My evolution from Fire Captain to ‘Story Warrior’ was as unexpected as it was fateful. Commanding fire teams and rescue squads in Singapore, I was tasked with a new kind of challenge: educating officials about cutting-edge firefighting techniques. Technical expertise was my realm, yet conveying it, especially with my pronounced accent in a land foreign to my tongue, was not. But the tide turned when world-class communicators were recruited to sharpen our skills. Initially resistant, I soon found myself enthralled by the art of public speaking, a domain that would become my passion and profession.
When I launched my first venture, I leaned heavily on the communication lessons from my fire service days. I was on a quest to distill complex ideas into digestible stories for my training. If you’ve ever strived to simplify intricate concepts, you’ll understand my drive. That eagerness led me to the masters of storytelling, determined to make their prowess my own.
Deep in the trenches of training and speaking, I made a discovery as impactful as any blaze I’d quelled: stories could awaken even the most weary listener. This realization wasn’t just about grabbing attention; it was about harnessing a force that could jolt people to alertness and influence them in profound ways. I had to delve into this art form’s magic—to understand it, to master it.