Age: 54
Occupation: Voice actor, business consultant
Hometown: Baton Rouge

Once upon a time, Melinda Walsh discovered she had a golden voice.

It fell easily into eardrums, and she could shift it to match the tones of young, eager adult or wise old woman.

Everything sparkled when she talked about it.

Then the pitching songbird decided she had a message for the world.

These days, she's not so much honing how her words sound as she is zeroing in on the tale itself. She's teaching others how to speak up about their best adventures.

After all, she says, it's stories that really change the world.

Not meetings.

Not debates.

Not campaigns.

As a “story stylist,” Walsh helps companies such as Kleinpeter Dairy and Camellia Bean Company realize the worth of where they've been.

“I help them tell the story of their business in a way that grows their businesses,” she says.

These are old companies, full of rich history and character. Their experiences matter, she says, especially at a time when customers are longing to have a real relationship with the brands they support.

Stories knit together communities better than the wealthiest of visions and goals.

It works for individuals too, Walsh says.?

Think back on the last crummy day you had. Did the way you retold the events of that day shape its reality?

This month, Walsh will lead a workshop as part of the Women's Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Called Women! A Week-long Celebration, the event will feature Walsh showing her peers how to pick and tell the stories that will fuel their lives.

It starts with an honest inventory.

Is what I believe really what's going on?

Should I speak up?

Where is the joy?

Could I be wrong about this?

“This is about the thoughts and beliefs you have repeatedly,” she says. “The truth is fluid.”

Rework your story, Walsh reveals, and you'll go from average duckling to trumpeting swan.

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