My latest blog entries
My background
I’ve been facilitating corporate training sessions for over twenty years. I facilitate classes to both hourly and salaried audiences, from small team meetings to programs for several hundred participants.
My background is in the tourism, hospitality, and entertainment business. I’ve worked in areas as diverse as hotel operations, housekeeping, food & beverage, merchandise, and ride attraction operations. My leadership experience is in both leading a diverse base of employees as well as behind-the-scenes training management. As a training leader, I both create and facilitate a variety of classes and workshops.
My leadership style is based in servant leadership. I believe that taking care of the needs of employees will inspire them to go above in beyond in taking care of the needs of guests and customers. It is important to spend time with employees, do their work alongside them, and create meaningful relationships along the way.
My teaching and facilitating style is the same. I believe in modeling service skills in the adult classroom. We should respect participants and students, caring for their needs and helping them along their journey. Treat those in our classrooms as we should be treating our guests and customers.
I earned two undergraduate degrees from Appalachian State University in Marketing and Computer Science. I am currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Adult Education & Training from Colorado State University.
My specialties
My areas of focus include:
- Facilitation and presentation skills
- Establishing a corporate culture through storytelling
- Using stories to motivate and inspire employees
- Teaching exceptional guest service skills and modeling those skills in the workplace and the adult classroom
- Facilitating sessions around leadership and motivating employees to perform at a higher level
- Helping people to create their own engaging stories
- Sharing tools to become an effective storyteller
One of the most powerful tools in my tool belt is the art of storytelling. I believe in building a corporate culture around stories and that stories can build engagement with leaders, employees, co-workers, guests, and customers.
I love telling stories, but I also love collecting stories and studying great storytellers. Picture This! is my blog that attempts to share all of these ideas from my perspective.