When people ask me what makes a leader truly impactful, I begin with storytelling.
My journey has carried me from Cuba to the United States, into the villages of Kenya, Nepal, and onto various stages across the world. And much more awaits me and those I serve.
At every step, I’ve seen how the power of personal narrative transforms not only the one telling the story, but also the communities that receive it.
Over the years, I have realized that successful leadership cannot be achieved through vision only. Your voice as a leader matters, because you cannot change the world without telling it that you’re actually changing it.
And when that voice is rooted in authentic storytelling, it becomes the spark that ignites movements, inspires change, and gives people the courage to see themselves as more than their circumstances.
Here are five ways storytelling has shaped me as a thought leader, plus my thoughts on why I believe it is the cornerstone of global transformation.
1. Stories Turn Experiences into Legacy
When I first visited Kenya in 2022, I got the chance to share my story with over 12,000 students and children across various institutions and levels.
But I also visited various places, including Kibera, one of the largest informal settlements in Africa.
Throughout the tour, I was sharing my story, and also learning from the unsaid stories of the young people I interacted with. not simply an observer but a learner.
Their stories were not tales of pity but of possibility and resilience, reminding me of the power of hanging on, even when it doesn’t seem worth it.
Today, as I tell my story, these experiences remain part of it, and that is why I have kept on going back to Kenya.
By telling their stories and pursuing various ways in which I can help them, I want their courage not fade into silence, but instead live on as a legacy that inspires others.
This is the essence of leadership: taking lived experiences, whether our own or those of the people we encounter, and turning them into narratives that outlast us.
2. Vulnerability Builds Trust
In the pursuit of authenticity, I believe that true leadership is found in the willingness to be vulnerable.
When I speak about The Grand Butterfly Gathering, which has now blossomed into an annual, worldwide movement, I don’t only talk about the beauty of the movement.
I share the doubts I felt when it was only a dream, the hesitation before the first steps, and the courage it took to trust the process.
By opening myself up, I allow others to see that transformation is not a straight line but a shared human experience. Vulnerability doesn’t weaken leaders; it makes us trustworthy. It creates a bond across borders and cultures.
3. Storytelling Mobilizes Action
Information is valuable, but information alone doesn’t move people. A well-told story, however, has the power to mobilize action.
In boardrooms, classrooms, or village squares, I have seen how storytelling stirs people’s thoughts for the better. It turns awareness into urgency, and urgency into movement.
Through The Trueness Project, the nonprofit I founded, we have mobilized communities to donate leadership books, to support young girls with sanitary products, and to mentor students across Kenya, Egypt, Nepal and beyond.
None of these initiatives were born from statistics alone. They came alive because stories invited people to see themselves as part of the change.
4. Stories Transcend Borders
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that humanity has a common language: story.
Whether sitting with children in the shadow of the Himalayas in Nepal, walking in rural Africa, or speaking to corporate leaders elsewhere, I’ve seen how stories dissolve our differences and bring us together for the common good.
They remind us that while our geographies differ, our dreams, fears, and hopes are remarkably alike. A child in Nairobi and a leader in New York both respond to stories of resilience, dignity, and community.
That is the beauty of storytelling: it transcends language, culture, and geography. It allows us to see each other as human first.
5. Stories Spark Movements
Every movement begins with a story.
The Grand Butterfly Gathering began as a vision: what if people from all walks of life came together, adorned as butterflies, to declare transformation, peace, and renewal?
What if this gathering could become a living metaphor for the resilience of the human spirit and the inner passion to become better and make the world a thriving ground?
That vision became reality. In Wyoming and across virtual platforms, thousands now gather annually, embodying the butterfly as a symbol of hope, change, and collective resilience.
And this is what storytelling does at its highest level: it not only narrates the journey but invites others to add their voices.
Each person who participates in the Butterfly Gathering writes their own chapter in a global story of transformation.
Impactful, Transformational
From writing and donating Gloriousness, my children’s book, to sparking imagination through out-of-the-box networking events, to authoring leadership books that inspire change, to founding The Trueness Project, my journey has been a tapestry woven with stories and the desire to share them with the world.
Storytelling has carried me from my beginnings as a Cuban refugee to a global advocate for authenticity, empowerment and a better world.
It has guided me through classrooms, communities, boardrooms, public spaces and international stages as a speaker.
Most importantly, it has allowed me to connect across borders, from Africa to Europe to the Americas, with the universal truth that stories heal, inspire, and unite.
Thought leadership is not marked by how many titles or accolades one has.
It is established in the power of finding your voice, sharing your truth, and empowering others to do the same.
And so, if you have a story, you have the power to tell it to the world, and lead.
I invite you to start sharing your story and impacting lives through it. You’re the best person to tell it with passion and exactitude.
Together, let’s give wings to our own change and that if the world.
