Discover how to capture attention in just 5 seconds using Hollywood's proven storytelling techniques. Aurora Winter reveals a neuroscience-backed blueprint that transforms how you communicate with clients, investors, and media.
What if you could transform your business introduction from forgettable to unforgettable in just 10 seconds? In this episode of the Two Marketing Moms Podcast, host Kelly Callahan-Poe sits down with Aurora Winter, bestselling author and TV producer, to explore how Hollywood storytelling techniques can revolutionize the way entrepreneurs communicate.
Most entrepreneurs introduce themselves with a predictable formula: "Hi, I'm [name] and I run [type of business]." But Aurora reveals a more powerful approach - start with drama and high stakes. Instead of leading with your credentials, paint a vivid picture of transformation. Show the dramatic problem your clients face and the remarkable results you deliver. Only then do you introduce yourself as the mentor who made it happen.
Aurora breaks down the neuroscience behind memorable messages, explaining how effective communication must engage three levels of the brain: The Croc Brain (Foundation) captures attention with novelty and drama; The Midbrain (Walls) builds trust through social proof and testimonials; The Cerebral Cortex (Roof) delivers the logical details and ROI. Skip the foundation, and your entire message collapses. Most well-educated professionals make the mistake of jumping straight to logic without first grabbing attention.
Don't tiptoe around your client's pain points. Aurora emphasizes the importance of clearly illustrating the "hell before your help" and the "heaven afterwards." This contrast creates urgency and helps prospects understand what's truly at stake - not just for their business, but for their family, their future, and their legacy.
The biggest mistake business owners make? Thinking their message is about them. Aurora reminds us that effective storytelling is always about the client's transformation. Share the authentic hero's journey - complete with struggles and breakthroughs - because there is no compelling story without the struggle.
Key Takeaway: Stop leading with credentials and start leading with drama. Your next introduction could be the one that changes everything.
Kelly Callahan-Poe: If you want to learn how to hook your audience by leveraging Hollywood storytelling, listen in. Welcome to the Two Marketing Moms podcast. Today's episode is called Movie Trailer Mindset with Aurora Winter. Aurora is a bestselling author, TV producer, and serial entrepreneur who helps leaders turn their words into wealth using Hollywood storytelling and neuroscience. Featured on ABC, CBS, and Oprah Radio, she has authored 10 books, including the award-winning book Turn Words into Wealth, which I have read. Welcome, Aurora.
Aurora Winter: It's great to be on the show with you.
Kelly: So you've had this amazing career that's expanded all sorts of industries. How did your experience producing for television inspire you to create the movie trailer mindset?
Aurora: I love the movie trailer mindset and I'm so glad we're going to take a dive into that. You know, I've overseen 250 hours of television programming. I'm an award-winning screenwriter. I raised five million and we went on to make eight films for a company. And then I realized, you know, entrepreneurs, leaders, executives, they're terrible at telling stories. And so I love that we're leaning into the movie trailer mindset because I think we have so much we can learn from the movies that we can apply to everyday business.
Kelly: Absolutely. Well, let's dig a little bit deeper. I'd like to use myself as an example as being an entrepreneur myself. So let's just say if I were to introduce myself to you, I would say, hi, my name is Kelly Callahan-Poe and I host a career acceleration podcast for advertising and marketing professionals called The Two Marketing Moms Podcast. How would the movie trailer mindset transform my introduction to start with drama and action instead of the standard introduction. Can you walk us through that movie trailer mindset blueprint?
Aurora: Honestly, Kelly, that's kind of a normal introduction that most people would give. But what I would rather you say is something more like this. We want to get it down to like 10 seconds and start with visceral and dramatic. So something like if you said three weeks from bankruptcy, one woman made $1.2 million in 72 hours from a single email campaign. That's five seconds. That's the power of the right message at the right time.
That's what I help brands do. Hi, I'm Kelly, blah, blah. So the first 10 seconds, you want to really grab attention and people will listen to your name and the name of your podcast after that, right? So you want to really start with drama, like a movie. Where's the drama? What's at stake? You know, in my example there, one woman on the verge of bankruptcy and then 1.2 million in 72 hours.
Kelly: Love that.
Aurora: Thanks to you, right? In our example here. So, and then we can expand it a little bit, but what we really want to do is hook the attention right from the get-go with high stakes and drama and a visceral result.
Kelly: So you're painting a picture in the mind's eye, the same way they do once upon a time, in a land far away.
Aurora: Yeah, yeah, and you just don't, you don't need to explain your part yet. You're the hero in the story. Your client who's in deep trouble is the main role of the story. And then you introduce yourself a little bit later as the mentor character who helped turn this hellish situation around.
