Shows
Storytelling SchoolWhy Storytelling Mastery Lives in the MiddleI am standing on a court in Santa Barbara, and it's my very first pickleball lesson. I arrived early and I'm already warmed up, focused and ready to do everything exactly right. In fact, even before booking this lesson, I researched every single coach in town. I landed on Richard Pastoria because he's the real deal: a professional coach for over 25 years, the resident pickleball pro at the Valley Club of Montecito, and - not only that - he also has a military background. That combination of structure and discipline and high standards speaks to me because I've been...
2025-07-1614 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Storytelling Mastery Lives in the MiddleI am standing on a court in Santa Barbara, and it's my very first pickleball lesson. I arrived early and I'm already warmed up, focused and ready to do everything exactly right. In fact, even before booking this lesson, I researched every single coach in town. I landed on Richard Pastoria because he's the real deal: a professional coach for over 25 years, the resident pickleball pro at the Valley Club of Montecito, and - not only that - he also has a military background. That combination of structure and discipline and high standards speaks to me because I've been...
2025-07-1614 minStorytelling SchoolHow Great Speakers Rehearse (It's Not What You Think)I'm on a Zoom call with one of my private clients. She is a powerhouse executive and is preparing for a TED-style keynote. Her ideas are solid, and her story is incredible; it's emotional, has high stakes and everything you would want in an opening story. And the rest of her Talk? That's epic as well. Plus, she's done the work and is ready to go. We start rehearsing and everything… falls flat. Her delivery is kind of robotic, and there's no energy in her voice. Even the transitions between her story and her insights kin...
2025-07-1018 minStorytelling SchoolHow Great Speakers Rehearse (It's Not What You Think)I'm on a Zoom call with one of my private clients. She is a powerhouse executive and is preparing for a TED-style keynote. Her ideas are solid, and her story is incredible; it's emotional, has high stakes and everything you would want in an opening story. And the rest of her Talk? That's epic as well. Plus, she's done the work and is ready to go. We start rehearsing and everything… falls flat. Her delivery is kind of robotic, and there's no energy in her voice. Even the transitions between her story and her insights kin...
2025-07-1018 minStorytelling SchoolThe Callback Strategy Every Speaker Should KnowI'm working with my client on a TEDx Talk. In her opening story, she shares a vivid moment from her childhood: She is standing on a stranger's doorstep, completely nervous and uncertain if anyone is going to answer at all. It's a small detail yet it's emotionally powerful and completely gripping. After the story, we go ahead and develop the rest of the Talk. And as a whole, her Talk is strong. It's structured and meaningful… except when we get to the end. Something is missing. Her idea and her content are clear, but there isn't really an...
2025-07-0212 minStorytelling SchoolThe Callback Strategy Every Speaker Should KnowI'm working with my client on a TEDx Talk. In her opening story, she shares a vivid moment from her childhood: She is standing on a stranger's doorstep, completely nervous and uncertain if anyone is going to answer at all. It's a small detail yet it's emotionally powerful and completely gripping. After the story, we go ahead and develop the rest of the Talk. And as a whole, her Talk is strong. It's structured and meaningful… except when we get to the end. Something is missing. Her idea and her content are clear, but there isn't really an...
2025-07-0212 minStorytelling SchoolWhat Knife Fighting Taught Me About StorytellingI am standing in the dojo, drenched in sweat. We're in the middle of a dynamic circle knife drill, and I'm surrounded by fellow black belts, each armed with metal training knives and ready to attack in a simulation of real-life danger - fast, chaotic, and unrelenting. At first, I hold my own, fueled by adrenaline and a strong desire to prove that I can hang with the best. I move quickly, using flashy moves and relying on sheer speed, but as the drill speeds up, my technique falls apart. I'm rushing transitions, missing critical details, and l...
2025-06-2615 minStorytelling SchoolWhat Knife Fighting Taught Me About StorytellingI am standing in the dojo, drenched in sweat. We're in the middle of a dynamic circle knife drill, and I'm surrounded by fellow black belts, each armed with metal training knives and ready to attack in a simulation of real-life danger - fast, chaotic, and unrelenting. At first, I hold my own, fueled by adrenaline and a strong desire to prove that I can hang with the best. I move quickly, using flashy moves and relying on sheer speed, but as the drill speeds up, my technique falls apart. I'm rushing transitions, missing critical details, and l...
2025-06-2615 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Make Numbers Unforgettable Through StoryIt's 2006. I am sitting in the audience at TED surrounded by visionaries, innovators, and thought leaders. The energy in the room is electric and everyone is buzzing with anticipation about who's going to take the stage next and what new insight we'll walk away with. When the next speaker, a Swedish professor specializing in global health and data, is introduced, I brace myself for a dry, academic talk full of statistics and charts. Instead, the speaker starts moving across the stage with visible, infectious enthusiasm, pointing at animated visuals and telling a story through data. Slowly, the...
2025-06-0617 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Make Numbers Unforgettable Through StoryIt's 2006. I am sitting in the audience at TED surrounded by visionaries, innovators, and thought leaders. The energy in the room is electric and everyone is buzzing with anticipation about who's going to take the stage next and what new insight we'll walk away with. When the next speaker, a Swedish professor specializing in global health and data, is introduced, I brace myself for a dry, academic talk full of statistics and charts. Instead, the speaker starts moving across the stage with visible, infectious enthusiasm, pointing at animated visuals and telling a story through data. Slowly, the...
2025-06-0617 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Many Stories Fall Flat in the Final 10 SecondsI am coaching a speaker as she prepares for one of the biggest keynotes of her career. Her story is powerful, full of resilience and triumph. As she runs through her story, I am captivated... until it just... stops. She smiles, says thank you, and that's it. There is no call to action and no invitation. I deliver the news, gently: her ending isn't serving her or the audience. She pushes back because she doesn't want to sound salesy. And while I do definitely understand her concerns, I explain that, while her story hits hard, h...
2025-05-2220 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Many Stories Fall Flat in the Final 10 SecondsI am coaching a speaker as she prepares for one of the biggest keynotes of her career. Her story is powerful, full of resilience and triumph. As she runs through her story, I am captivated... until it just... stops. She smiles, says thank you, and that's it. There is no call to action and no invitation. I deliver the news, gently: her ending isn't serving her or the audience. She pushes back because she doesn't want to sound salesy. And while I do definitely understand her concerns, I explain that, while her story hits hard, h...
