Lead with Storytelling

What do our myths remember that history forgets?

In this powerful and expansive conversation, I’m joined by Helen Nde—researcher, writer, cultural historian, and the brilliant mind behind Mythological Africans, one of the most respected platforms devoted to African folklore, mythology, and cultural memory.

Born in Cameroon and now based in Atlanta, Helen brings both personal experience and deep scholarship to her work. Her upcoming book, The Watkins Book of African Folklore, is a sweeping, beautifully curated tapestry of creation stories, trickster tales, ancestral memory, moral wisdom, and the rich diversity of Africa’s oral traditions.

Together, we explore:

🌍 Why African folklore matters now more than ever

🔍 How oral traditions preserve identity, history, and possibility

✨ The role of trickster figures as moral teachers and mirrors of human complexity

🔥 How colonial interpretations distorted many African myths—and what reclamation looks like today

💭 Folklore as history, knowledge, resistance, and prophecy

🎭 What the unseen world (spirits, ancestors, divination) reveals about our shared humanity

📖 How myths continue to shape imagination, belonging, and the African future

This episode is a feast for anyone curious about culture, spirituality, identity, storytelling, and heritage.

❤️ If you enjoyed this conversation…

🔔 Subscribe for more episodes on storytelling, memory, creativity, and cultural imagination.

👍 Like this video to support the channel.

💬 Share a comment: Which African myth or folktale has shaped your imagination?

📌 Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/6c10NeL5nPg3fEgDoDhLT5

📌 Follow Helen Nde & Mythological Africans:

https://www.helennde.com/projects

What if the secret to better leadership — and better storytelling — lies not in having all the answers, but in asking the right questions?

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, I’m joined by J.R. Briggs, founder of Kairos Partnerships, coach, consultant, and author of The Art of Asking Better Questions. Together, we explore how curiosity shapes our conversations, our leadership, and even the stories we tell about ourselves and others.

With warmth and wisdom, J.R. shares practical ways to cultivate a questioning mindset, why good questions build trust and transformation, and how leaders can rediscover wonder in their everyday work.

✨ In this episode, we talk about:

✅ Why asking better questions makes us better listeners and leaders

✅ How curiosity strengthens communication and storytelling

✅ The difference between “fixing” questions and “forming” questions

✅ How to foster open dialogue in teams and communities

✅ The spiritual discipline of curiosity and not knowing

If you’ve ever wondered how to create space for authentic connection, deep reflection, and better conversations — this episode will leave you inspired to lead with curiosity.

🔗 Get J.R. Briggs’ book The Art of Asking Better Questions → https://www.ivpress.com/the-art-of-asking-better-questions

What happens when sacred stories are retold through the rhythm, language, and worldview of Indigenous peoples?

In this deeply moving conversation, Terry M. Wildman—lead translator, general editor, and project manager of the First Nations Version and the newly released First Nations Psalms and Proverbs—joins Lead with Storytelling to explore how translation and storytelling can become acts of healing, reconciliation, and revelation.

Terry, who is of Ojibwe and Yaqui heritage, shares the decades-long journey behind the First Nations Version—a translation of Scripture that reflects the beauty, humility, and relational worldview of Native oral traditions. From his early years serving among the Hopi to leading a diverse translation council, Terry’s story reveals how faith and culture can meet in harmony rather than conflict.

Together, we explore:

🌿 The spiritual and cultural roots of the First Nations Version

🌿 The power of language to shape identity and deepen understanding

🌿 The humility and responsibility of translating sacred texts

🌿 How Indigenous storytelling reimagines Scripture as living story

🌿 Gender, harmony, and the balance of Creator’s attributes

🌿 Creation stories, wisdom traditions, and shared truths across cultures

🌿 Why translation is not just about words—but about listening, honoring, and relationship

Terry also reflects on what it means to approach translation as a sacred calling—one that invites readers to see God’s story alive in every culture, tongue, and people.

