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Ep. 13. From Trauma to TED Talks: Andrea Merrill on Owning Your Story + Making Bank

🎙️ From Trauma to TED Talks: Andrea Merrill on Owning Your Story + Turning It Into Profit

Ever wonder how to turn your personal story into a magnetic brand tool that not only moves people — but makes you money?

In this episode, Kat sits down with the powerhouse Andrea Merrill, TED Talk strategist, behavioral psychology expert, and speaker coach, to unpack the real power of storytelling. Andrea shares her raw personal journey — from working as a trauma therapist to nearly losing her vision during pregnancy to building a thriving multi-six-figure business helping entrepreneurs, speakers, and thought leaders craft talks that captivate and convert.

Together, they dive into how your deepest experiences shape your messaging, how human design + behavioral strengths play into your brand voice, and why your story is one of your most untapped business assets.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

  • Why your personal story is your most powerful business tool

  • How Andrea went from $0 to $12.5K in 7 days (on her iPhone!)

  • The truth about audience psychology — and what your clients really want to hear

  • How human design and CliftonStrengths unlock your unique storytelling style

  • Tangible tools like “story banking” and AI prompts to fuel your content

⚡ MAIN CHARACTER MOVES:

1️⃣ Start story banking: Use your Notes app or Voxer to collect daily moments, thoughts, or lessons that can later fuel your marketing, content, or talks.
2️⃣ Play with AI: Don’t fear it — leverage it. Tools like ChatGPT and Prompt Perfect can help turn your raw stories into polished posts, pitches, and presentations.
3️⃣ Get clear on your ICA’s real pain points — not just demographics, but what’s keeping them up at night.

🌟 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Authenticity comes from clarity: you can’t market what you don’t understand about yourself.

  • Your personal “mess” is often your most magnetic message.

  • Combining human design + behavioral insights creates next-level resonance in how you speak to your audience.

🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS:

✨ Follow Andrea on Instagram → @theandreamerrill
✨ Book Andrea → andreamerrill.co
✨ Check out Prompt Perfect (Andrea’s fave AI tool) → PromptPerfect
✨ Take the CliftonStrengths test → Gallup CliftonStrengths

🔥 If this episode lit you up, hit subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s ready to own their story and step into main character energy!