The Power of Vulnerability: Turning Fears, Flaws, & Failures into Stories

The stories that truly resonate aren’t about perfection—they’re about humanity. They’re the tales of our fears, flaws, feelings, and failures, shared with raw honesty and courage. Vulnerability is the secret ingredient that transforms a good story into a powerful connection with your audience.

Great stories don’t just entertain—they connect, inspire, and leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or taking your first steps onto the storytelling stage, this immersive one-day workshop is designed to help you craft and deliver powerful narratives that captivate any audience.

In this one-day immersive workshop, we’ll dive into the heart of what makes storytelling impactful: the courage to be real. Through hands-on exercises, live feedback, and storytelling techniques, you’ll learn how to harness the messy, beautiful parts of your life to create stories that inspire, entertain, and deeply connect with your audience.

What You’ll Learn:

• Owning Your Vulnerability: Explore your fears, flaws, feelings, and failures and discover how to turn them into captivating storytelling gold.
• Crafting Stories with Emotional Impact: Learn to structure narratives that bring your audience into your world, using vulnerability as your most powerful tool.
• Creating Authentic Connections: Discover techniques to build trust with your audience through honesty, relatability, and humor.
• Balancing Heavy and Light: Find the perfect balance of emotional depth and lightness to keep your audience engaged and inspired.
• Delivering with Heart: Refine your stage presence to tell your stories with confidence, authenticity, and emotional resonance.

What to Expect:

• Guided exercises to uncover and shape your personal stories.
• Tools to embrace and share vulnerability in a way that feels empowering.
• Real-time feedback on your storytelling delivery and structure.
• A safe, supportive space to explore the power of raw, honest storytelling.

Bring your fears. Bring your flaws. Bring the moments you thought you’d share. Together, we’ll transform them into stories that not only move your audience but remind them—and you—that none of us are ever truly alone.

Dates: 3/15/25 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Location: Market Theatre 1428 Post Alley Seattle 98101

Maximum Students: 14

Cost: $130

Prerequisite: Must have completed intro to storytelling or with teacher approval.

Ages: 18+

Teacher Bio:

Kent is a masterful storyteller and teacher. He is the founder of the storytelling program at Unexpected Productions Improv School, Seattle, WA, where he serves as a narrative coach for the ensemble and teacher of intro and advanced storytelling classes; he has inspired countless students to find their unique voices and craft compelling stories. He is also the story coach for Ignite Seattle. Kent's achievements include winning the first Moth StorySLAM he attended, being the Moth GrandSLAM winner in March 2023, and being named Best of Bawdy Storyteller for 2019 by an audience vote and a featured teller three times on the Risk podcast. In March of 2022, he was featured on the PBS show, Stories from the Stage, which illustrates the power of real stories told by masterful storytellers and is produced by WORLD Channel in collaboration with GBH. Kent is an accomplished educator and consultant with extensive experience teaching the art of storytelling to diverse audiences, including medical school students, corporate teams, and communication professionals. With a proven track record of success, he has worked with reputable organizations such as the University of Washington Medical School, Yelp, Microsoft, and WE Communications, earning accolades for his innovative teaching methods and insightful guidance. Whether delivering workshops or one-on-one coaching, Kent is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses harness the power of storytelling to achieve their goals. As the Seattle Producer for the Story Collider, he produces four shows annually, and he has taught workshops for the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the University of Idaho - Boise.

Kent is a thought leader in the art of storytelling and has appeared on various podcasts Pre-Accident Investigations Podcast and KUOW.

He holds a B.A. in Arts Administration from the College of Santa Fe. He has mentored with Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones; studied with Larry Rosen, The Moth; Kevin Allison, Risk! Podcast; Margot Leitman, author of Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You Will Ever Need; Matthews Dicks, author of Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling; and Joan Logghe – Poet Laureate of New Mexico.

He is an active member of the storytelling community in the PNW and has performed at events such as The Moth, Story Collider, Fresh Ground Stories, the Intersections Festival, Bawdy Storytelling, Bad Date Storytelling, and Over the Rainbow Storytelling.

https://www.facebook.com/Kentstoryteller/

"Such a great telling of the story and the audience reaction was amazing."Kevin Allison, Risk! Podcast,

“Kent Whipple is a treasure.” Paul Currington, Producer, Fresh Ground Stories

**Cancellation policy: We are unable to offer refunds.

Host or Publisher The Improv School Unexpected Productions