Speak with Impact: Why Your Leadership Voice Needs a Story
Summary:
Confidence doesn’t always roar—sometimes it’s found in the quiet decision to lead anyway. In this post, Jessica Rice shares the transformation from people-pleasing to purposeful presence, revealing how storytelling helped her find her voice and command a room. You'll learn why connection, not performance, is the key to impact—and how to use your personal narrative to build trust, humanize your leadership, and speak in a way that actually moves people. Ready to lead with power and purpose? Start here.
Speak with Impact: Why Storytelling Is Every Leader’s Secret Weapon
“The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” – Muriel Rukeyser
In every boardroom, every pitch, and every team huddle… there’s one force that can change the energy in the room instantly: a story.
Not a perfect story. Not a polished tale with a neat bow on top. But a story that makes someone pause. Feel. Connect. Remember.
And yet, for far too long, we’ve been trained to lead with facts, frameworks, and flawless presentations—thinking that’s what earns respect. But the truth is, data informs. Stories transform.
Why We Need to Speak with Impact
It’s time we stop treating communication as a performance and start treating it as the leadership tool it truly is.
If you’ve ever second-guessed your voice...
...worried about being “too much”
...or questioned whether you were being heard at all—
you’re not alone.
In my early career, I held back my voice. Not because I lacked belief, but because I was afraid of being too bold. Of being misunderstood.
I was a high performer, a strategic thinker—and still, I watered myself down.
Why?
Because like so many women leaders, I’d internalized that confidence could be seen as arrogance. That conviction could alienate instead of unite.
But what I learned (often the hard way) is this:
Your presence isn’t meant to make people comfortable. It’s meant to move them.
The Power of Storytelling in Leadership
Inside the Powerhouse Legacy Collective, we just wrapped a masterclass on The Art of Storytelling—and I want to share a truth that reshaped my approach:
Storytelling is not about you.
It’s about the person listening. It’s about the insight, the connection, the spark of recognition that makes someone feel seen.
In the workshop, I spoke about the S.O.A.R. Framework:
Set the Scene
Obstacle
Action
Reflection
It’s how we guide someone through our experience—not to impress, but to serve.
Because the most powerful stories aren’t the ones where we’re the hero.
They’re the ones where the listener sees themselves in our journey—and feels braver because of it.
Want to hear how we use it in action?
🎥 Watch this quick clip from the workshop
Leadership Isn’t a Title—It’s a Narrative
When you begin to tell your story with clarity and conviction, you stop waiting for permission to lead—and start shaping the narrative you want to be known for.
Inside our new LIVE cohort of Powerhouse Presence: The Thought Leadership Accelerator, we go deep into this.
This is about activating your voice, crafting your message, and building a presence that’s not only seen—but felt.
Clarify your core leadership stories
Learn to lead with narrative, not just knowledge
Master the art of emotional resonance in your communication
Position yourself as a powerful voice in your industry
The next cohort kicks off June 25.
If you know you're meant for more—and you're ready to be heard in a bigger way—this is for you.
🎯 Join the Powerhouse Presence Cohort
Inside the Powerhouse Legacy Collective This Month
We’re exploring the Art of Storytelling through:
Readings from “Lead with a Story” by Paul Smith
Weekly workshops + labs on narrative building
Lessons inspired by Donald Miller, Aristotle, and modern behavioral science
And real-time coaching to help you shape your story into strategy
Final Thought
Stories shape how others see us. But more importantly, they shape how we see ourselves.
So I’ll leave you with this question:
What story have you been afraid to tell—because it reveals your truth too deeply?
Maybe that’s exactly the story someone else needs to hear.
Let’s speak with impact.
Let’s lead with heart.
Let’s rise—together.
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How to Write Thought Leadership Content That Builds Authority
The Psychology of Influence: Build Trust Before You Speak
Master the Four Executive Communication Styles That Define Leadership Impact
