In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, Sochi Azuh sits down with Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling mystery author and locked-room mystery enthusiast, for a wide-ranging conversation about travel, puzzles, food, research, and the craft of creating mysteries that keep readers guessing.

Gigi shares how being the child of anthropologists from New Mexico and southern India—and travelling with her parents from a young age—shaped how she sees the world and eventually inspired her fiction. She recalls a formative summer in Scotland at age ten, exploring ruined castles, discovering Scottish ghost stories, and learning to experience the world with curiosity.

We get into her love of locked-room mysteries, from childhood fascination with Scooby-Doo to discovering John Dickson Carr, and what these seemingly impossible puzzles can teach us about storytelling. For Gigi, the puzzle only works when the characters genuinely care about solving it—and when readers care about the characters.

Gigi also takes us behind her writing process, including the four notebooks she filled while researching one novel, why she writes her first ideas on paper, and how simply walking through the world can spark the seed of a story.

And because food is another important part of Gigi’s storytelling, we talk about cooking, travel, family, and the ways food can deepen characters and relationships. From her father’s cooking and his habit of feeding neighbourhood children to the chef character she developed while learning to cook herself, food becomes another way into the stories we tell about ourselves.

We also talk about:

Writing across multiple mystery series

The evolution of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries

Why Gigi alternates between series

Theatre, set design, and her cinematic imagination

Why she wants the writing itself to become “invisible” so the story can take centre stage

Discovering story ideas close to home

Art crime and museum visits

Mystery recommendations and the global world of locked-room fiction

Her anthology All the Crime in the World: Locked Room Mysteries and Impossible Puzzles from Across the Globe

Why stories matter as a way of connecting with people

And we finish with a rapid-fire round covering ruined castles, morning writing, pancakes, favourite fictional mysteries, and the question we ask every guest:

Why do stories matter?

Watch the full conversation and join us down the mystery rabbit hole. 🎙️📚

Connect with Gigi Pandian:

More Books by Gigi Pandian: https://www.gigipandian.com/about

Subscribe to her Newsletter: https://www.gigipandian.com/subscribe

What is narrative strategy—and how can organisations use stories to create change, build connection, and understand their culture?

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, host Sochi Azuh sits down with Megan Davis, Managing Director of Future Skills Academy Australia and founder of Spendlove and Lamb, a narrative strategy consultancy that works with governments, teams, and organisations around the world.

Megan shares how her passion for storytelling began as a child through acting and writing, and how that passion eventually led her into narrative strategy.

In the conversation, Megan explains narrative strategy as a collection of stories, finding the common themes that run through them, and elevating real stories from real people so they can become a powerful force for change.

Sochi and Megan explore:

• What narrative strategy actually means

• How culture and strategy work together

• Recognising a narrative or narrator problem within an organisation

• Why real stories from real people matter

• Using storytelling to identify commonalities and gaps across teams and cultures

• How stories can reinforce organisational culture

• The difference between compelling organisational narratives and corporate messaging

• Why business communication is more emotional than we often admit

• The importance of listening to stories beyond our own experience

• Creating repeatable frameworks for storytelling

• How narrative evolves over time

• Megan's work gathering stories at scale

• The Storytelling Challenge and using storytelling in conferences

Connect with Megan Davis:

The Storytelling Challenge for conferences: https://deckle.app/spendloveandlamb

Social Links :

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/megandavisstoryteller/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/spendloveandlamb/

TikTok - @megan_davis_actor

What happens when a journalist who spent years covering tragedy, crime, and community life finally sits down to write her own story? In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, host Sochi Azuh talks with journalist, storyteller, and author Penelope Alonso about her journey from newspaper and magazine reporting to publishing her own fiction — including her deeply personal novel, A Walk with Everyone, written in memory of her late mother, Sharon.

Penelope opens up about the discipline she had to unlearn from her newsroom years ("unlearning urgency"), her lifelong love of Jane Austen and Regency romance, the magical realism woven through A Walk with Everyone, and what it's really like to self-publish on Amazon KDP — including seeing her books downloaded by readers in 13 countries. She also shares the books currently on her nightstand, from Team of Rivals to Atomic Habits.

In this conversation:

Penelope's 8 years as a newspaper reporter, from hot-air balloon rides to covering tragedy with compassion

Why she had to "unlearn urgency" moving from journalism to fiction

Her love of Jane Austen and how it shaped her Regency stories, Princess of the Orchard Ball and Davonshire

The story behind A Walk with Everyone — a novel she began writing with her mother before her mother's passing

Grief, memory, and walking with the people we've lost

Self-publishing on Amazon KDP: what it's really like, and why you don't need traditional validation to tell your story

A rapid-fire round on favorite fictional couples, writing rituals, and what makes a good story

About the guest:

Penelope Alonso is a journalist and storyteller with a career in newspaper reporting, magazine writing, and public and media relations. She is the author of A Walk with Everyone, Princess of the Orchard Ball, and Davonshire.

