The Protagonist & The Narrator w/ Jonathan Adler

The Storied Future

Dec 7 2023 • 56 mins

Today’s guest, Jonathan Adler, is an internationally recognized scholar in the study of personal narrative and its relationship with well-being. Jonathan is a professor of psychology at Olin College of Engineering, a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and a theater director and playwright. His work brings together the rigor of science with the wonder and mystery of art, to show how writing a narrative and then living into that narrative can shift the future for the better.

Jonathan and Chris discuss:

  • What the science tells us about how storytelling and narratives work
  • Why humans tell stories, and the role these stories can play in transforming leaders and organizations
  • Why redemptive narratives, such as the American narrative about beating cancer, can be transformative—but why these same narratives can also do harm
  • How leaders can use storytelling to navigate narrative conflicts and create alignment around a shared vision of the future

And much more!