48. Flipping the Switch, Authentic Storytelling, and Creating Lasting Impact | Gabrielle Dolan

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What if the stories we're not telling are the very ones that could shape our organisations long after we're gone? In a world flooded with AI-generated content that sounds increasingly the same, I wonder what happens to the distinctly human act of storytelling. And here's the deeper question: are we waiting too long to make the changes that matter most?

This conversation explores the enduring power of authentic human stories in an age of artificial intelligence, the gift of presence in our distracted leadership, and what becomes possible when we stop gradually planning and simply flip the switch. We're examining how stories don't just communicate culture—they are the culture, coursing through organisations like lifeblood, carrying meaning long beyond our tenure. What's emerging here is an invitation to reconsider where real impact lives and how it spreads.

Gabrielle Dolan is one of the world's leading experts on storytelling in business, having spent over two decades helping leaders find their authentic voice and communicate with depth through story. She's the author of eight books, including her latest Story Intelligence, which she describes as the first she's felt truly compelled to write. After a health scare prompted her to abandon gradual retirement in favour of immediate life redesign, Gabrielle now spends her time between storytelling work she carefully selects, travelling, and watching kangaroos at her holiday property in Bermagui. In this episode, you'll discover:

• How authentic human stories serve as the antidote to AI-generated content that lacks heart and feeling
• Why the most powerful cultural change happens when leaders let stories do the heavy lifting, rather than always being the storyteller themselves
• How the practice of presence—whether watching wildlife or protecting creative time—becomes a discipline that sustains meaningful work
• Why success might be better defined as freedom of choice rather than conventional measures of achievement
• How stories create lasting impact by living in organizational culture long after the storyteller moves on
• Why flipping the switch immediately can be more liberating than gradually planning for change
• How leaders can spot when they're needed versus when they need to focus on what only they can do
• Why knowing what a value means to you personally is essential before you can authentically communicate it to others

Timestamps:

(00:00) - The Role of Storytelling in an AI World

(01:33) - Finding Presence in Nature

(10:07) - Navigating Leadership Challenges

(29:24) - The Art of Storytelling in Leadership

(36:01) - The Enduring Nature of Stories

(41:01) - Health Scares and Life Choices

Other References:

• Story Intelligence by Gabrielle Dolan
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
• "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule" by Paul Graham
• National Australia Bank (NAB)
• Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia
• Dig Deeper Episode 20 with Sarah Manley
• Dig Deeper Episode 32 with Kate Christiansen
• The Answer Trap by Kate Christiansen

You can find Gabrielle at:

Website: https://gabrielledolan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/

Check out my services and offerings https://www.digbyscott.com/

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