This episode is for storytellers, translators, theologians, and anyone who has ever wondered how the divine speaks through language, heritage, and imagination.

🎧 Listen and watch now to rediscover the beauty of story as sacred bridge.

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📖 Explore the First Nations Version: https://www.ivpress.com/first-nations-version

🎧 Listen to the Lead with Storytelling Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6c10NeL5nPg3fEgDoDhLT5?si=Zzk9DlKhRMeX7gy0-lPJPw

📸 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sochiazuh

#TerryWildman #FirstNationsVersion #StorytellingMatters #LeadWithStorytelling #IndigenousWisdom #FaithAndCulture #TranslationAsArt #BiblicalTranslation #SpiritualFormation

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, I’m joined by Sr. Allison Regina Gliot, FSP—editor at Pauline Books & Media and author of The Curse He Chose, the first installment of the In Aeternum trilogy.

A lifelong lover of stories, Sr. Allison has combined her passion for fantasy with her faith, weaving a gripping narrative of vampires, spiritual battles, and the transformative power of grace. We talk about her journey as a storyteller, her life as a Daughter of St. Paul, and the deeper themes of redemption, faith, and love that run through her work.

✨ What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

✅ How Sr. Allison fell in love with both Jesus and storytelling

✅ The inspiration behind The Curse He Chose

✅ Bringing faith into genres like fantasy and YA

✅ What vampires can teach us about sin, grace, and redemption

✅ Why stories of light and darkness matter for young readers today

📖 About the Book

The Curse He Chose introduces Elizabeth, who stumbles into a battle between vampires and is forced on the run with Christopher, a troubled vampire outcast. As danger closes in, Elizabeth must rely on her faith—and Christopher’s choice to protect her—to survive. But can she help save him, too?

This riveting, genre-bending story blends urban fantasy with the Christian drama of sin, grace, and redemption.

🔗 Order The Curse He Chose: https://gliot.pauline.org/the-curse-he-chose/

🔗 Discover Sr. Allison's other books: https://gliot.pauline.org/sister-allison-books/

🔗 See what Sr. Allison is up to on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sister_allison/?hl=en

🔗 Publish with Pauline Books & Media: https://pauline.org/publishing/

🎧 Listen & Subscribe

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/6c10NeL5nPg3fEgDoDhLT5?si=Zzk9DlKhRMeX7gy0-lPJPw

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/sochiazuh

#SrAllisonGilot #TheCurseHeChose #InAeternumTrilogy #LeadWithStorytelling #ChristianFantasy #FaithAndFiction #StorytellingMatters

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, I’m joined by Iniobong Oluwatobi Alade (Tobi Alade) — Business Analyst, Fraud-Risk Strategist, Event Matchmaker, and host of the IINFUSE podcast. Tobi’s unique storytelling approach is rooted in self-awareness and authenticity, offering listeners raw, unfiltered conversations about the things we often keep hidden.

Together, we explore:

✨ How storytelling can create space for honesty and healing

✨ The role of self-awareness in shaping authentic narratives

✨ Lessons Tobi has learned from his guests on IINFUSE

✨ Why vulnerability connects us more than polish ever could

✨ And the surprising intersections of his professional career, creative platform, and personal voice

Tobi’s podcast motto is simple: “No jargon. Just real talk.” And this conversation lives up to that promise.

🎧 Listen to more episodes of Lead with Storytelling:

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/6c10NeL5nPg3fEgDoDhLT5?si=Zzk9DlKhRMeX7gy0-lPJPw

📺 Subscribe for new conversations on storytelling: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9GWHs0T9C9jt-qX2qlaIQ7K1fouzZpNk

📸 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sochiazuh

🌐 Learn more about Tobi and the IINFUSE podcast:https://iinfuse.substack.com/p/curiosity-is-it-worth-the-uncertainty

#LeadWithStorytelling #IINFUSEPodcast #StorytellingMatters #Authenticity #TobiAlade

What if your story—shaped by faith, food, and cross-cultural movement—was also the path God uses to heal others and reveal Himself to you?