2025-05-2220 minStorytelling SchoolHow Naming Your Year Can Change Your Life StoryIt's 2014. As the year draws to a close, all of my friends come up with their New Year's resolutions, ranging from dropping bad habits to losing weight. But while I create my list of resolutions on the eve of the new year, I realize it isn't going to work. Sure, I write them out every year with the best intentions in mind, but I forget some of them by February and even blow by others in January. At the end of the year, when reflecting back, it's the goals I haven't reached that make me feel like...
2024-12-2513 minStorytelling SchoolHow Naming Your Year Can Change Your Life StoryIt's 2014. As the year draws to a close, all of my friends come up with their New Year's resolutions, ranging from dropping bad habits to losing weight. But while I create my list of resolutions on the eve of the new year, I realize it isn't going to work. Sure, I write them out every year with the best intentions in mind, but I forget some of them by February and even blow by others in January. At the end of the year, when reflecting back, it's the goals I haven't reached that make me feel like...
2024-12-2513 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Find Stories Hiding in Plain SightA few years ago, I'm coaching a speaker for her first big keynote. We rehearse endlessly, tweaking every word and gesture. On the day of the event, I'm sitting in the audience feeling a mix of pride and nervousness for her. She walks onto the stage confidently. Just as she starts her opening story, the microphone cuts out, and the room goes silent. All you can hear is the awkward shuffle of the tech team rushing around to fix it. She freezes for a second, and I can see the panic in her eyes. She...
2024-11-2709 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Find Stories Hiding in Plain SightA few years ago, I'm coaching a speaker for her first big keynote. We rehearse endlessly, tweaking every word and gesture. On the day of the event, I'm sitting in the audience feeling a mix of pride and nervousness for her. She walks onto the stage confidently. Just as she starts her opening story, the microphone cuts out, and the room goes silent. All you can hear is the awkward shuffle of the tech team rushing around to fix it. She freezes for a second, and I can see the panic in her eyes. She...
2024-11-2709 minStorytelling SchoolHow Stand-Up Can Help Your Stories Stand OutI'm on the East Coast about to speak at a corporate event filled with tech leaders of a very large company. As I'm backstage, the CEO comes up to me and says, "Remember Kymberlee, these are incredible people who are amazing at what they do, yet they aren't really bought into the idea of storytelling in the business environment." With that, I'm introduced and take the stage. After the applause dies down, I can tell the mood in the room is quite serious. So I have everyone stand up and start an icebreaker exercise. That's...
2024-11-2027 minStorytelling SchoolHow Stand-Up Can Help Your Stories Stand OutI'm on the East Coast about to speak at a corporate event filled with tech leaders of a very large company. As I'm backstage, the CEO comes up to me and says, "Remember Kymberlee, these are incredible people who are amazing at what they do, yet they aren't really bought into the idea of storytelling in the business environment." With that, I'm introduced and take the stage. After the applause dies down, I can tell the mood in the room is quite serious. So I have everyone stand up and start an icebreaker exercise. That's...
2024-11-2027 minStorytelling SchoolWhy You Need Stakes in StorytellingI'm helping my client Barbara get ready for one of the biggest Talks of her career. She's preparing to stand on stage in front of thousands of people (with even more watching live online). She shares her draft with me. It's meticulous and packed with very specific, insightful information. Yet, there's no sense of urgency or consequence. It's just data, so I don't feel anything. I point this out to her gently, and I can sense her reluctance to dive deeper and reveal something personal, vulnerable even. However, I know her message won't resonate with t...
2024-11-0617 minStorytelling SchoolWhy You Need Stakes in StorytellingI'm helping my client Barbara get ready for one of the biggest Talks of her career. She's preparing to stand on stage in front of thousands of people (with even more watching live online). She shares her draft with me. It's meticulous and packed with very specific, insightful information. Yet, there's no sense of urgency or consequence. It's just data, so I don't feel anything. I point this out to her gently, and I can sense her reluctance to dive deeper and reveal something personal, vulnerable even. However, I know her message won't resonate with t...
2024-11-0617 minStorytelling SchoolHow Story Can Help You Cultivate Courage and Bridge DivisionsIt's the third night of a very intense survival training course with a Green Beret guy. I haven't slept or showered. I'm muddy and exhausted and just want to go home to Santa Barbara. I tell myself I just need to make it through one more night and this will all be behind me. When it's time to call it a night, I am given a choice: I can either sleep in my tent or in this lean-to I've built. The lean-to is essentially a hole in the dirt with some twigs on it. At this moment...
2024-10-0129 minStorytelling SchoolHow Story Can Help You Cultivate Courage and Bridge DivisionsIt's the third night of a very intense survival training course with a Green Beret guy. I haven't slept or showered. I'm muddy and exhausted and just want to go home to Santa Barbara. I tell myself I just need to make it through one more night and this will all be behind me. When it's time to call it a night, I am given a choice: I can either sleep in my tent or in this lean-to I've built. The lean-to is essentially a hole in the dirt with some twigs on it. At this moment...
2024-10-0129 minStorytelling SchoolHow the Price of Admission in Storytelling Creates Deeper Audience ConnectionI'm coaching multiple speakers for an upcoming TEDx event. During the kickoff meeting with one particular speaker, I ask him, "Okay, what's your idea worth spreading?" He replies, "Kymberlee, that's easy. I'm going to talk about the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage." I think, "Wait, what? If this is what you're focusing on for your TEDx Talk, we definitely need to make 30-year fixed-rate mortgages interesting and shift the audience's perspective because this isn't a very sexy topic." So I ask him, "All right. What's your earliest memory related to money?" He tells me, "Well, when I wa...
2024-09-0527 minStorytelling SchoolHow the Price of Admission in Storytelling Creates Deeper Audience ConnectionI'm coaching multiple speakers for an upcoming TEDx event. During the kickoff meeting with one particular speaker, I ask him, "Okay, what's your idea worth spreading?" He replies, "Kymberlee, that's easy. I'm going to talk about the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage." I think, "Wait, what? If this is what you're focusing on for your TEDx Talk, we definitely need to make 30-year fixed-rate mortgages interesting and shift the audience's perspective because this isn't a very sexy topic." So I ask him, "All right. What's your earliest memory related to money?" He tells me, "Well, when I wa...
