My life changed at the sound of a bell. I was pursuing a career as an actress in New York City while intercepting boredom with interactive stories with 8-12 year olds at an after-school program. One day, the principal came into the room furious, “Didn’t you hear the bell ring?” she demanded. “This delay has caused quite a traffic jam outside!” Students protested, “Wait! Tell us the rest of the story.” Her mouth dropped. This was unprecedented – students begging to stay after the bell. Within 5 years, ‘Story Theater’ carved out a career for me as a motivational storyteller providing value-rich assembly programs, educational keynotes at Professional Day conferences and Teacher-In-Service programs on interactive storytelling techniques. 

Over the next decade, I entertained at educational conferences with interactive storytelling. A non-healing sore on my tongue was eventually diagnosed as stage IV oral cancer. Tragically ironic for a storyteller! The radical surgery and treatment was devastating but my outcome was extraordinary.

A couple of years later, the ADA (American Dental Association) launched an awareness campaign with the message, ‘There is a painless way to know if this is serious.’ The voicemail I left on their 800 line was succinct, “You need to know my story and I want to help you.” They called back.

In 2003, for the first time, I told my very personal story in a public way, in front of 9K dentists at the Annual ADA Conference. The details motivated a call to action. Doctors from across the country requested a presentation for their regional dental meetings. My speaking career took off. Patient stories matter. 

As I contemplated my own extraordinary recovery, silence was not an option. I couldn’t stand by and allow what happened to me, happen to others. Dental offices seemed to lack the material to educate patients about oral cancer. Committed to raising awareness, Six-Step Screening was born. More than a personal choice, I feel an obligation to be a part of the revolution, awakening healthcare providers to the urgency of detecting oral cancer in the early stages and educating the general public.

After a keynote presentation at a dental conference, a Henry Schein sales manager admitted, ‘If my team could tell a story like you do, we would be golden.’

I was all in, “Let me give a workshop for your team on finding and crafting the story to build rapport with clients and inspire trust.” Three weeks later, a rookie to the team claimed it was her story that scored the sale of their highest ticket item. Since then, I’ve been privileged to do what I love, what comes naturally to me: craft stories to have a meaningful impact and create a lasting impression.

A two-book series empowering children with coping skills and communication strategies when someone close to them has cancer.

An oral cancer awareness campaign. Eva had been given a 15% chance of survival which fueled her passion to prevent what happened to her from happening to others.

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