tell like the diagnosis and those really like life changing moments, but you also share the ones that someone from the outside that doesn't understand what it would be like, really?

But then the people in it go, I totally understand how you feel. And that's what I love about stories that you share and how you deliver it because it is so relatable to your audience. But then what I also love is.  A lot of the things that we're going to talk about today and even, you know, the framework that you've created can help anyone in their journey, really where they're at with whatever life changing thing has happened to them.

That feels huge for that person. It's super actionable and mindset is a big key,  like a big thing in there. So I do want to go through some actual steps because I've shared your story and you've really painted the picture for everyone. And now we want to go into these actual steps, but what is it? What's in it for me?

Yeah, I mean.  So I would love to know first you said you're a little bit of a private person before sharing your journey, and people were probably thinking like, yeah, wow. Like that's a huge thing to share on, you know, on social media through a podcast to write a book about it, to be speaking on stage about it.

How did you overcome your fear of sharing your story?  I think  it was me thinking about myself as a 25 year old. I talk about being paralyzed physically and emotionally when I lay in bed because physically I couldn't move, I couldn't wriggle my toes, you know, so that created a whole new level of dependency at 25.

You needing to be wielding to You know, uh, shower or having a bed pan or so that's horrifying and traumatic.  And I didn't know how to process that. And I think.  How much would have I benefited from someone being brave enough to really go through what I could have done to help myself? And so if I at 25 heard me now at 49, Saying, you know,  things like, you know, you need to, you know, I've been there.

You need to start blocking out external noise. You need to, you know, focus on your mind on the present, not catastrophizing and I'm worried about, you know, my life, what it will be like when I'm 27, you know, all these things. And I think if I could have helped myself, then I can help other people as well.

And if. And I do think that perhaps is this has happened to me because I can articulate it. I can make sense of it. I can help others through it as well. So for me, that got me through, but also having boundaries, you know, I absolutely share my story, but I don't share all the, like, I've got an amazing partner.

He's gone through his own stuff and my, I'm not sharing all of his stuff, you know, as we always say, you know, I mentioned he's gone through significant depression. I always say, you know, I've never experienced depression, so the universe has given me you to deal with. So I know what depression is all about and it's horrendous, but you know, that's his story.

So if he ever wanted to hop on a podcast. He can do that. But yeah, so for me, it's about really opening up. So we connect, I use what I've learned to share, but having some boundaries around that as well.  Hmm. And that's really important too, because I actually, I'm a bit of an oversharer Mm-Hmm. . So I took like, I can sometimes be like, okay, what do I share and what don't I share?

And actually, when I first was going through the start of my journey of diagnosis, I didn't share until two months in. And that's actually really big for me. But I needed to go through that process and that was a really good way for me to set. And when I had my surgery, I wasn't like, oh my God, I've gotta go on social media because like I've got, you know, people on TikTok that.

You know, I can go through, I can recover, I can heal. And you did the same, you know, when you have made decisions to have surgery and things like that, you've kept that until you were ready to share. And I think we had a conversation about that when you're like, okay, what, you know, what does this look like?

And you made the decision to have a break from social media to go through what you needed to deal with. And then because sometimes we don't have, like, I remember someone saying to me. You don't have to have the silver linings right now. So you don't actually have to speak from the other side because you're not there yet.

And yes, we can speak from not being in the silver lining. But sometimes it is nice to speak when you're out of it, um, because it's so emotional when you're in it. Right? Like, it's so, so emotional and I think like,  yeah, it's just one of those things you have to set your own journey and your own boundaries around that.

And, and it's interesting, like, I listened to a podcast the other day and it was talking about like, yeah, speaking on stage and. Um, you know, how do you, how do you get over like what people think and someone said, just get over yourself. It's not about you. It's about everyone else. And it's actually true.

Even though the health journey is yours, you're sharing this, not for your own. And yes, it is actually quite therapeutic sharing on social media and actually getting it out. But it is also about the people that you could be helping. Like you've helped me so much, right? Like, and I, you know, some people say like, even if I just help 10 people, a hundred people, one person, like, I know that's making a difference.

