Storied Ground

"We are all storytellers. Every day of our lives there are significant moments when we hear and tell stories that connect us, that inform us, that motivate us and change us.”

Storied Ground grew out of the convergence of a rich mix of learning and experience.

Mark Jenkins’ years of storytelling & coaching taught him the power of narratives to influence change and effect lives profoundly. His skills brought him to coaching others in developing their stories for public presentation: top athletes, corporate CEOs and other individuals of singular achievement. This included a number of elite Himalayan climbers, which led to the development of TeamEverest as a training tool that immersed participants in the dramatic story of a multifaceted, true-to-life experience.

He remembers: “In the continuing development and delivery of TeamEverest, Storied Ground emerged. We began to observe how the invisible world of story could exert a tangible and sustained impact on people’s everyday actions and on the culture of an organization as a whole.”

John Stevens’ decades of experience as an editor, supporting individuals in crafting their stories and discovering deeper meanings than were at first apparent taught him the deep power of stories to heal, to inspire, to connect.

“I consistently found that when I coached my clients to reflect on the meaning their stories had for them, they suddenly came to life. Instead of a simple series of remembered or invented events, they discovered a shapely and meaningful narrative that they were proud to share with the world, confident their story would contribute to the lives of others.”

The two met at a storytelling event just as TeamEverest was being launched, and gradually collaboration developed bringing their shared appreciation of Storied Ground more and more clearly into focus.