2024-09-0527 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Turn Questions into Storytelling Opportunities: The Handshake Technique"Kymberlee, how are you always able to take questions and turn them into storytelling opportunities?" That's the question my client Claire asks me as we're getting her ready for a big keynote presentation. As I'm quickly thinking about how to answer her, I realize that I mostly do it unconsciously. Yet I know that's not really a helpful answer, so I replay in my mind the times I've recently turned a question into a story. Then it hits me: I've been building bridges from questions asked to times in my life that are in some...
2024-06-0711 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Turn Questions into Storytelling Opportunities: The Handshake Technique"Kymberlee, how are you always able to take questions and turn them into storytelling opportunities?" That's the question my client Claire asks me as we're getting her ready for a big keynote presentation. As I'm quickly thinking about how to answer her, I realize that I mostly do it unconsciously. Yet I know that's not really a helpful answer, so I replay in my mind the times I've recently turned a question into a story. Then it hits me: I've been building bridges from questions asked to times in my life that are in some...
2024-06-0711 minStorytelling SchoolShifting the Mental Health Story Within the World of Aviation (and Beyond)It feels like I'm flying all the time while running my software company. Every month, I'm going somewhere to meet clients. It's standard practice until, out of nowhere, I have my first anxiety attack. These attacks become serious and start happening randomly on different days at different times of the day. Weeks and months go by, and every single time I step on the plane, an attack triggers. While I've been flying on planes my entire life, I find myself having to take medication just to step on to an aircraft. A...
2024-05-2929 minStorytelling SchoolShifting the Mental Health Story Within the World of Aviation (and Beyond)It feels like I'm flying all the time while running my software company. Every month, I'm going somewhere to meet clients. It's standard practice until, out of nowhere, I have my first anxiety attack. These attacks become serious and start happening randomly on different days at different times of the day. Weeks and months go by, and every single time I step on the plane, an attack triggers. While I've been flying on planes my entire life, I find myself having to take medication just to step on to an aircraft. A...
2024-05-2929 minStorytelling SchoolWhy You Need to Tell Stories to Build Your Brand"What's the difference between the brands everyone talks about and the ones we can't remember?" That's the question that me and my colleague Glenn are pondering over coffee this week. He expresses surprise at the over $1 billion valuation of the brand Liquid Death. "They sell water in a can. It's just water," he tells me. Yet their success doesn't surprise me because they sell it in a cool can (with a cool slogan) and have a unique, edgy, unforgettable story their fans love to tell and show off. It's not just about what you sell...
2024-05-2225 minStorytelling SchoolWhy You Need to Tell Stories to Build Your Brand"What's the difference between the brands everyone talks about and the ones we can't remember?" That's the question that me and my colleague Glenn are pondering over coffee this week. He expresses surprise at the over $1 billion valuation of the brand Liquid Death. "They sell water in a can. It's just water," he tells me. Yet their success doesn't surprise me because they sell it in a cool can (with a cool slogan) and have a unique, edgy, unforgettable story their fans love to tell and show off. It's not just about what you sell...
2024-05-2225 minStorytelling SchoolStorytelling Seven: Why Mastering Eye Contact is Crucial for StorytellersI'm on a Zoom call rehearsing with a group of speakers who are getting ready for an upcoming TEDx event. Yet something's off. After finishing her run, one speaker admits, "I don't really feel like I'm connected." And that's when I realize something. She's scanning the room and not really seeing anyone. It's like she's talking into the void. So I say, "Try focusing on one person at a time, like you're talking directly to that particular person. Then focus on the next person, and then the next." I have everybody t...
2024-03-0910 minStorytelling SchoolStorytelling Seven: Why Mastering Eye Contact is Crucial for StorytellersI'm on a Zoom call rehearsing with a group of speakers who are getting ready for an upcoming TEDx event. Yet something's off. After finishing her run, one speaker admits, "I don't really feel like I'm connected." And that's when I realize something. She's scanning the room and not really seeing anyone. It's like she's talking into the void. So I say, "Try focusing on one person at a time, like you're talking directly to that particular person. Then focus on the next person, and then the next." I have everybody t...
2024-03-0910 minStorytelling SchoolHow Humor and Storytelling ConvergeI'm standing backstage with my dad in a room full of speakers who are getting ready to make their TEDx debuts. We've been working for over eight months for this moment, yet the nervous energy in the room is palpable. So Greg, the event organizer, takes the microphone and gives a short, inspirational talk. Then he stops, walks over to my dad and hands him the microphone. Dad clears his throat and says, "What did the fish say when it ran into the wall?" And that joke breaks open a dam of levity that helps t...
2024-03-0621 minStorytelling SchoolHow Humor and Storytelling ConvergeI'm standing backstage with my dad in a room full of speakers who are getting ready to make their TEDx debuts. We've been working for over eight months for this moment, yet the nervous energy in the room is palpable. So Greg, the event organizer, takes the microphone and gives a short, inspirational talk. Then he stops, walks over to my dad and hands him the microphone. Dad clears his throat and says, "What did the fish say when it ran into the wall?" And that joke breaks open a dam of levity that helps t...
2024-03-0621 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Your Storytelling Needs a Dash of SurpriseI'm at the Annoyance Theater in Chicago taking a week-long intensive Improv class. In the middle of a scene with my scene partner, I have this brilliant idea. So I start forcing the scene in the direction I have in mind. My partner follows along…and the whole scene ends up being pretty flat and predictable. After we're done, the instructor says, "Kymberlee, I have a note for you. Allow yourself to be surprised on stage rather than in control." What if we apply the same principle to our presentations? How would that change us an...
2024-02-2218 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Your Storytelling Needs a Dash of SurpriseI'm at the Annoyance Theater in Chicago taking a week-long intensive Improv class. In the middle of a scene with my scene partner, I have this brilliant idea. So I start forcing the scene in the direction I have in mind. My partner follows along…and the whole scene ends up being pretty flat and predictable. After we're done, the instructor says, "Kymberlee, I have a note for you. Allow yourself to be surprised on stage rather than in control." What if we apply the same principle to our presentations? How would that change us an...
2024-02-2218 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Every Storyteller Needs a Stack of Sticky NotesI'm in the final planning stages for Story to Standing Ovation, our annual live event, when my dad randomly stops by to drop something off. He comes toward my office, stops in the doorway, and says, "What the heck is that?" As he points at my sliding glass doors, I tell him, "This is my brain on sticky notes." What he's looking at is three days of our event broken down, sticky style. These aren't just randomly placed sticky notes, either. I have these organized in full outline form and broken down into topics and c...
