My husband, Estith, with our friend, Glenn, in a park outside Johannesburg

Six years later and a few facebook and email correspondences in between, I did just that. Last January my husband and I headed to South Africa to fulfill one of the biggest items on my bucket list – a safari in Kruger National Park. While in South Africa, we ended up staying at Glenn’s home for two nights and spending time with his lovely wife and children. They showed us some great spots in their hometown, took me to the bookstore to load up on African folklore, and gave us lots of great tips for the rest of our South African adventure. While our time with them was short, it didn’t take long for us to feel like close friends, and I was choking back tears when we said our goodbyes. It’s only been a year since we were with them, and already I look forward to the day when we can return to visit them.

Ever since this experience, my husband and I have always smiled and raised our eyebrows whenever anyone invites us somewhere. “I hope you mean it,” I’ll say, “because while it may take a couple of years, there’s a very good chance that we’ll take you up on it!”

Just a few days ago, I returned from a two week trip to Guatemala and that trip came about in much the same way as my South African visit. In October of 2011, I was invited to teach a workshop about using storytelling and the creative arts in ministry. The workshop was held in San Jose, Costa Rica and was directed toward pastors and youth leaders from across Central America and the northern parts of South America. The participants were enthusiastic students, and during my five days there, I met many wonderful people. One of those was David, a young pastor from El Salvador who was ministering in Guatemala – and I remember him telling me, “If you’d ever like to come to Guatemala, just let me know. We’d love to have you.”

Well, at the end of last year, after a trip to India that I’d been planning fell through, I remembered David’s words. I sent him a message asking if his offer was still standing, and if so, if he and his wife would be able to host me as soon as February! He wrote back with an enthusiastic “sí,” and told me about all of the schools in the area where I would be able to share stories. That was all it took for me to make Guatemala my next overseas destination!

And so, to this day, I continue to laugh when someone invites me somewhere, especially if it seems like a somewhat far-flung offer. Because where there’s a will, there’s a way. And anyone that knows me knows that I have a will to see and share stories in as much of the world as I can. So if a door opens, well, there’s a good chance I’ll walk through, even if it takes me some time to get there.

Posing with a group of students at a school in Guatemala after a story presentation

• Atop a flat-bed truck (where my biggest worry was not that I would be able to tell the story, but that no one participating would fall off!)

• In a Ghanaian classroom, packed to the gills with over one hundred 4th and 5th graders (strangely enough, when I showed up, the teacher decided to take a walk around the building!)

• Under a canopy of trees in Haiti (where students were using tents for classrooms in the aftermath of the earthquake)

• In a wide open field under the hot sun (The patrons sat in the shade while I performed in the sun, sweating profusely. Despite the tough conditions, this is still a place I enjoy visiting.)

• On a dirt floor in front of an outdoor pavilion stage which upon arrival was covered with bird poop and a dead bird! (Needless to say last minute adjustments on my part were made in order to keep my props from becoming contaminated!)

Under the trees in Haiti

While the performance venue can be a surprise, so too can the audience. To rephrase Forrest Gump’s famous quote, “Audiences are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” Some are quiet and reserved, others wild and raucous. For me, this is some of the fun of it. Yet it can also pose a challenge.

Recently, my husband accompanied me to a performance for toddlers. While the toddlers sat on the floor during the presentation, their parents sat at tables. And instead of modeling good listening behavior for their children, quite a few of them talked throughout the performance. The children were wide-eyed and excited, and on a few occasions disruptive, but very few parents got involved to correct their behavior. While this is not the norm, it happens more than it should; often enough that it no longer phases me.

Well as soon as I had finished the program and we got in the car to leave, my husband sat there staring at me for a good minute, his eyes as round as saucers. “Wow!” he said. “I don’t know how you do it! That was amazing.”

I think he was referring to my ability to not become phased by all of the external factors at play in the room, many of which had made him want to creep into a corner and disappear. He was surprised that I could stay engaged with the story and engaged with

It’s a long fall from atop this flat-bed truck!

the children despite the number of distractions. And perhaps most of all he was surprised that given the above factors I could actually enjoy myself doing it!