And I think like, that is what it's about. Right. Like for you, it's like, it's, it's not just about me. It's about all these people. And you've done workshops that have had people on it with, you know, life changing illnesses stage four. And like, you've made such a difference. I've seen it. I think anyone listening, no matter what your story is, it doesn't have to be so life changing.

It can be something and you share it and it helps someone else. And I think that's what I love. About like, I've even done TikToks, like I think on TikTok I did that went, um, quite viral was like,  it was a trending audio, but it said something like, when you realize that the nurse is the same age as you and she's wiping your bum.

Oh, I know, I know. That's what happened. When I was 25, I was the age of all the neuro registers. And there's like, I'm like, no, you can't look at my legs at the moment, haven't done, you know, any waxing for three months, you know, I said, you're not going there. I said, you know, someone else will because they're the same age.

And for me going through, like I've gone through two single mastectomies and at the time, that's where I needed a bit of a break to work out. What am I going to do? And what do I share? And I shared it and I said to Andrew, but you know, I don't want people looking and he's like, they look at the way you walk anyway, so you're used to it.

It's like, it doesn't matter. And I thought it's so true. And so we just like straight out there. Yep, I'm flat chested now because I need that message to go out because apparently the surgeon was saying sometimes partners are a bit funny about it. And like, that's outrageous, you know, whereas Andrew said to the surgeon Tish and her two boobs in and on the mantelpiece, no good to me, chop them off.

And that came down to that. And it's like, so if I can mess, use his, you know, messaging in that to make other guys think it just boobs, you know, and we want Tish to be around for the next 40 years. Get rid of them and embrace that flatness. And it's like, let's do it. So for me, it was at the beginning, I was thinking, I don't know if I'm going to share that.

And now it's like, tell everyone, because if it helps someone else making that decision and saving their life. Right.  Yeah. That's amazing. I'm actually getting so emotional, like hearing again, like, you know, we talk about this all the time, but it's so powerful. Like even the humor that you put in, you know, we have conversations about this all the time, like You know, humor can make it like really enjoyable for people to listen.

And some people be like, Oh my God, really? Did they say that? And it's like, Oh my God, if someone can make it a little bit lighthearted and we can have this conversation, like, and I can actually say to my partner, you know, if I'm going through this too, you know what?  Like this is the option. Right. Or, you know, we can have these difficult conversations.

Yeah. Like going through. And I just think you sharing this now sharing this across all of your platforms is no matter who is listening and where they're at in their journey. Yeah. Like, unfortunately, I think it's like one in two in Australia impacted by cancer. Right. So, like, I remember when I heard that stat and I was, and I was walking past everyone and I was like, okay, that me, I'm the one.

Okay. Yeah. I remember hearing that stat and being like. But it's crazy, right? So we're all, we're going to go through this and I think like  Social media can get a lot, like, you know, some people with their businesses are like, oh, social media can be so toxic. And I totally get it, but like, look at the power it can have.

Yeah. The lives you've changed. The lives I've changed from just share, showing up and sharing. Yes. Regardless of business as well. Like showing up and sharing. And then you take it to the next level of going here, let me guide you and support you with the mindset and the, the work that I've done and the things that I know, not just from your experience of.

What you've gone through, but also your, you know, being social worker, being able to handle having these, you know, these, um, coping mechanisms in the way that you articulate things is so powerful because even when I've had sessions with you, the way you say things, I'm like, Oh my God, like. Yeah, I've never thought of like, I have any light bulb moments.

So I have, we'd be like, Oh yeah, like it was right in front of me, but I didn't see it. And like, thank you. You know, like being intentional as well is super powerful with anything we do. Anyway, I just like, I am just so in awe with what you share and it just always inspires me to share more too. Um, but so I guess, you know, you've got all these stories you have, So many stories and you actually always have new stories of like, Oh, this is a new one.

How do you structure or, you know, pull all your stories together to make it flow and make it make sense? I know, you know, you've got these very two journeys that people have very separate. Yours are together, right? Like people can have MS, people have, can have cancer.  But yours are, you know, together. So when you are, you know, working out the content, and this kind of is two part question 'cause it's like how do you decide what stories to use and how do you, yeah.

First, how do you decide what story, how do you then structure it so it flows and makes sense? And then how do you bring in the lesson, the back of it? I'd just love to know your process 'cause you do it so well.  Yeah, I think I've got lots of stories and I think working with you, Mariah, as well, you know, the whole story bank and it's like, get the stories out there.

And at the beginning, it's like, I'm not quite sure in which context I'll use these, but I'll use it only if it has a key message. So you really think about that to, to start with, because. Yeah, and then you align it with the message. So I'll give you an example. I've got the story of using my walker, you know, and that can use in lots of different, um, actual context.

But I used it, um, Recently, a couple of times I used it in response. So I did a podcast episode because I heard a lady and she's gorgeous woman talking about how embarrassed she is now sitting in a wheelchair. And it broke my heart because she's in, she's. Not old, you know, in like 30s, 40s or so, and she's  felt shame about that.

And I was like, but that's wrong. I said, you're embracing life. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You look fabulous. You're, you know, gorgeous. This means you can do things with your kids and all. So straight away, I thought, right, how do I use my story? To record a podcast for her, you know, and talk to her in it.

And it was all about this narrative we use about talking about language. And I thought, okay, so where, so I brainstormed around that. And I thought one of the five words I thought. I don't like is this whole analogy that somehow we've lost because you end up using a work walking age. And it's like, no, we've won because we're out there embracing life.

We need to change and challenge that narrative. Or if someone dies with stage four breast cancer.  They haven't lost. You know, we're all going to die. You lose if you don't embrace your life before you die. That's when you lose. So that all came together just from that post. But because I had that story that I could share that not using my walker means I'm not the winner.

I'm the loser. You know, I'm losing out on embracing life. So I did that for that story. I then use that same Sorry for that podcast. I then use that same sort of story for another episode. So recently I've done a podcast episode and it talks about how you use your frustration as motivation to instigate change.

And I start the episode of the story of looking on my phone because I took a photo of my partner Andrew showing mum and dad, my parents, um, our new hundred acre block of land.  And I was missing out, you know, I was sitting behind and missing out. So I was taking great footage, but I wasn't part of the footage.

And it's like, again, I used that story to say, we either need to sit in that frustration of watching life from the sidelines. Or we use it as a signal to say, and motivation to say, Hey, I'm gonna change things up here. So I go and say to the physio, yep, let's get a walker. Let's get a walker, an off-road, one that does rocks and everything so I can join in.

So you know what I mean? So there's different, one story or one experience can be used in different ways, but they will help. That one story will help different people who are at different decision making processes in their illness. So I think sort of in a roundabout way, I've used the story to answer your question.

I love that. There's so much in this, right? Because the first thing you've done is you've created a bank of the stories that you currently have at your disposal and you can continue to add those. Yeah.  And then you've listened to your audience or the people out there that are having pain points and concerns.

So you have then brought in, like, another part of marketing, which is that sort of target audience, you know, and then you've answered this question. But then you've done this thing of repetition,  using the similar, like the same story, but to convey different messages. And lots of people will say, well, I only have one story, or I don't have a great story, or da da da, whatever's in their head, whatever belief they have around their story.

You know, even the smallest things can be amazing stories. Like, I don't know, like  how stubbing my toe last week, you know,  made me, I don't know, think about X, Y, Z, whatever it is, it can be something, but actually there's stories I call on all the time and I use them all the time. And I've never heard someone say, Oh, you have said this story before.

Like, come on, we forget what we hear, but we also need to hear things multiple times before they'll sink in. And every time I tell that story, even if I've had the same people on a workshop or whatever, they go, Ah, yeah, and they make notes.  Yeah. So this is what I love. There's so many elements in what you do in your creative process because, you know, you've, you've, you're touching a lot of different marketing points here, right?

Without, you know, intentional because we, you know, but also unintentionally and really showing people how the, how actually your storytelling process works, because a lot of people go, I don't understand how to incorporate stories into my content. You have shared it beautifully because. This is what we do, right?

We take these story concepts and we think about, okay, what is my audience dealing with at the moment? And how can this story attached with this lesson on this story help that person? You've then turned it into a long form piece of content like your podcast or your blogs on this as well.  And then that can get shared throughout social media.

So, you know, I absolutely, I used you as an example of what in the workshops that I do of how beautifully you blend storytelling with strategy, which is lessons and tips to support your audience, but then it all works together in what you create, which is your, your framework, which is our framework, which, um, you know, we've identified it can get used for so many things.

Like, it's just like, absolutely. amazing. But that also connects with your offers and what you, you know, your workshop that you do, the quiz that you have, um, which we can put in the show notes because it will be  finished by the time this comes out. Um, but the things that you do and your course, it's all centered around this framework, which is actually a really beautiful framework.

strategy in itself as well. And obviously that's what you had, you know, as you were, um, sharing with those that have MS and now it's been able to develop. And we have had chats about how many people this can support. So, um, I love how you share stories. I love how you turn them into actionable steps. your content is very digestible.

It is very relatable. I think people even, you know, if they know someone battling with some kind of life changing illness, even you know, and I think when we think of life changing illnesses, we go, oh, well what does that look like for me, you know, people that suffer like headaches consistently or migraines, you know, like we have,  I know entrepreneurs that do, that a lot of entrepreneurs suffer,  well, as the term chronic illness, the life changing illness.

Probably because we burn ourselves out, um, because we work a lot.  Um,  But going back to the framework, you have this framework, which you use to help your clients, but I'd love for you to just take us through it because I think it's a very big part of your work. And also like the content really does center around it.

And that's what I love. Like, and I do something similar with my acronym content for my bootcamp and we use this framework to help everything that we kind of create as well. So there's this other layer of this framework and you go, Oh, that actually sits here in the framework or it sits there. So I'd love you to take.

Us through the framework, because I think it's a big framework to help anyone. But then also it's really interesting for people to understand. How their work can be marketed as well, because like we all have something we stick to, whether it's a framework, it's, it's something that underpins all the work that we do and how can we use this in our content?

I think you sharing it will help people see how you use it as well.  So the framework was born in relation to when I wrote my book and that was way back in 2015, I promised myself by the time I turned 40, So you know how old I am now? Um, by the time I turn 40, I'm going to write a book. So this happened and I realized that that relapse I had in 2012 was so different to how I felt in previous relapses on the surface, the same in a wheelchair, couldn't walk, you know, all the same symptoms as such, but how I felt was different.

And I went through and realized that I had navigated in my life with MS through six stages from hurdle to hurdle. To hope and I'll go through them a little bit later, but it was just, you know, yeah, I'll do it. I'll unpack it more. I won't bore you all with all the fine details, but I went through it because I wanted to present in my book, my story, but how I've managed to keep moving forward.

Why? When someone says, you know, you're so lucky and it's like, had MS at 22, not so lucky, but I realized that my life has turned out great. I've done some incredible things because I've gone through these stages from when the hurdle and diagnosis happened to then living the life filled with hope.  The feedback from my book was excellent, but it was like, how do we apply this to our stories?

How, you know, so I did it in relation to myself, but how do we then apply our insights to what we're going through? And that's when I started thinking about online courses and I thought, but how do I create this course? In a way that's not just an acronym and I actually did Amy Waterfield's, um, DCA, um, DCA Digital Course Academy.

It was excellent because it helped me put in to actionable steps as to what other people can do, like we're talking about. So I came up with the Hurdle to Hope Roadmap. I believe in it so much, I went through the trademarking process and got it registered. And I recognize that there's three situations we will always navigate through in life,  whether it's an illness or not.

Your red zone is your crisis. And when you hit crisis, a diagnosis, for example,  what do you do to get through that? And I'm never going to tell a client, you've got this fight harder, you know, you, you win this battle that we're talking about. So how do you create an environment which enables you to tap into your inherent, inherent strengths?

And that's what that whole pillar is. So that's your hurdle and your engagement phase. And then it's like, do we want to stay in crisis mode the whole time? No, you know, we will never move forward. We're always in that.  Vital flight note. So the next is the emotional turmoil and the emotional turmoil is that realization after,  after the big thing has happened in your life, it's that aftermath of like, oh my gosh, what just happened and how am I possibly going to move forward?

