Episode
Karis Gill: Showing Up as You Through Business Storytelling
- Podcast
- Be Truly Heard
- Published
- May 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1673
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://betrulyheardpodcast.co.uk
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Summary
In this episode of Be Truly Heard, host Anne Leatherland is joined by Karis Gill, storytelling trainer and founder of a social enterprise gift hamper company - a venture that transformed her understanding of how stories win hearts, rooms and funding. Karis came to storytelling not through a course or a career choice but through seven figures worth of rejected funding applications. When she rebuilt her pitch deck using the principles of story, everything changed. Now she teaches others how to do the same. In this conversation, she and Anne explore why our brains are wired for story, what goes wrong in delivery and how the right story told in the right way can be the most powerful tool a business owner has. Key Takeaways The founder story is not about you - it is about your client seeing themselves in you. Most people avoid telling their founder story because it feels self-indulgent. But done well, it is not about showing off. It is about creating a connection, demonstrating your values and giving someone a reason to trust you. Avoiding it just leaves a gap where that trust could have been. Conversion stories only work if the listener can see themselves in them. It is not enough to share an impressive outcome. The audience needs to recognise the thoughts, feelings and fears of the person in the story as their own. Without that relatability, the listener thinks that is great for someone else - but not for me. Delivery is where most stories fall flat. The single most effective shift is to relive the story as if it is happening now. Not performing it, not reciting it - actually re-experiencing it. When the teller is genuinely inside the moment, the listener feels it too. When they are not, no amount of good content can close that gap. Confidence in storytelling is not fixed…