Now my husband has always supported my storytelling work, but that was one of those moments where I knew that he had a genuine respect, even awe, for my work and the flexibility that it requires. Sometimes it’s easy to get wrapped up in all of the difficult circumstances surrounding a performance, and when there is a good opportunity to change the scenario, I will try to do so. But mostly I try to keep myself focused on why I’m there. And despite any adverse conditions that might exist, I remind myself that someone there needs that story, and I am there to tell it to them.

What difficult circumstances have you encountered in your own line of work?

How do you overcome and/or stay focused in the midst of them?

A few years ago I have the privilege of telling the famous Indian folktale, The Monkey and the Crocodile, at a local library. When the performance concluded, a woman of Indian descent came up to me with her young daughter in tow. She thanked me profusely and said, “My grandmother used to tell me that story when I was a little girl. I had forgotten all about it, but as soon as you began to tell, it all started coming back to me. I came today thinking that this was just going to be for my daughter, but I have received something special as well. Now we can share this story together.”

Her words were a great gift to me. Not only had the story transported her to her homeland for a brief time, it had also brought to memory a story of cultural significance that she could continue to pass on to her own children. I am married to an immigrant and have many immigrant friends here in the United States. I have noticed that while some people hang on to their cultural traditions here in their new country, it seems that just as many remove themselves from them altogether in an attempt to assimilate. I have found that when the foreign-born see someone from outside their culture ascribing value to their traditions it often reinforces their pride in their cultural heritage and creates a desire to share it with others.

A good example of this occurred while I was doing some work with an after-school program for fifth and sixth grade students in the Akron area. Over a four week period, I would work with three different groups of students, telling multicultural stories. One of the groups in particular was very diverse with students from Mexico, Thailand, Burma and beyond.

On one occasion right around Halloween, I happened to be telling a Mexican folktale, The Perfect Madrina, that introduces the Mexican holiday, El Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead.) The Mexican students were very eager to participate and quite a few of them ended up taking on roles in the story. Since I use some Spanish language in the telling, they were excited to respond to me in their native tongue. At the conclusion of the story, I showed some pictures from a book which allowed the students to see more about how the holiday is celebrated.

The non-Mexican students in audience were very intrigued. “Is it really like that?” they asked. They also pointed at some of the pictures and wanted to know more. This gave the Mexican students a chance to be the “experts” and to answer their questions. Suddenly, the things that before the show had singled them out as different from their classmates (language, customs, food, etc) became a topic of great interest and appreciation to their peers. This is a moment that I will cherish for a long time. (For classroom teachers working with diverse student populations, the use of folklore is a great way to foster unity and develop respect for foreign-born students.)

Most recently, I was performing my Chinese New Year Celebration program. At the conclusion, a girl of about 13 years old of Chinese descent came up to thank me for coming. Later on, two other girls, one Chinese and one from the US, joined her. They were followed by a woman who went right up the world map that I use in my performances and began to look for some particular Chinese cities on the map. What I came to understand was that she was the mother of the three and was pointing out the places from which the two Chinese girls had been adopted. All three girls looked at the map with great interest.

Then the American-born sister put a hand on the 13 year old’s shoulder and said, “Today we’re celebrating her ‘gotcha’ day! It’s kind of like another birthday!” The mother explained that the “gotcha day” was the first day that this family had been able to hold this child in their arms after the long adoption process. The whole quartet beamed proudly at the thought.

“Thank you,” said the mother. “I try to take my children to a lot of different cultural events, but this is the first time that we’ve heard these stories. It really means a lot to know these beautiful tales.” I couldn’t help but smile. Theirs was a beautiful tale in and of itself.

For me telling multicultural folktales is an opportunity to ascribe value and worth to cultures and traditions different from my own. While we can be proud of our heritage as Americans, we lose nothing by learning about diverse traditions. Instead, this enriches our own understanding. In fact, I don’t think I ever really understood American culture until I started traveling and living abroad and having a wider lens from which to view it.

Telling multicultural tales is particularly meaningful in areas where diversity is lacking, newly growing or misunderstood. I have found that my multicultural audiences have been appreciative of my attempts to shine light upon their positive cultural contributions and to encourage others to learn more. This had made the experience of telling these tales both humbling and deeply gratifying for me.

Do you have a favorite experience of telling a multicultural story?

Care must be taken not to tell the story in a flippant manner or to make light of cultural traditions that we may not understand. For example, some cultures have stories that are only supposed to be told at certain times of year. In other cultures, certain members of society earn the right to become storytellers, and they alone are entrusted with the wisdom of special sacred stories.

I have chosen to tell multicultural folktales because I feel that the wisdom that they contain is something that our world needs now more than ever. The reason that I became a storyteller in the first place has a lot to do with a short Zen story that I came across in a collection of folktales back during my college days. That story taught me so much about myself, and I can’t imagine never having learned the simple, yet profound, truth that it taught me. In our modern era, many young people and adults are missing out on the opportunity to be exposed to such wonderful wisdom that leads to self-understand and self-discovery.

Another reason that I tell multicultural tales is because they reinforce the idea of our shared humanity. As people of all ages hear tales from around the world, they are struck not so much by how different we are, but by how much we have in common. Humans across all space and time share the same hopes, dreams, needs, desires, struggles, disappointments and frustrations. No matter how different we may dress, eat or speak, we all experience life’s ups and downs.

At the same time, the cultural differences that folktales highlight often lead to a healthy curiosity in my listeners. I have had the chance to travel widely, and it’s something I recommend to everyone I meet. However, I understand that many people may never get the opportunity to leave their home country. In that case, I can encourage them to learn more through books or by reaching out to the foreign-born in their communities.

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to perform my new program, A Chinese New Year Celebration, at a local library. I was surprised to see that nearly half of my audience that day was of Chinese descent! Despite the fact that I had carefully researched the stories I would present, even going so far as to meet with a Chinese professor at the local university to discuss their cultural context, I found myself a bit nervous. How could I even think of standing before this crowd in the role of “expert” when there were many in my audience who could claim these stories as their own while I could not?

Well, I decided that I didn’t have to. Given the circumstances, that approach did not feel appropriate to me. So instead of simply sharing the facts that I had gathered as rehearsed, I decided to open it up to the audience, calling upon them to share their understanding of some of the symbols and traditions tied to the holiday.  I then allowed their answers to springboard me into the stories I’d selected to tell. I found that this approach worked beautifully. I loved the give and take that it allowed for, and I was also glad to see that their answers checked out with the research that I had done as well!

Similarly, in many of my stories, I like to say or teach a common phrase in the foreign language. Well, despite my practice, I don’t consider my Chinese pronunciation to be as accurate as say my English or Spanish. So in this case, it was wonderful to be able to call upon a handful of people for whom Mandarin Chinese was their native tongue. Not only did I come away enriched by this experience, but so too did the audience.

As a storyteller, I highly recommend making use of the audience members and the wealth of knowledge that they bring. Ask questions. Engage them in dialogue. Find ways to creatively build this interaction into your program. This is by no means an excuse to be lazy and not do the necessary research ahead of time. Neither, in my mind is calling upon the audience a display of ignorance. Instead, I consider it a way to show deference and respect for your audience while at the same time showing them that you are open to learning from them. It is also a way of empowering audience members to become storytellers in their own right.

In my next post, I will continue on this theme, sharing how some of the responses that I have received from audience members of various ethnicities have been instrumental in furthering my motivation to tell multicultural tales.

Through my research, I became acquainted with many of the unique symbols and traditions that are part of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. These symbols and traditions led me to dig a bit deeper and try to uncover the origins and meaning behind the traditions. In the end, I came up with a program comprised of three different stories, each unique and each explaining a different facet of the Chinese New Year celebration. Appropriately enough, this new program is called A Chinese New Year Celebration. Below you will find a small taste of the stories included in the program.

The Nian Beast

The first story surrounds the legend of the Nian beast, a horrible man-eating monster that used to come out of hiding to terrorize the Chinese people on New Years Eve. Many different versions of this tale exist and provide explanations for how the people were able to scare him away and live in peace. Many of these methods are still put in practice today during the New Year celebration as the people wear red colors, set off firecrackers and engage in the ever popular Lion Dance.

The Four Dragons

I have been fascinated by dragons ever since I visited Hong Kong when I was fourteen years old. I became obsessed with finding a dragon necklace made out of jade to take home as my souvenir. While I never found that particular combination, I did find a dragon necklace that I still have and wear to this day. The Dragon Dance is another popular tradition of Chinese New Year. Unlike their western counterparts, Chinese dragons are not seen as being evil or scary. Instead, they are powerful and mighty but they use those powers for good. The story of the four dragons explains how these magnificent creatures used their powers to help the Chinese people during a time of terrible drought. It is a beautiful story of compassion and self-sacrifice that also gives insight into the geography of China.

Happiness Upside Down

This is the first Chinese New Year story that I ever came across, and this was long before I’d been asked to develop this performance. The story stood out to me as having special wisdom, and I was thankful for an opportunity to come back to it and share it with others. During Chinese New Year, the Chinese character symbolizing ‘happiness’ and ‘good fortune’ is hung upside down on the door. The Chinese word for ‘upside down’ sounds just like the word for ‘to arrive.’ So Chinese people hang the ‘happiness’ character upside down on their door to say that happiness has arrived in the new year. A story from the Ming Dynasty explains how this tradition came about. It follows an angry Emperor and his wise wife who saves some of her people from her husband’s wrath while teaching him an important lesson in the process. The manner in which the Empress deals with both her husband’s temper and the difficult situation is particularly insightful.

A Chinese New Year Celebration is now available for booking. While the holiday follows the lunar calendar and falls on February 10th this year, the program will be available year-round and is a great introduction to some very interesting facets of Chinese culture. The program is approximately 45 minutes in length. (However those with time constraints may adapt it to fit their needs, electing to have only one or two of the stories included in the performance.)

*I also encourage you to check your local community’s calendar to see if there are any events planned which will give you a glimpse of the holiday. If you’re in the Cleveland area, the Asia Town Center and Asia Plaza both have activities planned. In addition, many Chinese restaurants plan special entertainment, including Lion Dances, during the holiday. So you may want to call to see if/when the Lion Dancers will be making a stop at your favorite restaurant and plan your next dinner outing accordingly!

At any rate, yesterday when I reminded my grandmother that I’d be coming to perform, her first response was, “Oh! Are there going to be children there?”

When I said, “No, Grandma. There won’t be any children there,” I saw a confused look come across her face. Clearly she was picturing my work as a storyteller as something reserved for child audiences, and now she was concerned that I was going to come in and embarrass her in front of all of her friends with some sort of juvenile entertainment that was above her and her peers.

I tried reassuring her. “Grandma, I tell stories to all different ages, not just children.”

She smiled, but she didn’t look convinced. Probably too busy imagining her social status and carefully manicured reputation taking a nose dive after her peers saw what a crazy woman she had for a grandchild! At any rate, she smiled again and said, “I’m sure that you’ll make me very proud tomorrow.” But I wasn’t so sure if she was trying to reassure me or herself of that fact!

Well, as I began the performance, I would catch glimpses of my grandmother whose face had that slightly-scared look on it. The kind that says, “Oh boy! What’s she going to do next?” We tend to think of peer pressure and image-consciousness as a larger concern of teens and young adults, but honestly, it affects us throughout our lives, whatever our age as my grandmother has taught me on more than a couple of occasions.

However, as I continued the performance, the crowd warmed up quickly. And as they did, my grandmother began to relax. Maybe I wouldn’t embarrass her after all!

One of my favorite things about my job is being able to look out at an audience and see the wonder in people’s eyes. And there really is nothing more magical than seeing a crowd of older adults whose eyes are filled with the wonder of a child. It’s a good reminder that all of us, whatever our age, are waiting to have that place of wonder in our hearts and minds tapped and brought to life.

When the performance concluded, the audience asked me some questions about my work and my travels, and I, in turn, asked them to share some of their own stories. I was then gifted with stories of one woman’s experiences as an American living in Iran. A man’s journey to the Holy Land. A whispered comment about a visit to a nude beach in Puerto Rico. Several recommended that I make a trip Hawaii. Later another woman spoke to me at length about her difficult living situation, the husband she greatly missed and her diagnosis of dementia. She asked me to say a prayer whenever I thought of her.

As I was finishing, a woman next to my grandmother with tinted glasses and a red-tipped cane turned toward me and said, “That was beautiful. I’m sure that your grandmother is very proud.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you,” I said. And at the back of mind, I thought, “I hope so. I really hope so. Because I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

* As a side note, I must share that since my earliest days as a storyteller all the way up to the present day, I have practiced many of my stories on my grandmother. She is always willing and eager to listen, and we have a good laugh as I dress her up in some of the costume pieces used in the story. It was during one such practice session years ago that I first realized how wonderful telling for older adults could be, and I have looked for such opportunities ever since. Today when she comes over to my house to visit, I like to sit her down in my comfy rolling desk chair and bring her along to whatever room I’m going to be in. And of course, if there’s a new story that needs polishing or on old one that needs practicing, I know just the person to listen!

