Josh Gryniewicz was born and raised in the MidWest and grew up in Chicago. He grew up in a household of artists and fell in love with the power of story at a young age. He aided troubled youth, focusing on runaways and street children, in the early part of his career, following through on a passion from youth of having an open door for peers who were struggling. He decided to pursue his passion for storytelling more formally after his work with Cure Violence and earned a Master's degree in Writing. He served as a Communications Director for a number of healthcare organizations. One Africa-based project in Liberia inspired him to spend two years living in Togo as a Marketing and Communication Director at Integrate Health, aiding in the establishment of a health care delivery system integrated with local healers. He recently launched Odd Duck, a consultancy combining services in social change communications, focused on healthcare, with storytelling.