31B Studio Session · A Parks Collective Production
Your Story Is Your Strategy
Workshop Workbook
Facilitator Shonda "Tropikana" Hatch Presented by The Parks Collective Agency Date Tuesday, March 24, 2026 Location AACC Office · 2303 Gilbert Ave & Virtual
✦ Start
S Real
T Tell
O Own
R Run
Y You
↓ Guide
✉ Connect
Welcome
0 of 5
Presented by
Shonda "Tropikana" Hatch
Storyteller · Strategist · Founder, The Parks Collective Agency
For more than 25 years, Tropikana has been the voice communities trust. Starting as a teenage prodigy on the airwaves of Oklahoma and building a career that reached over one million daily listeners across the South and Midwest, her platform became a trusted home where culture, conversation, and community lived together.
Through The Parks Collective Agency, she partners with institutions including Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Christ Hospital, Cincinnati Public Schools, the Ohio Department of Education, the American Heart Association, the Center for Closing the Health Gap, and Fifth Third Bank to move powerful narratives into real opportunity. Brand ambassador for Ford, BET, T-Mobile, and Mercedes Benz.
Recognized by the cities of Cincinnati and St. Louis with official proclamations. Named to Who's Who of Black Cleveland, Who's Who of Black Louisville, and Who's Who of Black Cincinnati — Leaders on the Rise. Multiple award winner for Best Radio Personality and Best Event Host in Ohio. She is not here to lecture. She is here to remind you that your story already has everything it needs.
You are in the right room. You already have what you need.
This is your interactive workshop workbook for Your Story Is Your Strategy with Tropikana. Use it on your phone, tablet, or laptop — whether you are in the room at the AACC Office or joining us virtually.
As we move through each letter of the S.T.O.R.Y. Framework, you will find the teaching, real industry examples, a hands-on workbook section to fill in live, and an interactive moment to share with the room. By the time we reach Y, you will have built your complete brand story from scratch.
Your work saves automatically as you type — so if your phone dies or your browser closes, come back to this URL on the same device and everything will be right where you left it. When you reach the Guide tab at the end, your complete brand story will be waiting for you to save or print.
Share your story: @IamTropikana · #YourStoryIsYourStrategy
S
Say Something Real
Start with truth — your real why
Module 1 of 5
Reminder: Auto-saving as you type. Come back to this URL on this device anytime to pick up where you left off. Tap Guide when done to save as PDF.
The Teaching
Most business owners lead with what they sell. But the industry has known for decades this is backwards. Before anyone buys from you, they need to feel why you exist, beyond making money. Simon Sinek built one of the most-watched TED Talks of all time, 43 million views, on one idea: people do not buy what you do. They buy why you do it. Nike does not sell shoes. They sell the belief that if you have a body, you are an athlete. Dove does not sell soap. They sell a woman's right to see herself as beautiful.
"People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it."
Simon Sinek — Start With Why
Industry Proof
Simon Sinek — Start With WhyDonald Miller — StoryBrandDove Real Beauty — 20+ years
Brands built on WHY, not what:
Nike — sells beliefDove — sells self-worthApple — sells identityPatagonia — sells a cause
Tropikana Story Moment
My why has always been purpose. From day one in radio, my purpose was to uplift, encourage, and educate my listeners. That is when I realized I was not just a personality. I was a storyteller. And storytelling is about narrative control and influence. Every sector uses it: politics, healthcare, education, business. When I understood that, everything shifted. Now I help people see and own their own narrative and communicate it so it lands. That is the art of storytelling. To be a bridge to understanding.
Your Turn — Belief First Formula
The Formula
We believe [truth]. We saw [problem]. So we created [solution] for [who].
We believe
We saw
So we created
For
Now say it in your own words
Interactive Moment
"I started my business because I genuinely believe that ___"
Finish that sentence out loud to someone near you, or submit it below if you are virtual. Do not overthink it. The first thing that comes out is usually the truest thing.
Received. Tropikana may read yours live.
Your Action Step
Write your WHY in one sentence this week.
Not what you do. Why it matters to someone else. This goes on your bio, your website, and your next post.
T — Tell It Their Way →
T
Tell It Their Way
Your identity, voice, and experiences are your tools
Module 2 of 5
The Teaching
Once you know your why, you have to translate it into language your customer actually feels. Not industry language. Not jargon. Theirs. Authenticity is not a strategy. It is a force. People can tell every single time when something is not your natural voice, your natural idea, your natural choice. The most powerful marketing tool you have is you: your identity, your experiences, your perspective. Nobody can copy that. When you water those things down to sound professional, you lose the only thing that makes you impossible to compete with.