2024-02-2013 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Every Storyteller Needs a Stack of Sticky NotesI'm in the final planning stages for Story to Standing Ovation, our annual live event, when my dad randomly stops by to drop something off. He comes toward my office, stops in the doorway, and says, "What the heck is that?" As he points at my sliding glass doors, I tell him, "This is my brain on sticky notes." What he's looking at is three days of our event broken down, sticky style. These aren't just randomly placed sticky notes, either. I have these organized in full outline form and broken down into topics and c...
2024-02-2013 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Begin Your Story With a BangOne sentence from a stranger is all it took to ignite the biggest epiphany of my life. I'll explain. I'm sitting in the audience at my first TED conference, enraptured by all the speakers when a guy comes on stage who I've never heard of before. He starts showing some of the most beautiful and haunting images I've ever seen. Then he says something offhand that gives me chills… Speaking of the impact of words, welcome to the next episode in our "Storytelling Seven" series! Today on the Storytelling School Podcast, you'll learn abo...
2024-02-0810 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Begin Your Story With a BangOne sentence from a stranger is all it took to ignite the biggest epiphany of my life. I'll explain. I'm sitting in the audience at my first TED conference, enraptured by all the speakers when a guy comes on stage who I've never heard of before. He starts showing some of the most beautiful and haunting images I've ever seen. Then he says something offhand that gives me chills… Speaking of the impact of words, welcome to the next episode in our "Storytelling Seven" series! Today on the Storytelling School Podcast, you'll learn abo...
2024-02-0810 minStorytelling SchoolHow Stories Cultivate Speaking ConfidenceI'm catching up with my Aunt Marie about everything that's happening in life. She asks me, "Do you have any performances or events coming up?" I do. Our annual three-day immersive speaker bootcamp is coming up at the end of February. For those three days, I get to be on stage helping people take their speaking to the next level. "I don't know how you do it," my aunt replies. "Growing up, you were always so good in front of a crowd. You had no fear. I could never do that." And the...
2024-01-3116 minStorytelling SchoolHow Stories Cultivate Speaking ConfidenceI'm catching up with my Aunt Marie about everything that's happening in life. She asks me, "Do you have any performances or events coming up?" I do. Our annual three-day immersive speaker bootcamp is coming up at the end of February. For those three days, I get to be on stage helping people take their speaking to the next level. "I don't know how you do it," my aunt replies. "Growing up, you were always so good in front of a crowd. You had no fear. I could never do that." And the...
2024-01-3116 minStorytelling SchoolSkyrocketing Your Success With StorytellingIt's 2016 and I'm putting on a high-stakes speaking and storytelling workshop. One of the attendees "Shawn" is the CEO of a tech company, and he's not buying the idea of using storytelling to raise money and land deals. I say to him, "Give me two days. But you've got to play all in. Are you in?" Despite his skepticism that anything will drastically change for him, he reluctantly agrees. When the workshop concludes, he feels this storytelling knowledge has given him a new competitive edge. Fast forward in time a few ye...
2024-01-2406 minStorytelling SchoolSkyrocketing Your Success With StorytellingIt's 2016 and I'm putting on a high-stakes speaking and storytelling workshop. One of the attendees "Shawn" is the CEO of a tech company, and he's not buying the idea of using storytelling to raise money and land deals. I say to him, "Give me two days. But you've got to play all in. Are you in?" Despite his skepticism that anything will drastically change for him, he reluctantly agrees. When the workshop concludes, he feels this storytelling knowledge has given him a new competitive edge. Fast forward in time a few ye...
2024-01-2406 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Amplifying Your ExpansionIt's 2015, and I've just started training in Improvisational comedy. Every Wednesday night, I attend Alan Irwin's Improv classes at Santa Barbara Improv. Weeks turn into months, and my fondness for Improv grows into an addiction. I want to learn more, absorb more, and grow faster! So I start keeping a notebook of all the games we play and capturing all the critical class lessons and sound bites. I even stay after to ask for notes on my performance. Yet, I still crave more and want to accelerate my learning beyond the pacing of o...
2024-01-1724 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Amplifying Your ExpansionIt's 2015, and I've just started training in Improvisational comedy. Every Wednesday night, I attend Alan Irwin's Improv classes at Santa Barbara Improv. Weeks turn into months, and my fondness for Improv grows into an addiction. I want to learn more, absorb more, and grow faster! So I start keeping a notebook of all the games we play and capturing all the critical class lessons and sound bites. I even stay after to ask for notes on my performance. Yet, I still crave more and want to accelerate my learning beyond the pacing of o...
2024-01-1724 minStorytelling SchoolStorytelling Seven: How to Influence Your Own StoryI'm teaching an Improv class where everyone is doing an exercise called "Headlines". We're standing in a circle on stage, and one by one, we each share an outlandish headline we've made up on the spot. But there's a twist: each person has to start their headline with the last word from the previous person's headline. So, for example, if the prior person says, "Life found on planet Pluto" as their headline, the next person has to start their headline with the word "Pluto". It's a hilarious exercise that has us holding our tummies from laughing so...
2024-01-0508 minStorytelling SchoolStorytelling Seven: How to Influence Your Own StoryI'm teaching an Improv class where everyone is doing an exercise called "Headlines". We're standing in a circle on stage, and one by one, we each share an outlandish headline we've made up on the spot. But there's a twist: each person has to start their headline with the last word from the previous person's headline. So, for example, if the prior person says, "Life found on planet Pluto" as their headline, the next person has to start their headline with the word "Pluto". It's a hilarious exercise that has us holding our tummies from laughing so...
2024-01-0508 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Craft Persuasive StoriesIn a small village, a young shepherd boy is given the task of guarding the sheep. He's the type of boy who wants entertainment and perhaps even attention. So he suddenly cries out, "Wolf!" Hearing this, all the villagers come rushing to his aid. When they arrive, there's no wolf to be seen. So they get back to their daily lives. Then they hear the boy cry "Wolf!" again. The villagers run over and still, they don't see a prowling threat to their flock. This happens again and again. They hear the "warning,"...
