Storytelling School

I’m 12 years old. It’s summertime, and we’re on our annual family trip to Bainbridge Island off the coast of Seattle. I love going on these trips, and one of my favorite things about them is getting …

I'm a high school freshman. It’s 2 o’clock in the morning on a school day and I can't sleep, so I get up and wander into our living room.

My Dad’s in there taking notes and reviewing video footage of…

My husband Mark and I are at a venue about to give a presentation on the new software application we’ve developed. It's a big deal! We’re in our hometown with a room full of people waiting, and this …

It’s a Tuesday night. I’m teaching my Improv class and ask the students to tell me one reason why they came.

“I want to work on character voices tonight,” says one person. A few others in the room ar…

“Hello, Master Kymberlee.” I’ll never forget hearing those words for the first time. I’d just earned my Fourth-Degree Black Belt in Dynamic Circle Hapkido. And standing in the dojo, after receiving t…

It’s 2002. I’ve just come up with a brilliant idea with someone I met at a networking event. We’re in the right place at the right time as this idea involves the creation of a software application th…

I’m lying in a hospital bed after my cement truck accident in Hawaii. While I survived, the doctor comes into the room and tells me that something didn’t:

“Kymberlee, I’m sorry to tell you this, but …

At eight years old, my Dad is living on a farm in Illinois. It’s Christmas morning and time to open presents. His brother opens his first; it’s a new train set and he’s ecstatic!

But my Dad notices t…

I’m running TEDxSantaBarbara in 2017 with my husband Mark. Our committee is gathering to select the speakers for the upcoming event, and we’re going through hundreds of applications.

One particular a…

It’s 2015, and I’m ready to take the next leap. I’ve been working with speakers one-on-one for a while and want to try my hand at hosting my own event.

Except, I’ve never done this before, and if I d…

“Black belt, don’t think!” Those deep, stern words from the Grandmaster echo across the dojo and ring in my ears like a loudspeaker at full volume.

Eight fellow black belts surround me in a circle wi…

I’m in high demand as a high school softball pitcher. Colleges want to recruit me like crazy to come play for their school. The all-expense-paid recruiting trips begin.

There’s one to a college with …

I’m preparing to teach my Mastermind class about being a premium brand. But there’s one issue: I’m tired of using the same old Apple, Ritz Carlton, Mercedes types of examples…

As I’m sipping on my ho…

It’s showtime. I’m wickedly nervous as I prepare to deliver my monologue in my very first acting class. I’ve been rehearsing relentlessly and memorizing my script so that I don’t forget any of my cha…

I’m at The Groundlings Theatre for an Improv class. We’re doing two-person scenes when our instructor says it’s time for a drill. “This next exercise is a way to go deeper into your characters, fast.…

I’m about to deliver a Talk, and I want to open it with a really good story I remembered from a couple of months ago. The problem is I can’t find it anywhere!

I look at my whiteboard, thinking, “Sure…

I’m running my software company in 2015 when this email comes in. As we open it, we’re beside ourselves with excitement because it represents the opportunity of a lifetime. We’ve been selected as one…

It's 2014. As the year draws to a close, all of my friends come up with their New Year’s resolutions, ranging from dropping bad habits to losing weight. But while I create my list of resolutions on t…

As a 14-year-old, I’d rather do a million other things than clean. So I’m not happy when my dad tells me, “Our renters just moved out, so it’s time to clean the house before the new renters move in.”

I’m coaching a client on her TEDx Talk and she says, “Kymberlee, I don’t know if I can get through this story I’m telling. Every single time I get to a certain part, I start crying and I can’t even s…