How Untold Stories Affect You
I\u2019m getting a speaker ready to hit the TEDx stage. He has a completely unique take on what it means to be of service in the hospitality industry. So I ask him:
\u201cWhat story are you going to tell to set up your Idea Worth Spreading?\u201d
He says that he has a story about a client\u2026 and another about a vendor\u2026 which is when I interject:
\u201cHang on, hang on. What personal story do you have that allows us to feel how committed and passionate you are about this idea?\u201d
His response? \u201cThe audience doesn\u2019t want to hear about me.\u201d
\u201cWhat if they do?\u201d I reply. \u201cWhat if by sharing a real, even vulnerable story, the audience can get to know, like, and ultimately trust you?\u201d
He goes for it, and his Talk ends up being a huge success! Several weeks after it goes live, he tells me he wants to do it again. The process of sharing his personal story was incredibly valuable for the audience and very therapeutic for him, as well.
My special guest today, Alisha Kalisher, has also found therapeutic value in her passion. She\u2019s a professional vocalist and songwriter and has a Master\u2019s degree in Depth Psychology and Creativity with an emphasis on Arts and Humanities. And in this episode of the Storytelling School Podcast, you\u2019ll learn how she uses creative expression as a mechanism to help heal the stories of trauma survivors, as well as get answers to questions such as:
Why is the area of creative expression so important to study? How can people get around the fear of stories they don\u2019t want to tell? Why is play in creative expression essential for both the mind and body? And how does vulnerability in storytelling connect us all?
What you will learn in this episode:
- How untold stories affect you (either when you keep them to yourself or finally share them)
- How creative expression can help you with the stories you fear telling
- How using a playful storytelling process can influence songwriting
Who is Alisha?
Alisha Kalisher is a professional vocalist and songwriter living in Altadena, California. She has achieved many accolades and awards, performed on late-night television, awards shows, with orchestras across the United States, and some of LA\u2019s most notable venues, as well as written many songs for film, and television with her husband. She also collaborated with her husband on their project The Sheen, as contributors to the Meta Music Initiative.\xa0
While music has been a big part of her life, she has always been an avid seeker and student in the study of humanity. In conjunction with her studies as a graduate student, receiving a master's degree in Depth Psychology and Creativity with an emphasis in the Arts and Humanities, she has gathered a collection of songs to release her album\xa0Center Line.
Alisha\u2019s graduate education ignited a passion for the therapeutic value of creative expression. She is currently a student at the Expressive Arts Institute where she is training to become an Expressive Arts Facilitator. In 2022, she founded the Bella Arts Foundation, a non-profit organization that believes in promoting and providing healing experiences through the creative and expressive arts to support and empower survivors of trauma.
Links and Resources