Dr. Michael Williams is a Canadian-born storyteller who spent three decades living in Scotland, where he honed his skills as an oral storyteller. We talk about our mutual love of storytelling as we trace Michael’s history as a contemporary bard in Europe and Canada.
Living in Scotland, he honed his skills as an oral storyteller and taught at the Edinburgh Rudolf Steiner School, while pursuing his Ph.D. studies—later teaching for the University of Edinburgh.
After teaching for several years, Michael discovered the Scottish Storytelling Centre, which led him to pursue a self-directed apprenticeship in the traditional art of oral storytelling. In 2005, Michael embraced his calling and became an itinerant storyteller, working with young people in residential and institutional care, schools, and drop-in centres. Now living in Canada, he also works with elders and hospice patients.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE INTERVIEW
- How Michael’s rich history led to his life as a storyteller.
- “Why would I be called to this [path], if there wasn’t a way to do it?
- What his storytelling coaching has looked like with professionals, grandparents, therapists, ministers, and business managers.
- Turning storytelling into “narrative consulting” in corporations.
- The story of helping a corporate leader share his vulnerability through story.
- “When you miss out on the vulnerability, you try to make yourself a superhuman rather than a human being.”
- The challenge for leaders of sharing vulnerability in an era of social media.
- How age may give us the gift of coming to grips with our vulnerability.
- “At almost 72, I feel more creative and excited about life than I ever did.”
- How storytelling can help with the social isolation many elders feel.
- Using storytelling with people dealing with grief or terminal illnesses.
- “It’s not about performing. It’s about knowing the questions that open up people’s hearts.”
- How stories give us access to meaning in difficult times.
- Allowing storytelling to let us sit in the mystery.
- How Michael worked with someone’s story at the end of life.
- Michael’s workshop “Storytelling as a Spiritual Practice and Service.”
Hear the interview:
More about our guest
Michael is a Canadian-born storyteller who spent three decades living in Scotland, where he honed his skills as an oral storyteller. During his Ph.D. studies, he taught English at the University of Edinburgh and at the Edinburgh Rudolf Steiner School, which encouraged its teachers to use storytelling in their lessons.
After teaching for several years, Michael discovered the Scottish Storytelling Centre, which led him to pursue a self-directed apprenticeship in the traditional art of oral storytelling. In 2005, Michael embraced his calling and became an itinerant storyteller, working with young people in residential and institutional care, schools, and drop-in centres.
He also worked with the General Teaching Council of Scotland, helping senior classroom teachers write stories about their professional practice as part of a rigorous academic process towards Chartered Teacher status.
Furthermore, he co-facilitated the Healing Words project in 2009, where he joined a group of international storytellers to travel to the Holy Land and use storytelling to encourage dialogue and mutual understanding among Israelis, Palestinians, and others. The experience showed Michael the power of storytelling to overcome animosity and bring people together.
After returning to Scotland, Michael established a coaching practice in Edinburgh, where he helped people from various walks of life use storytelling in their artistic and professional pursuits. He worked with individuals, corporate organizations, and community organizations, using storytelling to open up conversations around identity, community-building, and leadership.
In 2012, he co-facilitated the first Aberdeen Leadership Forum with CEOs and Managing Directors from the oil and gas sector. Michael’s work also extended to charities that supported people with chronic illnesses and mental health challenges.
In 2016, Michael’s chance meeting with Jane Duncan Rogers, founder of Before I Go Solutions, led him to train as a certified End-of-Life (EOL) Planning Facilitator. He now serves as Before I Go Solutions’ Senior Facilitator and Head Trainer. During the COVID pandemic, Michael returned to creative writing, where he has had several stories published, including “All Things Shall Pass,” which earned an award from the Hamilton Mountain Writers Guild.
Michael currently serves as the 2024 Writer/Storyteller-in-Residence at the Adelaide Hunter Hoodless Homestead, a national site and museum dedicated to the life of Adelaide Hoodless, a pioneer of women’s well-being and advancement in the early 20th century. He also facilitates story circles at a local hospice and a retirement and long-term care facility. Michael loves telling stories to his four grandchildren (soon to be six), playing the ukulele, and reading the poems of Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry.
For more information
Check out MichaelWilliamsstorytelling.com
