Click here to listen now: Rewrite Your Story: Intuition, Reinvention & the Power of Narrative on Edge of Excellence
We all live inside stories. Stories about who we are, what we're capable of, and what's "realistic." But what if those stories aren't fixed truths? What if the narrative holding you back is one you have the power to rewrite?
That's the question at the heart of our latest episode of Edge of Excellence, where hosts Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman sit down with Dora Farkas, Ph.D., Director of Business Development at Connex Ecommerce, author, leadership advisor, and entrepreneur, to explore how intuition and storytelling can transform your career, your leadership, and your life.
Dora's background is in science and engineering, which makes her work around intuition all the more compelling. While completing her Ph.D. in Biological Engineering, a process she describes as one of the hardest things she's ever done, Dora hit a wall. Health issues made it difficult to type for long periods, forcing her to step away from her computer and go on walks.
Those walks changed everything.
"When I went on the walks, that's when I had the intuitive insights about how to tie pieces of my dissertation together," she shares. "Places where I felt really stuck, I connected those dots because that part of my brain, the default mode network, started coming up with these ideas."
Rather than viewing her forced breaks as setbacks, Dora discovered they were the very thing that helped her finish. That experience planted the seed for everything she's built since.
One of the most powerful ideas Dora brings to this conversation is deceptively simple: the stories we tell ourselves shape our outcomes more than our circumstances do.
"We tell ourselves, 'I cannot write a book. I'm not capable of going for that job," she says. "And most of the time, those stories are not true."
But Dora is careful to point out that the alternative isn't empty affirmation. The new story you tell yourself has to feel believable. During her most difficult days finishing her Ph.D., she didn't tell herself she was going to graduate with flying colors. She told herself: I can go from A to B today. That small, credible shift was enough to change her trajectory, and ultimately led her to finish her dissertation, work in the pharmaceutical industry, write her first book, and build a six-figure consulting business.
"That one little change just put me on a completely different trajectory," she reflects.
One key player is the brain’s Default Mode Network, a network that becomes more active when we step away from focused tasks. During these moments, the brain shifts into a mode that supports reflection, memory integration, and connecting ideas.
This helps explain why insights often arise in the shower, on a walk, or during a run—you’re giving your mind space to make connections that are harder to access when you’re intensely focused.
“It almost feels like I have more hours in the day when I take the time off,” Dora explains, “because I just get more done.”
She also points to the power of creative play; even just 15 minutes of something you enjoy can dislodge a creative block. Dora herself experienced this firsthand while writing her third novel. Feeling completely stuck, she followed her intuition and started painting. By the time she put down the brush, she had the ideas she needed to move forward.
The science backs it up: unstructured time isn't wasted time. It's how we access our most creative, connective thinking.
Dora's work isn't only personal; it's deeply practical for businesses and leaders. When she joined Connex Ecommerce, she helped the company shift its brand narrative from a transactional "data syncing tool" to a compelling human founder story.
The company's CEO, Joe Anderson, had started his business with a $20 investment. Dora recognized that story as powerful and helped him shape it into a book — The $20 SaaS Company — that reframed the brand's mission entirely.
"It really shows that our company has a mission," Dora explains. "It's not just about syncing data. It's about freeing people from the pain of manual data entry."
That shift, she argues, is the difference between a company that blends in and one that stands out, especially in a crowded B2B market where everyone sounds the same. The reason? Our brains are wired for stories. Facts go in one ear and out the other. A story lands because it engages us emotionally, makes us care, and most importantly, makes us remember.
One of the themes of the episode is the relationship between vulnerability and leadership. Dora makes the case that when leaders share personal stories, even small ones, it creates a ripple effect of openness across their teams.
"When you're vulnerable, it helps other people to open up as well," she says. "And when they do that, you realize we're all in the same boat. We all have our insecurities."
That shared recognition, she argues, is one of the most powerful antidotes to imposter syndrome. When leaders model authenticity, it gives permission to everyone else to show up more fully, too. You don't have to overshare to make an impact. Dora's advice is simply to share enough to remind others that you're human.
So what do you do if you're stuck in a story right now? Dora's advice: You don't need a dramatic overhaul. You just need a one-degree shift.
Start by identifying the story. What are you telling yourself? Name it. Then make a small, believable replacement: I can find support when I need it. I can take one step today. I can find the time.
"If you're able to shift your trajectory by just one degree," she says, "then over a long period of time, you're going to be on a completely different path."
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