In the early part of 2012 I was churning out a blog every day. But when an emotional tsunami hit me in June of that year, I barely wrote a word. However, there was one piece that did emerge around that time, about the nature of suffering. I was certainly suffering at the time, so I have a useful benchmark. I know that I am not suffering now. But the understanding that suffering is just a story … [Read more...] about I hurt, therefore I’m telling a story…
Storytelling
Why it’s important to share your authentic leadership story
You may have heard of Sheryl Sandberg. She's the COO of Facebook and in 2010 she was invited to give a talk at TED - the conference where thought-leaders share their one big idea. She decided to call it Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders. "I was planning to give a speech chock full of facts and figures, and nothing personal," Sandberg recently acknowledged. So far, so predictable. Had she … [Read more...] about Why it’s important to share your authentic leadership story
Why I co-founded The Story Party
I believe there's no such thing as an ordinary life. And, like Christina Baldwin, the eloquent author of Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story, I take delight in the "subtle magnificence of ordinary people". I also believe that it's vital for magnificently "ordinary" people to share their stories. As Baldwin says, "We require story in order to link our … [Read more...] about Why I co-founded The Story Party
A birthday story about reaching grandmother age
Let's play a numbers game. I was born in 1957. I am 57 years old today. Two of my grandparents were born in 1900, so they were 57 when I was born. I have zero children, therefore zero grandchildren. Yet I have reached grandmother age. What does this mean? I am indebted to my friend Mary Ann Mhina, who recently published a beautiful book of interviews with older women, Listening to our … [Read more...] about A birthday story about reaching grandmother age
Don’t be seduced by stories that sell you lack of self-worth
As I walked along the station platform I spotted a young woman dressed in the sort of short shorts I could never have worn, even at her age. She was all long, coltish legs and porcelain skin, balancing on the edge of a cold metal seat while applying black eyeliner. When I boarded my train, there was another woman, barely into her 20s I would say, who was busy smothering foundation all over her … [Read more...] about Don’t be seduced by stories that sell you lack of self-worth
A little story about a beautiful day
One of my favourite story quotes is from an American poet called Muriel Rukeyser, who said: "The universe is made not of atoms but of stories." I can find meaning in this quote on many different levels but today it's telling me that the small stories are every bit as important as the big ones. So I have set myself a challenge: find a small story to write about in 15 minutes that will offer some … [Read more...] about A little story about a beautiful day