"If you confuse, you lose. Clarity about what you offer and why it matters is everything."
Donald Miller — Building a StoryBrand
Tropikana Story Moment
This is how I made the most money in my radio career: endorsement marketing. Because when I talked about something on air, people knew it was really me. It was not a script. It was my voice, my experience, my recommendation. That authenticity moved people to action every single time. Your identity, your voice, your experiences are not liabilities. They are your most valuable business tools. The moment you water them down to sound more professional is the moment you lose the one thing that makes you impossible to compete with.
Your Brand Voice — Position + Personality + Presence
Position + Personality + Presence = Your Voice
Position
Your lane
e.g. "The go-to for small business branding"
Personality
How you show up
e.g. "Bold, warm, direct"
Presence
How they feel
e.g. "Seen, equipped, confident"
My brand voice in one sentence
Interactive Moment
"Say what your business does in one sentence. No buzzwords."
No "solutions." No "services." No "holistic approach." Say it like you are texting a friend who just asked what you do. Submit below or say it out loud. We are going to hear a few and see whose lands first.
Received. Tropikana may read yours live.
Your Action Step
Rewrite your bio in plain human language.
Read it out loud. If it sounds like a brochure, rewrite it until it sounds like you talking to someone you actually like. Your voice is the brand. Protect it.
← S
O — Own Your Voice →
O
Own Your Voice
One message, everywhere
Module 3 of 5
The Teaching
This is where most small business owners fall apart. Not because they do not have a great message, but because they say something different every time. Think about dating. You would not trust someone who showed up completely different every time you saw them. Your customers feel the same way. You want them married to your brand: bragging about you when you are not even in the room. Apple has been Apple since the big computers in the 80s. The recipe has not changed. And that is exactly why we trust it.
"A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that account for a consumer's decision."
Seth Godin
Tropikana Story Moment
Think about your favorite artist, your favorite brand, your favorite product. They do not change the recipe. And when they do, you notice immediately. You can feel when something is off. Your customers have that same radar for your brand. When you show up the same way every time, same voice, same values, same energy, you become something people can depend on. And dependable brands are the ones people brag about when you are not in the room.
The 5 Non-Negotiables — Your Consistency Checklist
Strong brands are clear on what they believe, consistent in how they show up, and intentional about how they make people feel.
Belief — what you stand on
Aesthetic — how it looks
Voice — how it sounds
Experience — how it feels
Standard — what you allow
Interactive Moment — Brand Audit
"Pull up your Instagram or website right now. Does it sound like the same person?"
Rate yourself 1 to 5. Drop it in the chat or submit below.
1 = sounds like three different people · 5 = completely consistent, unmistakably me
Received. Tropikana may read yours live.
Your Action Step
Pick ONE platform. Write 3 sentences about how you want to sound there.
Post something this week using those 3 sentences as your guide. Not a content calendar. A commitment to your own voice.
← T
R — Run With It →
R
Run With It
Showing up consistently builds trust no budget can buy
Module 4 of 5
The Teaching
The brands you trust most were not built on a viral moment. They were built on showing up before anyone was watching. Consistency is not glamorous. It does not feel like strategy when you are in it. But it is the most powerful brand-building tool that exists, because trust is not built in a moment. It is built in the repetition. Every time you show up as yourself, you make a deposit in the trust account your audience holds for you. One day that account is full, and the doors that open do not need an explanation.
"You don't build a brand in a day. You build it every day."
Gary Vaynerchuk
Tropikana Story Moment
Cincinnati is my proof of this. When I got here, I told my GM something honest: I did not want to just go to the club. I wanted to talk about how to access housing, healthcare, careers, education, and community resources. I chose community empowerment over entertainment, and I showed up that way every single day for 7 years. What I built in that time was something no radio station could manufacture or take away. After 7 years of showing up that way, I walked away with something far more valuable than a title: a brand people trusted because of who I was, not where I was broadcasting from. Off air and boots on the ground, that consistency turned into real trust with the political sector, the health sector, and the education sector. Without a powerhouse brand behind me, my consistency alone built something people believe in. That is what running with it does for you.