So if we were to expand that to 15 seconds, which is still very, very tight, it would sound something like, you know, you could be introducing yourself. A client was out of money, out of hope, out of options. We changed one thing, the message. That email made 1.2 million in 72 hours and saved her business. That's what I do. I help leaders turn their ideas into influence and income using the same storytelling secrets that I learned from Hollywood. I added the Hollywood bit from me, you know, right? You want to get to the point. And then I can go on and say, hi, I'm Aurora Winter. I'm the founder of SamePage Publishing. I specialize in helping people produce award-winning, bestselling books that launch their business to the next level.
Kelly: So a lot of this is about pain points. In part of your book, you talked about how you don't want to tiptoe around the problem. You want to address your client's pain points. So can you kind of integrate how the pain point is addressed up front and what sort of storytelling framework you use to address the pain point?
Aurora: Yeah, well there's many different blueprints underneath effective communication, but one of the simplest ones that anybody can remember after listening to this is you want to paint a picture of the hell before your help and then the heaven afterwards. And you don't want to get bogged down on the whole bridge in between. Now you also want to be careful to not make your client or prospect feel uncomfortable, but you really want to paint the picture of the pain.
So instead of saying, you, Kelly, are having this problem, you can say, in general, people experiencing this problem. So you want to take the hot seat off them so that you're not feeling like you're telling them, you know, intimate details of their own life that they might say, wait a minute, that's, I'm not on the verge of divorce. But then you don't, so you tiptoe around the people in general or my clients that I help or this particular person I helped. But then you don't want to hesitate when you're explaining the problem. So you help people with their marketing, right? Without the right marketing, I help people with marketing and messaging too. Like without the right marketing and messaging, you can be hemorrhaging, you know, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars every month spending ads on Meta or LinkedIn or whatever you're doing. But without the right message, it's, you know, you could be on the verge of bankruptcy. You could be running out of runway. And then you want to add to that problem, painting a picture of how that is impacting other people? So if you're a business owner and your business has not got effective marketing, you don't have the messaging dialed in, you don't have status because you're not, you know, an award-winning author, you're not a speaker, you're not perceived as an expert. Not only will it impact how difficult it is to enroll clients, but it will also impact, are you going to send your kids to private school?
You know, are you going to take that trip to Greece this summer or are you going to have to, you know, just go camping or whatever, you know, right? So you want to also paint the picture of what this means to other people in your life? And then what does it mean five years from now, 10 years from now? So for example, when we go onto the heaven part of it, once people get their messaging and marketing dialed in, I help people become award winning authors because that helps them with status. And then once people have higher status instead of being perceived as, my God, it's a dreaded salesperson. It's like, really? I get to talk to a bestselling author? The author is talking to me? It changes the dynamic. And then that makes it, some studies say, a hundred times easier to have, to close a conversation if you're a bestselling award winning author perceived as a high status individual as opposed to being perceived as one of many options, in which case it's a downward spiral looking for the lowest price point. Anyway, fast forwarding on the heaven side of that, you build a business, you've got it working, then you're selling it for X times value, you're exiting for several million dollars, and you're set for life. Whereas the hell is the opposite. Right, so you want to not hesitate about really clearly painting the pictures of the hell before they work with you and then the heaven after. And most people forget that not making a decision is also a decision, right? Which is kind of a cool thing to notice.
Kelly: One of the things that you've talked about in your book and in our conversation is this whole idea of the integration of neuroscience and how your brain works and the various aspects of your brain and how they work together when they're trying to hook an audience. Can you talk to us about that?
Aurora: Absolutely. So in the book, Turn Words into Wealth, I go into detail, but to just summarize, there's basically three elements that you need to pay attention to when you're communicating. First, the croc brain, then the midbrain, and then the cerebral cortex. And most well-educated people tend to skip the first two steps, and that's completely wrong. So think of it as building a house. So the croc brain is the foundation. Without the foundation, you cannot put the walls up and you cannot put the roof up.
So the foundation of communication is attention. Without attention, you're just talking, but there's no communication happening. So the croc brain is looking for, is this new? Is this novel? Is this interesting? Is this something I need to pay attention to? Or is this just the same message I've heard everywhere else? This is where we really need to be careful using AI. AI can be fast, but the messages are all going to kind of sound the same. So you want to be cautious about that. But once you've got attention, so that could be the subject line on an email. It could be the title of a book. Turn Words into Wealth. That is croc brain. It's like, what are we talking about? And then these awards on the front cover of the book, that is midbrain. So midbrain is social proof. So you want to have, you know, the testimonials from your clients, your awards, whatever the case may be, your MBA, your PhD, social proof that other people think that you're up to something worthwhile. And that can be done quite quickly, but until you pass those two gatekeepers, people are not really listening. So first attention, then social proof, and then go on to a little bit of your more intellectual point that might be the return on investment. It might be a longer story, might be just adding a bit more, but then you want to circle back around about every five minutes to again hit on the croc brain, what are we talking about? What's in it for me, basically? Then again hit on the social proof and you could do this very quickly. When I worked with Sheila, she was having this problem and you know, we go, she was struggling in this way and then we helped her to do this. You just build it in, just light touches of circling back around what are we talking about? What is the value? Who else thinks this is cool? And then your point.
