✨ A New Chapter Begins in January 2026

If you read last week’s finale of Anatomy of a Winning Story, you’ll know I hinted that something was shifting.

Today, I want to tell you what — and why.

Here’s the truth:

I’ve been avoiding a truth about What’s Your Story Slam.

For years, it has been my creative home.
My playground.
My leadership laboratory.

Every few months, I watched people step on stage terrified… and walk off transformed.

And somewhere in those six years, I realised something important:

The most powerful moments weren’t happening on stage.
They were happening in the unscripted moments around it.

The blindside question — when your credibility is suddenly on trial.
The hard conversation — where status can rise or fall in one sentence.
The crossroads decision — when the room is watching who really holds authority.

Those moments weren’t about performance.
They were about power, presence, and positioning.
And they had nothing to do with a microphone.

That’s when I knew something had to change.

The Pause That Opened the Door

As WYSS takes a breather — venues closing, schedules shifting, and my own capacity forcing a reset — one truth became impossible to ignore:

I want to teach people how to lead in the moments that have no script.

Because that’s where status is negotiated.
Where power is felt.
Where authority is either claimed… or quietly lost.

These are the moments storytelling and improv were made for.
And this newsletter is evolving with it.

🎙 Introducing Unscripted Leader

December closes the chapter on Behind the Slam.
From January 2026, this newsletter becomes → Unscripted Leader.

A newsletter for people who want their voice to matter when it counts most.

Here’s what you can expect in the new year:

1. Applied Storytelling for Real Work
– Get buy-in in a room that’s already decided
– Tell the truth without burning bridges
– Speak in a way that actually shifts the power in the room

2. Executive Improv
How to think on your feet.
How to communicate under pressure.
How to lead when status dynamics shift faster than your slides.

3. Leadership Presence
What to say.
How to say it.
And how to make sure people feel your authority — without forcing it.

4. Personal Narrative Development
Your story.
Your identity.
Your ability to show up, unapologetically, in rooms where power is uneven.

5. Behind-the-Scenes Insight
You’ll still get moments from WYSS — the show is part of my DNA — but it now sits inside a much bigger conversation about influence, identity, and impact.

Why This Matters (to You)

If you’re here, it’s because you care about doing work that matters.
You care about communication that actually lands.
You care about being more seen, more heard, more understood.

But let’s be honest:

Most leadership struggles aren’t about skill.
They’re about status, power, and unspoken hierarchy.

This is no longer a newsletter about stories.
It’s a newsletter about leadership — told through story.

Because the truth is this:

Most of our biggest leadership moments happen without a script.
And the people who thrive in those moments aren’t waiting for permission — they’ve learned to trust their instincts and hold their ground.

That’s where we’re going next.

Before We Begin…

What’s one leadership moment you wish you had handled differently?
The one that still keeps you up at 3am?

That’s exactly where we’re heading in 2026.

Anna x