Leadership Story Talks | Special Guest Live Streamed Event - Stories That Shaped Us

Jerome Deroy and Julienne Ryan introduce a new, recurring format: Leadership Story Talks LIVE! — a bi-monthly, interactive storytelling experience designed to bring listening and telling into the same virtual space.

This live gathering centers on short, true stories told by experienced leaders and practitioners, followed by reflection and shared insight. As Jerome and Julienne note, storytelling isn’t about performance — it’s about presence. And listening is what allows meaning to emerge.

The invitation was simple: Tell us a story about an experience that shaped who you are today.

What followed were three distinct stories that revealed how leadership is formed not through theory, but through lived experience.

Cecilia Loving shares a childhood memory from the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, recalling the reactions of the adults around her — their fear, grief, and silence. Her story offers a glimpse into how historic moments are absorbed at a young age and continue to shape how we understand safety, belonging, and the world around us long after the moment has passed.

Lisa Hope Tilstra reflects on losing her husband to a brain tumor more than twenty years ago, and how that experience continues to shape her relationship to time, difficulty, and meaning. Rather than framing loss as something left behind, her story reveals how formative experiences travel with us, quietly influencing how we choose, lead, and live.

Charles Bernard tells a story about discovering a capacity within himself that he couldn’t yet see — a moment when a creative spark revealed potential that had been hidden from view. His story speaks to how growth often begins before we can name it, and how being invited into creativity can open entirely new ways of seeing what’s possible.

As Jerome and Julienne reflect with the storytellers, a shared understanding emerges: moments don’t end when they’re over. Meaning unfolds over time. And leadership is often shaped long before we have language for it.

Resources

Cecilia Loving
Managing Principal, Loving Factor LLC
Organizational Leadership | Rooted in Culture, Compassion & Belonging
Author of The Power of Inclusion and Connecting Through Circles

Charles Bernard
Sales Improvement Expert, Keynote Speaker, Founder

Websites: Criteria For Success &  Collavia

Lisa Hope Tilstra
Leadership Coach & Host of the Make Life Less Difficult Podcast

Narativ’s online course in partnership with New Mexico State University Global Campus:
Lead With Your Story (self-paced, on-demand course)
Podcast listeners get 25% off - Use code NARATIV → Register Here

Learn more about how to leverage Narativ’s storytelling method for your pitch and sales team: Download our free e-book, or you’re welcome to schedule a free 15-minute call with Jerome.

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