We need to stop calling people “resilient” and assuming that means they’re okay. ❤️‍🩹

Jeff Johnston lost his 23-year-old son, Seth, to fentanyl. Four years later, he lost his wife, Prudence.

He got sober. He rebuilt. He found purpose. He started helping others.

Beautiful comeback story, right?

Yeah…life apparently didn’t get that memo.

Because some mornings, the man who speaks on stages about resilience still needs 45 minutes just to get out of bed.

THAT’S the Jeff I wanted to talk to.

Not the speaker.
Not the founder.
Not the inspirational comeback story.

The human underneath all that armor.

We went there: grief, addiction, fentanyl, men’s mental health, psychedelics, shame, suicide, success, self-forgiveness—and why this idea that we eventually become completely “healed” might be bullshit.

Then Jeff said something I can’t shake:

“I need to be nicer to Jeff.” ❤️

Because maybe resilience isn’t becoming unbreakable.

Maybe it’s being able to say:

This still hurts.
I’m still figuring it out.
And I’m still fucking here.

🎙️ Storytime with Lori featuring Jeffrey Johnston

If you’re the fixer, the leader, the parent, the friend who always answers—the person everyone calls “the strong one” this conversation is for you.

So let me ask you: Who’s checking on you? ❤️‍🩹

#StorytimeWithLori #MensMentalHealth #Grief #AddictionRecovery #FentanylAwareness

I went to Arizona thinking I understood Televerde.

Narrator: She did not. 😂

I knew the story: second chances, incarcerated women, BDR development, an incredible mission.

What I didn’t fully understand was the talent.

I met women talking pipeline, customer experience, renewals, sales strategy, business intelligence and brand with the kind of hunger and business acumen companies say they’re desperate to hire for.

And that changed the conversation for me.

🔥 Opportunity, not charity.

These women don’t need us to lower the bar. Maybe we need to get a hell of a lot better at looking in places where talented people have already learned how to clear it.

And Diane + Nayaja… ❤️ you two got me.

The dreaming. The planning. The rebuilding. The “oh shit, people are actually watching me now” part. 😂 The belief you’re lending each other while you build enough of your own.

That’s the story I wanted to tell.

Don’t be so captivated by someone’s second chance that you overlook their talent. Because sometimes people don’t need saving. They need access. A door. An introduction. A seat at the table. Someone willing to see them BEFORE everyone else does.

So I’ll leave you with this:

❤️ Who believed in you before you fully believed in yourself?

And maybe the bigger question…

Whose belief are you holding right now?

🎙️ New Storytime with Lori.

#StorytimeWithLori #Televerde #WomenInTech #WomenInSales #SecondChances #Talent #Leadership #SalesLeadership #TechChannel #WomenSupportingWomen #CareerDevelopment #Opportunity #FutureOfWork

Last week I talked about my birthday. 🎂

A beautiful day, full of people who love the hell out of me… and still feeling the absence of someone who doesn't show up the way I need them to.

Well, apparently there was more shit to unpack. 😂

Because here's the mindfuck about healing:

You can make the right decision and still be heartbroken by it.

You can set the boundary and miss them.

You can be deeply loved and still grieve what's missing.

None of that means go back.

That's the messy middle. And I'm learning this one the hard way:

Loneliness is a feeling. It is NOT an instruction. 👏 Missing someone doesn't mean they deserve access to you. And hurting doesn't mean you chose wrong.

Sometimes it just means it mattered. ❤️‍🩹

🎙️ This week on STORYTIME with Lori: The Messy Middle: When Doing the Right Thing Still F*cking Hurts

Because apparently healing doesn't give a shit about my preferred timeline. 😂

#StorytimeWithLori #TheMessyMiddle #Boundaries #Healing #Relationships #PersonalGrowth #Podcast

It’s my birthday. 🎂✨

So obviously I got myself exactly what every woman wants:

boundaries, therapy, self-awareness… and fewer people with backstage access. 😂

This birthday episode of Storytime with Lori is raw, funny, a little petty, and very reflective.