I'm annoyed at what life is.  Like with Telstra, I'm annoyed. This disease is stopping me from living my life that I assume would be mine. But I have a choice. Do I sit in that agitation or do I take my power back? And do I say, no, my life's not going to be dominated by UMS. I'm going to start doing things differently.

And that's the L of the health acronym is letting go. What are my priorities? When I sat at my desk, it was my health is my priority, not training people in customer service. So your life starts changing and you start living in alignment. You start thinking,  I'm not going to live on automatic pilot anymore.

I'm going to actually be an active participant in my life. And I'm going to say, these things are in alignment. These enable me to live the life I want to lead.  So it helps you, I guess,  discover the essence of your being. But fine to make all these changes and travel the world like I did. But what happens when you start  getting back into old habits?

And that happens in the, um, that happens when you go through new beginnings. Because all of a sudden I was a social worker, my problem was I kept getting relapses because a career change, new beginnings, but it was the same thing. I was the perfectionist. I was still compromising my health because of my condition.

And so finally that changed when, and finally I started building resilience when I took time to challenge my thinking and start shaking things up and start living the truth. differently. And that's not just about physically, but that's about challenging our mindset and really engaging our mind to approach life differently.

From energy healing, I started exploring. The person from Telstra is lying in the bed with crystals over them thinking, what's going on? And it's, whereas the plumber, my partner, Andrew is saying, who cares what's going on? It's working. You're feeling better. So it's letting go and having that actual confidence in yourself that you're on the right path.

And yeah, and then the hope is.  You've reached a point where, you know, you can have an impact on your future. I've got no idea what my future holds for me. I live with two incurable diseases, but I know no matter what happens, I can have an impact on the situation. So yeah, so that's why I wanted to create roadmap is if you're at any of those stages, I've got you.

I know what you can do to move forward because those who do suffer depression and mental health  issues is you feel stagnant. You feel overwhelmed and you've got no idea where to go or what to do. Whereas you can keep moving forward even very slowly. And that can be done even just in your mind. I can be paralyzed, but I can still move forward.

And that's the gift of the Little Tote Roadmap.  So sorry, I've gone on a bit of a tangent, but that's so good.  It's so good. And like, as we've said, it can be used in so many different scenarios, but I think, you know, and then if we're looking at it from a marketing or a content marketing perspective.  Every story you have takes you through this, this journey, this roadmap, you know, and, and the, the, you know, the, the acronym, you know, you could talk about each stages.

Like we've talked, you know, you've done this many times, like, and even in, and the thing that I love about is when you create something like this, it's tangible for everything you do, but every, you know, story you share in content or every workshop that you do, and then you have, you know, for those that, Want to know more about your course, you have actionable steps people can take in each part of the journey.

Because I mean, when something happens in our life, we kind of go through that whole roadmap, right? Yeah. We go through that framework, like every part, you know, it happens like, but I think what makes it so important is you move through it. That's why I say roadmap is amazing. Yeah. You know, term for it because you, you do move through the direction.

Yeah. Um, and I just, I love that.  You know, everything that you do in your business is in alignment with this. And I think like anyone listening from, you know, uh, from a business perspective, like, Oh my God, like, this is why it's really important to have some kind of framework, roadmap, Something that you work through.

I don't love formulas. I don't love the R word formula, and I don't love the concept of formulas. But, you know, something that you have that you can consistently teach and everything goes back to that. And I think that also is what makes things easier to create as well, because you're like considering, you know, you have, you know, you, we all should, but you know, you and I, and especially you were like, okay.

Health, like I have to prioritize it. Like it's, it's, it's a non negotiable, like for some people we should, it should be a non negotiable, but can be very fluid, right? We can be like, yeah, like considering that, considering, you know, you're living your dream of, you know, you, you purchased a block, you're, you know, building this outdoor nature lifestyle with that absolutely love.

Um, and then you're also showing up consistently, obviously there's been, um, hurdles along the way, but you've navigated them so beautifully. And we were reflecting on this, you know, you're about to launch your quiz. And by the time people listen to this, you would have had your quiz and you did a podcast basically in the same month and you are looking after yourself.