2023-12-2036 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Craft Persuasive StoriesIn a small village, a young shepherd boy is given the task of guarding the sheep. He's the type of boy who wants entertainment and perhaps even attention. So he suddenly cries out, "Wolf!" Hearing this, all the villagers come rushing to his aid. When they arrive, there's no wolf to be seen. So they get back to their daily lives. Then they hear the boy cry "Wolf!" again. The villagers run over and still, they don't see a prowling threat to their flock. This happens again and again. They hear the "warning,"...
2023-12-2036 minStorytelling SchoolHow Data and Details Can Tell Real Stories in HealthcareIt's 1990. Five days after my moped accident with a cement truck, I wake up in my hospital room. The doctor comes in and says, "Kymberlee, you're going to have headaches for likely the rest of your life. You'll probably have trouble with balance too. You'll need plastic surgery on your face. And you may have lost your sense of taste and smell forever." I'm thinking, "How is this possible?" I can deal with all the other things he said and anything else I have to do. Yet how could I have lost two of my senses forever?
2023-12-1326 minStorytelling SchoolHow Data and Details Can Tell Real Stories in HealthcareIt's 1990. Five days after my moped accident with a cement truck, I wake up in my hospital room. The doctor comes in and says, "Kymberlee, you're going to have headaches for likely the rest of your life. You'll probably have trouble with balance too. You'll need plastic surgery on your face. And you may have lost your sense of taste and smell forever." I'm thinking, "How is this possible?" I can deal with all the other things he said and anything else I have to do. Yet how could I have lost two of my senses forever?
2023-12-1326 minStorytelling SchoolTelling Fifty Weeks of Stories: "Mic Drop" MomentsI almost don't do it. Normally, a Storytelling School Podcast episode lasts around 30 minutes with a special guest (or myself) delivering mic drop moments and storytelling nuggets of pure gold. Yet, for the 100th episode, I do something special; I collect these moments and golden nuggets from the first 99 episodes and put them all together in a single show. The episode runs over an hour. Does anyone want to listen for that long? Yes! It works so well and I get so many positive comments that I'm commemorating another milestone for the podcast b...
2023-12-0629 minStorytelling SchoolTelling Fifty Weeks of Stories: "Mic Drop" MomentsI almost don't do it. Normally, a Storytelling School Podcast episode lasts around 30 minutes with a special guest (or myself) delivering mic drop moments and storytelling nuggets of pure gold. Yet, for the 100th episode, I do something special; I collect these moments and golden nuggets from the first 99 episodes and put them all together in a single show. The episode runs over an hour. Does anyone want to listen for that long? Yes! It works so well and I get so many positive comments that I'm commemorating another milestone for the podcast b...
2023-12-0629 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Impart Life Lessons Through Educational StorytellingI'm sitting in the living room at eight years old when my mom walks in and says, "Kymberlee, I have a surprise." It's not a holiday or my birthday, so there's nothing particularly special about this night… yet. So what's the big surprise? "Tonight is going to be movie night." Now there's one particular well-loved book I read over and over again and keep on the nightstand by my bed so I recall all my favorite moments within its pages: Charlotte's Web. The TV comes on, and we start watching the movie version of...
2023-11-2927 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Impart Life Lessons Through Educational StorytellingI'm sitting in the living room at eight years old when my mom walks in and says, "Kymberlee, I have a surprise." It's not a holiday or my birthday, so there's nothing particularly special about this night… yet. So what's the big surprise? "Tonight is going to be movie night." Now there's one particular well-loved book I read over and over again and keep on the nightstand by my bed so I recall all my favorite moments within its pages: Charlotte's Web. The TV comes on, and we start watching the movie version of...
2023-11-2927 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Turn Small Talk into StoriesI'm at a family gathering when a family friend remarks about the weather. "It's cold outside." Others agree. Someone chimes in about the wind. Then someone else mentions that it hasn't rained in a while. Oof. I can't take it anymore. I have to step in. "Rain makes me think of snow. And snow makes me think of the time Dad decided it would be a brilliant idea to go out and tie an inner tube to the back of the rental car so my best friend, Nikki, and I c...
2023-11-2210 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Turn Small Talk into StoriesI'm at a family gathering when a family friend remarks about the weather. "It's cold outside." Others agree. Someone chimes in about the wind. Then someone else mentions that it hasn't rained in a while. Oof. I can't take it anymore. I have to step in. "Rain makes me think of snow. And snow makes me think of the time Dad decided it would be a brilliant idea to go out and tie an inner tube to the back of the rental car so my best friend, Nikki, and I c...
2023-11-2210 minStorytelling SchoolFrom Storyboard to Spotlight: Your 90-Day Storytelling and Speaking CountdownIt's Saturday morning. I'm headed out for coffee with friends after a kickboxing class. As I get out of my car in the parking lot, my phone starts blowing up with text messages. I look down and see that they're coming from a number I don't recognize. I start reading. "You don't know me," the message says, "but you worked with my wife several years ago on her TEDx Talk. I was wondering if you had time to help me get ready for mine?" I text back saying I can and ask, "When's...
2023-11-1530 minStorytelling SchoolFrom Storyboard to Spotlight: Your 90-Day Storytelling and Speaking CountdownIt's Saturday morning. I'm headed out for coffee with friends after a kickboxing class. As I get out of my car in the parking lot, my phone starts blowing up with text messages. I look down and see that they're coming from a number I don't recognize. I start reading. "You don't know me," the message says, "but you worked with my wife several years ago on her TEDx Talk. I was wondering if you had time to help me get ready for mine?" I text back saying I can and ask, "When's...
2023-11-1530 minStorytelling SchoolHow Your Reactions Influence the Stories You TellI'm in Los Angeles at the beginning of my Improv exploration. During an advanced class I'm taking, I go out on stage to do my scene. As I'm sitting there, painting my nails in this scene, my scene partner comes in and starts suddenly lighting fireworks and firecrackers all around me. I go on painting my nails, not reacting to the situation. The instructor stops the scene right there and says, "Kymberlee, react." I'm thinking, "What do you mean? I'm focused. I'm painting my nails." She responds, "I need you to r...
