SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

As a kid raised in North Carolina, my loves were writing, art projects, and going to the movies with my dad. When I grew up, I was going to make movie that changed people’s lives.

So after college at Duke, I moved to Los Angeles. There I worked my way up to my dream job: presenting the stories of upcoming films for a world famous movie studio.

It was sexy and fun. I collaborated with filmmakers and met celebrities. And I was doing what I wanted to do: working on movies that had an impact on people’s lives.

But, once I finally got my dream job – I realized it was just a job, not a life.

I told stories about stories, but I wasn’t changing lives through my work. But I had a crazy idea: what if I used my skills in storytelling and design to help real people tell their stories? Maybe that would be a way I could make a more meaningful impact.

I needed to know the answer, so I quit my dream job. I left Hollywood and moved back to NC.

This is where my crazy idea for a business became a reality. I founded Greatest Story Creative in October 2013 and began speaking about storytelling in early 2015. My first book, Permission to Try, will tell that story and beyond – taking you behind the scenes in a pep talk for anyone who’s thinking about changing their life.

Whether writing, designing, or speaking – every day – I get to help someone tell their story and celebrate what makes them special. Changing someone’s life in that way is all the impact I could ever hope for.

My story (so far) has taught me a lot. I learned that sometimes you have to quit your dream job to live your dream and sometimes you have to leap and hope the net will appear. And I also figured out that no matter what the fears or uncertainties may be, the greatest story we can change for the better is always our own.