Tell Me A Story

  • The Live Show.

    The Tell Me A Story Live Show began in May 2011 and ran as a bi-monthly series for just over nine years.

    Held at Shot Tower Coffee in Philadelphia, each show was hosted and produced by Hillary Rea and featured six storytellers sharing true stories on the night's theme. Each event was curated to showcase a range of experiences from a variety of backgrounds.

    In addition to the intimate shows at Shot Tower, Tell Me A Story produced special storytelling events as a partnership with Philadelphia area cultural organizations like The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Arden Theatre Company, the Mütter Museum, and the Kelly Writer’s House.

    The Live Show pivoted to virtual events in March of 2020, with the final virtual show taking place in June 2020.

  • The Business.

    Shortly after launching the Live Show, Hillary was asked to teach storytelling workshops and speak at conferences. As the demand grew, Hillary took night classes at Wharton’s Small Business Development Center and dreamed up her plan for a communication consulting and coaching business.

    When offered a free office for a year at a brand new co-working space, Hillary quit the majority of her freelance teaching artist and standardized patient work and went full-time with Tell Me A Story as a business.

    Tell Me A Story operated as a narrative consulting company for 8 years, working with creative professionals, entrepreneurs, and leadership teams within Fortune 500 companies to use human-centered storytelling as marketing, business development and public speaking tools.

    Hillary spent the pandemic and post-pandemic years focused on her private client work through her signature Crafting Your Narrative: Solo Retreat.

  • The Speak Up.

    Once the Live Show came to an end, Hillary focused her business development and marketing efforts on an experiential virtual event called The Speak Up Session.

    Each Speak Up Session honed a specific aspect of crafting and communicating a new narrative. There were lively group discussions, on-the-spot coaching, and a beautiful line-up of special guest storytellers including current and past Tell Me A Story clients.

    After producing twenty five Speak Up Sessions, with participants from all over the world, the final Speak Up Session took place in November 2023.

    The Speak Up ethos spanned multiple marketing channels, including merchandise, educational materials, a weekly newsletter, and an empowering Apple Music playlist.

In January 2025, Hillary made the difficult decision to sunset the business. She is ready to take all of her transferable skills as an artist, marketer, and leader into her next chapter.

A huge thank you to all of our Live Show attendees, clients, partners, and friends. We are grateful for your unwavering support.

  • "This work has helped me gain confidence in sharing my own story and trusting that those listening are not judging my achievements or life choices. And even if they are judging, I’m working on caring a bit less about what they think by trusting the power of my unique perspective. To work with Tell Me A Story is to engage wholeheartedly in an immersive trust fall and discover repeatedly that your unique voice is there to catch you if you let it."

    Jenny

  • "As a regular attendee of just about every storytelling show around, I unabashedly tell everyone that Tell Me A Story is my favorite one. The pacing of the event, Hillary Rea’s excellent curation of storytellers and the great venue all contribute to the wonderful experience of attending. I’m always looking forward to the next show."

    Amanda

  • "I’m coming away from this experience feeling like I’ve gained something even bigger than keynotes, speaking opportunities, and introductions — there’s different attention to detail, to language, to audiences that grew deeper through our work together. I feel so much clearer on my own thoughts; more confident in my expertise; and more excited to connect than I could’ve imagined.”

    Jen

  • "I was confident in my voice and knew that I wanted to share it through my podcast, but I was unclear on what story I wanted to tell and how. I didn’t trust that any of my stories would be something my audience would be interested in hearing. Now, I don’t feel as uncomfortable doing solo episodes, especially when listeners give me positive feedback about them. I feel confident that I can tell my story on other podcasts - I have something valuable to share with others who aren’t part of my immediate audience. This work helped me get through pod fade when I started to think all the work was for naught. I learned so much about myself - that I could accomplish more than I thought. I found a deeper clarity around my ‘why.’"

    Paige

  • “I came in thinking I wanted to use these tools to be a better marketer. I still do. But, getting to know my co-workers better was much more rewarding.”

    Dave