Anne V Mühlethaler
2-hour on-demand masterclass

Story is the Strategy

You’ll never think about story the same way again. Make yourself more communicable through story.

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Anne V Mühlethaler’s Geneva office
Anne V Mühlethaler

For years the role did the talking for you. And now you trip on your words as if you were speaking a brand new language to talk about yourself.

Or maybe it isn’t yourself you’re trying to explain. It’s an idea, a business, a project.

You know what you’re trying to say. And still, often, language seems to fail you.

You reach for words like impact, purpose, innovation, community, transformation. They feel right but you know they don’t persuade people to join you, trust you, or buy from you. Those words don’t help people see what you see.

I think of these words a little like hollow shells. The job isn’t to erase them. It’s to fill them with meaning.

And story is the most powerful way we do that. (Big claim, I know. Give me two hours and I’ll show you.)

Because story gives another person something to see. Something to remember. It stands as proof in ways you have never considered.

That’s what Story is the Strategy is about.

In just two hours,
we’ll explore…

  • 01Why story lights us up in measurable ways, how that creates memorability, and how story can make what you want to communicate more resonant, grounded and unique.
  • 02Five unexpected lenses that will change how you think about story, identity, and the way people come to understand one another.
  • 03How resonant communication is crafted, and what becomes possible when your words are steeped in experience and meaning.

Along the way, we’ll borrow ideas from mindfulness, neuroscience, writing, and even dog training to explore why story is one of the oldest and most powerful ways humans create meaning together.

Hey friend,

I’m glad you found your way here.

If you are curious about story, and serious about being understood, I think you’re going to enjoy my masterclass.

Story is the Strategy isn’t a class about becoming a better storyteller. It’s an invitation to think differently about story itself, about its role in our communication, who it serves and how to harness its power.

Most of us think of stories as the thing you talk about with friends over dinner. I disagree. Story belongs in all parts of our human communication. From your website bio to your pitch to your LinkedIn, and yes, it deserves to also be shared over a plate of something delicious.

Story influences, convinces, it’s how human beings create meaning, remember what matters and understand one another.

Over the course of two hours, I’ll introduce you to five different ways of thinking about story. Some will feel familiar. Others may surprise you. Together, they’ll give you new lenses through which to consider how to use story, how it shapes meaning and identity, and how stories themselves may also be the obstacles in the way of your own communication.

What becomes possible

  • You’ll stop thinking of story as an anecdote and start seeing it as one of the most powerful ways humans create and transmit meaning.
  • You’ll leave with a fresh take for talking about yourself, whether you’re introducing yourself at a dinner party, writing a LinkedIn post, giving a presentation, or having an important client conversation.
  • You’ll begin to recognise the stories already woven through your work and your life, and understand why they’re often far more powerful than a list of achievements or credentials.
  • You’ll understand why some stories stay with us long after the facts have faded, and how that insight can transform the way you communicate.
  • You’ll understand how story fills the words you use with meaning, so other people can see what you see.
Sign me up →

“Story is the Strategy contradicts the adage ‘you get what you pay for’. Anne delivers value in every moment of this masterclass.”

Cindy R. · Masterclass participant

“I found the session insightful, practical, and genuinely memorable. Anne offered clear frameworks for turning lived experience into stories that create connection, demonstrate values, and remain with an audience. I especially appreciated the blend of strategic guidance, neuroscience, and thoughtful reflection.”

Suzanne H. · Masterclass participant

Asked what could be improved:

“Nothing! I trust that Anne will progress into new areas to explore, but presently she’s exceptional in sharing her decades of knowledge re: story as a strategy.”

Serafina R. · Masterclass participant

Featured & trusted

WWD Soho House Berlin The Marketing Meetup The Career Women’s Forum

From the live session chat

Such a great session, thank you. I am taking away that we all have it in us, the piece about bucket words is something I’m going to take away immediately and yes, you landed the plane beautifully, thank you! Thanks so much Anne. I am now thinking of story in an entirely new way! And I’m excited to explore. I truly enjoyed listening to your perspectives and you shared a lot to think about. I truly appreciate your guidance through this presentation! Yes! You’ve landed the plane!! Fantastic presentation!
Anne V Mühlethaler
Your host

I’m Anne V Mühlethaler.

Former singer · 17 years at Christian Louboutin (GM, UK · later SVP, Global Communications) · MMTCP-certified mindfulness teacher · Certified WLTC coach · Founder of Le Trente

I used to think that I was bad at telling stories. Yet I’ve spent years spinning stories for that fantastical French designer, that one with the red soles. For years, at first I had to defend my choice, working for an unknown brand in a little boutique, in a hidden corner of Knightsbridge. People asked “what do you do?” And I’d say “I’m a singer and I sell shoes” and they’d cock their head to the side and go “aww” and generally went and talked to someone else.

