🎤 Quotable quotes: “I believe in hope. I believe in belief.” — Ted Lasso

The Power of Telling Your Own Story: Lessons from Ted Lasso and Leadership

If you believe in yourself, in your growth, and in the possibility of change, then nothing is impossible. It’s a simple idea, but it taps into something powerful: the way we frame our own stories shapes not just our future, but the way others see us as well.

In leadership—especially personal leadership—how you tell your story matters. Not just to others, but to yourself. Because leadership isn’t about titles or positions; it’s about influence, and the first person you need to influence is you.

Why Your Story Matters

Every great leader understands that stories are how we make sense of the world. They help us connect, inspire, and move people to action. But too often, we let others shape our narratives for us. We play small, downplay our experiences, or get stuck in stories that don’t serve us.

Think about Ted Lasso— who shows up in England with zero soccer experience and a relentless optimism that many mistake for cluelessness. At first, the story being told about him is that he’s a joke. But Ted doesn’t let other people’s narratives define him. Instead, he sticks to his own: he’s here to build people up, create a culture of belief, and make those around him better.

His leadership isn’t about strategy or technical expertise—it’s about character. And by owning his story, he rewrites the team’s story, too.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

One of the biggest leadership challenges is rewriting the internal narratives that hold us back. We all have them:

• “I’m not a natural leader.”
• “I don’t have enough experience.”
• “What if I fail?”

Ted’s story arc—and, really, the entire show—is about characters breaking free from limiting beliefs. Rebecca starts as the vengeful owner trying to sabotage her own team, only to realize she’s capable of leading with heart. Roy Kent believes his best days are behind him, until he discovers a new version of himself off the field. Even Nate’s villainous turn is driven by the stories he tells himself—ones rooted in insecurity rather than truth.

Your personal leadership begins with reframing your own story. Instead of “I’m not ready”, what if you told yourself, “I’m learning and growing into the leader I want to be”? Instead of “What if I fail?”, what if the story became “Every failure is a step toward success”?

Owning Your Story in Leadership

One of the best ways to lead yourself—and others—is to take control of your story. Here’s how:

1. Recognize the Narrative You’re Living In

What’s the story you’ve been telling yourself? Is it helping you move forward, or is it keeping you stuck? Like Ted, you get to decide what story you live by.

2. Reframe Challenges as Character-Building Moments

Every great leader has a backstory filled with obstacles. Instead of seeing setbacks as proof you’re not meant for leadership, think of them as the moments that make your story interesting.

3. Share Your Story with Others

One of the most powerful leadership tools is storytelling. When you share your journey—your struggles, your wins, your lessons—you give others permission to do the same. You create connection. You build trust. And you inspire others to own their stories, too.

4. Lead with Character, Not Just Accomplishments

Ted Lasso never needed a Premier League trophy to prove he was a leader. His story was compelling because of his character—the way he showed up for his team, the belief he instilled in others, and the way he stayed true to himself. Leadership isn’t about a perfect resume; it’s about who you are.

Rewrite Your Story, Lead Your Life

At the end of Ted Lasso, we see characters who have evolved, not because of circumstances, but because they’ve rewritten their own stories. And that’s what personal leadership is all about.

So, what story are you telling? And more importantly—what story do you want to tell?

Because as Ted would say, “Be curious, not judgmental.” Especially when it comes to the story you tell yourself.

More leadership musings

🍪 Biscuits with the Boss: If your life were a book title, what would it be?

 (Bonus points if your team answers in classic Ted Lasso fashion—like “The Curious Case of the Missing Biscuits” or “Roy Kent: The Unauthorized Biography”.)

If you think about titling your autobiography, you start to unlock the superpower of your story. We'd love to hear it!

🏅Whistle. Whistle.: 

Roy Kent would probably say... “Quit waiting for someone else to write your story. Pick up the damn pen.”

(Translation: Stop hesitating. If you want to lead, start acting like a leader—now - and lead yourself.)

📚Beard’s collection: 

📖 Stant, Nim. Authorpreneur: Build the Business Behind Your Book. Go All In Media, 2021.
Ted Lasso would love this book because it’s all about turning belief into action. Whether you’re an author, entrepreneur, or just someone with a story to tell (hint: you are), this book helps you build a platform and make an impact. Like Ted coaching a football team with zero experience—sometimes you just have to start, trust the process, and figure it out along the way.

📖 Goggins, David. Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds. Lioncrest Publishing, 2018.
If Roy Kent wrote a leadership book, it would probably sound a lot like this. Goggins doesn’t sugarcoat anything—he’s all about mental toughness, resilience, and rewriting the story you tell yourself. If you need a hard reset on your excuses, this book will do it. Warning: It might make you want to run a hundred miles just to prove you can.

📖 Pressfield, Steven. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. Black Irish Entertainment LLC, 2002.
Procrastination is the Jamie Tartt before Ted of your leadership story—it’s flashy, loud, and always in the way. Pressfield calls it Resistance, and he lays out exactly how to beat it. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to take action, consider this your sign to stop waiting and start leading.

🌎 This week in Here - There - Every F’ing where 

All we have for this one is a big wow! We met so many cool people this week at the International Impact Book Awards (bonus points if you can find our faces popping out there :) ). Nim Stant and team did it right and we are extremely honored to have been selected for awards in both Leadership and Personal Development. (We will share when we get the official photos but couldn't wait to give a shout out to all of the other authors out there who told their story. Maybe you are next!)

For all of our Kansas City friends... the creators of the Slightly Smarter newsletter is hosting a BookJam tonight 5-7:30!!! It is at the bookstore Afterwords (we actually dropped a copy of Lead It Like Lasso off to that store when we were in town for Thundergong. Check out the details at bookjams.com and if you can go, tell Scott we say hey!)

See you next week,
Nick & Marnie