Maureen Leier: Digital Stories as a Catalyst for Healing & Community
In an age where digital technology continues to revolutionize the way we live, work, and communicate, one of the most profound applications of this evolution is in the field of healthcare. Digital storytelling, a practice that blends the ancient art of narrative with modern digital tools, is emerging as a powerful mechanism for healing, connection, and community-building. This practice, as highlighted in our latest podcast episode with Maureen Leier, offers a unique lens through which we can understand and navigate the complex human experiences that accompany health and wellness journeys.
Maureen, a nurse with a rich background in healthcare, has turned her attention to the potent role digital storytelling can play in the medical field. Her work emphasizes not just the importance of the stories themselves, but the transformative process of crafting and sharing these narratives. The episode delves into the nuanced differences between one-on-one storytelling sessions and the vibrant dynamic of group workshops, demonstrating how the collective process of story creation can knit together the fabric of community bonds and trigger profound, intimate dialogue within families.
The conversation takes a particularly heartfelt turn when discussing the role of digital storytelling in the context of medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada. Maureen reflects on the founding of MAID Family Support Society an aid for families navigating the emotional turmoil of a loved one’s end-of-life decisions. This segment of the episode brings to light the essential need for spaces where such sensitive stories can be shared—spaces that are safe, trauma-informed, and respectful of both the teller and the audience.
Further, the episode touches upon the importance of witnessing in storytelling—a practice deeply rooted in First Nations culture and exemplified by the Witness Blanket installation. Witnessing, as Maureen and Kristy explore, is not a passive act; it’s an active process of seeing, hearing, and validating experiences. It allows for the peeling back of layers to reveal the core of a person’s story, often leading to unexpected narratives that resonate on a universal level.
Throughout the episode, there is a recurring acknowledgment of the continuous learning that storytellers and facilitators undergo. The discussion highlights how personal growth is intertwined with the stories being told, and how every narrative shared contributes to the collective understanding and empathy within communities. This episode not only shines a light on the art of digital storytelling in healthcare but also offers insights into how this practice can serve as a catalyst for personal and communal healing.
As digital technology becomes ever more integrated into our lives, the role of digital storytelling in healthcare is one that merits attention and respect. It’s a practice that honors the diversity of human experiences and provides a platform for the kinds of stories that might otherwise remain untold. By weaving together lives through digital healthcare stories, we can begin to understand the full tapestry of what it means to heal and to be healed.
About Our Guest
Maureen Leier is a digital storytelling facilitator and a Registered Nurse with over 30 years of experience, including providing care and support to children with medically complex conditions and their families, working as a consultant for the Ministry of Health, and working in Telehealth. As a storyteller and a digital storytelling facilitator, she has experienced firsthand how transformative digital storytelling can be. Maureen is passionate about the digital storytelling process and is committed to deep listening, asking curious questions, offering individualized support and guidance, and helping to co-create a safe space for stories to unfold. When we are given the opportunity, support, and space to make sense of our own stories, we connect to universal truths about ourselves, our world, and each other. We find our common ground.
Email Maureen maureen.leier@gmail.com
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.
