149: The Story of Your Life Starts Early When Your Future Presents Itself to You

Michael sat with his mother when she went to the hospital for breast cancer treatment appointments. He was struck by the compassionate care of her doctors, the fact that they treated her with dignity, kindness, and as if she was far more than a patient or a diagnosis.

He was in high school at the time, and had all kinds of ideas about what he wanted for his future. That experience, though, gave him the inspiration and motivation he needed, and he signed up for pre-med classes the following semester.

When he graduated from high school and started school at Carroll College in Helena, Montana, he was well on his way toward his dream - he would be a doctor.

Michael Fuller and I have been friends for years, thanks to my introduction to his parents. I've always found both Michael and his brother, Joshua, to be thoughtful, considerate people, and that isn't at all surprising, given what I know of their parents.

As he's grown into himself and his future, we've taken opportunities to go for long walks together, sit in coffee shops, and even have a beer together (after his 21st birthday, of course), and have had deeply thoughtful, insightful conversations.

It occurred to me that his story is one many can related to: The decision to go into a specific area of study and work as a result of watching a loved one go through a difficult situation.

You'll hear that Michael finished his bachelor's degree and has been accepted into a few medical school programs. He hasn't decided yet where he'll go. I know that whatever his future holds in terms of a career and location, he will contribute an extraordinary amount of courage, kindness, compassion and healing to those fortunate enough to find themselves in his care.

And if I'm lucky, I might just get a hold of his brother for another episode of Your Stories Don't Define You.

---

About Sarah:

In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.

My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.

The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will, will be released in mid-November, and for a limited time, the ebook is just $0.99!

As a special bonus for listeners, the book will include two songs recorded by my band, Spare Change, in my living room in Montana. Keep an eye out for announcements through LinkedIn and via my Elkins Consulting Facebook & Instagram pages, or visit my website to learn more.