This is my mission

I started performing onstage around the same time I started writing computer programs, at age 10. After college, where I studied performing arts, I immediately got a job with a technology company—while at the same time doing experimental theater at small venues around New York City. I always saw these as two unrelated, even opposed themes threading through my life. I felt like my work as a writer and performer and artist was a secret life I kept hidden from my work in the corporate world. Yet I also had a superpower whenever I stood in front of colleagues and customers to present. I could hold the attention of the room. I could put important information in the context of a narrative. I could present myself professionally while connecting on a personal level.

These are not natural talents—they are learned skills. The skills I’ve learned in crafting a story for the stage and screen are directly applicable to what each of us has to do every day at work, when we need to be engaging, memorable, and effective communicators. Storytelling is at the heart of how humans connect emotionally and share important information.

Learning the art of storytelling makes more people feel comfortable and confident in leadership roles at work—and one day, together, we can wipe boring, painful PowerPoint presentations from the face of the Earth.

This is my mission. Join me if you dare.