Kelly: So what is the biggest mistake that you see business owners make when they're trying to tell their story or sell their story?
Aurora: I think the biggest mistake is they think it's about them. Where it's really not about you, the expert, the leader, the entrepreneur. It's what's in it for the listener. So how can you help them with their problems, with their sticky points? Now, my mother, I love my mom. She's passed away now, but she had this great saying, she was very sarcastic, she had many great sayings, but one of them was, beware the comfort zone. There's no growth there. So I think another mistake that we commonly make is we just get in a routine, we're comfortable in a certain zone and we just play there. And that is a big mistake because around us the world is changing so rapidly. So we do need to lean into things that are new, that are a bit uncomfortable because then you can stay on the leading edge instead of the bleeding edge where you're hemorrhaging cash, right? And so a simple thing to do is make a point of collecting the stories, the stories of transformation in your own life, when you face difficulty and how you overcame it, the stories of your clients, how you've helped them with their marketing, with their messaging, what was the result and collect those video testimonials or text testimonials and just make that part of your process. Yes, it might be a little uncomfortable asking somebody for a testimonial, but it's a good habit to get into.
Kelly: You call this the massively transformative purpose, right? MTP? In your book.
Aurora: Yes, yes, yes, exactly. I think that's such a great thing for people to lean into. What stood out to you from reading about the MTP and Turn Words into Wealth?
Kelly: Well, I need my glasses for this. But there were two things. Number one, I love the leadership quiz that you have. That really, I filled it in. You have it in there twice, at the beginning of the book and then at the end, and to help me figure out whether or not I, what is my score on a variety of different elements. And if I have a superpower. So for me, I felt strong on the majority of these things.
Aurora: You've even filled it out.
Kelly: Probably a little weak on daily success habits. And since I'm a team of one, I'm not all about a superstar team right now. But I felt pretty good about what my answers were in here. And then you clarify information about what is the massively transformative purpose later. And you ask some really interesting things that I hadn't thought about, about if this is success or failure of our planet and all of life depended on your actions, what would you do? That blows you away and then, you know, what are 24 things that you're curious about? What are 12 massive problems that you'll like to solve? So I think there's a lot of different ways to tackle this, to really kind of dig in as to what your purposes are and how are you taking that purpose and marketing it and selling it in such a way that it's addressing pain points, right?
Aurora: Exactly. So what did you notice when you made a list of two dozen things that you were curious about?
Kelly: I have a variety of interests and I need to kind of harness them. And sometimes my interests lie outside of my area of expertise, which is why I talk to people like you, for example, on podcasts. This whole podcast for me is all about taking my interests. I love to read. I love to read books on business. I love to read every self-help book out there. I love to read. It's anything on motivation and mindset for me. That's fascinating. So, being able to connect with other people to learn those aspects, not just by reading, but by hearing directly from the authors is really important to me.
Aurora: So it sounds like you have a superpower around learning. It's probably one of your Clifton strengths. I love doing this massively transformative purpose exercise with my clients. So for example, with me, like I noticed after I got my MBA in 2015, I'm like, I could do anything. I could live anywhere. What do I really want to do? And how could I make a big difference in the world?
Kelly: Yes, and curiosity.
Aurora: You know, just one person, but I really am inspired by Buckminster Fuller and his whole approach. Like how could one person make a difference? And he certainly did make a big difference. Well, when I made a list of the 24 things that I was curious about, I noticed like, I'm curious about screenplays and I'm curious about Ted talks and I'm curious about books and I'm curious about video and I'm curious about how we can use AI and Sora to make, you know, compelling video. I just have 24 things, probably 19, were all around communication, neuroscience, leadership, publishing. I'm like, I really need to be in that, you know, in that category, because that's very interesting to me. And so then once I realized that is where my passion lies, because, you know, business is hard, life is hard.
But if you're at least really curious in that area, it'll keep you going through those tough times. And then I thought, okay, I'd like to ask three questions to myself or others whenever they're pivoting. So what are you really, really good at? What do you still love to do? So those curiosities are gonna be things that you love to do. And who is that worth the most to?
So for me, with my background in film and television, with my background launching three different seven figure businesses in different industries, with the 10 books that I've written and the 30 screenplays that I've written, who is that worth the most to? It was quiet, and that would also give me joy that I also have 10,000 hours doing, helping leaders, experts and entrepreneurs create compelling messages for their Ted Talk or their book or their videos is like right down the sweet spot for me.
