Donna Griffit is a corporate storyteller and Communication Coach at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she works with students to improve their communication, executive presence, writing, storytelling, and pitching. For 30 years, Donna has worked with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and investors in 30 countries, helping them create, edit, and deliver powerful presentations. She is also the author of Sticking to My Story: The Alchemy of Storytelling for Startups.

While women entrepreneurs have received significantly more funding in recent years, less than 2% of all VC funding goes toward female founders. How can you amplify women’s voices to ensure they receive fair funding?

According to pitch and storytelling alchemist Donna Griffit, the key to capturing investors’ attention is a compelling pitch. Her four-acts formula is based on universal archetypes startups can leverage to simplify their pitches. It involves identifying the villain as the problem, the solution as the hero, the business plan as the hero’s course of action, and the vision for the future as the happy ending. This creates a well-structured pitch that positions you as an authority figure. Founders should also prepare lists of answers to potential investor questions.

In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston chats with Donna Griffit about crafting winning startup pitches. Donna shares why she embraces serendipitous moments, how to generate more sales, and the essential elements of corporate storytelling.

Leah Diteljan is the Founder of MindSpa, a global movement of leaders. As a transformative coach and retreat facilitator, she has over 16 years of experience awakening emotional awareness and fostering personal growth in Fortune 100/500 CEOs and EO and YPO entrepreneurs. Leah spent over 13 years at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), working with aspiring leaders across 30 countries and six continents.

When high-performing leaders experience a personal setback, they often focus more on their business while ignoring their private upheaval, leading to excessive burnout. How can you tend to your emotional needs to continue excelling in business?

Emotional awareness coach Leah Diteljan urges entrepreneurs to treat their personal calamities like their business. This may involve developing a 90-day strategy to heal your emotions after a breakup. Leah has helped high-achieving women reconcile their emotions and create a sense of self-belonging through interactive retreats and experiences. Through introspective moments, leaders can learn to embrace and love every aspect of themselves.

In this week’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston chats with Leah Diteljan, the Founder of MindSpa Movement, about emotional awareness for high-achieving leaders. Leah shares advice for women struggling with self-identity, the importance of intuition, and what she loves most about her career.

Jaime Mann is the Founder of The Amaryllis Project, a coaching and advisory firm for growth-oriented, high-performance women. As an advisor, coach, and connection cultivator, she helps women strengthen and grow their leadership skills and works with organizations to create a culture of connected leadership. Jaime is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

High-performing leaders often restrict their potential by engaging in limiting self-beliefs and negative dialogues. How can you step into your full potential without letting internal voices hold you back?

Having struggled with internal and external bullying, high-performance coach Jaime Mann learned to accept and embrace her strengths. This involved altering her inner narrative, which requires practicing self-compassion by treating yourself as you would a close friend or relative. Jaime also recommends developing a close network of personal and professional connections who can support you in your leadership journey and engaging in exercises like the Johari window, which allows you to view yourself objectively.

Tune in to this episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show as Andrea Heuston welcomes Jaime Mann, the Founder of The Amaryllis Project, to talk about redefining leadership through connection and self-love. Jaime delves into her leadership style, why she views sensitivity as a core strength, and how her psychology background led her to become a coach.