The most successful brands and leaders tell stories that move people deeply, drive connection and spur positive action. Cheryl Miller Houser shares a storytelling framework anyone can use to achieve this. Her human-centered approach draws on the craft and science of storytelling and something much deeper – how to tap into our own heart and the heartbeat of the times. Interweaving engaging examples and applicable tactics, she takes participants on an emotional journey that leaves them inspired to tell stories that drive results in marketing, sales, leadership, social impact and personal development. Read More >

You’ll learn how to:

• Build awareness, connection and loyalty as a brand or leader
• Tap into universally shared emotions to move people deeply
• Structure stories so they grab and hold people’s attention
• Convert people’s emotions into positive action
• Understand and apply the craft and science of storytelling
• Uncover powerful stories within your organization and yourself

Workshop

In this workshop participants apply Cheryl’s tactics to their most urgent storytelling challenges. Since Cheryl takes people on a deeply emotional journey in her keynote, they are especially inspired to engage openly and collaboratively.  

Participants tackle storytelling challenges in small groups, then share their stories with the wider group. Cheryl responds with feedback and additional story tactics. The workshop ends with participants reflecting on the experience together which further builds teamwork and collaboration. Read Less ^

Brands which shape culture, not just seize a moment, drive connection, loyalty and growth. In fact, businesses which lead culture grow up to six times more than brands with low levels of cultural relevance. Cheryl Miller Houser provides a cultural storytelling framework based on learnings from truly great brands and insights as a documentary filmmaker who shifts culture. Participants can apply her tactics to all forms of storytelling to create loyal, long-term evangelists, a company culture of belonging and positive change in the wider world.   Read More >

You’ll Learn How to:

• Drive growth and long-term cultural relevance
• Foster belonging and community around shared beliefs
• Shape culture in a way that’s organic to your brand
• Avoid cultural mis-steps
• Ignite people’s emotions to shift their attitudes and mobilize action
• Define the essence of your brand
• Create a company culture of belonging and collaboration
• Create movements that shift culture in positive ways

Storytelling: How to Drive Culture (Workshop)  

In the workshop participants apply Cheryl’s 3-step cultural storytelling framework to their brand or organization through guided hands-on exercises. Cheryl interweaves small group challenges with full group discussions to provide a mix of personal ah-ha’s, group learnings and collaboration. The Workshop ends with participants sharing stories and receiving feedback and additional story tactics from Cheryl. Read Less ^

Stories can inspire us to do things we never thought possible. They can also hold us back, especially stories running on repeat in our heads from an inner critic or other people’s expectations. In this keynote Cheryl Miller Houser brings participants on a transformative journey of self-awareness and empowerment. Using moving short clips, relatable stories, scientific research and reflective prompts, she helps participants identify their limiting beliefs, where those beliefs come from and a framework to break free of them. Audience members leave empowered to “write their own stories,” take control of their lives and reach for what matters to them. Read More >

You’ll Learn How to:

• Identify the stories you tell yourself or others tell you that harm your sense of self and belief in what’s possible
• Change unhealthy thinking patterns and learn new & positive ones
• Take control of self-defeating thoughts to shift your behavior and outcomes
• Live more authentically and truthfully to who you are at your core
• Find acceptance, compassion and love for yourself
• Tune into your inner wisdom, authority and strengths you never realized you had
• Imagine the life you want to live, the first step in making what we want a reality

Stories: Break Free of Limiting Beliefs and Unleash Your Potential (Workshop)

Cheryl kicks off this workshop by helping participants see how stories running on repeat in our head can hold us back, especially those from our inner critic and other people’s expectations. She also helps participants identify what their harmful stories are, where they come from and ways to break free of them. Since this first phase of the workshop is deeply moving and challenges participants to reflect on their own lives, it gets them ready to engage openly and collaboratively during the participatory stage.  

Applying insights and inspiration from the first part of the workshop, participants break into pairs and share stories with a partner in response to prompts from Cheryl. People who feel comfortable (most are keen to!) share their moving stories with the full group, which drives trust, belonging and collaboration. In sharing stories, people realize they are not alone in their struggles. Others often have similar emotions and experiences and are keen to show up with compassion, support and wisdom from their own life lessons.  Read Less ^

Successful leaders are also often brilliant storytellers. This is how they convey their vision and drive connection and loyalty. It’s also how they create an internal culture of belonging, the #1 characteristic of the most innovative, collaborative and productive teams. In this keynote Cheryl Miller Houser draws on her human-centered storytelling framework and insights as a leader who has built and managed large creative teams. Through illustrative clips and stories, she offers a roadmap and actionable tactics leaders can use to galvanize people around their vision and goals and drive success for their employees, themselves and their organizations.   Read More >

You’ll Learn How to: Read Less ^

• Tell stories that mobilize people around your vision and goals
• Show up as human and relatable in a professional setting and the tremendous benefits that provides
• Ignite positive emotion and action
• Create a culture of belonging where employees collaborate, innovate and do their best work
• Inspire, engage, grow and retain your employees
• Drive innovation, growth and success