
Hannah Heinzekehr and Madalyn Metzger. Photo by Brian A. Yoder Schlabach, Everence.
As young people enter professional and leadership roles, they are often navigating high expectations around performance, achievement and identity – all while still figuring out who they are.
Drawing from their own experiences in spaces of denominational and faith-based nonprofit leadership, Madalyn Metzger, Chief Marketing Officer at Everence®, and Hannah Heinzekehr, Senior Director for Strategic Communications in the Office of the President at University of Notre Dame, shared anecdotes and practical tips for how young people can tell their story authentically and build meaningful connections.
Their presentation, “What’s your thing? How to talk about yourself without feeling weird,” on Thursday, July 10, at MC USA’s Follow Jesus ’25 national convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, highlighted tools youth can use to feel more confident and authentic when they talk about themselves.
The workshop was less about learning to craft a sales pitch, and more about connecting their values, interests and emerging callings to speak from a place of clarity and purpose.
Getting to talk with young people who are just beginning to explore who they are and are eager to contribute to the world is meaningful work, Metzger said, adding that she hoped the workshop gave participants the space to think, and in the future, take a different approach when being asked to stand out.
“I care a lot about helping people name what matters to them – and learn how to talk about it and live into it in ways that feel honest and empowering,” she said. “That shows up in my professional life in everything from branding to ministry to mentoring.”
Bringing different but complimentary perspectives, Metzger and Heinzekehr shared lessons learned from their own career journeys and led interactive exercises in which they shared some tools to help them start working on their story. Metzger emphasized, however, that you don’t have to have it all figured out to tell your story.
“If they can identify what excites them, what values matter most, and where they feel drawn, they already have a solid foundation,” she said. “The ability to share that story with others is a skill – but it’s also an act of courage and connection.”
Written by Sharon Hernandez for Everence.