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Chief Story Officer

Chief Story Officer

By: Rob D. Willis
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Summary

 Most leaders know storytelling matters. But can stories actually be strategic? On Chief Story Officer we talk to executives and thought leaders who know that the right story at the right time can shift strategy, align teams and transform businesses. Hosted by Rob D. Willis, a strategic story producer who's helped leaders at HelloFresh, Babbel, and Raisin craft compelling stories that make strategies stick, so teams live it and clients feel it. What You'll Discover: 🎯 Real world examples of stories shifting team direction, clarifying strategy or closing deals. 🧠 Strategic frameworks to think about storytelling as part of business strategy ⚡ Practical takeaways you can use in your next meeting, pitch, or all-hands 🎙️ Diverse perspectives from CEOs, strategists, and operators who've cracked the code on strategic storytelling This isn't about crafting perfect presentations or learning narrative tricks. It's about understanding how stories shape decisions, drive alignment, and create measurable business impact. Who This Is For: Chief Story Officer is built for executives, senior leaders, and strategic thinkers who know that communication is more than a soft skill. If you're responsible for: 📊 Leading teams through change and uncertainty 🎯 Communicating vision and strategy across your organisation 🤝 Building buy-in for complex initiatives 💡 Translating technical ideas into compelling direction ✨ Creating alignment where there's confusion ...then this podcast will sharpen how you lead through communication. About Your Host: Rob D. Willis is a strategic story producer who's been helping executives communicate ideas that matter since 2018. He's delivered 3,000+ presentations to 100,000 people across six continents, working with HelloFresh, Babbel, and Raisin to transform how they tell their stories. Before focusing on executive storytelling, Rob spent years as a Berlin tour guide and music producer—two disciplines that taught him what makes messages memorable and impossible to ignore. The Format: ⏱️ 30 minutes per episode 📅 New episodes every two weeks 💬 Conversational and story-driven style 🎯 Focused on extracting specific lessons that made communication work in high-stakes moments Why Subscribe: If you believe that the way you communicate shapes the way you lead—and that better stories lead to better strategy—Chief Story Officer will become your go-to resource for sharpening both. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe now so you never miss a conversation! 🌐 Visit robdwillis.com for frameworks, resources, and more on strategic storytelling in leadership.Copyright 2026 Rob D. Willis Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Why Every Leader Needs Story Discovery Not Just Storytelling with Esther Choy

    Why Every Leader Needs Story Discovery Not Just Storytelling with Esther Choy
    May 8 2026
    Esther Choy, CEO and Chief Story Facilitator at Leadership Story Lab, joins the show to challenge the idea that the leader must always be the "sage on stage" and explains why real power lies in helping others uncover and share their own stories.In this episode, we dive into the art of story discovery and why the best leaders are both sage on the stage and guide on the side. Rob D. Willis and Esther Choy unpack how shifting from persuasion to genuine curiosity transforms the way leaders connect, influence, and unlock the hidden stories within their teams.Esther Choy reveals her process for surfacing untold stories, from asking crazy good questions to synthesising meaning without fixating on being “right.” She shares real-world examples, including a CEO who dissolved silos simply by introducing innocuous questions at meetings and a senior leader who learned the power of narrative over technical detail.You'll walk away with practical approaches for uncovering overlooked stories, rituals to foster team trust, and a mindset that champions wonder over certainty. Plus, learn to enter any conversation with a pocketful of questions and a readiness to see things differently.GUEST BIO & LINKSEsther Choy is CEO and Chief Story Facilitator at Leadership Story Lab, a top contributor to Forbes Leadership Strategy Channel, and the author of two leadership books published by HarperCollins, including the newly released Winning Without Persuading. With over 15 years coaching thousands of executives worldwide, Esther equips leaders to move beyond persuasion and unlock the stories that foster team trust and connection. She teaches at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and the University of Zurich, drawing on decades of experience helping clients discover, synthesise, and tell the stories that make strategies stick.Connect with Esther Choy:Website: https://www.leadershipstorylab.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherchoy/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipstorylab/Podcast: https://www.leadershipstorylab.com/podcast/ABOUT THE SHOWChief Story Officer is a podcast about how stories drive strategy, not just communication. Host Rob D. Willis talks with executives and thought leaders about the moments where the right message changed everything.Real stories. Real impact. Every two weeks.CONNECT WITH ROBWant frameworks for strategic storytelling? Download the free guide: "5 Ways to Make People Care About Your Strategy"→ subscribepage.io/robdwillisConnect with Rob:Website: robdwillis.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robdwillis Instagram: @robdwillis TikTok: @robdwillisSubscribe to Chief Story Officer wherever you listen to podcasts.
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    34 mins
  • Rethinking Storytelling: Folklore, Collaboration, and Decolonising the Business Narrative with Annette Simmons

