I’m pausing my regular Media Shot column this week to share something a little different but also focused on storytelling.
I recorded a podcast with Christina Farr to talk about her new book and storytelling. The episode matches the spirit of Media Shot, just in podcast form. The regular column will return next Monday.
Christina Farr’s background says it all: she’s a journalist, investor, advisor and now author of The Storyteller’s Advantage.
She’s spent her career with stories, whether talking to executives about stories she’s writing or founders pitching her for funding. That range, from broadcast correspondent to venture investor to consultant and newsletter writer, is what makes her perspective on storytelling hit differently.
She knows how to help people talk about what they do in ways that actually stick.
Farr is currently a managing director at Manatt Health, where she works with healthtech companies on their narrative development and fundraising. She’s also a general partner at Scrub Capital, and publishes Second Opinion, a newsletter focused on the business of healthcare.
In the latest podcast for The Venture Variety Show, Farr and I talk about how storytelling applies to startup founders, corporate executives and others. Anyone can learn to be a good storyteller, she says.
Farr doesn’t treat storytelling as fluff. She treats it as essential. In her view, leaders who can’t tell stories will struggle to inspire their teams, attract talent and communicate with investors.
Storytelling used to be something leaders outsourced to PR or marketing. Not anymore. Farr pointed out that storytelling now appears in CEO job descriptions, a shift she believes is long overdue.
She argues that the best leaders understand that narrative is a management skill.
In addition to Substack, you can watch Episode 38 of The Venture Variety Show, featuring Christina Farr on YouTube, as well as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
And if you know someone who leads teams or a founder building their own story, share this with them.
