Picture it. You're about to dive into yet another strategy planning session with your team. You've got the flip charts, the markers, the frameworks, the best intentions… and a sinking feeling that this is going to end up just like last time—disconnected, circular, and unclear.

Somewhere along the way, you've probably heard that storytelling can help. But not so fast.

My guest today, Brett Davidson, is here to turn that idea on its head. He's the founder and principal of Wingseed, where he helps foundations and nonprofits around the world use narrative, storytelling, listening, and creativity for social justice. He also serves as the Narrative Lead at IRIS (International Resource for Impact and Storytelling), a donor collaborative advancing narrative strategies for impact.

Brett brings a powerful reframe for how we think about storytelling in organizations—and it's one that will completely reshape how you approach strategy, identity, and meaning-making on your team.

Before my conversation with Brett, I was an enthusiastic promoter of individual storytelling in organizations. But Brett helped me see the limits of that approach and the need to move from me stories to we stories—from storytelling to storylistening.

💡 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why individual storytelling might be keeping your team stuck in silos
How to shift from isolated hero stories to a shared collective identity
Why storylistening—not just storytelling—is the real key to strategic clarity
How to embed collective listening into your organization's infrastructure
Why story can (and should) replace your static mission statements as strategy

✨ Reframe to Create 2.0 Connection:

This conversation officially kicks off our expanded focus—from me to we. Because as Brett shows us, storytelling alone isn't enough. To create anything meaningful together, we need storylistening. We need shared story. We need collective reframe.

🔗 Connect with Brett:

About my guest: Brett Davidson is founder and principal at Wingseed, where he works with foundations and nonprofits around the world interested in using the power of narrative, storytelling, listening and creativity for social justice. He is also the Narrative Lead at the International Resource for Impact and Storytelling (IRIS), a donor collaborative for philanthropy focused on strengthening civil society through narrative strategies and creative moving image storytelling for impact. Previously Brett was Director of Media and Narratives at the Open Society Public Health Program where he also co-led an OSF-wide community of practice on narrative change. He was a journalist, producer and anchor in radio news and current affairs at the national public broadcaster, the SABC during South Africa's transition to democracy and later worked with community radio stations across the country, as part of the democracy institute, IDASA. Brett has an MA in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University and an MA in interdisciplinary study from NYU's Gallatin School. He writes about listening, narrative and social change.

About: The Reframe to Create podcast is hosted by Joy Spencer, an Executive Leadership and Storytelling Coach, Speaker, and Organizational Development Consultant working with professionals and leaders at all levels within organizations. Joy leverages over 17 years of experience she gained while working to champion change in social justice movements, including those related to global access to essential medicines and consumer advocacy for online privacy. This work required a dogged commitment to not merely challenging the status quo, but to reimagining and working towards creating an ideal future. It is this commitment to creating that has shaped Joy's coaching philosophy and approach today. Using her signature C.R.E.A.T.E. framework, Joy guides her clients through a process to become incomparable in work so they can get paid to be themselves.

Follow Joy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-spencer/

118: Reframing Strategy Through the Power of Collective Story | Brett Davidson