Marcy is mama to four humans and two pups, but she’s also tossed pizzas for a pizzeria, acted in a musical, appears in a few movies, and is a castle exploring buff (or nerd, you decide). Marcy is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Trauma and Resilience Practitioner, international 2x TEDx speaker, Trauma-Informed Story Coach, publishing consultant, and an award-winning, best-selling author of books for adults and for children. Founder of Miramare Ponte Press, Marcy and her team provide coaching, consultation, and publishing services for storytellers of all kinds.
Marcy Pusey, Trauma-Certified Story Coach & Publisher
Marcy, you’re a 2xs TEDx speaker, an award-winning author of over 18 books, and a Trauma and Resilience Certified Story Coach. What’s your purpose, mission, and driving force for all the amazing work you do in this world?
Ha! Well, first of all, thank you!
My purpose is to create safe spaces and connections so that others feel worthy of value and love. (This purpose statement resulted from a purpose and clarity call I had with coach Gary Williams of Better Future International. It was the coolest experience). Having a clear purpose statement has become a filter for my best yeses and my necessary nos. If the opportunity in front of me doesn’t allow me to create safe spaces and connections for others to feel worthy of value and love… then it’s not for me.
I’ve chosen primarily to do this through story coaching and publishing consultation. My greatest desire is to see people get their message out, integrating everything I know about the brain and the power of story for their own healing journey, but also for the hope, encouragement, and inspiration their story will give to the world. My mission is to not only “shine” where I’ve been planted but to help others shine where they’ve been planted. Our stories truly matter, neurologically, culturally, societally, and globally. But not every story has been given an opportunity to be heard… so that’s my mission. I can't speak for everyone, so I elevate voices to be heard on their own merit. I want to see people healed. I want to see our world healed.
That’s incredible. Okay, so I know I’ve heard of a story coach… but for those who don’t know: What’s a story coach, and how do you stand out from other story coaches?
Honestly, I’d never heard of a story coach until I was one. A dear friend and co-worker witnessed how I coached speakers to integrate and develop story into their messages for the stage. She also saw how I supported authors beyond just the logistics of publishing and into the actual story development. One day she said, “You should be a story coach! You’re so good at it!” The language resonated with me. I didn’t know anyone else calling themselves a story coach at the time, so I just kept doing what I was doing, which is to help people find and integrate their signature stories into their messages, whether it’s for a book, a stage, a podcast interview, a business email. Story lights up our brains unlike almost anything else… so I teach people how to capitalize on the power of our psychology for the greatest impact.
So to your question about how I stand out… I think there are a lot of really great resources out there for story development, and some great coaches who can help someone integrate story into their marketing or messaging.
I’m unique in that my education and decades of experience are in therapy. As a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Trauma and Resilience Practitioner whose been practicing therapy for years… I finally saw the incredible connection between our brains, story, and our healing. You can listen to either of my TEDx talks to learn some of what I teach on this… but essentially, I don’t just bring knowledge of story elements to my work with clients. I bring years of training with the brain, the unique impact story has on it, both for the storyteller and the recipient of the story, into every coaching interaction I have. In this sense, I can come alongside clients with a therapeutic awareness of the storytelling journey that they’re on, but also how to craft a story in such a way that it activates the brain of the reader/listener for the deepest level of impact.
So, you’re saying that a good plot line and knowing your story elements are just a starting point. That’s fascinating.
Yes! And a lot of people stop right there, with the starting point. Yet we can go so much deeper in our ability to positively (or negatively, unfortunately) impact another person’s neurology through our own story work. This is what I call stewardship of story. We have a huge responsibility with the stories we’ve been given… and I teach people how to steward them well.
I imagine there were pivotal moments in your life that brought you to where you are today. What’s one of them?
Oh yeah, there are definitely a handful of pivotal moments. I talk about one here in this TEDx talk on the power of story for children, so I’ll choose a different one.
One pivotal moment in my life was when I decided to invest in myself as a brand new story coach. I had an opportunity to travel from my home in Germany to a weekend intensive in San Diego, California. The event itself was $5000, plus the cost of my room, board, and flights. The intensive promised to teach me what I’d need to know to start my business and earn a return on my investment of at least $10,000 within one year. But even though I had that promise, I was terrified. I had never spent that kind of money on myself. I was a “good” mom who made numerous sacrifices to provide for her family… this felt selfish, frivolous, and unwise. I decided to pray about it, but was sure I’d hear a resounding, “No.”
