Storytime with Lori

Riverside Hosting Post Healing While Working: The Shit We Carry That Nobody Sees ❤️‍🩹 Nobody really prepares us for healing while life keeps moving. There’s no convenient pause button for grief, disappointment, anxiety, heartbreak, family struggles, or those seasons when you simply don’t feel like yourself. The meeting is still at 9:00. Your team still needs you. The kids need dinner. The mortgag...

I met Tara Akins before I knew most of her story and I am glad I did. We'd crossed paths before, but it was sitting in a box at a San Diego Wave game with our mutual friend Enzo where we actually got to know each other. And somewhere between soccer, laughing, talking about life and discovering we're both Leos—which honestly explained a few things 😂🦁—I remember thinking, I really like this woman....

Can working dads really have it all? What happens to career ambition, marriage, work-life balance and success when you become a father? 🎙️🔥 In this episode of Storytime with Lori, Brad DeLee gets brutally real about fatherhood, adoption, working dads, career and family, work-life balance, marriage, leadership and what choosing family first actually looks like when you're still ambitious as hell....

What did success cost you? I asked Dan Albaum that question about 12 minutes into our conversation, and that's pretty much when this stopped being an interview about leadership. ❤️ Dan is the author of The Giving Edge and The Impact Makers and the host of Market Impact Insights, so yes, we talk leadership. But we also talk about the stuff that doesn't usually make the leadership bio: ego, self-dou...

I came into this episode fucking roaring. 🦁🔥 I’m pissed off, I’m hurt, I’m disappointed, and I’m exhausted by something I’m calling human fraud: that gap between who people tell us they are and who we actually experience them to be. Tell me you’re family? Show me when it’s inconvenient. Tell me your kid comes first? Show me when parenting screws up your plans. Tell me you believe in accountabili...

Reagan and Riley Cullivan are 19 years old, sisters, athletes and headed to UC Davis to play Division I softball together. They've spent most of their lives doing many of the same things, surrounded by many of the same people and hearing themselves referred to simply as “the twins.” And while that's part of their story, I wanted to know who Reagan and Riley are when you pull those labels apart. We...

Apparently I can’t even go bowling anymore without finding a podcast guest. 😂🎳 But that’s kind of the point. STORYTIME with Lori is growing and I’m making the room bigger. 🎙️❤️ CEOs? Absolutely. But also the 19-year-old athletes. The single mom building her own version of wealth. The immigrant starting another chapter. The person building chosen family. The entrepreneur nobody knows…yet. Because...

We need to stop calling people “resilient” and assuming that means they’re okay. ❤️‍🩹 Jeff Johnston lost his 23-year-old son, Seth, to fentanyl. Four years later, he lost his wife, Prudence. He got sober. He rebuilt. He found purpose. He started helping others. Beautiful comeback story, right? Yeah…life apparently didn’t get that memo. Because some mornings, the man who speaks on stages about res...

I went to Arizona thinking I understood Televerde . Narrator: She did not. 😂 I knew the story: second chances, incarcerated women, BDR development, an incredible mission. What I didn’t fully understand was the talent . I met women talking pipeline, customer experience, renewals, sales strategy, business intelligence and brand with the kind of hunger and business acumen companies say they’re despe...

Last week I talked about my birthday. 🎂 A beautiful day, full of people who love the hell out of me… and still feeling the absence of someone who doesn't show up the way I need them to. Well, apparently there was more shit to unpack. 😂 Because here's the mindfuck about healing: You can make the right decision and still be heartbroken by it. You can set the boundary and miss them. You can be deep...

It’s my birthday. 🎂✨ So obviously I got myself exactly what every woman wants: boundaries, therapy, self-awareness… and fewer people with backstage access. 😂 This birthday episode of Storytime with Lori is raw, funny, a little petty, and very reflective. We’re talking family dynamics, betrayal, healing, coping, co-parenting, outgrowing people, and that magical moment when you realize: “Ohhh… I’...

A big week for Storytime with Lori. 🎙️ First up: a powerful conversation with Akilah Murrell + Mayka Rosales-Peterson on leadership, visibility, allyship, pressure, belonging, and the weight that can come with being “the first.” And then Friday is my birthday. 🎂 So naturally, I decided to celebrate by recording one of the rawest episodes I’ve done. 😂 Family. Coping. Boundaries. Alcohol. Outgrowi...

What if you weren't chasing success... What if you were chasing safety? In this deeply personal solo episode, I share what rebuilding has really looked like after career setbacks, layoffs, financial pressure, and learning to trust myself again. This conversation is for anyone navigating leadership, career growth, burnout, or a season of starting over. We dive into: • Why success and safety aren't...

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...