Have you or your organization had these thoughts?

About sharing impact:

  • “We post a good amount, but we’re not sure we’re really connecting.”

  • “Are we listening to the people we serve? How are their voices reflected in our work?”

  • “We want our funders/supporters to really understand our impact. How can we educate and inspire them?”

  • “Can our board members describe who we are at our core?”

  • “Our followers see a lot of what we do, but we want them to connect with who we are and who we serve.”

  • “We want to elevate the humanity behind our work with meaningful content.”

Regarding Motivation & Direction:

  • “I feel disconnected from my story, my work, or my purpose.”  

  • “How can I do work that connects my passions with the world’s needs?”

  • “I’m stuck in the story creation phase and need to gain clarity and a creative boost.”

  • “How can I bring my full self to my craft, while also meeting content goals?”

For Human-Centered Connection:

  • “We feel disconnected from working and living in a digital/AI-driven environment.”

  • “We want to give our team opportunities to reflect and connect in a safe, in-person environment.”

  • “We’ve gathered partners in the field for years, but we want to be more intentional about connecting people and building community.”

We help individuals, organizations, and businesses address these challenges with effective and connective storytelling, coaching, and gatherings.

Storytelling

It is typical for organizations to tell a lot of what they do, but we help them discover and share who they are. Our goal is to ensure stories reflect an organization’s people and purpose. Our brand of intentional storytelling inspires audiences and supporters to care and engage more deeply and actively.

We guide clients through a comprehensive story process, from discovery and strategy to narrative development and content production.

Coaching

We support individuals and teams to:

  • Work with intention and motivation

  • Connect strategies to stories

  • Get unstuck in the storytelling process

  • Brainstorm creative solutions

Gatherings

In-person gatherings can transform how we approach our lives and work.

We offer:

  • Gathering development

  • Facilitation guides

  • Connection-based training

  • COS-hosted gatherings

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“Authentic connections can spark social transformation.”

Ethical Storytelling

Connecting Our Stories is grounded in the belief that authentic storytelling begins with listening to the individuals most impacted by an organization’s work. Our approach to listening to and learning with the individuals we feature (what we refer to as Connective Storytelling) is inspired by the concept of Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider, 1990). We approach our projects and interviews with the perspective that everyone is worthy of sharing their story, has wisdom to share, and has a role in making positive change. We do not deny the serious challenges faced by those we work with, but we choose to build on strengths to co-create a better future.

  • "Strategy is essential to great communications — even more so in policy advocacy. When tackling a project for us, Connecting Our Stories doesn’t lift a pencil before asking who and why, which helps them hit the mark each time."

    Stinson Liles, Alliance for Early Success

  • "Working with Lauren’s team at Connecting Our Stories was seamless. At every phase of the project, we were pleasantly surprised by their professionalism, warmth, and creativity."

    Tom Greer, TASBO

  • "The team at Connecting Our Stories took a genuine interest in our organization and its mission, digging deep with thoughtful questions and creative ideas."

    Susanna Sharp, Austin Jazz Workshop

  • "Lauren’s ability to dive deep into complex topics while never losing sight of the individual people those policies impact make her communications some of the best I've ever seen–and I've worked with a LOT of communications experts, from major enterprise clients to tiny nonprofits."

    Jenny Magic

  • "Lauren is great to work with, incredibly detail-oriented without losing sight of the big picture."

    Virginia Snodgrass Rangel

  • "I worked with Lauren during her time at the Texas Senate. She is one of the most insightful people I know, able to think on multiple levels, delivering results and inspiration in a high pressure environment."

    Vincent Cho