#1 Uncover Your Story with Sarah Oughton: Your voice and story matters - but how do we own it and shine?
Welcome to the very first episode of Uncover Your Story! I’m Sarah Oughton – brand photographer, storyteller and content creator – here to help creatives, change-makers and big-hearted rebels share stories with confidence and joy.
In this episode, I share my journey from humanitarian storytelling to running my own brand photography and story business, why this podcast almost didn’t happen, and how even the smallest stories can create big impact.
You’ll learn:
Why it’s okay to start small (and imperfect!)
Why your voice and story matter more than ever
How to use storytelling to build connection and spark change
The power of micro-stories for your brand (and how to shape them)
Read the episode transcript
Hi and welcome to Uncover Your Story — the podcast for creatives, change makers, and big-hearted rebels who believe in the power of stories to inspire, connect, and make a difference.
I’m your host, Sarah Oughton — brand photographer, storyteller, and content creator. I’ll be drawing on my 20 years of experience working in communications to guide you through the storytelling process — from the mindset shifts to the practical steps we can take to increase the impact of our work.
And I’m so excited to be here with you.
Okay so welcome to my very first episode – I can’t quite believe this is happening, a year on from when I first had the idea for the podcast while on holiday with friends. It’s often the way isn’t it that when we step away from our busy daily lives and have time to just ruminate that the creative juices start flowing, I remember being completely fired up by the idea with constant thoughts about it fizzing and popping throughout the holiday.
Then I get back home and the reality of running my business alongside juggling life with kids hits and the idea of bringing this podcast to life seemed like a rather audacious idea of mine and I felt pretty overwhelmed with a whole host of self-doubts. It would have been very easy to just put the idea on the bottom of my to do list to come back to never. However, the fact that I’d told so many of my friends about it – I think looking back on it, was kind of my way to hold myself accountable. I like to think of myself as someone who does what they say they’re going to do. So it is with relief, excitement and some nerves that I find myself here today. I’m so happy you’re with me and I hope you’ll come along for this podcast ride – let’s see where it takes us!
Okay, so this podcast is for you if you’re building a personal brand, running a purpose-led business or non-profit, or simply know deep down that you want your work to have more meaning. That you want to show up with more clarity, connection and joy — and that you have a story to tell, even if you’re not sure how to tell it yet.
I truly believe that stories are how we change the world. They’re how we reach people’s hearts, not just their heads. They help us belong. They help us remember we’re not alone.
One of my favourite quotes — and one that’s really at the heart of this podcast — is from the great writer Maya Angelou. She said:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
And that’s what story does. When we tell stories with heart — stories about personal experience that are vulnerable, bold or messy — we make people feel. And when people feel something, they remember. They care. And they’re more likely to act.
So whether you’re a coach, a creative, a founder, or in charity communications, the stories you tell can be your most powerful tool for building trust, sparking connection, and creating real, lasting change.
But I know it’s not always easy. Sharing your story can feel daunting. Where do you begin? What’s “too much”? What if you get it wrong?
That last question – what if I get it wrong? – has long-been a bit of a stumbling block for me. My mum likes to tell the story of how when I was at pre-school the teacher would have all the children sit in a circle before break time and she would ask questions, as soon as you put your hand up and answered a question you were allowed to go out to play. Well, I was always the last one sitting on the carpet because I never put my hand up. When all the other children had gone out to play, the teacher would ask me a question – and I would know the answer, it was simply fear of getting it wrong in front of other people that held me back from having fun playing outside with my friends.
Although, I often can still feel those nerves about getting it wrong - I’ve definitely grown in confidence and courage over the years. I’ve learnt that I can feel the fear and do it anyway. And I think stories have played a big part in that – I was an avid reader from a young age and stories were this magical portal that allowed me to explore other lives, other worlds, other experiences that inspired me and propelled me out into the world, pushing me to do scary but exciting things, even when I feared getting it wrong.
As a teenager one of the books that had a big impact on me was The Power of One – by Bryce Courtenay – you might remember the film starring Stephen Dorff and Morgan Freeman.
Well, the novel explores themes of resilience, friendship, and the impact of one person's choices in a divided society, at the heart of the story is the protagonists fight against injustice.
This book definitely planted a seed in me, about the power of storytelling – and although it took a few detours through my twenties before I settled on a career, in my early thirties I finally landed a dream job as the international writer for the British Red Cross. In this role I had the great privilege and opportunity to travel the world reporting on humanitarian crises – and the main aim of my job was to tell stories that would connect the British public with people living in countries many Brits may know little about and may never have visited, I needed to help them feel a little of what it would be like to walk in the footsteps of the people the Red Cross was supporting – to create empathy and the motivation to donate and support people they would never meet, who were going through crisis.
For the past two decades, telling stories for charities has been my passion and my way to earn a living – it’s been a fascinating journey. Where I started at the Red Cross as a writer in 2008 – the role quickly began to evolve as we started experimenting with podcasts, social media, video and the whole gamut of creativity that is a part and parcel of content creation today.
