Your work. Your ideas.
Your experiences. Your life.
Your stories. Your voice. 

(My words.)

As a writer who has spent a significant portion of her career crafting compelling stories for nonprofit organizations and leaders, I’m a big believer in the power of story to create advocates for the vital work nonprofits lead in their communities. Every organization has a unique journey, and capturing those stories is wonderful way to inspire and engage others with your work.

Let’s create something memorable together. I can’t wait to get started! 

About

Although I’m a Starbucks-loving, passport-carrying citizen of the United States, I’m also a wanderer, an adventurer, and a Delta Frequent Flyer member who's had the privilege of calling Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East "home."

Hailing from Boston and a true New Englander at heart, I have been known to occasionally “pahk the cah.”

I’m part bookworm. Part history buff. All Gen X-er with a love for things that tell a story. I’m a roll-up-your- sleeves-and-get-your-hands-dirty type with the heart of an artist, the mind of an academic, and just enough moxie to believe that the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

I’ve helped some fascinating people and organizations share their stories with the world: A retired underwater archaeologist. The first female mayor of a rural West African community. A scrappy startup that grew to become one of the most beloved brands in the US. 

What I love most about my work, besides getting to rub shoulders with interesting human beings? The opportunity to have a hand in making the world a better place through the power of story. 

My process

When it comes to storytelling, I’m a huge fan of story structure, and it forms the foundation of every new storytelling project I undertake. 

Here are some of my favorite nonprofit leadership memoirs that showcase the Hero’s Journey story arc: 

If you think about the stories that stay with you—the movies you love, the books you didn’t want to put down—many of them likely follow a similar story progression called the Hero’s Journey. At its core, the Hero’s Journey is a storytelling “template” where a character embarks on a quest or adventure to achieve a goal, faces many challenges along the way, gains new insight and learns valuable lessons about themselves and the world around them, and ultimately returns home transformed.

That story arc looks something like this: 

There’s a reason this approach to storytelling has near-universal appeal and has been used in cultures all over the world for centuries: Readers love it when authors invite them to be a part of a character’s journey.

A good business or leadership memoir is no exception! No reader wants to wade through a “lessons I’ve learned” book that reads like a bulleted list on a Powerpoint slide. But when those lessons unfold in the telling of the hero’s journey, you build an emotional connection with the reader that makes your story and insights linger long after the last page is turned.

Starting with structure: StoryArc sessions

The first few months of any engagement with me are spent surfacing your “hero’s journey” through a series of highly interactive StoryArc sessions, designed to prompt an exploration of your story’s key plot points: 

  • Catalysts for embarking on your journey

  • Mentors, allies, and enemies (human or situational)

  • Moments of conflict and obstacles

  • Important locations, symbols

  • Failures, when all seemed lost

  • Triumphs and lessons learned

  • What the future (return home) looks like

What’s great about these sessions is that they can be conducted in person or online; with a single person or with a large group of stakeholders (although I recommend limiting groups to 15-20 individuals).

In fact, engaging multiple stakeholders in these sessions often reveals new and never-before-heard stories, anecdotes and insights that can really bring a book to life! 

StoryArc sessions are conducted alongside individual interviews with the author and any other key stakeholders identified by the author,* primary archival research where appropriate, and in-depth review of secondary research resources. 

All of these are used to inform the development of a detailed book outline and suggested book titles to be approved before moving into the drafting phase of the project. 

Why me?

There are lots of great writers out there. Why should you choose to work with me?

Because there’s more to selecting a ghostwriting partner than publishing credits, wordsmithing ability, or knowing how to properly use a semicolon. When you work with me, you get the added benefits of a partner who brings more than just writing know-how to the table.

  • While they may have many things in common with traditional businesses, nonprofits and NGOs truly are a different breed. They operate differently, they base their decisions on different motivations and values, they rely heavily on personal connections, volunteers, and less certain income streams. Storytelling takes on a different role in this world: It needs to inspire, educate, and ultimately create advocates for the work. I've spent years dedicated to understanding the nuances of storytelling in the nonprofit arena.

  • It’s not enough to just write a great book. You need to ensure you’re targeting the right audience, cultivating your online presence, and have the right publishing and marketing plan in place. My partnership extends beyond just words on a page. As a seasoned marketing professional, I can also collaborate with your teams to help plan the best approach to bringing your book to market. 

  • Many organizations see books and memoirs as an ideal means of marking significant milestones and anniversaries. And they are—but a book is typically only one piece of celebrating a milestone. How does it connect to the other efforts that are happening as part of the celebration? It’s critical to understand the role you want your book to play in the big picture.

  • Why limit your story to a single medium? With decades of storytelling experience in written, video, graphic, and oral history formats, I can advise on how to maximize audience engagement by sharing your story (or strategic parts of it) in different mediums. 

  • Some writers view working with multiple stakeholders as a burden or hindrance to completing a project. But my entire career has been spent collaborating across marketing, legal, account, client, and executive teams to create great content. I see multiple stakeholders as an opportunity to tell a better story—and that’s why I include them in conversations (like StoryArc sessions) right from the start! 

  • With a master’s degree in library science specializing in archives and special collections, I love using primary research to surface the one-of-a-kind insights and details that bring a story to life in personal and compelling ways. Give me a stack of boxes filled with old notebooks and randomly saved papers, or access to that storage closet that’s collected God-knows-what over the years, and I’m like a kid diving for a quarter at the bottom of a pool. 

  • Community transformation isn’t just a buzz word for me, or something I participate in when my day job announces a community service day: it’s a lifelong passion. I’ve been involved in efforts both locally and abroad for decades. Here’s where I’m currently serving: 

    • Writing coach for The Exchange, a pilot project and collaboration between Deloitte and a consortium of Black-owned newspaper publishers, designed to co-create and distribute business content tailored for diverse audiences

    • Local peace-making and racial reconciliation efforts in South bend, IN in partnership with the Telos Group, whose mission is to form communities of American peacemakers across lines of difference, and equip them to help reconcile seemingly intractable conflicts at home and abroad

    • Working with mentally and physically-challenged children at a therapeutic horseback riding center to help them grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally (and working towards national certification as a therapeutic riding instructor) 

Recent Storytelling Work

Southwest Airlines

Leading with Heart: Living and Working the Southwest Way

Read a Southwest storytelling sample

USAA

Mission. Always. The Moments that Made Us USAA

Read a USAA storytelling sample

Tostan

Demba and Oureye: Unlikely Allies in the Movement to End FGC

Watch the story

Timbuktu Manuscripts Project

The Literary Refugees of Timbuktu: How a Group of Unlikely Allies Thwarted Al Qaeda and Organized One of the Most Brazen Cultural Heritage Evacuations Ever Attempted

Read the story

Deloitte

Beyond Productivity: The journey to the quantified organization

Outcomes over outputs: Why productivity is no longer the metric that matters most

Six leader/worker disconnects affecting workplace well-being

San Francisco Foundation

Fred Blackwell’s Equity Journey

Watch the story

View my resume

What others say

“Corrie was adept at striking a balance between the communication needs of a largely “Western” audience and her commitment to promoting the authentic voices of the rural communities we worked with. She consistently represented our work in a way that was both respectful and celebratory of the diversity within the organization.” 

— Alexander Davey, Chief Operating Officer

“Corrie is a professional writer and very good at her craft…always a welcome addition to C-suite deliberations.”

— Mark Benner, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications Director

“Quick-witted, efficient, versatile with her pen, and has an eagle eye for detail. But also someone I’d grab a drink with after a hard day’s work.”

— Julie Cook, Global Director, Talent Management

Clients I’ve worked with