2023-10-0426 minStorytelling SchoolHow Your Reactions Influence the Stories You TellI'm in Los Angeles at the beginning of my Improv exploration. During an advanced class I'm taking, I go out on stage to do my scene. As I'm sitting there, painting my nails in this scene, my scene partner comes in and starts suddenly lighting fireworks and firecrackers all around me. I go on painting my nails, not reacting to the situation. The instructor stops the scene right there and says, "Kymberlee, react." I'm thinking, "What do you mean? I'm focused. I'm painting my nails." She responds, "I need you to r...
2023-10-0426 minStorytelling SchoolHow Storytelling Can Skyrocket Your SuccessIt's 2016. I'm putting on a high-stakes speaking and storytelling workshop. One of the attendees "Shawn" is the CEO of a tech company, and he's not buying the idea of using storytelling to raise money and land deals. I say to him, "Give me two days. But you've got to play all in. Are you in?" Despite his skepticism that anything will drastically change for him, he reluctantly agrees. When the workshop concludes, he feels he has a new competitive edge with this storytelling knowledge. Fast forward in time to two weeks ag...
2023-09-1306 minStorytelling SchoolHow Storytelling Can Skyrocket Your SuccessIt's 2016. I'm putting on a high-stakes speaking and storytelling workshop. One of the attendees "Shawn" is the CEO of a tech company, and he's not buying the idea of using storytelling to raise money and land deals. I say to him, "Give me two days. But you've got to play all in. Are you in?" Despite his skepticism that anything will drastically change for him, he reluctantly agrees. When the workshop concludes, he feels he has a new competitive edge with this storytelling knowledge. Fast forward in time to two weeks ag...
2023-09-1306 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Setting Up Your StoryWe're sitting around a fire pit at my Master's Circle retreat for speakers, looking out at the ocean as the sun is setting. One of our Mastermind members asks: "Kymberlee, what comes before the story?" He continues to elaborate: "Let's say I'm doing a Keynote. Do I walk on stage and immediately start telling the story, or is there something I say before I start the story?" There are a few impactful ways to bridge into your story. So I start taking him through my ideas as the fire continues glowing...
2023-09-0618 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Setting Up Your StoryWe're sitting around a fire pit at my Master's Circle retreat for speakers, looking out at the ocean as the sun is setting. One of our Mastermind members asks: "Kymberlee, what comes before the story?" He continues to elaborate: "Let's say I'm doing a Keynote. Do I walk on stage and immediately start telling the story, or is there something I say before I start the story?" There are a few impactful ways to bridge into your story. So I start taking him through my ideas as the fire continues glowing...
2023-09-0618 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Captivate with Stories and StagecraftI'm walking off the stage after giving a Keynote at a Southern California university. A few of the audience members make their way over to me. "Kymberlee," one of them says, "Your presentation was so captivating! I was glued to your every word." I worked very hard on this particular Talk, so getting this feedback feels amazing! And as I'm driving away from the event, I start thinking about what exactly made it so captivating. Was it the stories I told? Or how I moved on stage? Or something else? The a...
2023-07-2028 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Captivate with Stories and StagecraftI'm walking off the stage after giving a Keynote at a Southern California university. A few of the audience members make their way over to me. "Kymberlee," one of them says, "Your presentation was so captivating! I was glued to your every word." I worked very hard on this particular Talk, so getting this feedback feels amazing! And as I'm driving away from the event, I start thinking about what exactly made it so captivating. Was it the stories I told? Or how I moved on stage? Or something else? The a...
2023-07-2028 minStorytelling SchoolExploring Stories: Illuminating the Teachings WithinI'm invited to a very high-level martial arts seminar to provide communications training to the attendees. These attendees are not your average martial artists, however: they train governments and militaries all over the world. And they've all traveled here for this event. Tommy, the person running the event, starts the morning by having everyone gather around him. He reaches into his duffel bag, pulls something out, and holds it in front of each person, inviting them to take a calculated risk. Silence. But then, slowly, one by one they all rise to the challenge… until th...
2023-07-1217 minStorytelling SchoolExploring Stories: Illuminating the Teachings WithinI'm invited to a very high-level martial arts seminar to provide communications training to the attendees. These attendees are not your average martial artists, however: they train governments and militaries all over the world. And they've all traveled here for this event. Tommy, the person running the event, starts the morning by having everyone gather around him. He reaches into his duffel bag, pulls something out, and holds it in front of each person, inviting them to take a calculated risk. Silence. But then, slowly, one by one they all rise to the challenge… until th...
2023-07-1217 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Slaying the SnafusWith each podcast episode we release, I send an email out with a story to highlight it. My favorite part of these emails is the "PS" where I can spotlight news, make announcements, or ask you a question. So I'm working on the email last week and thinking about what I can put in the PS. And I get the idea to ask about what you'd like to see in a future episode. The only question is... will anybody take the time or be brave enough to write back? No need to worry, t...
2023-06-2133 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Slaying the SnafusWith each podcast episode we release, I send an email out with a story to highlight it. My favorite part of these emails is the "PS" where I can spotlight news, make announcements, or ask you a question. So I'm working on the email last week and thinking about what I can put in the PS. And I get the idea to ask about what you'd like to see in a future episode. The only question is... will anybody take the time or be brave enough to write back? No need to worry, t...
2023-06-2133 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Lateral Lessons Supercharge Your Speaking and Storytelling ProwessIt's 2003. I'm at my very first TED event and I'm in the computer industry. Over a period of five days, I'm not hearing typical presentations on one subject matter. Instead, I am listening to Talks about nanotechnology, robotics, cancer cure research, and a variety of other topics that I never would have had access to otherwise. At first I'm thinking that these Talks are way over my head. Yet soon I find that my exposure to these ideas help me build a completely new point of view around my company and how I treat family, friends, and...
2023-06-1424 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Lateral Lessons Supercharge Your Speaking and Storytelling ProwessIt's 2003. I'm at my very first TED event and I'm in the computer industry. Over a period of five days, I'm not hearing typical presentations on one subject matter. Instead, I am listening to Talks about nanotechnology, robotics, cancer cure research, and a variety of other topics that I never would have had access to otherwise. At first I'm thinking that these Talks are way over my head. Yet soon I find that my exposure to these ideas help me build a completely new point of view around my company and how I treat family, friends, and...
2023-06-1424 minStorytelling SchoolViewing Stories Through the Scope of DesignI'm meeting with one of my clients. And she says to me, "Kymberlee, every time I ask you, 'How are you doing?' you always say, 'I'm amazing.' How is that possible, and how can I do it too?" It's simple. I tell her, "I've designed my life around everything I love to do." I love speaking, and I know that the best ones are great storytellers. I've gone from not knowing where to start with a story to doubling down on it and having it as a core component of what I do...
