Why Every Leader Needs to Master Storytelling with Karen Eber
Oct 02, 2025
Listen on:
In this Dominate Your Day podcast episode, Karen Eber—author, keynote and TED Speaker, and international consultant—discusses how storytelling can transform leadership. Karen shares that impactful communication starts with the audience: understanding what they need to know, how you want them to feel, and what action you want them to take. Too often, leaders default to slides and corporate jargon. Karen challenges this by helping them lead with clarity and connection, making communication more intentional and authentic.
She also walks through a practical process for finding and shaping stories. Karen encourages leaders to build a story toolkit using prompts—from life pivots to frustrating moments—to uncover meaningful experiences. Whether you’re introverted or extroverted, the key is getting the story down, testing it, and then refining your delivery with pacing, inflection, and emotion. Her message: personal doesn’t have to mean private, just real and relatable.
We also talk about the role of AI in storytelling. While tools like ChatGPT can help generate ideas, Karen emphasizes that lasting impact comes from stories that genuinely excite you to share. That emotional connection is irreplaceable. As Karen says, storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to lead, connect, and inspire. Her book, The Perfect Story, is a great guide for anyone looking to do just that.
Episode Minutes:
- Minute 15:00 — Crafting the Perfect Story
- Minute 18:00 — Integrating Storytelling in Leadership
- Minute 22:00 — Overcoming Storytelling Challenges
Links + Resources from This Episode:
- Visit www.kareneber.com
- Get your copy of Karen’s book, The Perfect Story: How to Tell Stories that Inform, Influence, and Inspire
- Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
- Get your copy of Dana’s new book, The Internal Revolution: Lead Authentically and Build Your Personal Brand from Within
- Learn more about The Strengths Journal
About Karen Eber
Karen Eber is a captivating force in the world of storytelling and leadership. She is an award-winning, best-selling author, international consultant, TED and keynote speaker that has educated and inspired over three million people globally. As the CEO and Chief Storyteller of Eber Leadership Group, Karen helps companies build leaders, teams, and culture, one story at a time.
Karen’s book, The Perfect Story: How to Tell Stories that Inform, Influence, and Inspire (HarperCollins) is an Axiom Business Book Award Medal Winner, an International Book Awards Winner, a two-time Goody Business Book Award Winner, a Next Big Ideas Club “Must- Read,” and a best seller. Her TED Talk: How your brain responds to stories – and why they’re crucial for leaders, continues to inspire millions. She has been widely featured in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Quartz, Thrive Global, MSN, The NY Post, Inc., Business Insider and on hundreds of podcasts.
Karen works with Fortune 500 Companies such as General Electric, Microsoft, ADP, Carrier, Guardian Life, Kraft Heinz, Kate Spade, and Big Four Consulting Firms. She previously held roles as a Head of Culture, Chief Learning Officer, and a Head of Leadership Development at General Electric and Deloitte.
Karen is a four-time American Training and Development winner, holds a Master’s in Instructional Design, a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and resides in Atlanta, GA.
Did you enjoy this episode of Dominate Your Day?
Please rate, review, and follow the podcast on:
Sign up for the Weekly Leader's Digest
Each week we'll send you easy action items you can incorporate into your daily work routine to help you become a better leader.
By signing up, you are joining the Dana Williams Co. email list. We never sell our data. You can unsubscribe at any time.