You are showing up as well at the same time. And you're listening to yourself when it is time to have breaks. I think that's also super inspiring for anyone being like, Oh, I just don't have time to show up on social media. You know, like being a teacher, like on her podcast,  launching a weekly episode of building a quiz and still looking after herself and going to her appointments and doing all the things like that is also amazing as well.

Because you,  and I think a lot of the times we're stuck in what should I create, what should I do, but we have it  Yes. It doesn't matter what story it is. It's there. Right. And that's why I think like sharing your story as your content strategy or sharing a story, anyone listening, like a story, the story, whatever that looks like your client's story as part, a big part of your content strategy, I think is what also makes it easier.

And maybe you'd agree with me. It makes it easier. But planning and execution a lot easier 100 percent because, and why I think the roadmap for me so important is you're, if you're in crisis,  you need someone saying, do this, you know, to get through it because you're not thinking clearly. So, and why I became more and more confident in work.

MS and stage four cancer are such different diseases, but the one common denominator is me and my mindset, you know, and your mindset is everywhere you go. So if it works for such a, you know, different conditions, it works for anything. And it is what you do because there's different shifts you can make to, you know, keep moving forward.

And the framework though, for me. And for anyone, I think in this sort of work is if you're doing content, where does it fit into that framework? And it makes it so much easier because I know, okay, this is for people in crisis, but what about my audience who are like,  identifying the quiz of new beginnings.

They've been doing this for a long time and they know the challenges will keep coming. Good news is if you focus on your personal growth and your resilience,  then you know that you're going to have an impact next time a crisis happens. So I know stage four breast cancer, absolutely terrifying. But I've dealt with it in terms of, I know what to do, and I'm sitting here today officially in remission from my cancer and MS, and it's like, I don't think, and who knows what's going to happen in the future, but I know through my own roadmap I'm not going to sit there attracting that I'm going to sit there, keep it moving forward and embracing life now.

So yeah, absolutely. Having a framework or whatever it is helps enormously.  Oh my gosh, I love that. beautiful energy. Is there anything that you want to share for people? Like as we part, as we finish, is there any parting words before you share how people can follow you and find you and be in more of your energy?

Cause I just love having you part of my life. You just,  yes, you make me prioritize myself. Oh, and I love that we've connected Mariah. I remember meeting up on a course, you know, the week, it was the week I was diagnosed, um, with breast cancer and not knowing it had spread yet. And I wrote your details down and I thought, when I'm ready, I'll be contacting Mariah because Mariah reminds me of myself in my 20s and what you've been through and then your passion with travel.

That was me, you know, at 29, you're in South America at 29, I was in Romania, you know, traveling. And so, you know, It wasn't a coincidence that I met you and when people say you're lucky, it's like, that's not, all of that's not luck is that resiliency is quietening your mind and being aware of the signs around you.

And for me, that was an absolute sign that Mariah is who I need, um, to get my story out there. And so I think, you know, to leave a leave in. A leaving piece of wisdom would be, share your story, you know, don't be afraid to share your story because I was afraid. And who was that helping? You know, it wasn't sharing my story has helped me, but it's also helping others as well.

So it, as Mariah said, it can just be small things that have happened, but someone else is dealing with that as well. So if we all open up and are a bit more, you know,  authentic, I guess, into our emotions and all, then we give permission to other people to feel the feels, but also to share what they're going through.

So yeah. And that's what I love about what you do, Mariah, because you can worry about all the strategy and there's no, There's no surprise that I've structured things without realizing that it ticks off everything marketing wise. And I'm like, Oh, that's handy. And I think, yeah, that's because what Mariah's been saying in the background, I think, yeah, it works.

And it works because we've blended story with content strategy.  Oh my gosh. Thank you for sharing that. And yes, we definitely, the universe brought us together and we're both helping each other in different ways, but it's just been absolutely magical. And this is the power of, yeah, putting yourself out there as well.

Joining community groups, sharing content, like you just don't know who's going to come across. You don't know who's listening actually heard on a podcast recently, a woman who was in the middle of Northern territory on a laptop, trying to get wifi at a community center. And a woman come up and said, Oh, like help to get onto the wifi that works there.

