The Next Level Leader w/ Kae Wagner

From Farm Girl to Bestselling Author: Kae Wagner on Turning Your Story Into a Book, a Brand, and a Business

What if the book sitting in your head could become your most powerful business card? Author and publishing strategist Kae Wagner joins Jon Harris to reveal why every leader has a story worth telling, the neuroscience of why storytelling sells, and how to turn your hardest chapters into your most valuable ones.

Kae Wagner is the founder of North Star Marketing and an author of multiple nonfiction and fiction books, including The 10 Power Principles of Marketing and The CEO's Little Black Book on Branding. She now runs an agency helping executives, coaches, and subject matter experts write, publish, and market books that build their personal brand and business.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why self-published books became Kae's ticket to speaking stages and millions in sales

The real reason most people wrongly believe only celebrities and executives can write books

The neuroscience of storytelling: why the brain relaxes and remembers better through story

How business fables turn frameworks into character-driven, memorable lessons

The framework for finding your story: inciting incident, crisis, and transformation

Why vulnerability and authenticity are the foundation of a strong personal brand

How giving books away, not selling them, drives the real business value

What the Bold Authors Network offers writers of every genre

Keywords: book publishing, self-publishing, personal branding, storytelling, business fables, nonfiction writing, ghostwriting, author platform, thought leadership, book marketing, Bold Authors Network, North Star Marketing, vulnerability, authenticity

Connect with Kae Wagner: North Star Marketing and the Bold Authors Network

Hosted by Jon Harris on The Next Level Leader Podcast, bringing you practical tools and methodologies from top leadership voices to help you take your leadership to the next level.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and introducing author Kae Wagner

01:32 Kae's background: from farm girl writing contest to entrepreneur

03:18 Founding North Star Marketing and writing The 10 Power Principles of Marketing

04:21 The CEO's Little Black Book on Branding and the power of a book to open doors

05:40 Self-publishing strategy: using books to build a network and land clients

06:31 Pivoting into fiction: the story that would not leave her alone

08:06 The myth that only celebrities and executives get to write books

09:11 The power of storytelling and why every story matters

11:47 Fiction vs. nonfiction: story is still rooted in truth

13:00 Jon's story: falling back in love with reading through The Da Vinci Code

16:34 The neuroscience of storytelling and why the brain craves story

19:04 Business fables: turning frameworks into character-driven stories

21:45 Working with Julian on Crash and Burn Learn and finding the real plot twists

26:13 10 Things I Learned From the Billionaire: transformation without crisis

29:00 Jon's crucible moment: rock bottom, sobriety, and rebuilding his life

34:05 Owning your story: turning shame into part of your brand

40:07 Vulnerability, authenticity, and the being vs. doing of personal brand

41:31 Where to find Kae: the Bold Authors Network

42:51 Why giving books away matters more than selling them

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