Yesterday was a day full of stories, here at Kufunda Village in Zimbabwe.
We started already the day before, briefing our storytellers and our young hosts about the process of Collective Story Harvest. Both groups were nervous, but excited too.
Then after our music and dance check in with the...
This is my third time in Zimbabwe. The first time was in 2006 and I was supporting a small group who wanted to replicate the customer service training program I had introduced through the Tourism Board in New Zealand.
I stayed in a compound and learned from the people working there how...
Perhaps it is the storytelling gene inside all of us that wants to proclaim that this moment in history -- our moment -- is totally unique. And yet the dynamics -- one might say the story elements -- are not new.
Generational struggle. Power imbalance. Gender...
Welcome to 2023! Back when I was growing up, this number was awe-inspiringly far away, and now we're here! How do you want 2023 to unfold?
In THE STORY DOJO this week I asked the group what story they'd found themselves in during 2022. Was it an adventure? A RomCom? A...
During my time in Denmark this month I had the opportunity to check out two amazing corporate settings -- Novozymes and IKEA.
Both of them were a treat to be in due to the Scandinavian focus on design that works for people and for the people themselves.
For Novozymes I...
I am a naturally optimistic person. I have a spirit of hope inside me that still believes we can change prevailing storylines and create a human society that works for all. And at the same time, I am confronted with the very real challenges all around us, challenges that have their basis in some...
At the invitation of Brigitta Villaronga, I visited what she calls the "Cow-working" space in South Tyrol on a family farm in the mountains. Of course I helped to milk cows and enjoyed the view of the snowclad alps immensely from my outdoor office table high on the...
Do you know there's more but you don't know how to get there alone?
If there's anything these pandemic times have thrust into sharp relief, it is the gap between "business as usual" and our deepest longings for ourselves. Being pulled up short made us confront things that were...
Just this morning I was speaking with a fellow facilitator and circle host who had taken part in BEYOND FACILITATION and found herself excited by new learning edges in her practice. She joined us because she senses she wants to strengthen her internal core to be able to host more challenging...
Yesterday I had the great pleasure to check in with a group of storymakers I haven't seen in a long time. Most of them are part of Beyond Storytelling, a network of story people which hosts an annual "Story Camp", this year taking place in Austria.
The theme for this year is "Beginnings...
People often ask me why I chose the title "Story Activist." Years ago I found a small clip of New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis talking about the power of story.
Somehow the way he spoke about stories making you want to take action caused a lightening spike in my brain. "That's it!" I said...