storytelling

I specialize in storytelling: online, onstage and on the printed page. Strategic storytelling is a powerful way to convey a message, and I do it effectively in any medium.

I use storytelling as a tool to educate and engage, strategically wrapping facts and data in personal stories that bring them to life, generate empathy and make a lasting impact. I’m honored that people feel comfortable telling me their personal stories, like those I’ve shared in my series on the lives of transgender people and the positive impact of the Affordable Care Act. I frequently tell the stories of people who are visually impaired, and those who work with them, for American Foundation for the Blind and American Printing House for the Blind.

I also advise organizations on storytelling strategies and present workshops to nonprofits including FHI 360 on practical applications of storytelling to improve communication, messaging and issue advocacy. Other workshops I’ve delivered guide individuals in using storytelling to personally advocate for their issues, such as those I’ve presented to the Michigan Nurses Association and ACLU of Michigan’s Transgender Advocacy Project. In addition, I have been a guest speaker on storytelling for university courses on communication.

In addition, I offer individual speaker coaching to help others tell stories about their work and lives. I’m proud to have led the speaker coaching team for the annual frank gathering hosted by the Center for Public Interest Communications at the University of Florida for many years.

My decades of experience performing in and directing live theatre prepared me well to be a speaker coach and a polished public speaker. Just ask anyone who saw my IGNITE talk at the 2014 Netroots Nation conference, where I used Obamacare success stories to demonstrate the value of healthcare reform. I also had the honor of delivering a talk on using moral emotions in communications at frank 2020, to open the speaker block for which I was curator and a speaker coach. (You can find more of my speaking engagements on my YouTube channel.)

I’m comfortable talking about any topic, too. My on-camera experience includes moderating TEDMED Great Challenges panels. I’ve also been a guest on many radio shows including the nationally syndicated ‘To the Point.’