Hunter Hub Skills Clinic | The Story Only You Can Tell: Brand Storytelling for Founders

The Story Only You Can Tell: Brand Storytelling for Founders  ​Session Overview In a crowded startup landscape, a strong brand story helps founders move beyond explaining what they do to communicating why it matters. In this interactive Skills Clinic, Gayathri Shukla will guide participants through the foundations of brand storytelling — including how personal story, business purpose, and audience connection can work together to build trust, clarity, and momentum. Drawing on her experience as an engineer-turned-founder, storyteller, speaker, and PhD student exploring inclusive leadership and ethical AI innovation, Gayathri will invite participants to reflect on the stories that shape their work and how to communicate them with greater confidence and authenticity. The session will also explore why, in an age of AI-generated content, human storytelling and story listening remain essential skills for entrepreneurs. Key Takeaways: A clearer understanding of how personal story connects to business brand and founder credibility. Practical prompts to articulate the “why” behind their work in a way that resonates with audiences, like customers, partners, and funders. Insight into the difference between storytelling as promotion and storytelling as trust-building. A starting framework for shaping a founder story that feels authentic, strategic, and memorable ​​Who Will You Hear From? Gayathri Shukla Gayathri Shukla, P.Eng, MBA is the founder of Campfire Kinship, a social enterprise building inclusive cultures by starting with one of the most powerful tools we all have: story. With over 17 years of technical and leadership experience in the energy and mining sectors, Gayathri has seen firsthand how culture shapes outcomes in high-stakes environments. Since launching Campfire Kinship in 2020, she has supported more than 50 organizations through advisory, leadership learning, facilitation, and applied research engagements. Gayathri holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, an Executive MBA, and is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Calgary. Her doctoral research focuses on leadership development and how story-based practices can help shift mindsets for systemic change. Gayathri is also a TEDx speaker, the lead author of Landed, Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women, and The Fires We Lit, Illustrated Stories of Women Reimagining the Rules, and host of CJSW radio-podcast Hearth 2 Heart. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of her community leadership. ​​Schedule of Events 12:00 PM - 12:05 PM: Check-In & Light Refreshments (coffee & donuts) 12:05 PM - 1:20 PM: Speaker Presentation 1:20 PM – 1:30 PM: Final Q&A and Depart ​​What are Skills Clinics & Who can Attend? Skills Clinics are exclusive 90-minute sessions hosted by industry experts to fuel your entrepreneurial journey at any stage. They are open to UCalgary students, postdocs, faculty, staff and alumni interested in developing their entrepreneurial thinking skills. ​​Location Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, Collision Space 401 | 460 Campus Lane NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada Sign up for the next Skills Clinic: