On a recent episode of Influencers Radio with Jack Mize, Artisan Storyteller and Communications Expert Michale Gabriel discussed how she helps corporations, charities, community leaders, and educators discover new ways to listen deeply, engage employees, build effective teams, discover hidden potential, and develop authentic leadership skills through the power of storytelling.
During the interview, Michale demonstrates her remarkable ability to paint vivid pictures and invoke powerful emotions through words.
Sharing how her journey as a storyteller began as a child in Alaska, Michale explained, “I’m a third generation Alaskan. I grew up listening to stories and reading stories and being captivated by them. But never would I have thought during all those years that I would end up with a business where I was storytelling and teaching storytelling around the world”.
Describing the moment storytelling evolved from advocation to vocation, Michale continued, “I had been a Director of Development for the University of Washington School of International Studies. We just finished a campaign, raising our goal of $2.8 million…when one morning, I was having a meditation in my backyard. And all of a sudden, I saw in my imagination… in my mind’s eye, a globe with hands underneath holding it up. The words over the top were ‘Peace Through Story’… And those words were so powerful for me. I knew my calling was to step out into the world and bring about peace through storytelling.”
That was 38 years ago. With no real strategy or plan, Michale left her job at the university to take the plunge into life as a professional storyteller, long before such a career was widely recognized. She just knew it was something that she needed to do, never imagining where the journey would lead her.
Story by story, country by country, Michale’s journey as an artisanal storyteller has taken her to elementary-school classrooms, national conferences, children’s hospitals, corporate boardrooms, leadership summits, conference halls, fundraising galas, and even Soviet television, where her programs reached over 50 million viewers and she was named Russia’s “American Fairy Godmother.”
Along with her passion for artisanal storytelling, Michale has the unique gift of being able to help others handcraft their own stories that are not just interesting and entertaining, but also have the power to motivate, inspire and impact the lives of others.
Today, as the Founder and CEO of Michale Gabriel Story by Design, Michale shares her unique approach to artisanal storytelling with clients in corporate, nonprofit and educational settings around the world. She has been a consultant and strategic communications partner and co-creator of three gold standard leadership programs for The Boeing Company for more than 20 years.
Listening to this fascinating conversation, it’s easy to see why Michale’s leadership development workshops, executive coaching, and conference keynotes on the “Power of Story” have been attended by thousands of executives, managers, professionals and influencers worldwide.
Listen to the full episode at https://influencersradio.com/michale-gabriel
To learn more about Michale Gabriel Story by Design, visit: https://michalegabriel.com