Instead, I sensed God say, “Marcy, do you trust Me or your savings account? Stewardship is also a wise investment, and I want you to invest in this.” I was shocked and humbled… He was right. I was putting my trust in a savings account that had sufficient funds to attend this event. With the blessing of my family, I went. That weekend changed everything… and it’s why I do what I do today. Not only did I make the promised return (and more) on my investment (even though I wanted to pee my pants in terror when the coaching team told me what to do), I also made lifelong friends as a result.
I also learned the power of stewardship and how a wise investment creates the opportunity for growth and expansion. I would have remained stunted and “small” had I let my fear keep me from attending that weekend intensive. I was raised in poverty and battled a scarcity mindset. I learned that weekend that I need to put my time, energy, and finances toward my dreams if I want to see them blossom beyond my imagination. Since then, I’ve hired a purpose and clarity coach and business strategist to help me continue to grow. As a result, I’ve helped hundreds of authors and speakers see their dreams come true. It’s an incredible gift.
It’s so true! We have to be willing to invest in our goals. You mentioned a scarcity mindset. What other major barriers or obstacles do you see with people trying to get their book/message out there?
There are a handful of common barriers I see. I’ve categorized them into two kinds of challenges: Mindset and Logistics.
Mindset barriers tend to be beliefs or narratives that oppose a person’s dream of writing, publishing, or speaking. So. Many. False. Beliefs. “I’m not good enough.” “There are already too many books… what can I add?” “I’m an imposter. That person is an author, not me. Who am I kidding?” “I’m too old.” “I’m too young.” “I don’t have enough money to publish.” “I’m not a good writer.”
Well, no one is good enough… that’s why it takes a team! Editors, book producers, marketers, formatters, cover designers, coaches… everyone specializing in their thing joins the team and makes the product or message better. Don’t quit at “not good enough.” Do what you were made to do… then invite the right people to your team to level it up.
I’ve also helped children publish (I think my youngest was 7 years old), I’ve helped an 80+ year old publish, I’ve helped young moms and dads publish, I’ve helped people living on social security publish, I’ve helped speakers write and writers speak. There’s a “truth” to every “lie” that tries to win real estate in your brain and keep you from impacting the world with your message. Don’t give in.
And logistics… there are important steps to take in the process of writing, publishing, and speaking. Some people try it on their own with Youtube videos or free articles online, trying to piecemeal the process together… wasting time, money, and energy. Most of these people quit. Why? They can’t get through the logistics of publishing or landing a speaking gig. It gets overwhelming, expensive, and confusing. People end up feeling defeated and sad. Not knowing the process is a huge barrier for many people.
Mindset and logistics are exactly what I help people with. I can see the gaps in the bridge from where they are to where they want to be… and I help fill the gaps.
For sure! I saw a statistic that of all the people who want to publish a book, only 2-4% accomplish it. That’s pretty low.
Ha, well my clients have a 100% success rate. Everyone who’s worked with me to get their story into the world has successfully done so. It goes back to having someone to support you through the mindset and logistics you’ll face along the way. Even with eighteen books (and counting) published, and multiple stages under my belt, I still need a team to help me overcome my own mindest junk with each new opportunity.
Sadly, so many want to get their message into the world and don’t. Think of all those stories, wisdom, life lessons, and creativity that die with that person. It’s tragic. I don’t want anyone to quit due to preventable reasons. That’s why I do what I do.
Well, I know where to go when I want to write my book. But as a Story Coach, you don’t only work in publishing, right? As we close out here, what advice do have for people who are trying to integrate story into their speech, business email, or message?
Well, the first thing I’d say in all sincerity is to hire my team to help you! Don’t do this alone.
But that aside, I recommend gathering a “story bank” of signature stories that tie into your brand, your vision, and/or your messaging. You can pull from these stories for your emails, for conversations, trainings, interviews, wherever! I have go-to stories I use to illustrate certain points when I’m talking about trauma and resilience, foster care and adoption, story development, speaking, whatever.
And, when you’re choosing stories for your “bank”, they should serve the purpose of meaningful emotional connection. You want your story to make your listener or reader feel something. This activates important parts of their brain, anchoring your words to emotion, causing your message to get categorized differently, and giving your audience a full-body experience with your words. You’re developing a relationship, establishing relatability, and supporting their resilience by activating their brain with emotional connection. It’s so powerful! Do those two things—gather a story bank and make your audience feel something—and you’ll be rocking your impact!
Any final words?
Yes! I’d love to invite your readers to my community of authors and illustrators called The Writers Block where my team offers a one-stop-shop for networking, getting personal feedback, group coaching, expert interviews, and exclusive resources for your writing, illustrating, & publishing journey.
