Intentional storytelling and why it matters now
Stories shape how we see the world and each other. They help us make meaning, build trust, grow empathy, build belonging and imagine something better. In organisational life they are an essential part of culture and progress.
But they also have the power to distort, divide, and distract, especially when told without care for wider context. We see irresponsible and frankly lazy storytelling all the time, especially in mainstream media. Take for example the the reporting around the tragic events in Liverpool last week injuring more than 70 people. As soon as the suspect was named as white, headlines softened to 'he's a lovely family man'. We also saw headlines dramatising data and sharing partial insights such as 'white men are self censoring at work, terrified of saying the wrong thing'.
Whilst it's easy to critique these moments where harm is done by ignoring a more nuanced narrative, reinforcing rather than changing stereotypes, and pushing us further into division, it's much harder to do so in our own organisations. So many organisations missed an opportunity to show trans solidarity after the UK Supreme Court ruling in April, held back by fears and preoccupation with confusing practical implications.
As Pride Month begins, we’re reminded of how powerful counter-narratives can be. Pride has always been more than a celebration - it’s a living protest against erasure, a refusal to let others dictate who belongs. In every movement for justice, from queer liberation to racial equity to climate action, the fight is also about narrative - about whose voices are heard, whose experiences are centred, and whose truths are allowed to shape the future.
What's important to connect to in organisations is that stories exist whether we intentionally tell them or not. You hear the rumblings though ... people piecing together their experiences and observations of moments they see to build their own narrative. This includes the things we talk about and the things that we don't, the choices of what we include and what we intentionally (or inadvertently) exclude.
If we are serious about being progressive organisations seeking to embed anti-racist and inclusive norms into DNA then intentional storytelling and finding ways for our narratives to counter norms is a big part of the work.
What is our story right now? How aware of we of the stories in our workplace? How can storytelling bring us together? How can storytelling (re)build trust?
This month’s newsletter is an exploration of the power of storytelling and how intentionality and integrity with how we tell stories can be powerful forces for positive change.
SOMETHING TO JOIN
Join Our Community Conversation on wellbeing
Is anyone else struggling with the world right now? Can we be honest about where people are at? Perhaps we need to think about what wellbeing really means in our work and life.
This month, we invite you to join us for a raw and real conversation about what it means to be well. To pause and reflect on the stories we tell ourselves and each other that prevent us from facing and stepping into change.
We'll be joined by Maude Burger-Smith, a feminist leadership and burnout prevention coach whose work bridges cognitive and embodiment-based practices to support long-term transformation.
In a time of widespread burnout and collective exhaustion, dominant narratives about what it means to be well keep circling the same shallow waters: self-optimisation, productivity hacks, curated self-care routines. Wellbeing has been commodified; we're offered individualised solutions to what are, at heart, systemic and structural issues.
We need a different story, rooted in community and care. Join us to create it.
Thursday 26th June 12pm - 1:15pm BST on Zoom
SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO
Finding our North Star
It's been a couple of years since we started our Stories of Impact series, which was an initiative we began to help connect our community with the inside stories of how change really happens with messy beginnings, learning unlearning and finally change.
In this interview with Karen Herbert-Duff, People Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and our wonderful colleague Efun Coker, Karen speaks candidly about the story they were living when we began work with them.
Through their work with us, the Foundation found more than just clarity - they found a shared language, a North Star, and the courage to name what hadn’t been working. This is a story about choosing to take ownership of the narrative, rather than letting it be filled in by inertia, discomfort, or silence. It’s about building a new kind of culture from the inside out, with honesty and humility.
SOMETHING TO READ
Stories that shift the frame
We’re sharing three moments of storytelling that moved us recently - each a reminder of what's possible when people reclaim narrative power for themselves.
Kids of the Colony
When mainstream media rejected their pitch, a group of friends decided to tell their story anyway. Kids of the Colony is a self-produced TV series that follows three young Londoners, all children of immigrants, as they explore their ancestral homelands of Bangladesh, Morocco and Somaliland. It’s a brilliant example of what happens when you stop waiting for permission to tell your story, and a reminder of the personal power we each hold to create change. Read more about the project here.
Lex Fefegha’s AI Experiments
Lex Fefegha’s work across projects like Sparky and the Hip Hop Poetry Bot—asks: how can emerging technologies be used to tell stories that centre Black creativity, cultural memory, and invention? From AI-generated hip-hop poetry to surreal digital inventions, his tools invite people to imagine new stories of themselves, their communities, and the futures they might shape.
Lush’s Trans Inclusion Campaign
In a bold public gesture Lush, partnered with trans-led groups TransActual and My Genderation to turn its UK store windows into storytelling spaces to stand up for trans rights through late April and early May. At a time when trans people are facing increased hostility and discrimination, Lush chose to tell a different story - one of care and visibility. Read more about the campaign here.
Each of these examples reminds us that the stories we uplift can become the building blocks of cultural change.
SOMETHING TO DO
Help shape the future of New Ways Community
We’re on a mission to grow and deepen our community this year - and we’d love your voice to be part of this story.
Whether you’ve joined a workshop, attended a conversation, worked with us on a project or simply read this newsletter, your experience is part of what we’re building. And as we look ahead, we’re asking: What have you loved? What's missing? What do you need more of?
Can you spare just 5 minutes to answer a few questions to help us? Your feedback will directly shape what we offer next - from the topics we explore to how we gather as a community.
