Karis Gill: Showing Up as You Through Business Storytelling
In this episode of Be Truly Heard, host Anne Leatherland is joined by Karis Gill, storytelling trainer and founder of a social enterprise gift hamper company - a venture that transformed her understanding of how stories win hearts, rooms and funding.
Karis came to storytelling not through a course or a career choice but through seven figures worth of rejected funding applications. When she rebuilt her pitch deck using the principles of story, everything changed. Now she teaches others how to do the same. In this conversation, she and Anne explore why our brains are wired for story, what goes wrong in delivery and how the right story told in the right way can be the most powerful tool a business owner has.
Key Takeaways
The founder story is not about you - it is about your client seeing themselves in you.
Most people avoid telling their founder story because it feels self-indulgent. But done well, it is not about showing off. It is about creating a connection, demonstrating your values and giving someone a reason to trust you. Avoiding it just leaves a gap where that trust could have been.
Conversion stories only work if the listener can see themselves in them.
It is not enough to share an impressive outcome. The audience needs to recognise the thoughts, feelings and fears of the person in the story as their own. Without that relatability, the listener thinks that is great for someone else - but not for me.
Delivery is where most stories fall flat.
The single most effective shift is to relive the story as if it is happening now. Not performing it, not reciting it - actually re-experiencing it. When the teller is genuinely inside the moment, the listener feels it too. When they are not, no amount of good content can close that gap.
Confidence in storytelling is not fixed - it can be built.
If you start from the belief that you are rubbish at storytelling, your delivery will confirm it. Building confidence means practising with people you trust, trying gestures and dialogue, and gradually learning that your story is worth telling and that people genuinely want to hear it.
Key Moments
"We rebuilt the pitch using the principles of story - and then we just kept winning everything."
"When you hear information in story, the criticising dials down and the imagination dials up. That is why story is so effective."
"We make decisions based on emotion and back them up with logic - which is why we think they are logical decisions. But they are not."
"Relive the story as if it is happening right now. Because the person hearing it probably is hearing it for the first time."
"If you tell a really effective sad story, the whole room feels it. That is the power of storytelling - you can control how everyone feels."
About the guest
Karis Gill is a storytelling trainer who helps business owners and leaders use story to attract, nurture and convert clients. Her work grew out of building a successful social enterprise, where she discovered that stories, not facts, win trust, funding and belief. Karis teaches a practical framework built around founder, process and conversion stories, helping people communicate with clarity, confidence and emotional impact.
About the Host
With over 28 years’ experience, Anne Leatherland helps clients develop vocal confidence and personal growth. Her holistic approach bridges science, education and the performing arts, supporting women to be truly heard in business.Find out more: https://anneleatherland.co.uk/