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About this Episode:

In this episode, Ria Story, Motivational Leadership Speaker, shares her incredible story of surviving and overcoming an abusive background to succeed despite the odds. She shares how, by being determined to thrive and empower others to do the same, she quickly went beyond mere survival and embraced leadership as a calling. You do not want to miss the valuable perspective Ria shares on resilience and authenticity, and how they are both essential elements to being an effective, empowering leader.

Like many, Ria faced adversity in life. Raised on an isolated farm in Alabama, she was sexually abused by her father from age 12 – 19. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma. Ria learned to be resilient, not only surviving, but thriving. She worked her way through college, earning her MBA with a cumulative 4.0 GPA, and had a successful career in the corporate world of administrative healthcare. 

Ria’s background includes more than 10 years in administrative healthcare with several years in management including Director of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs for a large healthcare organization. Ria’s responsibilities included oversight of thousands of organizational policies, organizational compliance with all State and Federal regulations, and responsibility for several million dollars in Medicare appeals. 

Ria has a passion for health and wellness and is a certified group fitness instructor. She has completed several marathons and half-marathons and won both the Alabama and Georgia Women’s State Mountain Biking Championships in 2011 and 2012.

Today, Ria is a motivational leadership speaker and author of 9 books. Ria was selected three times to speak on stage at International John Maxwell Certification Events. Motivational speaker Les Brown also invited Ria to share the stage with him in Los Angeles, CA. Ria and her husband, Mack Story, co-founded Top Story Leadership which offers motivational speaking, leadership training, coaching, and consulting.

Guest Links:

Connect with Ria on the following social media platforms:
Facebook: @ria.story
LinkedIn:  riastory

Resources related to this episode:

• Visit Ria's website, as well as the Top Story Leadership website, to learn more about Ria and Mack Story, their speaking and training offerings, and their books.

• A previous episode in which I talk to Ria's husband and fellow leadership expert, Mack Story.

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