Joy to the World: Christmas Stories from Around the Worldby Saviour Pirotta

This book contains such favorite folktales as Babushka (Russia), The Brave Little Camel (Syria) and Flowers for Jesus (Mexico).

The Kingfisher Book of Classic Christmas Stories compiled by Ian Whybrow contains such goodies as:

• Becky’s Christmas Dream by Louisa May Alcott

A Cinderella-type story in which a poor orphan girl discovers that for one magical hour on Christmas Eve she can talk with things that don’t normally have voices. A cat, a clock and a fire teach her a lesson in doing her duties with joy.

• Old Pierre’s Christmas Visitors (France)

A man dreams that Jesus will visit him on Christmas day. But after a whole day of helping needy neighbors, he has not seen him. In the end, he learns that Jesus has already visited in the form of each of those neighbors. Leo Tolstoy has a version of this story entitled Papa Panov.

• The White Cat of the Dovre Mountain (Norway)

An uproarious tale of pesky trolls confusing a polar bear for a cat on Christmas Eve. (Jan Brett also has a version of this story titled “Who’s That Knocking On Christmas Eve?” And for some different folk variations click here.)

Hans Christian Anderson is famous for such beautiful winter tales as:

•  The Fir Tree

The sad tale of a tree who is too busy wishing for the next stage of its life to enjoy the present moment. (I would recommend it for older children, as the ending may be too sad for the little ones.)

• The Shoemaker and the Elves

A poor elderly couple who work as shoemakers receive help from some kind elves. (This story has also been attributed to the Brothers Grimm.)

And last but not least, a few more favorite folktales:

• The Christmas Spider (Germany and Ukraine)

Find out the origins of tinsel in this story of how some spiders made a very special Christmas for a poor family.

• The Singing Fir Tree (Switzerland)

A special singing fir tree is destroyed by a man in his quest to find the perfect piece of wood for his carving. A great examination of how the beauty of nature is meant to be enjoyed by all and what happens when we destroy it for our own reward.

What is your favorite Christmas story?

A young actor and I showing our polar bear growls after my telling of the Norwegian folktale, “The White Cat of the Dovre Mountain,” which I like to call “The Very Big Christmas Kitty”

There was red carpet, but only because that’s the color of the carpet in my church where the premiere was held. I tried to dress nicely, but there was nothing close to a fancy evening gown. The most notable part of my wardrobe was my character’s signature multi-colored rain boots that didn’t even match the rest of what I was wearing. My mom felt I should choose more suitable footwear, but those were the only part of my outfit that I was certain must be worn. And as for crowds, the attendance was somewhat modest, which I had expected due to the holiday season and the fact that I got the invitations out rather late.

And yet, despite the lack of Hollywood flair (or perhaps because of it!), I count the premiere a great success. First of all, three of the cast members and their families were in attendance. Two of these cast members were in the previous film, Flight to India, which means that I have known them for over three years now. It has been amazing watching them grow, not only as actors but as people, from one film to the next. I feel blessed by the support of their families who have spent hours in the car driving them to rehearsals and film shoots (at times in the midst of perilous snowstorms!) as well as helping them memorize lines. I have also been supported by friends who gave up their weekends to serve on the crew. And in my conversations with those involved in the production, I couldn’t help but come away with the feeling that this film has meant more than just serving as a nice little notch on their resumes.

from left to right: Music composer, Aryavarta Kumar, Director Peter Fields, Trinity Tyler (Andre), Screenwriter Lindsay Bonilla, Jeremiah Joreski (Adam), Sri Tyler (Gracie)

Instead, there is a very real sense that this is a journey we were all on together. A journey of new experiences, new challenges, new adventures. And while it culminated in a beautiful film that was greatly enjoyed by the audience, it’s the journey that remains on my mind.

