Defining Stories

Defining Stories

By Callan McDonnellHealth & FitnessMental Health
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Defining Stories episodes

  • Episode 4: Empowering Stories

    Samantha is indeed a marvellous woman who has not only created an inspiring deck of cards called Marvellous

    Women, but has achieved significant transformations throughout her life story.

    Samantha shares her empowerment story in this

    episode of Defining Stories. You’ll hear about how she retired an old story and belief system that allowed her to think that others knew better than her. As a young girl and woman, she was aware of letting others offer direction
    over her life and choices. As Samantha matured, she grew in confidence and embraced an enticing new story that was about being empowered to make her own choices. Learning to listen to her inner voice, to discern good advice from
    unhelpful suggestions and channelling into the right wisdom for her has been an ongoing life experiment. Sam has navigated a path through this life experiment with
    integrity and curiosity.

    Enjoy listening to this episode that shares some

    of the freedom and confidence we can grasp when we enrich our stories of empowerment.

    Empowering stories are essential for fostering a

    positive and proactive mindset in individuals, teams, and organisations. They influence how people see themselves, how we interact with others, and how we choose to approach challenges and opportunities. By cultivating empowering narratives, we get to stay in touch with our personal agency which can lead to sustained success and fulfilment. Samantha exemplifies this marvellously.

    34 min
  • Episode 3: Deconstructing Stories

    Our episode this month is a fascinating conversation with Shona who also has a background in narrative practice. The theme explored in this conversation focuses on our ability to deconstruct our life stories so we can create new meaning.  

     

    In narrative practice, deconstructing stories is

    a technique used to analyse and break down dominant narratives that shape our identity and experiences. The goal is to reveal the underlying assumptions, values, and influences that sustain these narratives, enabling individuals to challenge and transform them. How we make sense of our lives and the meaning we attach to events and relationships can, often be filtered through social constructs of the hopes and expectations of other people and groups. What Shona
    so beautifully illustrates is how she went about mastering the skills of deconstruction to find alternative stories for herself and how she is defining herself as a woman. .

     

    Shona reminds us that the process of deconstructing our stories can be painful but that the struggle is necessary if

    we want our character to change and to experience new adventures. You are going to love Shona’s wisdom about moving through life with open palms and the story
    she shares about Helen Keller nudging her towards a great adventure is an absolute delight.

     

    There is lots of gold in this episode enjoy hearing some of Shona’s wisdoms about deconstructing stories and remember, ‘Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.’ (Helen Keller)

    41 min
  • Episode 2: Problem Stories

    In this episode we meet Kerri who generously shares the

    story of a time in her life when a problem story became overwhelmingly significant. Problem stories are narratives that dominate our self-perception and worldview.
    They can cause us to focus predominantly on the issues, difficulties, and negative experiences associated with the problem. These stories can significantly impact our mental health and well-being and can become so pervasive that they overshadow any positive experiences or attributes we may have, leading to a skewed and often negative self-perception.

     

    When problems dominate our personal narrative, we may see ourselves primarily in terms of our difficulties and failures. This can lead to the internalisation of problems, where we view our problems as intrinsic to who we are rather than as external challenges that can be addressed and

    overcome. These sorts of narratives can lead to self-fulfilling
    prophecies, where the expectation of negative outcomes influences our behaviour in ways that bring about those outcomes.

     

    The problem story can make it difficult for us to

    see alternative ways of understanding our experiences and the potential solutions to our problems. This
    limited perspective can lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, as we can start to believe that our problems are insurmountable and that we lack the capacity for change. One of the beautiful aspects to Kerri’s story is the way you hear how she overcame the problems and the actions she took to understand her experience and to face into the changes she needed to make.

     

    The profound impact Kerri’s problem story had on her life

    and the memories of unworthiness it evoked needed to be faced and counteracted with alternative narratives. You will hear first-hand how Kerri had to relearn how to form an identity and how the signature story she now holds is one of
    fearlessness about potential future problems. She has rediscovered a river of confidence and internal strengths that she is able to access in the face of new and future challenges that life may bring to her. She now sees herself as a gentler, kinder version of her old self focused on intrinsic motivations where she can challenge herself to keep growing and learning.

     

    As Kerri says so eloquently, she has discovered that the

    secret weapon of vulnerability is authenticity. Please enjoy this very authentic and fascinating account of a problem story.

    37 min
  • Episode 1: What is Narrative Practice?

    In this episode, Michelle and I chat about some of the principles that underpin narrative practice and why it can be useful to think of your life as a story. We explore the difference between a life history and a life story and how the meanings we attach to our memories can change our perception of events and the definitions we make about ourselves. We share how there is power in making problem stories regenerative and how personal agency is such a powerful tool for changing stories that are contaminating. You'll also hear a story about the man who forgot to celebrate Christmas.

    32 min

About Defining Stories

From the publisher's feed

Using the principles and practices of narrative therapy, Callan McDonnell and Michelle Daley meet with ordinary people to hear their extraordinary stories and share how they have made sense of…