What if every system you engage with is just a story someone told - and it's up to you to decide if you want to build a new one?

Join me as I sit down with Genevieve Anderson, a filmmaker and social entrepreneur whose work lives at the intersection of creativity and social impact.

Genevieve has spent her career asking deeper questions about how we tell stories, who gets left out of the systems we build, and what it means to keep creating and caring over the long haul.

Our conversation explores storytelling as an act of creation, how creativity shows up in unexpected forms, and what it takes to stay human and hopeful without burning yourself out.

You'll Learn:

⭐ Why storytelling is literally creation - not just something you do for children

⭐ How to synchronize head and heart in your work

⭐ The power of narrative change in shifting systems

⭐ What it means to build something that can grow beyond you

⭐ Why slowing down in January isn't weakness - it's wisdom

Key Insights:

Stories Create Systems: Every system we engage with - marriage, money, social services - is a story somebody told. If we only look at what's already there, we're not engaged in storytelling.

Head and Heart Synchronization: Working only from your head in "go, go, go" mode means you're not meeting the moment in your fullness. Real impact requires both.

From Actor to Activist: Genevieve's journey from theater arts to directing plays with people experiencing mental illness shows how creativity can be a tool for social change.

Social Enterprise as Solution: Private sector partnerships with social enterprises create win-win scenarios - corporations need impact, and social enterprises need scale.

Legacy as Kernel: Building a legacy means creating something that can continue to operate and grow without you—a kernel that feeds humanity in ways you might not even imagine.

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] - Introduction: Conversations that invite you to slow down

[00:01:00] - Welcoming in the new year with ease and grace

[00:03:00] - The shift from "go, go, go" to synchronizing head and heart

[00:05:00] - How Kristin and Genevieve met through LEAP Academy

[00:07:00] - Early career: From acting and theater to social impact

[00:08:00] - Working with people experiencing mental illness in LA

[00:47:00] - Why private sector needs social enterprise

[00:48:00] - Harnessing the power of storytelling for narrative change

[00:50:00] - Storytelling as creation—bringing new realities into being

[00:52:00] - Building a legacy: Creating systems that can grow beyond you

Resources and Links:

Find host Kristin Belden on LinkedIn or at Beldenstrategies.com

Sign up for Kristin's newsletter at Beldenstrategies.com/newsletter

Connect with Genevieve Anderson on LinkedIn

Find Genevieve's work at Genevieveanderson.com

Check out Wunz and MakeitworkLA

LEAP Academy (coaching program mentioned in episode)

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! And if you're interested in more stories and tools for women leaders, sign up for my newsletter at Beldenstrategies.com/newsletter.