STORIES with Christina Blacken
Julie and Casey sit down remotely with Christina Blacken (founder of The New Quo) to talk about the power of story - telling your own story, and how organizations can use storytelling to "convey their unique purpose, navigate change, gain buy-in, and create status-quo breaking communications that shift hearts, mindsets, and culture for the better."
TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE
Sometimes growing up as an outsider can become a superpower - as in "I can't care what people thought"
Living your life in order to be invisible MAY protect you from judgement (although it probably won't) - but what it will definitely do is keep you from realizing your full creativity and the impact you can have on the world.
Storytelling is a powerful medium for communication - 65% of our daily communication is via storytelling.
"[Storytelling] is where the art comes in. As science fiction author Cassandra Clare writes, 'Fiction is truth, even if it is not fact.' This is what storytelling is for - and in fact research has found that people understood science better when it's communicated through storytelling...story goes where science can't." - Emily and Amelia Nagoski, Burnout
CHRISTINA'S BIO
1. I love cheese but its proven to not love me back. I also love stories. Why? They are the most powerful tools on the planet for connection and change. 65% of all daily communication is story.
2. My story starts with my family being part of the Great Migration from the South and landing in Utah, my childhood through teenage years home (questions about Mormons, being black in a place where about 3 other black people live, and the merits of Jello, are expected). My childhood of being an outsider religiously, politically, and racially taught me how powerful story can be for influencing how we treat one another.
3. I’ve used story to manage teams creating social movements in the non-profit world that inspired 300,000 young people to volunteer on various causes, and to connect brands to the communities they care about, helping secure 6.5M in profits for the companies and teams I've worked with and for along the way. I now teach the science and power of storytelling as a tool for creating deeper connection between people and creating influence and buy-in for bold ideas.
4. My mission is to flip the status-quo on leadership through story. Leadership isn’t an elitist and built-in trait — it’s the ability to inspire and move other people through your vision and the lessons you’ve gained across your life experiences. The New Quo is creating a new communication paradigm for a new generation of leadership, unleashing your potential to deeply connect, influence, and inspire others through your stories of change.
We will build stronger senses of self, create better products, service wider audiences, and solve seemingly insurmountable problems when we stand in our truths and share them authentically across diverse social lines.