When Bearing Witness®: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Storyteller
Maria Bryan
48 episodes
5 days ago
Send us a text Content Warning: Michelle briefly talks about the death of a loved one. Be mindful of your emotional capacity as you listen in. Storytelling in the nonprofit world is a powerful act of witness, but it can also take a quiet toll. When we listen to story after story of grief, injustice, or survival, our bodies absorb more than we realize. This is vicarious trauma, the invisible weight that settles in when we hold space for other people’s pain without tending to our ow...
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Send us a text Content Warning: Michelle briefly talks about the death of a loved one. Be mindful of your emotional capacity as you listen in. Storytelling in the nonprofit world is a powerful act of witness, but it can also take a quiet toll. When we listen to story after story of grief, injustice, or survival, our bodies absorb more than we realize. This is vicarious trauma, the invisible weight that settles in when we hold space for other people’s pain without tending to our ow...
Ethical Calls to Action: Moving Beyond Manipulation in Nonprofit Storytelling
When Bearing Witness®: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Storyteller
19 minutes
9 months ago
Ethical Calls to Action: Moving Beyond Manipulation in Nonprofit Storytelling
Send us a text Gone are the days of guilt-driven appeals and false urgency in nonprofit marketing. In 2025, we are embracing trauma-informed storytelling that empowers, not exploits. In this episode, we unpack why ethical calls to action matter and how they can inspire meaningful engagement without manipulating emotions. We explore the harm caused by donor saviorism, shame-based giving, and misleading urgency—and offer practical ways to reframe your nonprofit’s messaging to honor the agency o...
When Bearing Witness®: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Storyteller
Send us a text Content Warning: Michelle briefly talks about the death of a loved one. Be mindful of your emotional capacity as you listen in. Storytelling in the nonprofit world is a powerful act of witness, but it can also take a quiet toll. When we listen to story after story of grief, injustice, or survival, our bodies absorb more than we realize. This is vicarious trauma, the invisible weight that settles in when we hold space for other people’s pain without tending to our ow...
