About michelle loufman
You Could Say Stories are in my DNA
Stories have been with me since I was born.
My grandmother immigrated from Germany to the United States with my young mother and uncle in tow. They spent several weeks traveling on a boat crossing the Atlantic to meet my grandfather, who had arrived a year earlier to start a new life after the devastation of Hitler’s wake.
“Oma” would share stories like this as bedtime stories in her thick accent. Her descriptive memories enthralled me, and I tried to imagine what she went through.
I empathized with her near-smothering desire for me to wear warm layers on cold days and her strange habit of stockpiling canned food and Ivory soap. She had endured unspeakable hardship during WWII and came close to starving to death.
For me, stories are both a gift and a compulsion. I can’t resist observing, documenting, translating, and reflecting on the stories of others to share truth and empower humans
THE STORY OF HOW THIS STORYTELLING BUSINESS BEGAN.
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I like to say I’ve been creating written stories since age six when my mom bestowed me a Hallmark diary as a birthday gift
I remember standing in the driveway, holding its pink, lined pages, knowing I held something special. I look back at the scribbled handwriting of a child learning how to hold her pencil and form simple sentences, wondering if she’d know how much she’d love writing so many decades later.
As I grew up, I opened the pages to my second love: visual storytelling. Jaw open, I poured over the vibrant photography in those National Geographic issues. I absorbed the big, colorful world through those pages sitting in my tiny home in Ohio and bought my first camera at age 11.
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I wanted a career in journalism. I love news communications, especially the human interest segments. Instead, I chose a “safe” career in business, opting for a marketing degree because it sounded more fun than all the other business majors.
My career journeyed through various marketing communications and brand strategy roles. I spent 20 years working my way up in advertising, public relations, sales, marketing, branding, strategy and ultimately serving as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer.
Still, I always returned to my childhood passion: documenting what I observed and experienced.
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After nearly bleeding to death from a health crisis several years ago, I documented my journey to offload my painful emotions.
It was a complex, lengthy and scary journey and I was convinced my dream was dead. I could barely work and most days, getting out of bed, showering and making a small meal on a restrictive diet was the best I could do.
Through the power of sharing my own painful story, I understood the power story has to ignite change for others. My story inspired others to dive into their health journey and finally get the healing they needed.
You can read more about it here:
https://michelleloufman.com/blog/how-i-nearly-bled-to-death
My mission is to combine what I learned in marketing and in storytelling to integrate storytelling pragmatically into day-to-day communications.
I envision a world where businesses motivate change in others to make the world better than before.
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During the time I was enduring my chronic health recovery, I met with a business coach. She helped me understand that my zone of genius as a highly observant, empathic, and sensing person is to translate what I see, sense and feel into multimedia stories.
When I meet clients, I see them for who they truly are, affirm their significance, and reflect their unique characteristics creatively to better connect with their target audiences.
The result? You harness the power of your story and gain the confidence and clarity to make a bigger impact in the world.
