Framing the Narrative: Evolution of a Storyteller
Digital storytelling has emerged as a powerful medium for personal expression and community building, as demonstrated by Heather Alicia Knox's remarkable journey. After dedicating 30 years to nonprofit work, including co-founding Project Somos Children's Learning Village in Guatemala, Heather has transformed her passion for helping others into a multifaceted storytelling practice in Ajijic, Mexico. Her evolution as a facilitator offers valuable insights into how digital storytelling can create meaningful connections across different communities and contexts.
Check out Heather Alicia’s new website here
Heather's transition from nonprofit leadership to becoming a Guided Autobiography instructor represents a natural progression of her commitment to empowering individuals through their own narratives. Working alongside her husband Greg, she guides participants through writing exercises that encourage reflection on significant life moments. What makes this approach particularly innovative is how Heather bridges written autobiography with digital storytelling, helping participants transform their written reflections into compelling short films. This "from page to screen" methodology, developed in collaboration with Mike Lang, demonstrates how different storytelling modalities can complement and enhance each other.
The impact of Heather's work extends beyond individual storytellers to address pressing social issues, particularly in her collaboration with "To Whom I May Concern." This remarkable project creates reader's theater productions from the stories of individuals experiencing cognitive changes and, separately, from the perspectives of their care partners. By serving as both scribe and facilitator, Heather helps translate deeply personal experiences into performances that educate audiences about the realities of cognitive decline. These productions illustrate how digital storytelling techniques can be adapted to different formats while maintaining their core purpose: giving voice to experiences that might otherwise remain unheard.
Community-building forms another essential dimension of Heather's storytelling practice. From organizing photography exhibits featuring local children's visual stories to planning a human interest film festival showcasing digital stories, she consistently creates spaces for stories to be shared and celebrated. These initiatives parallel similar community screenings organized by other facilitators, highlighting how digital storytelling naturally gravitates toward communal experiences. The emphasis on community extends to Heather's role within Common Language DST, where she helps welcome new facilitators and strengthen the connections between practitioners.
Perhaps most fascinating is Heather's evolving focus on legacy stories, tributes, and end-of-life narratives—work that resonates deeply with the aging expatriate community in Ajijic. Through these projects, she addresses universal human needs: to be remembered, to make meaning of one's life, and to leave something behind for future generations. Her story about an 89-year-old man whose digital story helped his son truly understand a familiar family narrative for the first time poignantly illustrates the transformative potential of this medium. Similarly, her work helping individuals document their end-of-life planning for pets demonstrates how digital storytelling can address practical concerns while honoring emotional connections.
Episode 44 Key Messages
2:11 Heather's Transition to Mexico
3:10 Guided Autobiography and New Projects
7:15 Working with Cognitive Change Stories
12:25 Film Festival and Community Building
16:03 The Surprising Depth of Storytelling
19:33 Types of Stories and Working Virtually
22:55 Future Plans like a Writing Retreat in Sayulita learn more here
As digital storytelling continues to evolve, practitioners like Heather Alicia Knox exemplify how the methodology can be adapted to diverse contexts while remaining true to its core values of authenticity, empowerment, and connection. Her journey from nonprofit leadership to storytelling facilitation demonstrates that these skills transfer readily across different domains of social impact. For anyone interested in exploring digital storytelling, Heather's path offers inspiration and practical insights into how combining different narrative approaches—writing, photography, and digital media—can create powerful vehicles for personal and community transformation.
About Our Guest
Heather Alicia Knox has over thirty years experience working in the non-profit sector. Her work has included international, arts and educational organizations. Throughout her career as a non-profit leader, Heather discovered the transformative power of storytelling for fundraising and donor communication. This insight inspired her evolution into a storytelling photographer, capturing narratives that connect and inspire. She became a digital storytelling facilitator with Common Language Digital Storytelling in 2022 and is certified through the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies as a Guided Autobiography Instructor. Together with her husband, Greg Kemp, who is also an instructor, they offer Guided Autobiography classes both locally and online. Since arriving in Mexico, Heather has continued her passion for community engagement, volunteering as a photography instructor for local Mexican youth. She has recently expanded her work to include "To Whom I May Concern," where she shares the powerful stories of individuals living with cognitive changes and their care-partners through a collaborative dialogue. Additionally, Heather has taken on the role of executive assistant for Common Language, further deepening her commitment to the art and impact of storytelling.
Connect with her
aliciaknox.com
Listen to Heather’s original podcast episode here
About Co-Created
Co-Created is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of digital storytelling. On each episode, host Kristy Wolfe dives into conversations with the storytellers and facilitators who bring digital stories to life.
If this particular conversation resonated with you, tell a friend or a colleague about Co-Created or share one of the digital stories we were talking about. You can find the stories here.
Co-Created is presented by Common Language DST, digital storytelling facilitation training for health and wellness changemakers and is supported by the team at Snack Labs.
