This can’t be done. How do you hold space for someone’s story when there’s a screen between you?

Rachel Holmes, Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement for The Food Group, an anti-hunger organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota, became certified in LPA coaching methods to support advocates with lived experience of food insecurity. She recently shared with us how storytelling-for-advocacy fits into her work with The Food Group.

“Legislators often don't understand the context: these women are our military partners. They were recruited, trained, deployed and put in harm's way under our operational direction.”

“I’ve found that one of the best ways to encourage people in making healthy choices is to understand the story they are telling themselves about their lives.”

“By shifting my focus from anger to persuasion, I began to see more people engaging with the issue. Conversations became more productive. Skeptics weren’t just pushed away or ignored; they were invited to understand.”

“I think that people who go through the program are just more thoughtful about their advocacy. I can see the change in the advocates week to week as they're getting and hearing the feedback.”

“Advocating for patients is one of our biggest roles–advocating to patients’ families, to their provider or physician, local and state government—and sometimes advocating with the hospital system itself.”

“Using the right story at the right time for the right purpose, rather than getting a patient story and checking a box.”