How To Find Joy in Ordinary Moments with Samatha Reynolds Entrepreneur and Founder of Bentlily

Welcome Brava listeners! In today's episode we celebrate the rhythm of life, the power of storytelling for yourself and a brand, and how to find joy in ordinary moments. To take us on this journey, I am honored to introduce you to Samantha Reynolds.

In today's conversation, you will hear firsthand how Samantha, an entrepreneur and poet, edited and took control of her own story to create a life she loved. Her writing and entrepreneurial spirt led her to launch the Echo Storytelling Agency. A writer at heart and by profession, she launched Bentlily where she challenges herself to write one poem each day in a quest to find more joy in the tedious rhythm of life as a mother and to observe the world around her.

I invite you to join and listen in to our conversation below to hear what Samantha has discovered along the way, her advice for work/ life balance, her inspiration, and more!

SHOW NOTES:

Inspired by her grandmother, Samantha Reynolds made storytelling her career. Now as CEO of Echo Storytelling Agency, Samantha helps others share their stories (5:30.)

Just like people she believes that no two brands have the same story. Stories create a more personalized experience that harvests trust and inspiration to make a more memorable experience for the consumer (8:00.)

Samantha finds that by writing each day that it takes the pressure off her to make any one piece award-winning. This practice keeps her creativity well-lubricated and she knows she always has another chance to improve the next day (12:15.)

A fun practice she recommends is to find a book or dictionary and to select a random word to start a story off. The word may not be in the finished copy but it helps get you inspired (13:15.)

Writers block? Have you heard of “writers ego”? Samantha finds “writers ego”, getting stuck by the feedback you receive from sharing your work with an audience, is even more challenging. She recommends trying not to get too hung up to write a certain way to appeal to that specific audience so that you don’t lose your original voice (14: 10.)

“It’s important to remember why you write and trust that the right people will come if you write from your heart.”

— Samantha Reynolds

During a rather boring event one day Samantha found herself drawn to a lily. Unlike the other lilies this one was bent.  In that moment, Samantha realized that when you slow down and really look you will start to notice the subtle details. Through that experience, Samantha’s pen name was born, “Bent Lilly” (17:50.)

Bentlily is her platform for daily poems about her common everyday life experiences (21:10.)

An early mentor encouraged Samantha that when it comes to work-life balance there is no single perfect matrix but rather to allow your own rhythm to take place (23:40.)

In 2021, Samantha is releasing a poetry manifesto of Bentlily that will be about finding deeper roots and living a happier life (29:15.)

Want to continue following Samantha? Find more of her poetry through Bentlily here.

Are you looking for easy ways to bring more mindfulness and joy into your life? Join Samantha’s #30DaysofNoticing challenge here!

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Thank you readers, to tuning into the Brava Podcast. If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes! 

What from our conversation inspired you today? What do you hope to hear next? Tweet or message us on Instagram @BravaPodcast to tell us what you want to hear, even if it’s your own story!