What Our Clients Are Saying
We have enjoyed working with these clients and would love to work with you! See how we can make a difference.
Cameron Nelson, Director of Advancement, Concordia Place
Esther’s approach to mining for and refining stories taught me how a single story can ultimately be utilized for different scenarios. This has proved helpful in my fundraising efforts because I can tailor the same story to resonate with different individuals depending on what their interest is.
- Cameron Nelson, Director of Advancement, Concordia Place
Seanna Mullen Sumrak, Advancement Officer, Cristo Rey Network
Esther’s storytelling workshop was a great addition to our Development Conference. From honing written storytelling skills, weaving important data into a narrative, and practicing selling our story in-person, the variety of activities not only allowed our participants time to get feedback from one another but also really offered tools we can draw on for the future. The stories our organization and our member schools have to tell are inspiring and compelling. Through Esther’s workshop, we were able to work on and strengthen our ability to tell that story more seamlessly, effortlessly, and in multiple contexts. It was truly a day well spent.
- Seanna Mullen Sumrak, Advancement Officer, Cristo Rey Network
Gretchen Grad, Founder, Hands of Peace
“Only three days after the Program, I was able to apply the lessons learned and secured the second largest individual gift in our history. The training directly and tangibly shaped how we approach donor meetings and asks – it gave us the confidence and the tools to create excitement, commitments and results!”
- Gretchen Grad, Founder, Hands of Peace
Jared Berman, Innovation Manager, U.S. Cellular.
“I would highly recommend her session for anyone looking to step up their communication skills, especially if you are in need of internal selling of ideas, projects or concepts within a corporate environment.”
- Jared Berman, Innovation Manager, U.S. Cellular.
Trevor Cook, Managing Director, AMP Capital.
“Without Esther and her Storyboarding process we would have never won this important account in the world’s most challenging and rewarding market.”
- Trevor Cook, Managing Director, AMP Capital.
Stephen from Amazon Review of Let the Story Do the Work
“Let the Story Do The Work” is different from cookie cutter business books. Esther’s writing approach is brilliant, yet practical by introducing the big picture followed by a playbook. More specifically, she starts by telling a compelling story (obviously, right?), then transitions that story into a teachable yet retainable lesson, followed by particular examples that can be used to customize your story. This approach made it easy for me to immediately apply knowledge in an impactful way that led to a promotion. I’ve purchased this book 5 additional times for mentors and mentees. Thank you, Esther, for changing my life.”
- Stephen from Amazon Review of Let the Story Do the Work
Rory O’Byrne, President of LEND (Lending for Evanston and Northwestern Development).
“Esther is an exceptional presentation coach. She helped us develop a presentation and worked diligently with our speakers to refine their delivery. She is a large part of why our organization was able to raise critical seed funding and support from angel investors!
- Rory O’Byrne, President of LEND (Lending for Evanston and Northwestern Development).
Tony M. Orlando, President, Agriculture Tire, Bridgestone.
“I have had the luxury of witnessing and learning from Esther through several different forums. The ways in which to use a hook to capture the attention of your audience early on in your presentation was particularly useful. Also, establishing a cadence and mapping your messages across various stakeholder engagements is critical to making a lasting impression on your audience and “making the sale”. Overall, the learnings were immensely impactful, whether for a customer meeting, internal business review or job interview and I would highly recommend Esther!
- Tony M. Orlando, President, Agriculture Tire, Bridgestone.
Ian Asvakovith, Managing Director, Piedmont Fund Services, Inc.
“Esther has been my go-to adviser whenever I need to deliver a message for a small group of audience or media interview. Esther has a special gift in the art of storytelling, and fortunately for her clients and students, Esther also has a passion in teaching. Like most business operators, I often spend my time on the technical aspect of the business and not enough about the communication that connect us with our customers. Esther opened up a whole new perspective for me in this area, and I am forever grateful for her guidance.
- Ian Asvakovith, Managing Director, Piedmont Fund Services, Inc.
Yvonne Jimenez, Lead Performance Consultant, TIAA-CREF.
“The training showed me a way to effectively communicate, lead, persuade, and influence others.
- Yvonne Jimenez, Lead Performance Consultant, TIAA-CREF.
Daniel B. Beaulieu from Amazon Review of Let the Story Do the Work
“Of all the books I’ve read about storytelling in the past few years this is without a doubt the best one. Rather than spending a lot of time talking about the importance of telling a good story, Ms. Choy spends her time telling you how to tell that story; what kind of story appeals to what type of audience and how to incorporate storytelling into the actual running of a company. In this era of storytelling, this is without a doubt the standout book to enhance your own storytelling skills so they’re always interesting, provocative, and moving. Thank you, Ms. Choy, for writing this book.”
