Carrying Story Across Borders in Portugal

Portugal was the first time I stepped into a global room not just as an observer, but as a speaker. A space where different cultures, languages, and lived experiences met, and where story was not theoretical, but actively shaping how people understood one another.

I spoke alongside storytellers and community leaders from around the world in a gathering centered on the theme of unmasking. I shared my perspective on the narratives we inherit and the truths that live inside community. For me, unmasking is about getting beneath the surface of what people have been told about themselves, their neighborhoods, and their histories. It is about creating space for community voice to rise with honesty, dignity, and power.

Being in that room made the weight of narrative tangible. Voice carries lineage, memory, and lived experience. When we enter global spaces, we are never arriving alone. We bring with us the stories of our communities and the responsibility to hold them with care.

The theme of unmasking clarified something about my own work. Narrative is not only about what is visible, but about what has been hidden, distorted, or silenced. Every place carries its own wisdom. When people define their own stories, they shape how their communities are seen, valued, and invested in. This is where my work lives, at the intersection of strategy and storytelling, helping organizations build narratives that reflect the truth of the people at the center.

Speaking in Portugal reinforced that storytelling in global spaces is an act of stewardship. It requires care, context, and intention. It means honoring where stories come from and being mindful of how they travel. It means understanding that voice, when amplified, shapes memory, perception, and possibility.

Carrying story into global rooms means recognizing that voice is a bridge between cultures, histories, and futures. It means understanding that when we are invited to speak, we are also being invited to represent, to reflect, and to help shape conversations that move across borders.

Portugal did not simply mark a first global speaking engagement for me. It deepened my commitment to narrative work that begins with listening, centers community voice, and honors the truth that lives inside place.

I am grateful to CreativeMornings Lisbon and Storytelling Lisboa for creating a space where global voices could meet, share, and learn from one another, and for inviting a dialogue grounded in presence, reflection, and the power of story across borders.