Stories From The Heart

By Lisa Evans

A collection of 16 inspiring stories shared from our hearts to yours.....

Put your feet up and grab a cuppa, you are about to be taken on a journey, into the hearts of sixteen inspiring people. People who lead ordinary lives but who have bravely stepped up on stage in front of a live audience and shared their story. All make for extraordinary reading. Originally told live at a Stories From The HeartTM storytelling event in front of sold-out audiences, these stories have been adapted from the stage to the page.

Have you ever asked yourself the question what if?, or made a mistake that has taught you a valuable life lesson? Have you felt lost, alone, not good enough, or searching for more? The authors will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions as each story delves into the heart of who they are. Each story is real, raw and relatable.

I wanted to create this book to inspire others to step up, stand out and share their story. We all have stories worth sharing.

What others say...

“Lisa Evans is a classy lady who lives an inspiring life. She now not only tells her story to inspire others, she teaches other people how to tell their story in a powerful way”.Darren La Croix, Certified Speaking Professional, Accredited Speaker, World Champion Speaker, USA.

“Funny and sad - you will smile, you will be teary and you will relate to the feelings expressed, the incidents which happened and the lessons learned. You may not have “been there, done that” but someone close to you has. Each story is different, told by different people, at different stages of their lives though they all have things in common. They share experiences, opened up not fearing scrutiny and every story ends with hope and a positive attitude”.
Claudette Pope, Writer.

Co-authors: Lisa Evans, Leesa Hart, Rebecca Hannan, Marlene Ward, Troy Hendrickson, Jay Crisp Crow, Nichola Renton, Kristy Ambrose, Vida Carlino, Angie Paskevicius, Lynette Delane, Amanda Lambros, Louise Kelly, Michele Alexander, Michelle Sandford, Fiona Jeanne.

Lisa Evans, MBA is the director of Speaking Savvy. An award-winning international speaker, author and certified speaking and storytelling coach.

www.speakingsavvy.com.au

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lisa Evans
• Release date: Mar 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9780994259462

Lisa Evans

Lisa Evans Lisa Evans is the director of Speaking Savvy and the founder and Chief Storyteller of Stories from the Heart. Lisa is an award-winning international speaker, author, certified speaking and storytelling coach, TEDx speaker coach, speechwriter, and improvisation actor with Playback Theatre. Lisa believes that each of us has a story within, one that deserves to be told and that the world is waiting to hear. She helps people globally to discover their stories and to craft and refine a story narrative, and ultimately to step into the public arena and share that message. These days, Lisa lives and breathes stories. As well as her business as a speaker and coach, in 2016, Lisa launched a purpose-driven project called Stories from the Heart. Since the inception of this live storytelling event, Lisa has inspired a large tribe of followers who are dedicated to learning and sharing the power of oral storytelling. Lisa began her career as a nurse. She trained in London and, following on from her general training, she did an additional two years of study to become a registered midwife and then a neonatal intensive care specialist. Lisa answered an advertisement in 1988 to be a clinical nurse consultant in a large Sydney teaching hospital and has been living in Australia ever since. An unexpected twist of fate meant that Lisa had to leave her calling as a midwife and find a new career and ultimately a purpose. Lisa has been a professional speaker, trainer, and coach for over three years. During that time, she has been trained and mentored by some of the world’s best speakers and is committed to lifelong learning. When she is not telling stories or coaching others, Lisa can be found hanging out with her retired greyhound, Tom, who is never far from her side, or relaxing and spending time with her husband and three daughters. Lisa is the author of Speaking Savvy: The Art of Speaking and Storytelling, available via Amazon https://www.amazon.com.au/Speaking-Savvy-Art-Storytelling-ebook/dp/B077LWNMQB/

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Writing a book is a story in itself, and writing can be a lonely task at times. I learned this when I wrote my first book, Speaking Savvy: The Art of Speaking and Storytelling, which is, in part, my journey in becoming a speaker as well as a guide on how to improve your speaking and storytelling.

In contrast to the solitude and isolation that I felt when I wrote my first book, the experience of publishing Stories From The Heart: Tales of Inspiration has been quite different. In curating this collection of stories, I have felt such incredible joy, and I have been inspired by the amount of generosity, gratitude, and shared energy that this project has offered me.

 The idea for this book came about as a result of the success of my live storytelling events. I thrive on those live events as we share such a deep sense of connection and belonging. Right now, as I am sharing this book with you, I feel that same sense of excitement and anticipation that I do when we are about to go curtain up at the start of the stage shows.

Of course, I could not have created this book without the 15 co-authors who each said YES when I asked them to share a story. Just like each chapter in this book makes an anthology, each story represents one chapter in the life of each of the authors. Each of these stories is real and personal, each unique and inspiring, and you may see yourself in many of these everyday tales of courage, love, adversity, and strength.

I’d like to thank all authors for entrusting me with your precious stories and for opening up to allow others to experience your messages.

Thank you to my family, my husband, Mark, and my daughters, Amy, Charlotte, and Lucy, who give me words of encouragement and the space to be creative, plus put up with my long hours of working at times.

Thanks to John Spender who has done an excellent job at editing and collating the book. It has been a pleasure collaborating with you on this project, and I thank you for your patience in answering my many questions.

And I’d love to connect with readers, as I love sharing stories. You can email me here: [e-mail]

Praise for Lisa Evans

Lisa has that ability to take us into her stories as if we are there. A heart of gold and a message we all need to be reminded of, she manages to mix a moving story with a great sense of humour, making her audience think whilst simultaneously entertaining them.

– Olivia Schofield

World Championship of Public Speaking finalist, Inspirational Speaker.

