Vulnerability & The Storyteller

Public Speaking. It is a fear for many people, including me. Growing up, I loved to speak in front of audiences. I even competed in public speaking competitions in school – in French nonetheless! And then something changed. Perhaps it was at university when professors would cut people’s ideas down without batting an eyelash; or maybe it […]

A Rose By Any Other Name…

In this day and age, naming what we do can often be the hardest aspect of our work. We are, after all, wearing so many hats that it can be challenging to bundle everything up into a nice, pretty package that people understand. When I first decided to plunge into the entrepreneurial world, I knew […]

Talking to Strangers

Stranger Danger!! I shudder to think there are still parents teaching their children not to talk to strangers. Yes, we need to educate our youth and teach them about safe behaviours, but ignoring or avoiding people we don’t know is not the answer.  Isn’t there a saying that a stranger is just a friend you haven’t […]

Narrative Transformations

There are many ways to approach narrative work – as healing, as team building, as branding and marketing. I was first introduced to its power as a little girl listening to fairy tales & folklore, and then as a teenager writing my own story, and again in my 20s reading the words of Joseph Campbell, […]

The Art of Listening

I’m a talker; always have been. Growing up, I was never shy when it came to speaking my mind, and I sure did love an audience! I remember competing in a french public speaking contest in Grade 6 at UBC. I must have been nervous – there were over 500 people in the audience – but as […]

Storytellers Wanted!

LOCAL STORYTELLERS WANTED!!! To launch the City of Vancouver Community Plans, I will be curating four neighbourhood storytelling events in the following communities: 1. Marpole – May 1st at Metro Theatre 2. West End – May 10th at Denmen Theatre 3. Grandview Woodland – May 11th at The Wise Hall 4. Downtown Eastside – TBD Each […]

The Entrepreneur

When I was young, I never had a clear vision as to what my career would look like. I took courses in Anthropology, Sociology, Economics, Marketing, Art History, Religion, and Mythology – and if I look back on the last 12 years, I have had at least 8 different careers: Journalist Book Publicist Event Coordinator […]

An Archetypal Analysis

When I first learned about the importance of archetypes, I was amazed at how quickly everything seemed to click. My interest in mythology was now applicable to my work in branding and marketing. I began to understand the wisdom these universal, iconic figures held and wanted to find a way to tap into that power […]

Capilano: The Story of Water

  Growing up on the North Shore, Capilano Suspension Bridge was a place that many of us felt connected to but rarely visited ourselves. Sure, we suggested each out-of-town guest make the drive up Capilano Road to take in the beauty of our natural rainforests and the excitement of the swaying bridge, but I don’t […]

Book Review: StoryBranding

Four years ago, when I first started fitting the puzzle pieces together and came up with my business plan, I didn’t realize how many other Story Branders were out there. Thanks, in part to the wonderful world of Twitter, I have been introduced to storytellers, story writers, story marketing and of course, story branders like […]