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, I’m joined by Jenn Suen Chen—spiritual director, speaker, and author of Dum Sum and Faith. Jenn shares how dumplings, displacement, and divine grace have all played a role in shaping her identity in Christ.

Together, we explore:

✨ How storytelling can affirm our identity and heal our wounds

✨ God's prevenient grace and the beauty of His gentle pursuit

✨ Why we don’t need to be the hero of our own story

✨ The courage it takes to speak out like Queen Esther—for others and for ourselves

✨ The sacred role of friendship in the unfolding of our life stories

✨ And why, in the end, gratitude is the truest posture to carry

This is a conversation about belonging, vulnerability, and the quiet power of showing up to your own story. Whether you’re a writer, a wanderer, or someone looking to make sense of your journey, this episode offers wisdom, warmth, and plenty of soul.

🟢 Watch now and be encouraged in your own storytelling journey.

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🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1L4RUXpEvZiCZYzLT8WZ3x

🔔 Subscribe for more episodes: [Your Channel Link]

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sochiazuh

🎙️ New Episode: Kathleen Norris on what it means to live a life marked by faith, fragility, and fierce love

In this tender and profound episode of Lead with Storytelling, award-winning poet and spiritual writer Kathleen Norris joins us to reflect on her latest book, Rebecca Sue: A Sister’s Reflections on Disability, Faith, and Love. Best known for beloved works like The Cloister Walk and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Kathleen turns her attention to the life of her late sister, Rebecca—a woman born with a brain injury whose fierce spirit, humor, and wisdom left an indelible mark on all who knew her.

Through stories, letters, and memories, Kathleen shares what it means to write about someone you love deeply, how caregiving shaped her understanding of grace, and why those with disabilities often reveal the truest face of love and human dignity.

We also explore:

✅ The sacred practice of storytelling and metaphor

✅ How her years with Benedictine monastics shaped her inner life

✅ Faith as something lived, not spoken

✅ The balance between memory, grief, and celebration

Whether you’ve read Kathleen's books or are meeting her for the first time, this conversation is a quiet treasure. It invites us to pay attention to the ordinary miracles of care, presence, and resilience.

🔗 Order the book from InterVarsity Press:

https://www.ivpress.com/rebecca-sue

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🔗 Listen now on Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/6c10NeL5nPg3fEgDoDhLT5?si=a73dc51344bf4e0b

📲 Don’t forget to follow for future episodes of Lead with Storytelling

🎙️ Writing Grief, Grace & God's Presence

Guest: Sharon Garlough Brown

📚 Author of the Sensible Shoes & Shades of Light series

What does it look like to meet God in the valley of suffering? In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, we sit with spiritual director and bestselling author Sharon Garlough Brown for an honest and deeply moving conversation about grief, compassion, mental health, and the Church.

Her latest novel, Remember Me, continues the Shades of Light series and tells the backstory of beloved spiritual director Katherine. In this discussion, Sharon opens up about why she writes fiction that laments with honesty, listens with care, and creates sacred space for readers navigating sorrow.

🌿 In This Episode, We Explore:

✅ Why Remember Me was written as a spiritual companion for the grieving

✅ Writing Christian fiction that resists clichés and honors lament

✅ The role of Stations of the Cross and Holy Week in spiritual formation

✅ Mental health, trauma, and the Church's role in offering true compassion

✅ How Sharon sees fiction as ministry—and story as a mirror and light

✅ Katherine’s letter and the power of sharing wounds that remain

✅ A powerful word Sharon heard from God about forgiveness:

“She already has an accuser—don’t join him in his work.”

✅ Sharon also shares about her deep friendship with fellow writer Cynthia Beach, their upcoming project in Scotland, and why spiritual companionship is one of the greatest gifts of the Christian life.

✨ Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or someone simply longing for a deeper understanding of God’s presence in suffering, this conversation is a balm.