Your Consistency Plan
Platform
Frequency
My message
My commitment statement
Interactive Moment
"What is ONE place you can show up consistently, not perfectly, starting this week?"
Not five platforms. One. What is it and how often can you honestly commit? Submit below. We are holding each other accountable right now in this room.
Received. Tropikana may read yours live.
Your Action Step
Write down your platform and your frequency right now.
That is your consistency plan. Not a content calendar. A commitment. The hardest part is starting. You already started. You showed up today.
← O
Y — You Already Have It →
Y
You Already Have It
Your story is the strategy
Module 5 of 5
The Teaching
Sit in this for a second. Everything we just walked through: the why, the voice, the message, the consistency. You did not learn this today. You have been doing pieces of it all along. The reason you started your business. The way you naturally talk to your customers. The thing people always say about you without being asked. That is already your story. You did not come in here missing something. You came here needing someone to name what was already there. When you had the dream, the idea, the product, the calling, that was the moment. You saw a problem. You knew who needed it. You built it. Now the only thing left is to communicate that part clearly. And they will come.
"If you build it, they will come."
Field of Dreams — and honestly, your business plan
Tropikana Story Moment
I built The Parks Collective Agency not from a business plan. I built it from a belief. A belief that storytelling changes outcomes. That narrative is power. That the communities I grew up serving deserved someone who understood their story and could help them tell it with authority. I did not wait until I had the perfect platform, the perfect funding, or the perfect team. I ran with what I had: my story, my voice, my consistency. And the doors that opened did not come from a marketing campaign. They came from people who trusted the brand I had been building quietly, every single day, for years. You have that too. You just needed someone to hold up the mirror.
Put It All Together — Your Complete Brand Story
We believe [your truth]. We saw [the problem]. So we created [your solution] for [your who]. We show up as [position + personality] so that our people feel [presence].
Your Social Post Template
YB
Your Brand
@yourhandle
Hook
Your story
The bridge
Call to action
Live preview
Your post will appear here as you type...
The Share Moment
"Write one sentence that is true about why you do what you do. Not for your marketing. For you."
This is your north star. The sentence you come back to on the hard days. When you are ready, submit it below. Tropikana will read a few live. Let us close this room with your stories.
Beautiful. Tropikana has your story.
Your Action Step
You now have the S.T.O.R.Y. framework.
This week: use your brand story to post one piece of content. Lead with your why. Watch what happens when story becomes strategy. You already had it. You just needed someone to call it out.
← R
Take-Home Guide →
31B Studio Session · The Parks Collective Agency
Your Take-Home Guide
Everything you need to keep building after today
Built by you, today
Your Brand Story
This is your version of the S.T.O.R.Y. Framework — built from your story, your voice, and your truth. It belongs to you. Take it with you.
Your answers will appear here as you complete each module. Work through S through Y then come back to see your full brand story ready to save.
The S.T.O.R.Y. Framework
S
Say something real
Start with truth. People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it.
T
Tell it their way
Your identity, voice, and experiences are your tools. Authenticity moves people every time.
O
Own your voice
One message, everywhere. Get them married to your brand.
R
Run with it
Showing up consistently builds trust no budget can buy.
Y
You already have it
When you had the dream, that was all you needed. If you build it, they will come.
Belief First — Brand Story Formula
We believe [truth]. We saw [problem]. So we created [solution] for [who].
Strong brands are clear on what they believe, consistent in how they show up, and intentional about how they make people feel.
Brand Voice Formula — Position + Personality + Presence
Position
Your lane. What you are known for.
Personality
How you show up. Your energy and style.
Presence
How people feel. The emotional outcome.
Position + Personality + Presence = Your Voice
The 5 Non-Negotiables of Consistency
1
Belief
What you stand on. Your non-negotiable truth.
2
Aesthetic
How it looks. Your visual identity, every time.
3
Voice
How it sounds. Your tone, your language, your energy.
4
Experience
How it feels. What people walk away with every time.
5
Standard
What you allow. The line you never cross.
Social Post Template
Hook — start with a truth, question, or bold statement Story — one sentence from your why Bridge — how it connects to who you serve Call to action — what you want them to do or feel
Use this structure every time you post. The formula is the foundation. Your story makes it yours.
What happens next
Ready to take this further?
The Parks Collective Agency works with organizations, institutions, and emerging leaders to build narrative strategies, workforce programs, and cultural engagement systems that move people to action. If something in today's session sparked an idea for your organization or your team, let's talk.
