STORY:GNV is about three weeks away and we couldn’t be more excited. With our first conference right around the corner, now is a good time to reflect on the why. Why are we organizing Gainesville’s first conference on how to implement storytelling in business, healthcare and education?
As time went by my hands started to shake and my chest to unsettle. It felt like a healthy sensation though, as if it was asking me to let something out.
Hearing Heaven’s story, and the three other brave girls who shared their experiences in school during the SISta Story Slam had a profound impact on me. These girls, by sharing their stories, helped me understand my own privilege in a new way.
I just spent a weekend in New York City, and met with an old friend, Karuna. This reminded me of a story that I shared at a meetup many months ago. The theme of the meetup was "Thankful." In honor of this trip, I'm going to present it here:
Storytelling builds empathy. When we hear a story shared by someone about their life experiences, we come to see the world from someone else’s point of view.
As I walked out on stage in front of over 1500 people, I found that I was much calmer than I expected to be. Rather than nerves taking over, I found the voice in my head saying, “you’re in front of 1500 of your closest friends.” And it turned out to be true.
Even if starting a business can feel at times like getting your foot stuck in a jungle gym, the experience doesn’t have a connection to my personal story. So why did that memory linger?