Along the way, I also had the opportunity to work alongside some fantastic professional photographers who accompanied me on my Red Cross travels. I’ve always loved photography and so I absolutely jumped at the chance to learn from them, and after a while I was given the opportunity to take on the photography work alongside interviewing people.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you my whole CV here, so skipping forward some years, we get to January 2023, when I launched my own brand photography and storytelling business for founders, creatives and change makers, which has been and continues to be, a massive learning curve for me.
Helping to shape and share other people’s stories had been my bread and butter for almost two decades. But obviously to market my own business I had to start showing up and sharing my own personal brand stories – and it actually came as a real shock to me when I realized that sharing my own stories brought a whole new set of challenges I hadn’t anticipated – and I learnt that imposter syndrome really was a thing. All this to say, if telling your personal brand stories is something you feel a bit uncomfortable about – believe me I get it, I’ve been there and I’m kind of still there!
So, in a nutshell I created Uncover Your Story as a place where we can learn from each other and inspire each other to tell our stories with confidence, in a way which brings about positive change in our societies and our world.
You’ll hear occasional solo episodes where I share actionable tips, insights, strategies and gentle encouragement, as well as many conversations with brilliant guests who are using their stories to grow their impact and reach the people they’re here to serve. At the end of each episode, I’ll share my biggest take aways for sharing your stories for greater impact.
We’ll talk about the real communication challenges — like fear of visibility, how to structure your story for impact, how to decide what stories you want to share, what foundations you need to have in place to grow your brand through storytelling, and how to overcome challenges such as overthinking, comparison, and perfectionism — and I’ll give you the tools to start sharing your message with more ease, authenticity and confidence.
So today, I want to give you a little taster of how we’re going to start building our communications toolkit. One of the things I talk about — whether it’s with my clients, or guests here on the podcast — is that storytelling doesn’t have to be long or dramatic to be effective.
Some of the most powerful brand stories are short. They're micro-stories — a moment, a shift, a feeling.
One of the most famous brands in the world has built a storytelling empire around just three words. And I’m sure you know exactly which brand I’m talking about when I say: Just Do It.
It’s a tagline, yes — but it’s also a story. It speaks to a turning point. A decision. A choice to act in spite of fear, discomfort, or uncertainty.
And when you see a Nike ad — whether it’s Serena Williams, a teenage runner in the rain, or a mother lacing up her trainers at 5am — that short phrase meets each of them in their moment of shift. The message is clear: this is about courage. It’s about moving. It’s about you.
That’s the power of framing small stories well. You don’t need a long narrative to move someone — you just need to understand what matters to them, and what moment they might be standing in right now.
So I want to give you a quick example to bring this to life for your own work — especially if you're a coach or a service provider.
Let’s say you help women build confidence in public speaking. You could say:
“I help women overcome their fear of speaking up and leading at work, so they can land that promotion.”
It’s fine. It’s accurate. But it’s not going to stir much in someone’s heart.
Now here’s how a micro-story can do that instead:
“I used to have palpitations every time I had to speak in a meeting and my voice would shake. I know how it can hold you back. I also know, it doesn’t have to be that way. When we work together, you will uncover your voice rooted in purpose, not fear. And then you will speak not only with a steady voice, but with a voice that leads.”
That’s it. Just a few lines. But what it does – and this is one of the key superpowers of storytelling, is it shows, rather than tells. We can see the shift and feel the emotional truth ourselves, rather than just having to accept what we are told.
So if you’re building a brand and feel stuck on what story to tell — start small.
Tell the moment. Let it breathe. And trust that even the tiniest story can land with someone exactly when they need it most.
Because here’s what I believe:
Your voice deserves to be heard.
Your story has worth and can make a difference.
The more diversity of voices, especially women’s voices, that we hear – the better for our planet and the next generation.
And you don’t have to be loud or polished or perfect — just honest and connected to who you are and what matters to you.
I’ve got an amazing line up of women for you this first season – and I absolutely loved our talks which were wide-ranging and cover; creating more diverse and inclusive cultures and communities, body image, nutrition and wellness, finding your soul’s destiny, raising children with self-worth, being menopausal and sexy and more! And we look at all these fascinating issues through the lens of storytelling – and how we use stories to effect change.
So if you’re ready to build a brand that reflects your heart, your values, and your vision for a better world — you're in the right place.
Take a breath. Let’s begin.
Okay, if you’re keen to get going on your storytelling journey – make sure you get your hands on my free guide to Grow Your Brand through soulful stories, it’s a 16-page guide where I share my five steps for sharing your stories with greater joy and confidence. Just go to sarahoughton.co.uk/stories to get the guide, I’ll include the link in the show notes.
Also, if you want to say hello on social, Instagram is my main hang out – you can find me @sarahoughtonphotos – I’d love to hear from you, and find out about what you do and what your storytelling challenges are. If you want to take a photo of this episode to share in your stories that would be fabulous.
And finally, if you’ve enjoyed this intro episode, I would be thrilled if you could leave me a 5-star review – I really would love this podcast to reach the ears of as many as possible who would find it helpful and for that to happen I need your help to get ranked in podcast charts.
Thank you so much for being here, I so appreciate your time and presence. Next up I’ll be talking to my first guest – the wonderful Esther Amira-Opie from Nutrition, Wellness, Lifestyle. She shares some real gems, so please – come join us!
Until then, remember: Uncover your story. Own it. Share it. And shine.