2023-06-0735 minStorytelling SchoolViewing Stories Through the Scope of DesignI'm meeting with one of my clients. And she says to me, "Kymberlee, every time I ask you, 'How are you doing?' you always say, 'I'm amazing.' How is that possible, and how can I do it too?" It's simple. I tell her, "I've designed my life around everything I love to do." I love speaking, and I know that the best ones are great storytellers. I've gone from not knowing where to start with a story to doubling down on it and having it as a core component of what I do...
2023-06-0735 minStorytelling SchoolExploring the Science of Story: Part OneI'm working with a client in one of my Mastermind programs. She asks, "Kymberlee, what's the difference between a story that we will remember versus one we will forget?" At that moment, I can choose to hit the surface level and talk about story elements… or I can go deeper and talk about the science. I choose to get all science-y. And once I'm done going in-depth with my answer, she says it's given her a completely new understanding of the power of storytelling (woohoo)! Today on the Storytelling School podcast, join me as...
2023-05-1020 minStorytelling SchoolExploring the Science of Story: Part OneI'm working with a client in one of my Mastermind programs. She asks, "Kymberlee, what's the difference between a story that we will remember versus one we will forget?" At that moment, I can choose to hit the surface level and talk about story elements… or I can go deeper and talk about the science. I choose to get all science-y. And once I'm done going in-depth with my answer, she says it's given her a completely new understanding of the power of storytelling (woohoo)! Today on the Storytelling School podcast, join me as...
2023-05-1020 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Rehearsal RitualsIt's Tuesday morning, and I'm so excited! I'm leading a storytelling workshop for a group of speakers and entrepreneurs who give presentations as part of the work they do. To start, I ask all of them what their objectives are for the training. One person raises their hand and says, "I really need help with rehearsing." Two other participants agree... and it seems odd to me. Rehearsals have been such an important part of my life since I was a kid, whether it was training for a big softball game or a martial arts test....
2023-05-0314 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Rehearsal RitualsIt's Tuesday morning, and I'm so excited! I'm leading a storytelling workshop for a group of speakers and entrepreneurs who give presentations as part of the work they do. To start, I ask all of them what their objectives are for the training. One person raises their hand and says, "I really need help with rehearsing." Two other participants agree... and it seems odd to me. Rehearsals have been such an important part of my life since I was a kid, whether it was training for a big softball game or a martial arts test....
2023-05-0314 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Truth and Listening is Essential to Your StorytellingI'm 12 years old. It's summertime, and we're on our annual family trip to Bainbridge Island off the coast of Seattle. I love going on these trips, and one of my favorite things about them is getting to see family friends Bob and Denise perform in a different play. This particular summer they're doing The Pirates of Penzance. After the show is over, Bob and Denise walk up to me and ask, "Kymberlee, what was your favorite part?" I'm thinking that since they're both in it, I don't really want to pick sides. So I talk...
2023-04-1928 minStorytelling SchoolWhy Truth and Listening is Essential to Your StorytellingI'm 12 years old. It's summertime, and we're on our annual family trip to Bainbridge Island off the coast of Seattle. I love going on these trips, and one of my favorite things about them is getting to see family friends Bob and Denise perform in a different play. This particular summer they're doing The Pirates of Penzance. After the show is over, Bob and Denise walk up to me and ask, "Kymberlee, what was your favorite part?" I'm thinking that since they're both in it, I don't really want to pick sides. So I talk...
2023-04-1928 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Public Speaking EditionMy husband Mark and I are at a venue about to give a presentation on the new software application we've developed. It's a big deal! We're in our hometown with a room full of people waiting, and this is the first time we're showing off what we've created. Standing at the front of the room and getting ready to start, we're plugging in our computers to test everything, and… There's no internet?!? Our software needs the internet to run so we start panicking. The audience is getting restless now because we're lat...
2023-04-0528 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Public Speaking EditionMy husband Mark and I are at a venue about to give a presentation on the new software application we've developed. It's a big deal! We're in our hometown with a room full of people waiting, and this is the first time we're showing off what we've created. Standing at the front of the room and getting ready to start, we're plugging in our computers to test everything, and… There's no internet?!? Our software needs the internet to run so we start panicking. The audience is getting restless now because we're lat...
2023-04-0528 minStorytelling SchoolHow Embracing Your Unique Genius Impacts You As a Storyteller"Hello, Master Kymberlee." I'll never forget hearing those words for the first time. I'd just earned my Fourth-Degree Black Belt in Dynamic Circle Hapkido. And standing in the dojo, after receiving that greeting from a fellow martial artist, makes me reflect on my 20+ years of Martial Arts training. In that moment, I can't help but think about what it truly means to master something. Fast forward to real-time today on the eve of my Fifth-Degree Black Belt Test. The actual test I have coming up is simply a moment in time. The pursuit of mastery, though, is...
2023-03-2229 minStorytelling SchoolHow Embracing Your Unique Genius Impacts You As a Storyteller"Hello, Master Kymberlee." I'll never forget hearing those words for the first time. I'd just earned my Fourth-Degree Black Belt in Dynamic Circle Hapkido. And standing in the dojo, after receiving that greeting from a fellow martial artist, makes me reflect on my 20+ years of Martial Arts training. In that moment, I can't help but think about what it truly means to master something. Fast forward to real-time today on the eve of my Fifth-Degree Black Belt Test. The actual test I have coming up is simply a moment in time. The pursuit of mastery, though, is...
2023-03-2229 minStorytelling SchoolHow Simple Choices and Superfoods Can Transform Your Health StoryI'm lying in a hospital bed after my cement truck accident in Hawaii. While I survived, the doctor comes into the room and tells me that something didn't: "Kymberlee, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you've lost your taste and smell forever." When I get released, I'm craving everything you can imagine. I want to smell and taste it all, especially chocolate chip cookies. But I can't, and my friend says to me, "Why don't you just eat rice cakes from now on? Doesn't matter what you eat." So that's what I...
