Storytelling School How Sharing Raw Stories Can Provide Healing and Hope
I’m working with a new client, Leonard, who is completely new to first-person true storytelling. He has lived through several unbelievable situations, and I know others need to hear his stories.
So I challenge him to tell a story to open his next podcast. He responds: “I can’t do that. My listenership will drop if I do.” When I ask him why, he says, “No one’s going to care about my story.”
Yet, what if only one person needs to hear your story to change their life? After I pose that question to Leonard, he reluctantly agrees and shares one of his craziest stories on his next episode.
The response? Several listeners emailed him saying things like:
“Your story was exactly what I needed to hear today.”
“Your story reminded me of a similar situation I went through.”
“Your story has given me the courage to tell my story.”
We tell our stories in service to others, and it takes bravery to be vulnerable with your story. Leonard did it, as did my guest today, Krishnni Khanna. She has told her real raw story on both the TEDx stage and in her newly released book, simply because she wants to help others.
In this episode of the Storytelling School Podcast, you’ll learn about the importance of sharing difficult stories as a way to process experiences and help others feel less alone. Krishnni will share her story of ostracization as a young girl who migrated to the U.S., as well as answer questions such as:
What can happen as a result of sharing your vulnerable story? Why are the words you use in your Talk or story so important? And what’s a really powerful way to end a speech or story?
What you will learn in this episode:
- Why personal stories serve as powerful hooks for your speech
- How to use words and visual descriptions to enhance your stories
- How to instill inspiration and motivation in others through your raw stories
Who is Krishnni?
Krishnni Khanna was born in India in 2007 and moved to the United States with her parents in 2017. She’s a high schooler, author, and TEDx speaker who advocates for the inner well-being of youth. In 2022, she created Detoximind (www.detoximind.com), a student-led movement through which Krishnni and her team bring peer-based support to teens and youth grappling with stress, shame, exclusion and isolation. She currently resides in Austin, Texas with her parents and their puppy Yuki.
Krishnni’s first novel I AM NOT WHO YOU SEE launched in June 2024. Many of the protagonist’s experiences in the book are inspired by Krishnni’s highs and lows as a 10-year-old immigrant in America, and how she rebuilt her sense of self and regained her identity in her new surroundings.
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