But then things got good. Sex and the City good. Suddenly I didn’t need to explain my choices. I had no need for story myself, because I was “Anne from Louboutin.” (Which in many circles said it all.)

And then I left. And it was like starting all over again. But I became fascinated with storytelling. Probably because I used to think I was bad at it, I barely saw the contradiction with my CV.

Over time, through a strange blend of strategy, mindfulness, storytelling, memoir writing, a lot of coaching and working with dozens of people navigating reinvention, I came to know this:

People rarely connect through information alone. They connect through meaning. And meaning lives inside stories.

I still find it a challenge, probably because my mind loves philosophy and the conceptual. Story doesn’t come naturally to everyone.

But once you see the vast array of stories that live inside of you, like heart-shaped, bopping and bouncing proof points helping people understand who you are, you can’t unsee them. I imagine them at this moment as living, heart-thumping little blobs that ask for one thing only: to be noticed, to be used, to be molded, and to be told.

Which is why I ended up developing my own methodology. And why today I’m sharing Story Is the Strategy with you.

How it works

1

Choose your way in

Click below to register and get the masterclass recording, PDF workbook immediately.

2

Carve out the time

Two hours is a time investment. Book time in your diary ASAP.

3

Dig in

Press play. When you’re done, reach for the worksheet, to apply those five lenses to your storytelling and communication.

Who will you be on the other side of Story?

Imagine: what will you already be saying differently, two hours from now?

Cut through abstraction, see yourself more clearly, and find the words you’ve been reaching for.

A few thoughts from previous live sessions

Can we create that effect on ourselves? Like when we find our own story appealing?
I am reminded to ENTER the story I’m telling.
This has been so interesting with my change lens on!
Using words like ‘alignment’ and ‘transformation’ doesn’t necessarily bring someone into my story, as the meaning behind these words can be different for the receiver.
Holy 🤯 your comparison with recall now makes so much sense with where I struggle.
You’ve touched upon such a raw nerve for me. My constant struggle in telling my story is always: which version of myself do I talk about?
I learned that a writer doesn’t just deliver a story (facts), she delivers herself dressed in a story.
FYI: I teach public speaking! This was extremely helpful!

Frequently asked questions

Tap a question to open it

Is this only for people who use story professionally?

No.

You might be thinking about how you communicate your work, business, ideas or mission. You might be preparing for a presentation, interview or important conversation. Or you may simply be curious about why some things stay with us while others disappear.

If you communicate with other humans, there will be something here for you.

Will there be another live edition?

No, this is the last live masterclass. If you can’t join, the option remains to purchase the recording along with the workbook and worksheet.

Why does the paid recording expire after 60 days?

Because access and doing are two different things.

I’ve paid for plenty of workshops myself and learned that having something available forever doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll ever make the time for it.

Sixty days gives you plenty of room to put the masterclass in the diary, watch it, come back to it and do the work. And if two months have gone by and the moment still hasn’t come, we let it go rather than leaving it sitting on a server forever.

The workbook is yours to keep in any case.

What’s in the workbook?

The workbook holds the frames, not the stories.

It’s designed to sit alongside the masterclass and help you remember the different ways we explore story, with space to reflect on how you might apply them to your own communication.

The recording is available for sixty days. The workbook is yours to keep.

Is this about telling my personal story?

Not necessarily.

The stories we explore can help you communicate a business, an idea, a project, something you care about, or yourself.

We will inevitably touch on personal story, because our experiences shape what we notice and how we communicate. But Story is the Strategy isn’t a masterclass in finding one perfect story about who you are.

It’s about understanding what story makes possible, and learning to recognise where it can help what you’re trying to say connect.

Is this a storytelling workshop?

Not in the traditional sense.

I’m not going to teach you a formula for constructing the perfect story.

We’ll look at story through five different frames, drawing on mindfulness, neuroscience, communication and memoir writing, so you can understand more deeply what story does and begin noticing where it belongs in your own communication.

English isn’t my first language. Is this for me?

Yes. You don’t need perfect English to tell a story that connects.

One of the things we’ll explore is how easily all of us, native speakers included, reach for abstract words that make perfect sense to us but give the person listening very little to see or hold onto.

If you can follow the masterclass in English, you can take the ideas and apply them in whatever language you communicate in.

The replay also comes with timed captions, which can be helpful if English isn’t your first language, or if you’re deaf or hard of hearing. The live session also has automatic captions, with translation available in a range of languages.

Do I need to prepare anything?

No. Bring something to write with if you like taking notes. That is all.

If there’s something you want other people to see, understand or care about, come and explore what story can do.

Start today →
Anne V Mühlethaler — Story is the Strategy