Stories are how evidence moves people
Data informs. Stories persuade, inspire, and endure. In conservation and environmental work, storytelling is not an add-on. It is how research becomes relevance, how experience becomes insight, and how ideas become action.
For more than a decade, I have used narrative storytelling to bridge science, policy, and public understanding. I teach scientists, practitioners, and leaders how to use story to communicate with clarity, integrity, and impact.
For more than a decade, I have used narrative storytelling to bridge science, policy, and public understanding. I teach scientists, practitioners, and leaders how to use story to communicate with clarity, integrity, and impact.
What I teach
I offer storytelling workshops and trainings ranging from a one-hour introduction to multi-day intensives, online and in person. My approach is grounded in science, ethics, and respect for lived experience. Participants leave with practical tools they can use in talks, writing, media, advocacy, and leadership.
In recent years, I have taught storytelling to:
My goal is not to turn people into performers. It is to help them communicate in ways that are human, credible, and effective in real-world decision-making.
In recent years, I have taught storytelling to:
- Graduate students
- Liber Ero Fellows (postdoctoral researchers)
- University faculty and graduate programs
- Conservation NGOs and practitioners
- Participants at the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution conference
My goal is not to turn people into performers. It is to help them communicate in ways that are human, credible, and effective in real-world decision-making.
My storytelling in practice
I am an active practitioner as well as a teacher. My stories draw on real conservation, science, and human stakes. My work has been featured on international storytelling stages and in science and cultural venues, including:
- "Secrets of the deep snow", Roots and Reverie: Nature Narrative, Special Bird Service and the Royal BC Museum
- "Ghosts in the mountains (excerpt)", United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15)
- "Man with the Machine Gun (excerpt, starts at 2h:50m:25s)", The Story Collider 10th anniversary
- "Things that rumble in the jungle", Royal BC Museum
- "When the tide goes out, the table is set", in Tales from the Sea, International Marine Conservation Congress 2016
- "Lessons from the man with the machine gun", The Story Collider and the 2015 IALE World Congress
- Re-broadcast on CBC Radio's national weekly science show Quirks & Quarks, mentioned in The Guardian, and selected as a 2015 fan favourite.
Why Storytelling Matters for Impact
In science and conservation, people are often taught to remove themselves from their work. Story reverses that. It helps us communicate:
- Why the work matters
- What is at stake
- How evidence connects to values and decisions
For People Who Want to See or Practice Storytelling
If you are looking to experience or practice live storytelling, these groups host excellent events:
- International (many cities): The Story Collider and The Moth
- Canada: Storytellers Canada and other festivals
- Alberta:
- Calgary: T.A.L.E.S. Calgary, Story Cafe, Monthly Tellarounds, Story Slam
- British Columbia
If You Would Like to Work Together
I work with universities, NGOs, conferences, and leadership programs to bring storytelling into science, conservation, and policy spaces. If you are interested in a keynote, workshop, or training, you are welcome to reach out.