    Rethinking Storytelling: Folklore, Collaboration, and Decolonising the Business Narrative with Annette Simmons
    Apr 24 2026
    Annette Simmons, author of The Story Factor and Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, joins the show to challenge the idea that business storytelling is just about heroes and conflict. She reveals why real influence comes from sharing subjective, emotionally resonant stories, and how rituals of story-sharing can repair trust, build collaboration, and shape organisational culture.In this episode, we dive into the true role of storytelling in organisations, exploring why stories are more than just narratives with conflict and how they're evolution’s way of ensuring collaboration, trust, and survival at work. With business storytelling often reduced to formulas and templates, we challenge what’s been lost, and how leaders can reclaim storytelling’s real strategic power.Annette Simmons reveals her journey from advertising to storytelling, unpacks the difference between objective and story thinking, and introduces the vital but overlooked concept of repair after betrayal stories. She shares practical rituals to surface tacit knowledge, the six stories that every leader needs, and why rituals, not rules are the key to keeping ethics and values alive in business.You’ll leave with tangible prompts to spark more vulnerability and collaboration, a new appreciation for restoring trust after setbacks, and concrete steps to make stories a lived ritual in your team, not just a communication tool.GUEST BIO & LINKSAnnette Simmons is a renowned author, keynote speaker, and storytelling expert whose books The Story Factor and Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins have influenced leaders worldwide. Over three decades, Annette has helped organisations like Microsoft, NASA, and the Brookings Institute use storytelling to resolve conflict, foster trust, and shift mindsets not merely through data, but through powerful shared experience. Drawing on early influences in psychology and marketing, Annette’s approach challenges the dominance of “objective” thinking in business. She advocates for bringing back the lost art of tacit, folk-inspired storytelling and establishing rituals that make subjective wisdom and values central to team culture. Her latest work, Drinking from a Different Well, explores how women’s stories redefine power in collaborative settings.Connect with Annette Simmons:Website: https://annettesimmons.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annettesimmonsstory/Article: Evolution’s Lessons We've Left BehindEmail: annette@annettesimmons.comABOUT THE SHOWChief Story Officer is a podcast about how stories drive strategy, not just communication. Host Rob D. Willis talks with executives and thought leaders about the moments where the right message changed everything.Real stories. Real impact. Every two weeks.CONNECT WITH ROBWant frameworks for strategic storytelling? Download the free guide: "5 Ways to Make People Care About Your Strategy"→ subscribepage.io/robdwillisConnect with Rob:Website: robdwillis.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robdwillis Instagram: @robdwillis TikTok: @robdwillisSubscribe to Chief Story Officer wherever you listen to podcasts.
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    37 mins
  • The Magic of Metaphors: Simon Lancaster’s Guide to Transforming Boring Corporate Speeches

    The Magic of Metaphors: Simon Lancaster’s Guide to Transforming Boring Corporate Speeches
    Apr 10 2026
    Simon Lancaster, leading speechwriter and author of Connect! How to Inspire, Influence and Energise Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime, joins the show to break down why most corporate communication fails and what leaders can do to finally make their words stick.In this episode, we dive into why most corporate communication misses the mark, what truly captures audiences’ attention, and how leaders can transform tired presentations into memorable moments that stick. Simon Lancaster and Rob D. Willis dissect the neuroscience behind effective messaging and the pitfalls of “tin-eared” delivery in boardrooms and beyond.Simon Lancaster reveals his practical approach honed over decades writing for Tony Blair’s cabinet, CEOs, and global brands. He shares his signature “three keys” metaphor, moral appeal, and story plus his favourite questions for unlocking a leader’s deepest values and most powerful narratives.You’ll learn how to spot a dead presentation, the one-word speech technique for instant engagement, and why care, empathy, and musicality matter more than flashy slides. Expect tactics you can use straight away to bring your next speech, meeting, or message to life.KEY TOPICSWhy most corporate presentations fail to connect—and how to pass the coffee break test [00:02:34]The neuroscience-backed trio for unforgettable communication: metaphors, moral appeals, and stories [00:08:18]Extracting stories from leaders with one question and a list of 50 moral values [00:12:04]The EVA formula (Empathy, Values, Action): a speechwriter’s fix for political Q&A and crowd control [00:25:19]The “Golden Six” rhetorical devices that instantly make any speech sound powerful, breathless sentences, repetition, contrast, metaphor, exaggeration, and rhyme [00:29:12]GUEST BIO & LINKSSimon Lancaster is one of the world’s top speechwriters, trusted by CEOs at global giants including HSBC, Unilever, and InterContinental Hotels, and political heavyweights such as Alan Johnson from Tony Blair’s cabinet. Beginning his career in government communications. Simon now specialises in helping business leaders transform strategy into story, drawing from the latest neuroscience to craft messages that truly connect. He is the author of several acclaimed books on influence and communication including Connect! and is widely known for making rhetorical devices accessible through TikTok videos. Simon regularly consults for senior executives, leads masterclasses, and demystifies the art of storytelling for modern leaders.Connect with Simon Lancaster:Website: https://bespokeleadershipdevelopment.com/Website: https://bespokespeeches.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lancaster-speechwriter/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bespokespeechesABOUT THE SHOWChief Story Officer is a podcast about how stories drive strategy, not just communication. Host Rob D. Willis talks with executives and thought leaders about the moments where the right message changed everything.Real stories. Real impact. Every two weeks.CONNECT WITH ROBWant frameworks for strategic storytelling? Download the free guide: "5 Ways to Make People Care About Your Strategy"→ subscribepage.io/robdwillisConnect with Rob:Website: robdwillis.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robdwillis Instagram: @robdwillis TikTok: @robdwillisSubscribe to Chief Story Officer wherever you listen to podcasts.
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
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