And, uh,  the woman's podcast was on the screen. She goes, Oh, I listened to that podcast. She said, that's my podcast. And the woman started crying and said, you've changed my life. So you just don't know who is listening. I think like sharing your story. And she shares a lot of her stories, a lot of her experiences, like, and sharing other people, bringing people on to share their story.

However, we can, you know, as a collective help. Yes. Or you know, teach, I think that's what's it. It is all about, yeah. So how can people find you, connect with you, you know, whether they do potentially need some amazing support from you as a carer, you know, a support person or someone going through a life changing illness, or they just wanna connect with you 'cause you're amazing and they wanna share, you wanna help you share your story.

How can they find you? Yeah. So my website is Hurdle to Hope. Hurdle number two. Hope. com. Um, so on there, when this goes live will be that you can start your healing journey quiz to see where you are on that roadmap. If you're living with a, uh, an illness or health condition, again, it's not about the condition.

So no matter it's, it's not comparing, you know, well, it's not as bad as cancer. It's not this or that it doesn't matter. It's whatever condition has stopped you from. You know, it's an impact to your everyday life. So definitely visit me there. I'm also going to start running workshops. So I'll set up that you can connect with me for a 15 minute, you know, zoom discovery call, because I'm starting to do workshops with allied health professionals and different organizations as well, um, in this space.

So definitely hop on there and book a call. Um, and also my. Social media handles. You see, I'm learning all the terminology at hurdle to hope number two. So at hurdle to hope, um, and I'm mainly on Instagram, um, with those.  And you have an amazing podcast. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. While being  uninterrupted.

So we'll put that in the show notes. Because that is where I guess you can really embody the storytelling and see it unfold. And you have a blog and  we've set her up with all the things like, Anisha has, you know, from the beginning hit the ground running and has  Uh, not put her eggs in one basket and has scattered her eggs beautifully and is sharing her story in multiple different places.

But all the links will be in the show notes so you can check that out. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story. Again, goosebumps. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I'll always forever be sharing your story as well because I just think the work you do is amazing. So thank you so much.

Thank you. Loved our chat as always. Wow. Like every time we have conversations,  I get teary, I get emotional, um,  and not just from my own story and my own,  I guess, you know, things that come up, but just how resilient that woman is. And  she is a big inspiration to me. So, and, But I loved this concept of  when you've got a story, attaching something to it to give it depth and to help others and not just to motivate them and inspire them, but to help them see things differently.

And to see that mindset is everything. Now, if you don't experience a life changing or as termed chronic illness,  this episode is still so, so important. relevant for you and the takeaways because no matter what we face challenges and, and what I've come to learn is every challenge is difficult in its own right.

And whilst, you know, sometimes we can see other people struggling more than us, but go, well, I don't have it that bad. And perspective is great, right? But at the end of the day, we're all dealing with our own things. And I think, um, you know, trying to come up with some kind of coping mechanism, something that's going to help you get through it  is really impactful and the hurdle to hope.

Roadmap can help anyone in their journey. It's just that Teisha obviously has her niche Um to support people that are going through life changing illnesses or the people that are supporting those who are  So I hope you got something beautiful from this episode It was a great interview and just yeah something to really reflect on But be a content queen or king and remember that developing your strategy and most importantly  your story Develops your business  Thank you so much for joining me today.

Please don't forget to share this with all your business and entrepreneurial friends can do this by adding it to your Insta stories and tagging me at content queen Mariah, or just simply tell them about it. If you do rate and review on whatever platform you're listening to this on, it does help me get this podcast out there and share the messages of people like Teisha.

It's not just about me, it's about the messages of other people as well. Follow me on Instagram or TikTok and let me know if there's any topics you'd like me to talk about, any guests you'd like to have on. Please reach out, let me know. I am always planning content and always looking for more things to talk about,  but I will talk to you next week and, uh, the final recording of an episode in South America.

So I will talk to you then. Bye.

PodcastMariah MacInnesmarketing, marketing advice, how to be authentic online, business ownerComment