In fact, Voyage to Russia is subtitled “A Journey of the Imagination.” And watching the film from the back row at Friday’s premiere, I was blessed to see children and adults taking that journey together. As Peter, the film’s director, said during his opening speech, “What I am most proud of about this film is the fact that it’s a true family-film. And unlike so much of modern technology which seems to remove us from meaningful relationships with others, these films are about connecting us to others and increasing our engagement with them.”

This is what I want to be about. This is why I tell stories, why I make family-friendly films. This is the journey that I want to be on and that I want to take others on as well. Sometimes this happens in ways I don’t even realize, and I am grateful just to be a part of it.

Many friends have shared that Flight to India has been a springboard of creativity for their children, taking them on exciting adventures as they re-enact the story and invent new destinations to visit through the power of their imaginations. My sincere hope is that Voyage to Russia will do the same. After talking with one young fan after the premiere, I have no doubt it will do just that. How can I tell? Perhaps it was in the mischievous gleam that came into her eyes as her mother told me about the Russian nesting dolls that she had at home. It was obvious that for this young girl those dolls had already taken on a life of their own in her mind. And thus, she was far ahead of me – eager to get home so her new adventure, her new journey, could begin.

“VOYAGE TO RUSSIA” PREMIERE

WHEN: Friday, December 14, 2012 at 7:30pm

WHERE: Salvation Army Akron Citadel,  190 South Maple Street; Akron, OH  44302

Admission is free so bring a friend! 

Synopsis:

Young Leah is ready for a fun day of baking Christmas cookies with her mother. But when Mom has to work yet again, her hopes are dashed. Enter zany babysitter Lindsay, who upon discovering that Mom is too busy to spend time with Leah, is reminded of a story from Russia. Turning their kitchen table into a boat, Lindsay draws Leah and older brother Adam into a second adventure which takes them across the sea to Russia. Transforming Leah into an old lady on a mission and Adam and friends into the three kings, she guides them along on an imaginative Christmas journey, bringing the famous Russian folktale, “Babushka,” to life with the help of items from her unusual traveler’s bag. In the process, Lindsay teaches the children the unforgettable lesson that you should never be too busy for what’s truly important.

As I like to say, if you have ever shared the events of your day with someone, whether over the phone, over a cup of coffee or over the dinner table, you are a storyteller. All of us tell stories. It’s one of the ways that we find and construct meaning in our lives. It’s how we make sense of everything from our routine daily activities to life’s major events.

Yesterday, while presenting my workshop, I came up against one of those people who refused to admit that he was a storyteller. He was only seven years old, and we’ll call him Anthony. When we did a partner activity of sharing life stories, Anthony said he didn’t have any. He sat there staring at his partner while I tried to prompt him with some ideas, but after awhile I had to move on to help some other groups.

When the time for partner sharing came to a close, I asked who would like to share one of their partner’s stories with the rest of the class. Anthony’s partner raised his hand, and he stood up to begin. As he told, he struggled with some of the details and turned to Anthony for clarification. It was then that Anthony began to share in detail about a new pet frog he’d received. He even spread out his hands in front of him to demonstrate how the frog could glide across the water. His eyes lit up as he shared. When he’d finished, I said, “Give me a high five! You just told a story! Now everyone in this room truly is a storyteller.” Anthony smiled, and so did I. Mission Accomplished!

* * *

The next classroom I visited was extremely engaged and imaginative. They came up with some of the most creative ideas I heard all day when we brainstormed story ideas based on tableaux. But the thing that really amazed me about this class was what happened at its conclusion.

I was gathering up my clipboard and purse and preparing to move on to the next class when a little boy came up to me and said, “We can tell true stories about bullying too.”

“Is that something you are going through?” I asked.

He nodded his head and said, “I told some kids on the bus that when I get scared I suck my fingers. Now they make fun of me and call me ‘finger-sucker.’”

I was amazed that after only a 40 minute workshop session, he had felt comfortable enough to share that with me. When I talk about the reasons that we tell stories with students, I always mention the fact that it builds relationships, and this was a good example of that. I wished I could have stayed and talked some more with the student, but time would not allow it. Instead, I made sure that he had shared what was going on with his teacher and that he was getting help. I also told him how brave he was for letting an adult know what was happening.

These two stories from yesterday are great examples of why I love my work. Storytelling helps people to find their voice. It creates and builds relationship. And that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what story can do!