Episode 8: The Strategy Is in the Story

In this episode of Route Notes, we reflect on the central role of story in planning, leadership, and decision-making. Over years of working with organizations and communities, we’ve found that strategy doesn’t emerge from filling in templates—it emerges from narrative.

We talk about what changed in our own facilitation approach, including the moment we stopped asking people to start with templates and instead invited them to tell a story. 

This is an episode about how humans are wired for meaning, not metrics—and how facilitators, leaders, and strategists can harness the power of story to unlock clarity, alignment, and momentum.