Storytime with Lori

I've never admitted this out loud. I know exactly how many days are left until my son graduates high school. Not because I'm counting down to the end of motherhood... I'm counting down to the day I no longer have to co-parent. Yeah... I said it. Before you judge me, hear the whole story. This isn't an episode about hating someone. It's about what happens when you've left a...

What if confidence isn't something you find... What if it's something you build? In this powerful episode of Storytime with Lori , Lori Mayer sits down with recent University of San Diego graduate Bruklina Noka for an inspiring conversation about career growth, Gen Z leadership, entrepreneurship, authenticity, networking, business, courage, confidence, purpose, international student succes...

A family member asked me one question during Pride Month: "What rights are you losing?" I answered. She never responded. But her question stayed with me. Not because it offended me. Because I realized it wasn't just her question. It's a question many people are asking. This episode isn't about politics. It's about history. It's about empathy. It's about why rememb...

Some people know everything about your life. But they don't know you. In this episode of Storytime with Lori, Lori explores a difficult realization: attention isn't love, observation isn't support, and access isn't the same as connection. Through stories of heartbreak, family estrangement, betrayal, healing, and personal growth, Lori discusses the freedom that comes from no longer...

Most leaders spend their careers chasing results. The unforgettable ones spend their careers investing in people. In this episode of STORYTIME with Lori, Lori Mayer sits down with Carl Herberger, CEO of Corero Network Security, to discuss the kind of leadership that leaves a lasting impact. Together, they explore: 🔹 Leadership beyond titles 🔹 The power of emotional intelligence 🔹 Building trust...

🌈 Pride Month Episode I spent two and a half years trying to get over a woman. Then I realized she wasn't what I was grieving. For years, I believed my heartbreak was about losing a relationship. What I eventually discovered was that I was mourning something much deeper: belonging, family, connection, identity, and the feeling of home. In this deeply personal episode of Storytime with Lori, I...

🚀 What if the biggest career breakthrough isn't another certification, promotion, or title... What if it's learning how to advocate for yourself? In my latest episode of STORYTIME with Lori , I sat down with Dr Elisha Foust 🦸🏻‍♀️ former sales operations leader, transformation expert, founder, LGBTQ+ 🌈 advocate, cancer survivor, and one of the smartest women I've had the privilege t...

Some leaders build companies. Michelle Ragusa-McBain builds PEOPLE.In this deeply powerful episode of Storytime with Lori, Michelle opens up about the journey behind becoming one of the most respected and trusted leaders in cybersecurity and channel partnerships today. But this conversation is not about titles. It’s about:✨ Self-worth✨ Reinvention✨ Emotional intelligence✨ Leadership with heart...

Some leaders build companies. Michelle Ragusa-McBain builds PEOPLE. In this deeply powerful episode of Storytime with Lori, Michelle opens up about the journey behind becoming one of the most respected and trusted leaders in cybersecurity and channel partnerships today. But this conversation is not about titles. It’s about: ✨ Self-worth ✨ Reinvention ✨ Emotional intelligence ✨ Leadership with...

What does it look like to survive abuse… while still showing up every day expected to perform? In this deeply emotional episode of Story Time with Lori, Lori sits down with Sharon Hildebrand to talk about:✨ domestic violence✨ healing after trauma✨ rebuilding self-worth✨ spirituality & energy✨ leadership while struggling privately✨ creating Fearless Sisters Nation to empower young womenTh...

Holding More Than One Thing at Once This Mother’s Day Mother’s Day is one of the most emotionally layered days of the year. For some, it’s filled with joy and gratitude. For others, it brings grief, estrangement, infertility, loss, or complicated family dynamics. And for many of us, it’s all of those things at once. As I continue my own journey of healing, self-awareness, and opening my heart agai...

This one is real. In this solo episode, Lori shares what the last several years have looked like behind the scenes—navigating depression, anxiety, ADHD, career loss, and rebuilding while still carrying it all. This conversation is about: trusting again after hard experiences managing mental health while growing your career learning how to stay open after being hurt understanding that healing isn’t...