Lisa Evans is a classy lady who lives an inspiring life. She now not only tells her story to inspire others, she teaches other people how to tell their stories in powerful ways.

- Darren La Croix,

Certified Speaking Professional,

Accredited Speaker, World Champion Speaker.

Lisa Evans is a true champion. She has overcome adversity, struggles, and hardship but stayed in pursuit of her dreams. Lisa is an endearing storyteller with the heart of a teacher. If you want to help yourself overcome, to become a champion, start here!

- Duane Martinz,

Author of Becoming Your Own Champion, USA.

Reviews of  Stories From The Heart live storytelling events

When a bunch of people come together to share their laughter and their pain, miracles happen. We become aware of how similar we are in this human experience. Stories connect and stories heal, and that is exactly what I experienced at Stories From The Heart: real people telling real stories of joy and stories of pain and vulnerability! When people connect in this way, healing takes place, connections are formed, and courage and love win the day! Thank you, Lisa Evans, for creating this wonderful event and for creating this nurturing, healing, and loving space for us. 

- Salome Schillack,

Online Marketing Expert.

Armchair travel just took an enchanting turn in Stories From The Heart. Insightful and incredible everyday tales have left an imprint and sparked great conversations ever since.

- Anastasia Carlson,

Actor, Drama Teacher, Accent Coach, Event and Fashion Stylist.

Having been a part of the Stories From The Heart from the very beginning, I have seen it grow and flourish into a beautiful community space where people bring forward stories that challenge, heal, and move from the stage to the heart. A tremendous creation of Lisa Evans that builds, from our core, the humanity and humility of storytelling.

- Ming Johanson,

Social Media and Digital Marketing Expert, Radio Social Media Commentator and Advocate for Mental Health.

Book Reviews

It was a glorious pleasure to be able review this book and to be taken on many different journeys of  the heart by 16 courageous storytellers. I went to outback Australia, learned from bone-chilling health challenges and was filled with love and gratitude for the many ways we support and help each other. The stories in this book made me laugh, moved me, and inspired me to keep going and growing my own life’s stories.

Whether you dip in and out for a shot of much needed inspiration or indulge yourself in one long, delicious session as I did, there is something in here for everyone. And if you have the chance to see Lisa’s storytellers at a Stories From The Heart event, grab it with both hands and don’t think twice! At the live events you can feel the energy in the room, witness the nerves, and connect to the raw emotion, relief, and post-event elation. The event is a celebration of our shared humanity and the power of stories to heal, teach, inspire, and bring joy – definitely a treat not to be missed.

- Tanya Gawthorne,

Health Administrator, Facilitator and Coach.

What all these stories have in common is that they all relate to life-changing events for the teller of the tale. Some are physical events; others are light-bulb moments. Every story is different, but they are all engaging. It is almost an aphorism that everyone has a novel in them. Maybe these stories don’t stretch out to be novels, but they do add up to a thoroughly entertaining set of short stories.

I challenge you not to read these without, at some point, experiencing a ‘me too’ moment. We’ve all made spur-of-the-moment decisions that could have been disastrous. We’ve all had relations that are the black sheep in the family.

Do yourself a favour: buy a copy of Stories From The Heart and pass it on to friends. You won’t regret it.

- Gerry Prewett,

Wine Enthusiast and Sports Writer.

The first volume of Stories From The Heart describes lives that could be those of any reader. If you’ve experienced endless love and/or profound loss, self-doubt, feelings of exclusion or astonishing self-discovery, or grew up in a family with challenging dynamics—and who hasn’t?—then this collection of short stories will resonate with you.

All of the authors have told their stories on stage at a Stories From The Heart live storytelling event to a sold-out audience. I have been lucky enough to have attended each event and have been in awe of each storyteller’s bravery, humour, poise, and ability to keep the audience engaged.

Most of them have never shared their stories before. Each of these outstanding storytellers have been selected by Lisa Evans because their life experiences touched so many of the audience members that she wanted to share these life lessons with you, the reader.  

- Lizze Hornby, 

Avid Reader and Fan of the Story Tribe.

Funny and sad - you will smile, you will be teary, and you will relate to the feelings expressed, the incidents which happened, and the lessons learned. You may not have been there, done that, but someone close to you has.

Each story is different, told by different people at different stages of their lives, though they all have things in common. They share experiences and open up without fearing scrutiny, and every story ends with hope and a positive attitude.

- Claudette Pope,

Writer and Editor.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Praise for Lisa Evans

Reviews of  Stories From The Heart live storytelling events

Book Reviews

Foreword

by Sharron Attwood

Preface

How it all started

Chapter One

Becoming The Story Midwife

by Lisa Evans

Chapter Two

It’s All My Parents Fault

by Leesa Hart

Chapter Three

Dad’s Journey

By Rebecca Hannan

Chapter Four

Dreams and Dragons

by Marlene Ward

Chapter Five

One Decision. Many Consequences

by Troy Hendrickson

Chapter Six

You Are Not Your Story

by Jay Crisp Crow

Chapter Seven

Between A Rock And A Heart Space

by Nichola Renton

Chapter Eight

Love and Gratitude

by Kristy Ambrose

Chapter Nine

I Had a Plan and the Plan Changed

by Vida Carlino

Chapter Ten

The Unexpected Message

by Angie Paskevicius

Chapter Eleven

Around the Corner

by Lynette Delane

Chapter Twelve

What if…

by Amanda Lambros

Chapter Thirteen

Getting Bolder

by Louise Kelly

Chapter Fourteen

A Meeting that Changed my Life

by Michele Alexander

Chapter Fifteen

When the Revolution Comes

by Michelle Sandford

Chapter Sixteen

Be Your Own Best Friend

by Fiona Jeanne

Author Biographies

Lisa Evans

Leesa Hart