S7E98 - Trauma-Informed Storytelling, Nonprofit Fundraising & How Stories Can Harm (and Heal)

What if the way you tell stories is quietly harming the very people you want to help?

In this episode, Junaid Ahmed sits down with Maria Bryan, a trauma-informed storytelling trainer and host of the When Bearing Witness podcast. Maria has trained thousands of nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and storytellers to share stories that inspire change without exploitation, re-traumatization, or stripping people of their dignity.

Together they unpack how traditional nonprofit and marketing storytelling—especially “success stories” and testimonials—can unintentionally cause deep harm, and what it really looks like to tell stories rooted in safety, consent, and...