- Daniel B. Beaulieu from Amazon Review of Let the Story Do the Work
Ed Bachrach, Retired Chairman and CEO of Bachrach Clothing Inc.
“I got 1,000 times more value than I paid for the training. Thanks for a truly enlightening experience!
- Ed Bachrach, Retired Chairman and CEO of Bachrach Clothing Inc.
Lucy Jeong-Adler, Talent Director, Clareo Parnters.
“Esther and Reena were a wonderful addition to our company-wide meeting. They were a significant part of our agenda, leading two workshops on visual storytelling and leading our introductions exercise which everyone found riveting. Esther brought new insights to the team overall with her story pictures, which I still reference and she led engaging and interactive discussions. She was extremely easy to work with in planning the event to fit her workshop materials within the timeframe we had. I would highly recommend Esther and Reena.
- Lucy Jeong-Adler, Talent Director, Clareo Parnters.
Caren McCormack, President and co-Founder, Kilgoris Project.
“Your assignment really paid off for us! The great results are even better than last year. A few months ago one of the individual donors I spoke with gave us very big gift for a new for-profit farming effort to fund our schools. In fact, I was able to go to her with a specific need and explain the heart of the new social business. The grant funder on my assignment not only gave a big gift to this same new project, she also committed her organization to solicit additional matched funding for the grant. The value in strengthening donor relationships in non-ask times reaps rewards in shared passion, and, in turn, new funding.”
- Caren McCormack, President and co-Founder, Kilgoris Project.
Rob Gorman, Grants Manager & Fund Development, Safer Foundation.
“It was by far one of my most memorable trainings. Spending the day with Leadership Story Lab helped reaffirm my belief in the power of storytelling, provided me with some new tools and empowered me to start using them in the workplace.”
- Rob Gorman, Grants Manager & Fund Development, Safer Foundation.
Keira S from Amazon Review of Let the Story Do the Work
“Esther Choy, in her debut book, pulls back the curtain on the art and science (yes, science) of storytelling. Choy’s book takes you back to some of the earliest lessons of our childhood. Somewhere along the way, many of us forgot how to put together a story, let alone a great story, and let the noise, details, and data get in the way of our ability to story-tell. The techniques in her book can be applied in any industry, role, function, and stage of life, but the most compelling aspect is that throughout all of the lessons, Choy reminds you that great stories are those that highlight your authenticity and your humanity.”
- Keira S from Amazon Review of Let the Story Do the Work
Kathryn Mlsna, former Chief Integration Officer, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
“One of the highlights of our Board’s strategic retreat conference was Esther Choy’s storytelling workshop. ‘Interactive, engaging and energetic’ describe the journey we took to mine our inspiration and create our messaging for maximum impact. Storytelling will continue to be an important success driver for us.
- Kathryn Mlsna, former Chief Integration Officer, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
Joske Groneschild, Communication Advisor, SNS Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
“Esther’s coaching was an excellent way to learn all the basics of a compelling leadership story and how to really connect with your audience. Her coaching also provided me tools and a background in facilitation and coaching to help managers develop their own story: lessons which I use on a regular basis. Esther is an exceptional, highly professional presentation coach and storyteller: inspiring, energetic, highly dedicated and a very good listener who gives valuable feedback. It was a great pleasure working with her and her colleagues of Leadership Story Lab!
- Joske Groneschild, Communication Advisor, SNS Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jerome Ng, Associate Director, Business Career Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“I first met Esther and Reena when they presented a workshop to our students regarding ways to utilize storytelling in their professional introductions. I was struck by how emotionally powerful storytelling could be, even in a professional setting. I signed up my partner and I for a customized coaching session with my Esther. During our coaching sessions, Esther offered frameworks that we could easily use to structure our stories and connect with our audience. I’ve seen my partner incorporate those approaches when he is introducing himself to potential clients, while I have delivered presentations using that framework. We’ve noticed that our audience members are more engaged in a meaningful way. We convey our message without overpowering our audience with details. I’m looking forward to Esther’s book to continue refining my storytelling techniques.”
- Jerome Ng, Associate Director, Business Career Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Career Advising and Planning Services, University of Chicago.
“Generating creative ways to get people to open up about what’s meaningful to them… made me think about leadership in broader and versatile ways .
- Career Advising and Planning Services, University of Chicago.