Creative Mornings | Critical

Following the theme of CRITICAL, join us on August 26th for CreativeMornings Winnipeg’s event at THE CUBE stage (Our first ever outdoor event!). Please note, as this is outside, that chairs will not be provided, please bring one if desired and a pen and paper! We will move to New Media Manitoba (just down the street) if we encounter bad weather.

To be critical means to be like a sieve, dividing and separating. Our critical abilities allows us to discern the insubstantial from the made-to-last, the credible from the untrustworthy, the sincere from the ego-driven. We do so by gathering more information, seeking nuance, and locating something in its specific context.

This month’s speaker is Cate Friesen, behind The Story Source.

Meet Our Key Speaker: Cate Friesen

Hi, I’m Cate Friesen, the force behind The Story Source. Connection drives all the work I do. I coach and train people to discover and tell the stories that will move their own work forward through connection. I do my work primarily in groups. That makes facilitation—which is really all about connection—integral to my work.

When I launched The Story Source, I knew I wanted to work with people who were intent on growing their own capacity and increasing the impact of their. People like you, making a difference where you are.

I pulled together all the skills and experiences I could muster – as an entrepreneur, award-winning CBC producer, songwriter and storyteller, documentary maker, performer and leader. No, I didn’t have it all together, but the way unfolded with every new project, workshop, and opportunity to work with committed leaders, community movers and shakers, and entrepreneurs.

The people I work with hone their storytelling and listening skills so they can deepen their abilities to connect, communicate, and call others to action. Some use these skills to build teams, some to grow stronger communities. Others apply these skills on all kinds of stages (real and metaphorical!) to connect authentically and memorably with their audiences.

Through all the turns I’ve taken, I’ve kept learning. Most of that learning happens right on the job – nothing replaces the school of life – but I’ve taken courses in how adults learn, studied Public Narrative with Marshall Ganz through Harvard Kennedy School, continue to attend reconciliation workshops with Returning to Spirit, and recently completed a course called “Hosting Powerful Conversations: Intro to World Cafe & Open Space Tech” at Simon Fraser University.

Connection. Engagement. Story and capacity. That’s my jam.