When she gets home from school, I often ask my seven-year-old daughter Maddy to tell me a story. Sometimes she has one at the tip of her tongue and other time she says “well, nothing happened today.” “Nothing?” I ask. “That’s hard to believe. You just sat at your desk all day staring out the window?” She giggles as she nods and then, more often then not, something spills out

I believe in the power of storytelling. It doesn’t have to be profound – sometimes it’s the most mundane recess stories that launch us into conversations or help me understand my daughter a little bit better. The stories don’t necessarily even need to have a point or (and this is Maddy’s favourite kind of story) be based in reality. Her made-up stories often tell me more about her than her accurate accounting of the day.

Last night, I gathered some special people in my home to celebrate the launch of my new site. They were people I’d met in different settings so many of them were strangers to each other.  I wasn’t sure how we’d all connect, but each of these women is important to me, and so we came together with wine and good food.

In the middle of the evening, I pulled out my talking stick.  A few years ago, when I was in Kenya, I bought a leadership stick. Many tribal and village leaders (all of them men) carry leadership sticks.  When our group of Canadians visited the villages, we were often given gifts. The men who appeared to be our leaders were sometimes given leadership sticks. Women were given necklaces or bracelets. At some point during the course of that trip, I became determined to bring home a leadership stick, even if it wasn’t meant for a woman. I had to purchase mine at the market.

When I use it as my talking stick in sharing circles, I always tell the story of how I bought that leadership stick because I believe I am gifted to be a leader whether or not I’m told I can be. In the context in which I was raised, I was never led to believe that I, as a woman, could be a leader, but at some point in my adult life, through the influence of wise mentors and teachers and a growing realization of my own, my gift emerged. Now I believe it is part of my calling.

But this post isn’t about feminism or leadership, it’s about storytelling. Last night, I told the story about the stick, and then I passed it around the circle asking everyone to share something about their gifts and how they are emerging and taking shape.

From the very first story, I knew that we were all in for an amazing evening. Each person spoke from a place of authenticity and vulnerability. Some shared about things they’d recently learned about themselves, others shared about the guilt they’d been dealing with when trying to give space to their gifts and passion. Every person in the room shared some piece of wisdom that I want to remember for a long, long time.

I believe that story-sharing can change the world. I believe that we can inspire and be inspired by the sharing of stories. I believe that our own story is one of the most valuable gifts we can give away. I believe that authenticity and vulnerability are crucial in our search for justice and beauty. That’s why I started this blog and that’s why I’m asking you to share your stories.

I am so honoured by the people who gave me the gift of their stories last night as well as those who have sent me their stories today. Keep them coming – we can all learn from each other. Click on the submit button above to learn how to send me your story gift.
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Speaking of sharing stories, yesterday morning when I was writing in my journal before starting the day, I wrote a list of things I wanted to get out of the day. One of those wishes was that I would get a chance to speak or write about this website somewhere soon. Within hours, I’d been invited to speak about it on a radio show in Minneapolis!

If you’re interested, you can listen live at 10:30 a.m. CST or listen to the podcast later at www.fm1071.com/getreal.

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