We’re talking family dynamics, betrayal, healing, coping, co-parenting, outgrowing people, and that magical moment when you realize:

“Ohhh… I’m not confused. I’ve just outgrown this.”

Some people were lessons.

Some were chapters.

Some were group projects I definitely did all the work on. 😏

This year, I’m not asking what I accomplished.

I’m asking:

What no longer gets to come with me?

Cheers to another year of growth, better boundaries, stronger instincts, and dramatically fewer emotional subscriptions. 🥂🎙️

#StorytimeWithLori #BirthdayEpisode #PersonalGrowth #Boundaries #Healing #SelfTrust #BreakingCycles #Reinvention

A big week for Storytime with Lori. 🎙️

First up: a powerful conversation with Akilah Murrell + Mayka Rosales-Peterson on leadership, visibility, allyship, pressure, belonging, and the weight that can come with being “the first.”

And then Friday is my birthday. 🎂

So naturally, I decided to celebrate by recording one of the rawest episodes I’ve done. 😂

Family. Coping. Boundaries. Alcohol. Outgrowing people, places, relationships, jobs and even old versions of ourselves.

This year I’m asking myself one question: What no longer gets to come with me?

Akilah + Mayka first.

Then Friday… we’re going there. ❤️‍🔥

#Leadership #Allyship #WomenInLeadership #Storytelling #Podcast #Growth #Boundaries #Authenticity

🔥 “This is what it took.”That’s the line I keep coming back to after recording this episode.Because if I’m being honest…This wasn’t a straight path.It wasn’t clean.And it definitely wasn’t easy.Over the last 10 years, I’ve navigated:leaving a relationship and rebuilding as a single momliving in an environment that didn’t feel safe or stablebecoming estranged from my birth familyopening myself up to love… and getting it wrongcarrying trauma while still showing up every daybeing laid off multiple times (shoutout to the economy 🙃)while also being promoted, leading, and buildingmanaging a $400M+ sales careerbuying a home on my own with no safety netAll at the same time.And here’s the part I think people don’t talk about enough…👉 You can be breaking and building at the same time.👉 You can be healing and performing at the same time.👉 You can be carrying more than people see… and still show up.That’s not failure.That’s real life.This episode of Storytime with Lori is about that duality.It’s about what it actually takes to:✨ choose yourself✨ leave what’s breaking you✨ rebuild when everything falls apart✨ trust again when it would be easier not toAnd also this—This is just one piece of my story.Just like you’re living one piece of yours.We’re all navigating something.Different timelines. Different circumstances. Same weight.So if you’ve been feeling like you’re holding everything together while quietly figuring it out…You’re not alone.🎙️ New episode is live:#StorytimeWithLori #Authenticity #WomenInLeadership #CareerGrowth #PersonalDevelopment #Resilience #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #GrowthMindset #WomenSupportingWomen #SalesLeadership #TechSales #SingleMomStrong #HealingJourney #RealTalk #LifeLessons #PodcastLaunch #SelfGrowth #MindsetShift

Lori Mayer and Dr. Sheila Volante dive into a conversation about reinvention, identity, and leadership. Sheila shares her journey from corporate success to entrepreneurship, what it means to align with your truth, and how she’s helping leaders step into the future with AI. If you’ve ever wondered when to let go of the familiar to build what’s next, this episode is for you.

Some people know everything about your life.

But they don't know you.

In this episode of Storytime with Lori, Lori explores a difficult realization: attention isn't love, observation isn't support, and access isn't the same as connection.

Through stories of heartbreak, family estrangement, betrayal, healing, and personal growth, Lori discusses the freedom that comes from no longer needing validation from people who choose to watch your life from a distance instead of participating in it.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered:

• Why are they still watching?
• Why won't they reach out?
• Why do they know so much about my life but choose not to be part of it?

The answer may have less to do with them and more to do with reclaiming your peace.

Because healing begins when you stop focusing on who's watching and start focusing on who's walking beside you.

🎙️ Storytime with Lori is where real conversations about healing, resilience, relationships, growth, and becoming your best self come to life.