How storytelling can make you resilient | Rochelle Gregory | TEDxTWU

Rochelle Gregory, who became a teen parent and later earned a PhD, talks about how sharing personal stories can build empathy and resilience. Drawing on her own experience of shame, stigma and discrimination, she encourages academics to take their research and experiences beyond the classroom through storytelling, writing and social media. She argues that everyone has a story and that open sharing can help communities become more informed, caring and resilient. Her work focuses on how writing can challenge stigma, reject shame and affirm justice and dignity. The talk was given at an independently organized TEDx event.

• Personal experience as a teen parent and first-generation college graduate
• Using storytelling to challenge stigma and shame
• Bringing academic research into public conversations via writing and social media
• Building resilient, empathetic communities through shared stories

Drawing on her experience as a teenage mother who confronted shame, stigma, and discrimination, Rochelle Gregory explores how sharing our personal stories can cultivate empathy, build resilience, and inspire change. She challenges academics to bring their experiences and research beyond the classroom and into public conversations through storytelling, writing, and social media. She argues everyone has a story, and when we share them openly, we build communities that are more informed, more caring, and more resilient. Dr. Rochelle Gregory grew up on a farm in rural central Texas, became a teen parent, and was the first in her family to graduate from college. She went on to earn a PhD and now teaches writing in all its forms. Dr. Gregory's work centers on how writing can challenge stigma, reject shame, and affirm justice and dignity. She believes writing is the tide that raises all boats. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx