When I was around 16 my mother asked me if I'd like to meet Rob. My mother was a Guidance Counselor at the High School and Rob was the son of her colleague.
Rob had just returned from being an exchange student in Japan. Now you need to know that in the 1970s there was no such thing as sushi...
I'd already been in New Zealand for more than 10 years when I complained to another storyteller friend about the incessant question: "Where are you from?"
I called it "my graciousness question." when I was feeling gracious I knew it was a question that helped people make connection, and...
But first, a small but potent memory...
I remember someone long ago who, after regarding me thoughtfully for some time, said: "If you were to have had the ordinary life, you would have had it by now!"
Still, it felt like it started ordinary enough. On this day -- February 14 -- we celebrated...
This past week, someone gave me the gift of their listening. My friend told me he was interested in my work and would listen to support me finding my next path forward.
To anchor our conversation, I dug out a map I'd made in 2022. I'd made it to get some clarity about what I believe are the...
Most of us have had to carry the expectations of others at some point during our lives. Perhaps it was the expectation of your parents for you to follow in their footsteps or take up a specific kind of work.
Maybe the teachers you experienced expected you to be an exceptional student like one of...
The other day I was taking a walk around my neighbourhood listening to a podcast. Then the presenter said something that stopped me in my tracks for a moment.
What he said fundamentally changed the way I think about Story Activism. Here are the 10 practices:
- Practice 1: Be...
I've just had a five day journey with a group of 32 strangers. From the very first moment it was deep, tender, playful and very, very personal.
How did I do that?
The Flow Game offers a really playful way to work with serious questions. And who doesn't have a serious question about their life,...
After nearly a month on the road I finally landed back home last week. I think by this time my body has stopped feeling like it is still in motion, but my inner world has yet to settle.
If you are like me you probably found 2023 quite a year. On one hand there were new adventures and interesting...
I've often found that the things truly worth experiencing challenge you to see if you are really committed. That happened to us in my last week in Africa, on the way to Mana Pools -- a UNESCO Heritage site which is a haven to all kinds of wild animals.
Mana Pools is in the north of...
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...