In this episode of Storytime with Lori , Lori Mayer sits down with Ana for a real, heartfelt conversation about connection, courage, identity, and quiet leadership. Ana shares her journey from Albania to England to the United States, navigating education, immigration, visa sponsorship, career pivots, and her unexpected path into the tech and data center industry. From attending Channel Partners so...

🔥 “This is what it took.”That’s the line I keep coming back to after recording this episode. Because if I’m being honest…This wasn’t a straight path. It wasn’t clean. And it definitely wasn’t easy. Over the last 10 years, I’ve navigated:leaving a relationship and rebuilding as a single momliving in an environment that didn’t feel safe or stablebecoming estranged from my birth familyopening myself...

POV: You walk into a new room… and instead of shrinking, you own it 🔥This episode of Storytime with Lori is a full-circle moment—sitting down with two women who don’t just enter rooms… they shift the energy. Back in our Verizon Connect days, I remember the exact moment Sarah Wicker and Ofelia Petty walked in—✨ One brought bold, undeniable presence✨ The other? Quiet, commanding finesseAnd togeth...

🎙️ No One Is Coming to Save You | The Mindset Shift That Changed My Life In Episode 3 of STORYTIME with Lori : Lori Knew Before I Did, I’m sharing one of the hardest, but most empowering, lessons I learned in my early 20s while working straight commission sales and building my career from the ground up:✨ No one is coming to save you. This episode is about:💥 Taking ownership of your life and care...

What does real leadership actually look like? Not the polished version. Not the LinkedIn highlight reel. The real version. In this episode of Storytime with Lori, I sit down with a powerhouse leader from Amazon Web Services — and we go there. We talk about:🔥 What it feels like when your authority is questioned🔥 How to lead without becoming rigid or ego-driven🔥 The balance between power, humilit...

This episode is about evolution—the kind that doesn’t get applause. After sitting on this idea and reworking it over and over again, Lori finally launches something that feels fully aligned—and shares what it took to get there. From fear and vulnerability to clarity through action, this episode dives into what real growth actually looks like. We also explore what’s happening with AI—how the playin...

Lori Mayer and Dr. Sheila Volante dive into a conversation about reinvention, identity, and leadership. Sheila shares her journey from corporate success to entrepreneurship, what it means to align with your truth, and how she’s helping leaders step into the future with AI. If you’ve ever wondered when to let go of the familiar to build what’s next, this episode is for you.

In Part 2 of Lori’s conversation with Cass Cooper , the focus shifts from identity to execution. After stepping into your voice and leadership identity, the next question becomes: what do you build from it? Cass shares how she helps leaders move from chaos to clarityidentifying their unique strengths, communicating their value, and creating strategy around their personal leadership brand. In this...

Well… this conversation got real. 🎙️✨ Kicking off Part 1 of a two-part series with Cass Cooper on Storytime with Lori , and let me just say… this one goes deeper than your typical leadership chat. Cass is someone who can walk into chaos, listen to it, translate it, and somehow help everyone else find clarity. (A gift, honestly.) 🧠✨ We talk about: • identity and stepping fully into who you are...

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on Storytime with Lori , Lori sits down with communications and organizational change leader Cass Cooper to talk about identity, leadership, and navigating chaos with clarity. Cass has spent more than 15 years helping senior leaders and global organizations communicate through complex change. But this episode goes deeper than professional strategy. It explor...

🎙 Welcome to Storytime with Lori. In this launch episode, I sit down with Jessica Reece, Sophos Channel leader and one of the most quietly powerful women in the industry. This isn’t a conversation about titles. It’s about how you lead when the room rewards ego. It’s about authenticity as strategy. It’s about influence without intimidation. And it’s about building a meaningful career while holding...

In this episode, I sit down with TJ Woodward, spiritual leader, co-founder of Element Q, and someone who has continually reinvented himself in a world that didn’t always offer language or safety for who he was becoming. We explore chosen family, healing, queer identity, emotional intelligence, and what it really means to trust the moment instead of performing from a script. This conversation is ra...

Sometimes, life teaches us the most profound lessons whenwe least expect it. As I launch my new series,  STORYTIME with Lori , I am honored to have Jen Waltz as my first guest. Together, we opened up about navigating the rocky path of betrayal, loss, and the pressure of leadership all while striving to stay true to our purpose. Jen shared how resilience isn't just about bouncing back;it's...