120: From Storytelling to Sense-Making: How Teams Build Meaning Together | David Hutchens
Release Date: 12/10/2025
122: It All Starts With and Goes Back to Who You Are
Reframe to Create
It all starts with and goes back to who you are. Not just who you are as an individual, but who you are together. Your team. Your organization. Your movement. If you’re stuck. If progress feels slow or painfully circular. If you’re working hard but not moving forward sustainably… Chances are, it’s not a strategy problem. It’s not a talent problem. It’s not a goal-setting or execution problem. It’s an identity problem. In this episode, I unpack why so many teams end up in what I call Spinsville—endless conversations, competing perspectives, and lots of motion with very...
info_outline
121: You Don’t Have Imposter Syndrome: The Lie, the Trap, and the Reframe to Claim Instead
Reframe to Create
I’m done, y’all. It’s time to drop the idea that you have imposter syndrome for good. In this episode, I’m not helping you “fix” imposter syndrome. I’m helping you challenge and discard the entire idea. You’ll learn where this concept came from, why it doesn’t serve you, and how to understand your feelings without pathologizing your humanity. We explore: The real definition of “imposter” (and why it’s NOT you) How your environment might actually be the culprit The history behind the “imposter syndrome” label Inner Blocks (GAILs) and how to reframe your...
info_outline
120: From Storytelling to Sense-Making: How Teams Build Meaning Together | David Hutchens
Reframe to Create
If you’ve ever walked into a team meeting or strategy session and felt like the stories being shared weren’t shifting anything…this episode is your reframe. Today I’m talking with David Hutchens, storyteller, author, organizational consultant, and creator of some of my absolute favorite tools for leaders who want to use narrative to build alignment in their teams. David has worked with global organizations to help them move from merely telling stories to making meaning together, and that’s exactly what we dive into today. David breaks down why: Storytelling is...
info_outline
119: The Secret to Storytelling and Data: One. Many. Stat.
Reframe to Create
Are you ready to unlock the secret of storytelling and data? If you are, I’m ready to share it with you so you can finally learn how to use data to tell a powerful story and how to tell a story that leverages the right data. In this episode, I’m sharing with you the two reframes that have absolutely transformed the way I think about data and storytelling. These are reframes I now share with leaders because they change everything about how you show up in front of a room. You’ll hear why you are the storyteller (yes, you, not your slides, not your deck, not your one-pager), and...
info_outline
118: Reframing Strategy Through the Power of Collective Story | Brett Davidson
Reframe to Create
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,...
info_outline
117: From "Me" to "We": The Beginning of Reframe to Create 2.0
Reframe to Create
Have you ever been part of creating something beautiful with others? Maybe it was a class project, a community event, or a team effort at work where everyone came together to bring one vision to life. When that happens, when everyone is aligned and moving toward a shared purpose, something extraordinary is created. But when that shared story breaks down, so does the ability to create together. Misaligned stories create competing identities and chaos, even among the most talented people. That’s why it’s time for a new conversation. For over four years, Reframe to Create has been about...
info_outline
116: How to Own What You Create (Even When You Work for Someone Else)
Reframe to Create
I bet I know one of the biggest mistakes you’re making right now. And I’m not even trying to shame you. You mean well. But it’s a mistake nonetheless. You’re creating — on your job, in your side hustle, or in your collaborations — but not even thinking about owning what you create. Most people don’t. We’ve been trained to think that being a “team player” means being invisible. That being helpful means erasing ourselves. That collaboration means disappearing. But that’s not teamwork. That’s self-erasure. In this episode, I’m reframing ownership — not as...
info_outline
115: From Gift to Impact with the Mindful Business Paradigm (R) | Travis Lee Howard
Reframe to Create
What if your business, team, or even your personal work rhythm could actually grow because of friction — not in spite of it? That’s the question we dig into with today’s guest, Travis Lee Howard, as he shares his powerful framework called the Mindful Business Paradigm (MVP). This isn’t just another business model — it’s a way to diagnose where things are off, whether you're a leader, creator, or changemaker trying to do mission-minded work that actually matters. Travis breaks down the four-part paradigm — Self → Customer → Machine → Team — and helps us...
