Mary-Brennan Minarovych has spent more than two decades helping leaders understand the power of stories - the ones they tell publicly and the quieter ones that shape them from within. Today, as a Narrative Coach, writer, and communications advisor, she guides people back to their inner voice so they can live and lead with clarity, confidence, and authenticity. In this interview, Mary shares how stories influence our sense of belonging, why narrative work is essential in an uncertain world, and how mentoring with Femme Palette allows her to help others reconnect with the truths that move them forward.
We all live inside stories. Some we inherited, some we built ourselves, and others the world handed to us before we had the chance to choose. Narrative Coaching invites us to pause and look at those stories with new eyes.
When people begin to see how their stories have shaped them, they often discover how much space there is to move, to shift, to begin again.
I was drawn to this work because stories have always been how I make sense of the world, whether through writing, through reading or through listening. After years helping others shape their external stories, I wanted to help people find their inner voice. The one that can so easily get buried beneath expectation and urgency.
If I learned anything it’s this: every organization runs on story. Culture isn’t built through strategy decks, it’s built through what people repeat in the hallways, how leaders explain change, and the language they use when things go wrong.
When leaders understand their personal journey, not as a performance but as a living narrative, they can lead in a way that feels real. I’ve seen how clarity can unite a team, and how confusion can fracture one. And when people can see themselves inside a shared narrative, belonging can grow naturally.
I’ve seen again and again how a small shift in language can open an entirely new path. Someone might begin a conversation with a sense of defeat, “I don’t know if I can do this.” But as we explore moments when they’ve shown strength or adaptability, their own story starts to widen, moving from “I can’t” to “I can.”
And that shift doesn’t stay on the call. It begins to show up in how they speak at work, how they make decisions, even how they carry themselves. We aren’t inventing a new person in this process. We’re rather helping them remember a truth that was just a little hidden beneath the noise.
One of my favorite authors, Annie Dillard, once wrote about collecting a jar of creek water and watching as the silt slowly settled, revealing a hidden world of life beneath. Clarity works like that. It doesn’t arrive because we chase it. It arrives when we give ourselves permission to pause and see through the swirl of silt around us.
In a world that moves faster than any of us can process, reconnecting with our story is a way of letting the water still. When we remember what matters most, the noise around us feels less defining. Our narrative becomes an anchor. Something steady in a shifting world.
I was drawn to the genuine sense of connection. Femme Palette is a space for real learning and generosity. I loved the idea of a community where women lift each other up by sharing what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what they’re still figuring out.
Mentoring here allows me to bring narrative coaching into a shared space where both the mentor and the mentee are willing to explore, reflect, and step into the unknown together.
One mentee reminded me how powerful vulnerability can be. She showed up with such openness, naming doubts, hopes, and fears, and it completely shifted the tone of our work together. It reminded me how trust can be built through honesty and presence. Perfect questions and polished answers won’t get you to the place we found together.
Come with curiosity, not just questions. Let the conversations surprise you. The best mentoring relationships aren’t about receiving answers but discovering new ways of seeing. And be honest about where you are, even if it feels messy. Growth doesn’t happen in polished stories; it happens in the ones still being written.
I usually start by listening to how they talk about themselves, the words they choose and the ones they avoid. So often, their voice has been quieted by judgement (self or that of others), by competition or old stories that no longer fit.
Then we might explore their personal values and the moments when they led without realizing it. Maybe it was during a particularly challenging moment with a colleague, at home with their families or in a moment of crisis. Those stories remind them that leadership is a way of moving through the world. Not just a title.
When they reconnect with those forgotten strengths, their confidence has a way of returning in a way that feels natural and real.
Storytelling is becoming the language of leadership. We’re moving away from command-and-control and toward connection-and-context.
For women especially, storytelling allows us to redefine power, to lead from authenticity, compassion, and imagination rather than hierarchy or fear. The next generation of leaders will be those who can hold complexity and still tell a story that brings people together.
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