Founder story
How did storytelling become my podcast guesting strategy?
The short answer
I grew up in Jamaica, where storytelling was how we related to each other. Years later, after building and letting go of a marketing agency, I listened to what business owners actually needed: qualified leads, visibility in the right rooms, and a way to show what they can do. Strategic storytelling on other people's podcasts delivered all three, and it became the foundation of The Podcast Pitching Society.
Where did the storytelling come from?
From Jamaica, where stories weren't something you studied. They were how we related to each other.
We didn't have much TV, just two channels. So entertainment meant sitting around telling stories. Elders passed down lessons that way, and I was captivated by how my older relatives could hold an entire room's attention with no notes and no slides. Just a voice, a memory, and a message. Without realizing it, I was learning how to structure a narrative and how to connect with an audience.
When I moved to the U.S., storytelling became my bridge to a new language, a new culture, and new systems. I learned the American dialect from movies, music, and the news. I wasn't just learning vocabulary. I was learning tone, timing, and how to make someone feel something when you speak.
How did that turn into a career?
It led me to major in communications media, and then life rerouted me for a while.
When the 2008 recession hit, I pivoted into project management in healthcare. It wasn't what I had imagined, but it taught me the discipline and systems thinking I still use every day.
Eventually I found my way back to marketing and built an agency with a strong roster of corporate clients and a team of developers, designers, and copywriters. Even then, I kept coming back to storytelling, in client messaging, in brand positioning, and in how I showed up publicly.
Why did you let go of a successful agency?
Because it looked like success and didn't feel like it.
On paper, everything was great. Behind the scenes, the stress was taking a real toll on my health, and I couldn't recognize myself in the business anymore. I had spent years climbing the ladder, only to realize I had built it against the wrong wall.
So I made one of the hardest decisions of my career. I released my team, sold my client contracts, and gave myself 90 days to stop building and start listening, to what real business owners said they needed.
What I heard was loud and clear. They didn't need more content or another funnel. They needed qualified leads who could afford their rates, visibility in rooms where decisions get made, and a way to show people what they could do.
Why podcasts?
Because podcasts were the thing that had quietly worked for me all along.
I had done a few guest interviews without much strategy. But every time I shared my story in a long-form conversation, something different happened. I didn't just get likes. I got messages from ideal clients, speaker invitations, and emails that said, "I feel like you were speaking directly to me. How can we work together?"
So I doubled down on what I call OPP, other people's podcasts: intentional placements on aligned shows, with hosts who had already earned their audience's trust. When a host introduces you as the expert, you start the conversation with built-in authority.
And the benefits compounded. One interview became months of social content, blog posts, and email topics. Every episode sharpened my message. Appearances led to panels, guest teaching, and press, and a strong call to action grew my list with people who already trusted me.
What makes storytelling strategic?
Telling the right story in the place where it actually moves the needle.
Stories that make people feel something. Stories that tie directly to the problems you solve. Stories that let a stranger see themselves in your journey and take the next step without a sales page convincing them.
When someone gives you 30 to 45 minutes of their time, they are connecting with you. Connection drives trust, and trust drives conversion. That's the whole idea behind Stand, Story, Sell, the framework we use with every client, and it's how I generated nearly $100K from podcast guesting alone in under six months in 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What does OPP mean?
OPP stands for other people's podcasts: guesting on established shows whose hosts have already earned their audience's trust, instead of building your own audience from scratch.
Do I need a dramatic story to be a good podcast guest?
No. You need one or two real moments that shaped why you do your work, tied clearly to the problem you solve today.
What is The Podcast Pitching Society?
A podcast placement and authority-building agency that gets subject matter experts found, chosen, and paid using strategic story selling on other people's podcasts.