What makes a story worth telling? For Adena White, it’s about amplifying voices that deserve to be heard and honoring the deep connections between people and place.
Adena shares how watching a soap opera character in public relations as a teenager sparked a journey into storytelling that eventually led her to found Black Belt Media and launch the acclaimed Black Belt Voices podcast. She reflects on how events like the 2015 Charleston church shooting and the 2016 presidential election inspired her to create a platform dedicated to telling overlooked stories of Black Southerners.
This conversation moves beyond the craft of storytelling to its human and systemic impact. Adena explains her framework of stories as “stones” that form a narrative “mosaic,” reminding us that stories can either heal or harm depending on how they’re told and who benefits from them.
One of the most memorable examples comes from Seattle, where simply replacing streetlights on a schedule rather than requiring residents to call demonstrated how centering the most vulnerable creates solutions that serve everyone. It’s a vivid metaphor for equity in both policy and storytelling.
For creators struggling with vulnerability online, Adena offers Brené Brown–inspired wisdom: authenticity doesn’t mean a tell-all. Boundaries matter, and sharing with care is part of honoring your own story. She also lays out her “storytelling commandments,” including the call to respect every story, even your own, and to remember that every narrative shapes the systems we live in.
Whether you’re a seasoned storyteller or just finding your voice, this episode will push you to think more deeply about the stories you tell, the systems they support, and the communities they shape.