Timestamp:

0:00 – Introduction: Meeting God in the midst of grief

1:42 – Remember Me: A story that felt like prayer

3:05 – Sharon on setting the book in the Sensible Shoes / Shades of Light universe

5:28 – Mental health, chronic suffering, and theology of presence

8:15 – The role of compassion and shared suffering in spiritual formation

10:10 – The power of ritual: Stations of the Cross and finding life in Lent

12:40 – Writing about suffering without easy answers

15:00 – The prayer of lament and Jesus’ slow walk to hope

18:50 – Why Sharon structured Remember Me with a closing letter

21:30 – On prayer journaling as a spiritual and creative practice

23:40 – How spiritual direction has shaped Sharon’s writing

26:50 – Encouragement for writers exploring grief, mental health, and trauma

30:12 – Breaking shame and stigma around mental illness in the Church

33:08 – What fiction can offer the Church: creating space for co-sufferers

36:20 – Readers and therapists using Sharon’s work as a healing resource

38:00 – The call for a more compassionate Church

📖 Read “Remember Me” and Sharon’s full body of work: https://www.sharongarloughbrown.com

🎧 Follow the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1L4RUXpEvZiCZYzLT8WZ3x

💬 What’s your experience with stories that speak honestly about grief and hope? Share in the comments below.

🎙️ What does it mean to tell stories that dive beneath the surface—into faith, doubt, image, and grace?

In this powerful episode of Lead with Storytelling, we sit down with author, professor, and spiritual director Cynthia Beach to explore her debut novel, The Surface of Water by Intervarsity Press . Through her characters and rich metaphors, Cynthia wrestles with spiritual leadership, identity, and the deep human longing to be fully known.

Drawing on her 30-year teaching career and a lifelong passion for fiction writing, Cynthia opens up about the creative process, the psychological and spiritual layers of storytelling, and the tension between missional and formational approaches to Christian fiction.

🌊 Whether you're a writer, reader, or someone who’s ever wrestled with image and authenticity, this conversation is for you.

✨ In This Episode

✅ Why creativity matters as a form of self-care and soul-work

✅ The danger of self-sabotage in the creative life

✅ Writing complex characters—especially those different from ourselves

✅ Exploring faith through metaphor, mystery, and nuance

✅ The tension between preaching and storytelling in Christian fiction

✅ Behind the scenes of The Surface of Water and its unforgettable characters

📚 Books Mentioned:

The Surface of Water by Cynthia Beach: https://www.ivpress.com/the-surface-of-water

Creative Juices for Writers by Cynthia Beach

The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann

🔔 Subscribe for more episodes on the power of storytelling in faith, art, and public life.

What does it take to reclaim and retell African stories with depth, dignity, and imagination?

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, we sit down with Nigerian documentary filmmaker Dr. Oghenefego Ofili, whose work brings Africa’s history, legends, and cultural identity to life on screen. From early sketches and stories as a 10-year-old to award-winning documentaries, Fego has made it her life’s mission to use storytelling as a tool for empowerment, education, and cultural preservation.

We explore the role of documentary film in shifting narratives, amplifying heritage, and helping the next generation understand where they come from—and who they can become.

🎬 Watch the Official Trailer of Battle of Blood: The Legend of Arhuanran

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgMJIVvukLQ

✨ In This Episode, We Talk About:

✅ The origins of her passion for storytelling and filmmaking

✅ How documentaries can help preserve culture and identity

✅ The making of Battle of Blood: The Legend of Arhuanran

✅ How stories shape how children and youth see themselves

✅ Impact of food stories and shifting narratives and changing behaviours

If you're passionate about African history, film, education, or storytelling as a force for change—this conversation is for you.

🎧 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to support more conversations that center on storytelling, identity, and impact.

#LeadWithStorytelling #AfricanHistory #OghenefegoOfili #DocumentaryFilm #CulturalPreservation #AfricanCinema #StorytellingForChange #BattleOfBlood #NigerianFilmmakers #YouthEmpowerment #AfricanLegends #RepresentationMatters #Arhuanran