How to Use Personal Storytelling as a Leader (Without Feeling Cringe)

There is a moment in many women’s careers where they know they need to show up with more presence. Maybe you want to speak with more clarity. Or you want people to listen when you talk. Maybe you want to feel steady in rooms where things move fast.

People will often tell you to “use storytelling.”
And for many women, that advice feels… uncomfortable.
It can feel fake. It can feel too personal. It can even feel a little cringe.

But storytelling, when done right, is not a performance.
It’s not about big moments or dramatic scenes.
And it’s not about making yourself look perfect.

Storytelling is simply a way to show people who you are as a leader.

It helps people understand how you think. It helps people trust your decisions.
Because it builds a kind of presence that feels human, not forced.

And most importantly: it helps you feel grounded in your own voice.

Many women I work with tell me they feel invisible at times.
They speak, but the room doesn’t shift.
They lead, but their message doesn’t land.
They know they have strong ideas, but something gets lost on the way out.

This is a common experience in female leadership development, especially during big leadership transitions or periods of identity shift at work.
You grow as a person, but your way of communicating stays the same.
You become wiser, but your story doesn’t reflect that yet.
And that gap can make everything feel harder.

Storytelling helps close that gap. With truth.

You don’t need a big story. You only need one small moment that explains what matters to you, or why you lead the way you do. It might be something simple from your past.
A time you learned to trust yourself. Or a moment where you saw something clearly.
Or talk about a shift that showed you the kind of leader you want to be.

This is narrative leadership in its simplest form.
It’s about using your own life to bring meaning into the room, so people understand your choices.
It also helps build executive presence in a natural way.
You don’t have to act different.
You don’t have to push.
You don’t have to become louder than you are.

You just speak from a place that feels true.
And people can feel that.

Many women don’t start because they think their story isn’t big enough or special enough.
But the story people trust is the one that feels honest, clear, simple. And real.

When you use storytelling this way, you stop overthinking how to “perform” as a leader.
You stop second-guessing how you sound. You stop shrinking in meetings or rushing through presentations.

You show up as yourself. And that’s what people respond to.

If you want to learn how to use storytelling without feeling awkward or artificial, you don’t need a huge strategy.
You don’t need a brand makeover. You just need a few simple prompts to help you find the story you’re already leading with.

That’s why I made a free guide.

It helps you sharpen your leadership story so you can speak with more clarity and confidence — in team meetings, board updates, pitch decks, and keynotes. It’s simple, human, and easy to use.

Tell the story that makes people listen

If you want to build real leadership presence, start with the story that feels true to you.

Sign up for the free guide.
A simple way to speak with clarity, conviction, and trust, without feeling cringe.