About the podcast:

Lead with Storytelling is a podcast exploring why stories matter and the people who bring them to life, hosted by Sochi Azuh. New episodes feature writers, journalists, and cultural leaders on the craft and power of storytelling.

Subscribe for more conversations with storytellers: https://www.youtube.com/@LeadWithStorytellingpodcast

Read A Walk with Everyone: https://www.amazon.ca/Walk-Everyone-Penelope-Alonso/dp/B0D4ZHHXCK

Follow Penelope Alonso: https://penelopealonso.com/

If this episode moved you, share it with someone who's grieving, someone who loves a good story, or someone who has a book in them waiting to be written. Comment below: who would you want to take a walk with?

What guides our creativity?

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, Sochi Azuh sits down with artist, award-winning graphic designer, consultant, creative director, and author Nathan L. Nicholson to discuss his book, In the Beginning We Create.

The conversation explores creativity as more than a skill or profession. Nathan shares how creativity, faith, leadership, collaboration, and rest have shaped his own creative journey and why he believes the different parts of who we are can work together rather than exist as separate identities.

We also talk about:

The journey behind In the Beginning We Create

Creativity as a calling and a form of purpose

Creative responsibility and faith

The influence of Nathan's mother on his creative life

Collaboration, humility, feedback, and letting go

Why leaders should welcome creativity from the people they lead

Graphic design as a form of storytelling

Abstract art, freedom, and interpretation

The role of AI in creative work

Separating creative work from the imperfections of its creator

Developing a consistent creative practice

The importance of exposing ourselves to as much art as possible

Nathan also shares the story behind some of the artwork in the book, his creative influences, and a short film he is currently working on.

📖 In the Beginning We Create by Nathan L. Nicholson: https://www.ivpress.com/in-the-beginning-we-create

If this conversation made you think differently about creativity, leadership, or your own creative practice, share it with someone who believes that stories matter.

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, host Sochi Azuh sits down with leadership coach, author, and University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Fellow Zoë Arden to discuss her book, Story-centred Leadership.

Together, they explore why leadership begins with listening, how stories create trust and shared purpose, and why authentic leadership is about living the stories we tell—not simply communicating them.

In this conversation, you'll hear about:

📌 Zoë's personal journey and the inspiration behind Story-centred Leadership

📌 Why empathy and story listening are foundational to leadership

📌 The difference between authentic and performative storytelling

📌 Aligning personal values with organisational purpose

📌 The five-stage Story-centred Leadership framework

📌 Why curiosity and meaningful conversations create lasting influence

📌 Leadership in an age of information overload and AI

If you're interested in leadership, communication, storytelling, or creating meaningful change, this conversation offers practical insights and thoughtful reflections for leaders at every level.

📘 Story-centred Leadership by Zoë Arden: https://zoearden.com/

🎙️ Subscribe to Lead with Storytelling for more conversations with authors, scholars, and creative leaders exploring why stories matter.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with someone who believes that storytelling matters.

How do stories help us make sense of ourselves, our experiences, and the world around us?

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, host Sochi Azuh sits down with writer and educator Simone Dalton for a thoughtful conversation about writing, identity, migration, memory, and the role of storytelling in helping us understand our lives.

Together, they explore how voice is shaped by experience, culture, and place; the complexities of truth in life writing; and the ways stories allow us to metabolize experience, navigate change, and bridge personal and collective histories.

In this conversation, Sochi and Simone discuss:

• Writing as a way of understanding self and making sense of experience

• Immigration, identity, and the evolution of voice

• Truth and memory in life writing

• Storytelling as a means of reflection and connection

• The relationship between personal experience and narrative

• The role of culture, upbringing, and lived experience in shaping writers

• Why stories matter in helping us process and understand the world

Whether you're a writer, reader, educator, or simply someone who believes in the power of stories, this conversation offers a compelling reflection on the human need to tell, share, and interpret our experiences.

Thank you for watching. Please like, comment, subscribe, and share this conversation with someone who believes that storytelling matters.

Guest Links:

Website: https://islandscriberetreats.com/

Personal Website: https://simonedalton.com

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/simone-dalton

What happens when a writer follows intuition, asks difficult questions, and builds worlds where horror and science fiction become vehicles for exploring human nature?

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, I sit down with author Mandie Dufour to discuss her debut novel, Devour, a sci-fi horror story that blends worldbuilding, Norse-inspired spirituality, psychological tension, and unforgettable characters.

