Go Deeper With Life Stories
“As a Guided Autobiography Facilitator and life story coach, I know that writing your life story has many benefits and yet when I was faced with writing my own life story, I experienced some of the same fears and hesitation as everyone who embarks on this task.”
Dr. Flora Brown, a seasoned Guided Autobiography Facilitator and life story coach, knows firsthand the transformative power of sharing our stories. Through the collaborative process of co-creating a digital story with CLDST facilitator Lisa Joworski, Flora discovered three profound benefits that extended far beyond simply adapting her story to a new format.
Strengthened Gratitude: The process deepened Flora's appreciation for her mother's unwavering belief and support throughout her academic and personal journey. Creating the digital story allowed her to honour this relationship in a more visceral, lasting way.
Legacy Preservation: By capturing her voice and story in digital format, Flora ensured that future generations would have access to her wisdom and experiences in multiple formats, creating a richer inheritance than written words alone.
Renewed Purpose: Perhaps most surprisingly, seeing her story come to life digitally boosted Flora's self-esteem and renewed her sense of purpose, helping her recognize how stories have continuously shaped and enriched her own life.
Flora's experience demonstrates how the collaborative nature of digital storytelling can unlock insights that might remain hidden in solitary writing. The co-creation process with Lisa didn't just translate her story to a new medium—it revealed new layers of meaning and connection.
Lisa Joworski is a therapeutic recreation and life story specialist and podcast host. Visit AWE Struck! Aspiration to learn more about how Lisa supports individuals living with dementia.
Learn more about similar storytelling journeys on Lisa's podcast, Capturing Essence for Care. Each episode delivers actionable insights for busy care teams seeking to honour the whole person behind every patient chart.
Tune in to hear from personal historians, digital storytellers, healthcare practitioners and seniors themselves.
