The Difference

Our approach is rooted in the Mission, Vision, and Values of our parent organization 2nd Story.

Over the past 20 years, we have developed a storytelling methodology that supports individual perspectives in the crafting of their own true, personal stories. Our approach recognizes that each individual person is the expert in their own life and experience, and that within each lived moment there are many factors at play. In our teaching and artistic practice, this approach has allowed us to navigate complex ideas and surface important issues through personal stories.

Time after time, after we share a story (especially the most difficult ones), we learn that the story has cracked something open for someone. They walk up to our storytellers and say, “Thank you so much for sharing that...” or “I had the same experience...” or “I’ve never told anyone this but…” and then their stories come flooding out. This has been true of our work for more than twenty years.  

We hear similar things after our workshops and trainings in the workplace. A group will come together for a 3-hour workshop, and by the end of it know things about each other that are new, even after years and years of working together—an authentic personal connection has been formed. Some of this is due to the simple power of sharing and listening to each other’s stories (an experience that is rarer and rarer in our modern world) and some of it is related to the specific way that 2nd Story creates spaces—our values, our pedagogy, our experience. 

Here are some of the elements that make our work different:

We tell true stories, lived by the person you are listening to.

It can be a real challenge to approach tough topics (like racism, or sexism, or power dynamics in the workplace), and our experience has taught us that true-life stories hold complexity better than anything else. In addition to the fact that it’s hard to look someone in the eye after they’ve told you a story and say “No, that didn’t happen,” the craft that is employed in a 2nd Story story helps an individual see all the different forces at work in a moment.  

We re-infuse the personal into the professional.

In the modern world, people want to be able to bring their full selves to work. But somewhere along the way, as a society we decided that the personal and the professional exist on two ends of a spectrum, that they cannot co-exist. CultureBuilds operates from the belief that, if we want to live in a just world, the two not only can but must co-exist. Our work supports individuals in being their authentic, full selves.

We create a customized, live experience for you.

Let’s be frank. Few people’s lives have been revolutionized by a 3-hour power point presentation. And every group is different and has different needs. CultureBuilds will work with you to identify what your unique culture and needs are, and then will customize your experience to meet your goals. While we may use a couple of slides, the majority of our work is interactive and hands on, frequently working in pairs or small groups.