info_outline
114: Get Comfortable with Storytelling (4 Reframes that Unlock Your Voice)
Reframe to Create
You already know story matters. However, a few subtle hang-ups may still be holding you back. In this episode, I reframe four common storytelling mistakes so you can get comfortable, get practicing, and get your stories working for you. Practice over theory: Storytelling is a verb. Shift the ratio from “one more book/framework” to actual reps. You don’t have one story: You have many. Build a Story Bank and match moments to context and audience. Personal ≠ private: Tell human, lived stories (with appropriate vulnerability) without oversharing. Process >...
info_outline
113: You Get to Change Your Mind
Reframe to Create
“They get to change their mind, and you get to change yours too.” When Sawida’s mom dropped this nugget of wisdom into a moment of heartbreak in middle school, it was more than comfort. It was liberation. In this episode, I take you inside that story and unpack the stunning power of this reframe: the reminder that rejection doesn’t strip you of your agency. You still have a choice. You still get to pivot, reframe, and keep creating. We explore: How “they get to change their mind” frees you from taking rejection personally How “you get to change your mind too” reminds...
info_outlineIf you’ve ever walked into a team meeting or strategy session and felt like the stories being shared weren’t shifting anything…this episode is your reframe.
Today I’m talking with David Hutchens, storyteller, author, organizational consultant, and creator of some of my absolute favorite tools for leaders who want to use narrative to build alignment in their teams. David has worked with global organizations to help them move from merely telling stories to making meaning together, and that’s exactly what we dive into today.
David breaks down why:
-
Storytelling is humanity’s oldest sense-making technology
-
The story itself is not the end, but the beginning of a deeper team conversation
-
Alignment doesn’t happen when one person tells a great story… it happens when the team talks about what that story means
-
Groups who make meaning together actually become a community
-
Story circles can transform a team’s connection, coherence, and creativity
-
“Emotional data” is just as real as any spreadsheet—and storytelling can reveal it
He also introduces his beautiful “geography of meaning” framework, which helps teams explore a story from three different orientations:
-
Behind the text – What did we notice about the storyteller, ourselves, or the room?
-
Within the text – What images, moments, or messages stood out inside the story?
-
In front of the text – What wisdom can we pull forward into our team’s future?
And the three listener roles that bring this alive:
Witness. Harvester. Connector.
This episode is the perfect companion to my earlier conversation with Brett Davidson, where we explored the shift from storytelling to storylistening, and how individual stories can accidentally silo us unless we build a collective narrative.
If David gives you the “how” of sense-making, Brett gives you the “why” of collective storytelling for strategy.
Together, these episodes are your starter kit for Reframe to Create 2.0, moving from “me” to “we,” from solo creating to community sense-making, and from personal story to shared story.
Because if we want to create together, we must reframe together.
About my guest: David Hutchens has been exploring the intersection of narrative, leadership, and complex systems change for more than 20 years. A bestselling author, business writer and learning designer, he creates solutions for Accenture, Harvard Business Review, The Coca-Cola Company, Wal-Mart, IBM, The US Olympic Committee, and many others. His partnerships include a recurring instructor position with the globally renowned INSEAD School of Business in Fontainebleau, France.
He speaks to organizations and leadership teams all around the world on the topic of storytelling as an organizational capacity. His new book is “Story Dash”, was published August, 2021. It is his ninth book. He is the author of “Circle of the 9 Muses: A Storytelling Field Guide for Innovators and Meaning Makers,” (Wiley & Sons 2015).
He created the innovative Leadership Story Deck — an innovative, card-based resource for developing narrative driven communications. The popular resource is now available on Amazon.com.
A nationally recognized developer of innovative learning products, David's work has been recognized with distinctions such as Training & Development's "Training Product of the Year" award; ASTD's prestigious "Excellence in Practice" award; Brandon Hall Gold award, and more.
Contact David:
Email: David@DavidHutchens.com
Resources: www.StorytellingLeader.com/resources
Website: www.DavidHutchens.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhutchens/
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/