What story has your life been telling about you with Author, Storyteller & Speaker, Shannon PressonnWhat story has your life been telling about you with Author, Storyteller & Speaker, Shannon Pressonn
M.A.Y.A: My Ambition Your Ambition
Tune in to this episode of the M.A.Y.A. Podcast as we dive into a deep and often misunderstood conversation with guest @ShannonPresson about the narrative of our lives. We are born as blank pages BUT What story has your life been telling about you?
1:07:00•21 Jun 2026
Rewriting Your Life Story with Shannon Preson
Episode Overview
- Life tends to run on four recurring stories: challenge, dream, "yeah, but" and the unexpected story that sits outside your control yet shapes your path.
- Language shapes your internal map; changing the words you use about yourself and your life can open up new possibilities.
- Old protective stories act as gatekeepers – they once kept you safe but can later block growth unless you consciously question and update them.
- Insight on its own doesn’t create change; you need action, emotional work and a willingness to sit in discomfort and uncertainty.
- Learning to receive support, rather than only giving, is crucial to moving from feeling stuck to writing a more authentic, fulfilling story.
“Language is our most powerful, magical spell.”
How do people find hope in the darkest times? This conversation between host Maya Akai and author–storyteller Shannon Preson circles right around that question by asking something even sharper: "What story is your life telling about you?" Aimed at people who feel stuck, burned out or misaligned with the life they’re living – whether through family patterns, trauma, people-pleasing or sheer exhaustion – this episode shines a light on the quiet narratives running the show.
Shannon breaks life down into four recurring stories: the challenge story (what’s not working), the dream story (what you wish life looked like), the "yeah, but" story (all the excuses and fears), and the unexpected story – "the one you didn’t write, you can’t control" that’s been quietly shaping your life all along.
Shannon shares how her own burnout at 50, a supposed dream career, and a long-delayed book project forced her to confront the gatekeeper stories that once kept her safe but now kept her small. One of her most memorable lines sums up her whole approach: "Language is our most powerful, magical spell." Change the words, she argues, and you change the internal map you walk every day.
The chat stays grounded and funny, even while it digs into sovereignty, self-worth and those moments of sitting on the floor wondering, "Is this it?" Maya keeps bringing it back to real life: therapy rooms, journalling, self-help, and that uneasy sense that you’re living someone else’s script. Together they gently nudge the audience toward becoming the "writer, editor, the architect" of their own story, rather than just the main character swept along.
If you’ve ever thought, "I feel stuck, but I don’t know where to start," this episode offers a fresh way to look at your life script and asks a simple, unsettling question: are you ready to fire the old writers and pick up the pen yourself?
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