Our conversation explores:

• The inspiration behind Devour

• Writing science fiction, horror, and fantasy

• Worldbuilding and character-driven storytelling

• How intuition shapes the writing process

• Horror as a lens for understanding human nature

• Norse paganism, folklore, and mythology

• Writing communities and creative growth

• Revision, feedback, and becoming a better writer

• The stories and authors that have influenced Mandie's work

Whether you're a reader, writer, or lover of speculative fiction, this conversation offers a fascinating look into the creative process behind imaginative storytelling.

📖 Buy Devour on Amazon:

https://a.co/d/01tEFQll

📱 Follow Mandie:

Instagram & Threads: @Mandiewritesfiction

🎙️ Listen to more conversations on Lead with Storytelling.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with someone who believes that storytelling matters.

🎙️ What happens when people gather to listen deeply across histories, cultures, and lived experience?

In this special conversation on Lead with Storytelling, we sit down with Shirley N. Hager, Willow Anderson, and Barb Martin to reflect on The Gatherings — a powerful exploration of relationship-building, truth-telling, healing, and Indigenous-settler dialogue.

Together, they discuss:

🌿 The importance of listening across difference

🌿 Community, memory, and reconciliation

🌿 What meaningful gathering looks like in practice

🌿 The emotional labour of storytelling and social change

🌿 How stories can help reshape the future of relationships in Canada

This is a reflective and deeply human conversation about what it means to come together with honesty, humility, and care.

🎧 Watch the full conversation here: [Insert YouTube Link]

⏱️ SHOW NOTES

00:00 – Introduction

03:12 – What inspired The Gatherings

10:25 – Building relationships across communities

18:47 – The role of listening in reconciliation

28:10 – Storytelling as healing and witness

39:45 – Indigenous knowledge and community care

50:20 – What gathering means today

58:34 – Final reflections

📘 Book Website: https://www.thegatheringsbook.com/

🎧 Get the Audiobook:

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Gatherings-Audiobook/B0D9WJ2GF7

📚 Download the Teacher’s Guide:

https://www.thegatheringsbook.com/teachers-guide

#LeadWithStorytelling #TheGatherings #Storytelling #Reconciliation #CommunityDialogue #IndigenousVoices #SocialJustice #Podcast

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, I sit down with Karina Fabian—a multi-genre writer whose work spans science fiction, fantasy, devotional writing, and comedic storytelling. From dragons and nuns in space to the discipline of writing through doubt, Karina shares how stories become a form of connection, meaning, and even joy.

We explore how humor sharpens storytelling, how speculative fiction opens up deeper moral questions, and why writing might just be a conversation—across time—with your reader.

✨ Episode Highlights

🐉 How a dragon detective was born from improv comedy

🎭 The surprising link between stand-up comedy and storytelling craft

🌌 Writing “nuns in space” and building believable speculative worlds

✍🏽 Why writing is really about communication and connection

📚 Turning writing workshops into practical, accessible books

💡 Finding meaning in the stories we tell—and the ones we almost don’t share

🔗 Show Notes & Links

🌐 Karina Fabian’s Website

👉 https://karinafabian.com

📖 The Writer Boost Series

👉 https://karinafabian.com/writeboost

📘 Persevere in Your Writing (Book 1 – out March 2)

Part of the Writer Boost series focused on staying consistent and overcoming doubt.

🎓 Live Class: Publishing on Amazon (KDP Demo)

👉 https://www.bigmarker.com/catholic-writers-conferences/ask-an-expert-kdp-with-karina-fabian

💲 $25 | FREE for Catholic Writers Guild members (check #member-bennies for coupon)

🖊️ Catholic Writers Guild

👉 https://catholicwritersguild.com

#LeadWithStorytelling #KarinaFabian #WritersLife #Storytelling #SciFi #Fantasy #WritingTips #CreativeProcess #CatholicWritersGuild #AuthorInterview

In this episode of Lead with Storytelling, I sit down with Rufina Ajalie to talk about her beautiful and expansive book, Open Roads, Open Hearts.

This conversation explores what it means to travel not just across geography, but across identity, memory, and belonging. Rufina shares the deeper story behind the book — the moments of uncertainty, discovery, and human connection that shaped its pages.

We talk about:

• The emotional landscape of movement and migration

• How travel changes the stories we tell about ourselves

• The courage it takes to remain open in unfamiliar places

• Writing as a practice of reflection and return

Open Roads, Open Hearts is ultimately about curiosity — about meeting the world (and ourselves) with attention and generosity.

If you’ve ever felt transformed by a place, a journey, or a conversation with a stranger, this episode will resonate.

—

📖 About the Book

Open Roads, Open Hearts is a deeply reflective exploration of travel, connection, and the stories we carry with us. Rufina invites readers to see movement not as escape, but as encounter — with landscapes, cultures, and the inner self.

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.

—

📖 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.

—

🎧 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

—

🔗 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

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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.

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