The other area that I'm curious about and I love is neuroscience, but I love digging out the gold in somebody's story and helping them articulate that. And then I love seeing that either turned into a video or a Ted talk or a pitch to raise capital or a book or all of the above. And that's amazing. And the other thing my team and I are doing now since Sora 2 came out in October last month, October, 2025, AI tools have revolutionized the cost of creating really compelling videos. So I have two YouTube channels, Strategic Basics, which is from business breakthroughs, from breaking news to business breakthroughs. But I also have an animated one for my fantasy series called Anna's Zest series. Yeah, so check that out. And we just launched it. And the first video has a 12% click through rate, which is unheard of in cold traffic.
Kelly: We need to check that out.
Aurora: And to do that kind of video with animated characters talking, with music, with everything, I mean, you kind of need a Hollywood budget, needed a Hollywood budget, but nowadays, my team can create that kind of compelling video. And we're also doing that for business leaders and experts making videos. Because you need to be top of mind, whether you've got a podcast or a weekly YouTube show or something.
And then I think people are also well-served to have a legacy piece of content.
Kelly: Absolutely, and pretty much every expert I've talked to in the last several months has mentioned writing a book, so clearly it's something that I need to do.
Aurora: Well, I'd love to help you with that. What would you write a book about?
Kelly: I definitely will be contacting you.
Career acceleration. So how can I take my story of my career in advertising and marketing for 35 years and give young professionals guidance that I didn't get back in the day? Tips and insights and tricks to help them grow their careers and not make them the same mistakes.
Aurora: That sounds like a great book. Very clear.
Kelly: So I just, you know, I have enough on the podcast of content. So it's a matter of putting that together in a book format.
Aurora: Sometimes it's easier just to start afresh rather than digging back into all of your podcast content because one of the things, when you're doing a podcast, you're shining the light on your guests, whereas I think your book should shine a light on you and then be supplemented by other experts. But it should mostly be Kelly's story. So how do I help people create books as I interview them? First we create a strategic plan for your book and what would you like it to achieve, how would you like it to change the world and how would you like it to change your income and your influence? And then say we have 10 chapters in this book idea. I interview you, each chapter is like a podcast episode. And then we have the rough outline for a book. It needs to be polished up and you can add more embellishments, but it's a fun, fast way to make a book.
Kelly: I am intrigued, let me tell you. The other of my 24 things that I'm interested in is this idea of transformation. I love interior design and home design. So any show where they start a project and it's a mess and turn it and clean it up in the end, it's a beautiful home. It's the same thing with marketing and advertising. You take a brand that is kind of blah and you come up with a new logo and a new look and feel, and I love that transformation. So transformation to me is a huge part of this pie.
Aurora: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
Kelly: I'll figure out how to bring that in. So are there any final tips that you have in terms of the movie trailer mindset that you want to share?
Aurora: I just would love for people to lean into that. You can watch movie trailers on YouTube. Just lean into watching things that are just a couple of minutes long or even a few seconds long and just really notice, did it trigger some emotion in me? Do I know what's at stake? And how could I use the structure to talk about what I do? And then I really invite and encourage people instead of, you know, pulling out the same message you've given a hundred times that's in your comfort zone, playing with your message. Look at a movie trailer, you know, from F1 or a good example is the recent Tom Cruise movie. I was, you know, I did a whole thing about it on the Strategic Basics channel, but when he was promoting that movie, he didn't talk about the movie. He talked about hanging off the plane and not having to have hand signals to tell the pilot, I can't move right now because the G-Force is too extreme. And that was so compelling because he's a 62 year old actor with his life on the line. He could have had a stunt double, he could have had CGI, but this is something that we as entrepreneurs and leaders and experts can lean into. We tend to not share the story of when our life was on the line, not share, wait a minute, I can't even move right now because the G-force is too strong, whatever your version of that is happening in your business. We tend to just want to show the polished end product and we are missing about 20 times the attention and interest if we were willing instead to show the hero's journey. There is no hero's journey if there's no struggle. It's the struggle that makes the hero's journey.
Try it on. Be willing to share the hero's journey of when you struggled and how hard you struggled. And then what was your breakthrough moment for yourself or the stories of your clients that you're helping? People will then ask you, what is it that you do anyway? Because I'm really, you know, I feel I trust you. I'm curious about what Kelly's doing. If you are willing to share the authentic story of struggle. Yeah.
Kelly: Well, I have a lot on my to-do list, clearly, and I have a lot of opportunities to experiment with my upcoming podcast. So I hope to integrate some of your movie trailer mindset concepts into my next podcast. So hopefully I'll have stuff to share later. So I really appreciate you sharing your insights today, Aurora.
Aurora: It was fun, Kelly. Thanks for having me on.
Kelly: You can find Aurora's information on our website, twomarketingmoms.com. Don't forget to listen and watch and share, like and share, and thanks for joining. Take care.
