Story Lab: a place to explore your story

 What if you, yes you,  were REALLY a consummate storyteller.

What if this were nothing particularly unique to you at all.

What if story telling is what defines us as a species?

What if it is part and parcel of who we are?

Guess what!

You are a powerful story-teller, and the story that you tell yourself and others is the story of who you are, what you are and what value you bring to the world.

I tell, over and over,  to myself and others, my personal Creation Myth. It is not just based on a true story…. I swear to GOD it IS true.

So I pause to ask myself, if this is my story, and it is true, have I already written the ending? Is my future controlled by that story? Does that story allow for the journey and ending that I truly desire to live into?

 Can I create, from this moment, a new and powerful story that is a reflection of my core values, my essence and my deeper mission?

It seems that stories can be both prisons and medicine!

A naturopath ayurvedic doctor  excitedly told me that he felt that story telling and what he termed transformational theatre are two of the most powerful healing modalities today.   He felt this because more and more patients were visiting him having diagnosed themselves with diseases and syndromes that do not exist.  They had created a story around this condition of theirs that defined them as challenged or hampered in some way. This was their excuse for not accomplishing their great work in this life. They had given over the responsibility for their healing to a practitioner.

They were willing to be stuck. Why? Because the story they had created about themselves was the TRUTH!

Storytelling, the art of it, as opposed to the habit of justifying ourselves and our behaviour with it, is a transformational tool. The act of voicing, shaping, giving, sharing and being witnessed in the telling of our stories is powerful medicine.

Speaking aloud in a circle, to listeners, being seen and heard at the deepest level is a practice rare in our culture. Many feel isolated and compartmentalized behind our electronic gadgets, (computers, telephones) we connect through emails, tweets and soundbytes. We lose the practice of  contact and thus, we grow the fear of direct open authentic person to person communication.

Being witnessed in telling our stories, we see and hear ourselves in a new light. In a truly supportive atmosphere, free of competition around who is best, we have the opportunity to script a new story, walk a new path, with outcomes that reveal a mystery in the process of unfolding, and awaken to the magic of our own Hero’s journey, if we so desire.

Life in this body of mine is finite. What ever I believe about the afterlife is also a story. One thing is certain, that at some point I will shed this body and pass on. The space between now and then is open for me to create.

What is the story you tell yourself about who you are?

Is it serving you?

What is the new story that is wanting to create itself through you.

Come to Storylab:

WHERE AND WHEN?

Vinci's Cafe at 194 W 3rd Ave Vancouver BC, Canada Doors open: 5:30 PM and we end by 8:00 PM

Story Lab is an opportunity to tell your story, have it be witnessed, shape it, let it land on others and transform it, if you so desire.

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a lab and, during the month of August, it will be facilitated by international director, actor, story creator,  and speaker coach Jesai Jayhmes.  www.jesai.org.

He directed the Transformational Theatre Experience Siddhartha for Akasha Arts last September, is the author and director of Conversations with Willie http://www.conversationswithwillie.com, and a long time member and company trainer of Vancouver Playback Theatre. http://www.vancouverplaybacktheatre.com

Jesai very rarely offers public workshops and as a personal favour to Carla Reiger who created Storylab as a meet up group he has agreed to host the sessions through August.

Jesai has coached hundreds of speaker storytellers, and directed numerous boundary breaking productions in Europe, England and North America.

 These small group (25 maximum workshops)

will be running from 5:30 to 8:30pm .

The investment including dinner is only $25.00.

The workshop is limited in size. Whether you tell a story or simply witness, you will learn a massive amount. If you wish to tell a story and get feedback, get there early to sign up. The first eight people on the list will get a chance to tell their story.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Your Mission: (should you choose to accept it)

 YOUR MISSION! (speak it aloud in an upbeat rhythm)

If you have a mission to deliver,

A story to tell,

An idea worth spreading,

Some wisdom from the Well.

When you have to do it better,

Cuz everything thing’s at stake,

You feel it beating in your heart,

And it's keeping you awake.

If your challenged by the outcomes,

Of your ability to speak,

And want to always be on fire,

And deliver at your peak.

When you know people are waiting,

For that in which you stand,

And you know you need to garauntee

That all will understand.

Work with someone who can help you

Rock the house consistently,

And leave the folks so full of hope

That they can glimpse infinity.

Cuz you have touched and moved them,

Inspired them to go on,

To go out and make a difference,

And it's you they heap their praise upon.

They refer others to you.

Isn’t that just the best?

To make a difference helping folks,

Instead of trying to convince the rest?

All the best ideas are nothing, you see,

If you can’t enroll anyone else in your possibility.

One great way is by speaking and looking in their eyes.

Then you find out right away if your story lives or dies…

If your vision lives or dies…

That your mission…. is alive….

Jesai Jayhmes (Speaker, Trainer, Coach)

Working with the incredible Julie Blue on "Unleash Your Voice

Yup, Julie Blue asked me to take part in delivering a powerful transformative experience which she has called "Unleash Your Voice!"

And Wow! Does it ever. She and I are so incredibly aligned in our methodology, philosophy and most importantly compassionate integrity around providing a safe environment for major breakthroughs to occur.   It's often difficult to collaborate with another facilitator, but with her, it's working with a kindred spirit... and it's you, those that we work with, that reap the rewards.

We've given this powerful weekend workshop just once so far and the results have been PHENOMENAL.

Here are a few of the comments!

"The Whole Structure was Brilliant",   "I Felt Supported and Honored"
"I felt seen, heard and supported at all times"  "As a model of authenticity, Julie and Jesai are of the highest caliber" "I have a deeper connection with my voice and how to use it more powerfully and effectively"  "There's not a thing I would change, I think it is amazing" "Julie, you have an amazing ability to coach and birth creativity and inner soul purpose from people" "Equal treatment and clear facilitation for everyone" "You two are a great complement to one and other".... etc. etc.

and everyone composed an original song! even if they had never sung before! AND created a video piece that can enroll people in doing business with them when potential clients visit their website!
It was experiential, cathartic, creative AND practical and useful in the outside world. I don't know anything that delivers on all these levels in such a short time.

We are much much BIGGER than the sum of the parts. The magic was there in the miracles that emerged from the participants; coaches, entrepreneurs, agents of change seeking that edge that deepens their value to their community.

It's the unique combo of Julie, an international singer, award winning composer, and brilliant creative coach mixed with my back ground as an actor, director, master speaker trainer and coach of top seminar leaders that make this so unique. (not to mention the beautiful private setting, the amazing catered onsite food and the professional video component)

There are many, many presentation coaches and singing teachers, but what is brought out of folks in Unleash Your Voice is the power, authenticity and confidence hiding just under the surface of people dedicated to BEING the change they want to see.

Part of being that CHANGE is to be able to ask for the HELP that each of us need, whether it is the support of experts, a community dedicated to each others personal growth, a challenge that encourages us to grow, that allows us to see possibilities that were invisible before.

Julie is a blessing in my life, as a creative collaborator, as a friend and as a professional colleague dedicated, as I am, to you living a life of value, meaning and purpose.

We were not designed to do life alone. This is one of the myths we each have to release. We are human, social and tribal creatures. We thrive on connection, collaboration, feedback, mutual support and challenge to flourish and grow.

Here's to us all BEING the CHANGE we NEED to be part of.

The next UNLEASH YOUR VOICE is in November.  If you can't wait... there are always other arrangements that can be made to get you where you need to go.

In Peace, Growth, Prosperity and Service!

Jesai