Narrative Strategy
Economic change does not scale on evidence alone. It scales when people share a common language, a shared frame, and a compelling story about what is possible.
My narrative strategy work focuses on strengthening the ecosystem advancing economic mobility, particularly through employee ownership and job quality. I do this by aligning messaging, amplifying primary sources, and building shared narrative infrastructure across institutions and regions.
This work sits at the intersection of strategy and storytelling. It is about shaping how ideas travel, how we share ownership of the stories that make us, and how movements gain momentum.
Narrative as infrastructure
Narrative is not an accessory to policy or program design. It is infrastructure. The language we use, the stories we elevate, and the frames we reinforce determine whether promising models remain niche or become normalized.
This work includes:
Designing narrative frameworks that connect ownership, job quality, and economic development
Advising local, state, and national partners on messaging and ecosystem positioning
Integrating narrative strategy into implementation efforts so outreach, policy, and field-building reinforce one another
Featured Work: The Ownership Economy Field Brief
The Ownership Economy Field Brief was developed to articulate a coherent frame for advancing employee ownership as part of a broader ownership economy narrative. It connects ownership transitions, job quality, capital access, and regional economic strategy into a shared language that practitioners, funders, and policymakers can act on.
The brief is designed to support alignment across institutions while strengthening public understanding of ownership as an economic development strategy.
Public Engagement & Media
Narrative strategy also shows up in public-facing work that bridges data, lived experience, and institutional practice.
Recent examples include:
Collaborating with Results for America to launch the inaugural season of Data@Work, focused on the workforce and economic impact of employee ownership
Podcast and conference conversations at national and regional convenings, including with workforce and economic development audiences
Webinars and strategic dialogues that center the lived experiences of business owners and workers navigating ownership transitions
These platforms extend the conversation beyond industry insiders and into broader systems discourse.
Field Building initiatives
In addition to advising and collaboration, this work includes developing shared narrative infrastructure for the field.
Current focus areas include:
Advancing a coordinated regional narrative strategy across Southeast employee ownership partners
Developing a Storytelling Commons concept to collect and amplify credible, place-based ownership stories
Expanding narrative partnerships with aligned networks, including faith-based and community-rooted institutions
Designing narrative-centered webinars and convenings that elevate business owners and workers as primary voices
Exploring shared messaging tools and assets that strengthen alignment across state centers and intermediaries
These initiatives are focused on coherence, credibility, and long-term field growth.
Reach out if your work or passions intersect with building narrative for the ownership economy.