2023-03-0827 minStorytelling SchoolHow Simple Choices and Superfoods Can Transform Your Health StoryI'm lying in a hospital bed after my cement truck accident in Hawaii. While I survived, the doctor comes into the room and tells me that something didn't: "Kymberlee, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you've lost your taste and smell forever." When I get released, I'm craving everything you can imagine. I want to smell and taste it all, especially chocolate chip cookies. But I can't, and my friend says to me, "Why don't you just eat rice cakes from now on? Doesn't matter what you eat." So that's what I...
2023-03-0827 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… How the Five Sense Enrich Your Stories"Black belt, don't think!" Those deep, stern words from the Grandmaster echo across the dojo and ring in my ears like a loudspeaker at full volume. Eight fellow black belts surround me in a circle with weapons in their hands while I have none. We're doing a dynamic circle knife drill exercise where, one by one, they attack and I have to disarm each weapon and take the attacker down while avoiding injury myself. When the exercise begins, I'm full of adrenaline and can feel my heart racing like a race car at the Indy 500...
2023-02-0830 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… How the Five Sense Enrich Your Stories"Black belt, don't think!" Those deep, stern words from the Grandmaster echo across the dojo and ring in my ears like a loudspeaker at full volume. Eight fellow black belts surround me in a circle with weapons in their hands while I have none. We're doing a dynamic circle knife drill exercise where, one by one, they attack and I have to disarm each weapon and take the attacker down while avoiding injury myself. When the exercise begins, I'm full of adrenaline and can feel my heart racing like a race car at the Indy 500...
2023-02-0830 minStorytelling SchoolHow Living in the Moment Impacts Your StorytellingIt's showtime. I'm wickedly nervous as I prepare to deliver my monologue in my very first acting class. I've been rehearsing relentlessly and memorizing my script so that I don't forget any of my character's dialogue. I begin. And not two minutes into it, my teacher Peter stops me. What he says next changes me--not just as an actor, but as a speaker, storyteller, and communicator. He tells me, "Kymberlee, I want you to live in the line you are in. Don't worry about what's going to happen. Good acting is when you r...
2023-01-1830 minStorytelling SchoolHow Living in the Moment Impacts Your StorytellingIt's showtime. I'm wickedly nervous as I prepare to deliver my monologue in my very first acting class. I've been rehearsing relentlessly and memorizing my script so that I don't forget any of my character's dialogue. I begin. And not two minutes into it, my teacher Peter stops me. What he says next changes me--not just as an actor, but as a speaker, storyteller, and communicator. He tells me, "Kymberlee, I want you to live in the line you are in. Don't worry about what's going to happen. Good acting is when you r...
2023-01-1830 minStorytelling SchoolHow Digging Deep Into Self Expands Your Storytelling MagicI'm at The Groundlings Theatre for an Improv class. We're doing two-person scenes when our instructor says it's time for a drill. "This next exercise is a way to go deeper into your characters, fast." For each pair, he instructs one person to start with a mundane statement about the other. The second person repeats the statement and adds something about what it means. Then it goes back to the first person to repeat the added-on part of the statement and add something else about what that means. Kymberlee: Carl, you look lonely standing here...
2023-01-1128 minStorytelling SchoolHow Digging Deep Into Self Expands Your Storytelling MagicI'm at The Groundlings Theatre for an Improv class. We're doing two-person scenes when our instructor says it's time for a drill. "This next exercise is a way to go deeper into your characters, fast." For each pair, he instructs one person to start with a mundane statement about the other. The second person repeats the statement and adds something about what it means. Then it goes back to the first person to repeat the added-on part of the statement and add something else about what that means. Kymberlee: Carl, you look lonely standing here...
2023-01-1128 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Why You Need a Story ArsenalI'm about to deliver a Talk, and I want to open it with a really good story I remembered from a couple of months ago. The problem is I can't find it anywhere! I look at my whiteboard, thinking, "Surely, I scribbled a little message about it somewhere there." Nope. I search my notebooks. Zip. I sort through my stacks of sticky notes, and still nothing. After spending over two hours hunting for this story, I decide, "That's it! From now on, I'm putting all my stories in one spot, once and for a...
2023-01-0417 minStorytelling SchoolSo You Think You Want to Become a Storyteller… Why You Need a Story ArsenalI'm about to deliver a Talk, and I want to open it with a really good story I remembered from a couple of months ago. The problem is I can't find it anywhere! I look at my whiteboard, thinking, "Surely, I scribbled a little message about it somewhere there." Nope. I search my notebooks. Zip. I sort through my stacks of sticky notes, and still nothing. After spending over two hours hunting for this story, I decide, "That's it! From now on, I'm putting all my stories in one spot, once and for a...
2023-01-0417 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Name Your YearIt's 2014. As the year draws to a close, all of my friends come up with their New Year's resolutions, ranging from dropping bad habits to losing weight. But while I create my list of resolutions on the eve of the new year, I realize it isn't going to work. Sure, I write them out every year with the best intentions in mind, but I forget some of them by February and even blow by others in January. At the end of the year, when reflecting back, it's the goals I haven't reached that make me feel like...
2022-12-2113 minStorytelling SchoolHow to Name Your YearIt's 2014. As the year draws to a close, all of my friends come up with their New Year's resolutions, ranging from dropping bad habits to losing weight. But while I create my list of resolutions on the eve of the new year, I realize it isn't going to work. Sure, I write them out every year with the best intentions in mind, but I forget some of them by February and even blow by others in January. At the end of the year, when reflecting back, it's the goals I haven't reached that make me feel like...
2022-12-2113 minStorytelling SchoolHow Telling Hard Stories Helps Healing Through Times of GriefI'm coaching a client on her TEDx Talk and she says, "Kymberlee, I don't know if I can get through this story I'm telling. Every single time I get to a certain part, I start crying and I can't even stop!" Having an emotional response like that means you're very present in your storytelling - which is what you want! So I tell her, "Try refocusing on your audience while you're telling the story. How can you serve them?" In other words, focus on what the audience needs and take care of them i...
2022-12-0725 minStorytelling SchoolHow Telling Hard Stories Helps Healing Through Times of GriefI'm coaching a client on her TEDx Talk and she says, "Kymberlee, I don't know if I can get through this story I'm telling. Every single time I get to a certain part, I start crying and I can't even stop!" Having an emotional response like that means you're very present in your storytelling - which is what you want! So I tell her, "Try refocusing on your audience while you're telling the story. How can you serve them?" In other words, focus on what the audience needs and take care of them i...
2022-12-0725 min