What if we taught students to listen—as well as they speak?
LeeAnne Lavender | Education Consultant
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In this episode, Holly speaks with LeeAnne Lavender—education consultant, coach and storyteller—about a simple but radical idea: What if we taught students to listen—as well as they speak?
We live in a world overflowing with noise. Social media feeds, 24-hour news cycles, opinions flung across digital landscapes. But in all of this, true listening—the kind that deepens understanding, dissolves barriers and sparks real change—is becoming a lost art.
Leanne has spent decades helping educators harness the power of storytelling, not just as a way to teach, but as a way to transform. She’s seen how a well-told story can shift perspectives, how a digital narrative can amplify unheard voices and how a simple act of deep listening in a story circle can turn strangers into allies.
Imagine a classroom where learning isn’t just about absorbing facts, but about equipping students for active global citizenship. A space where they don’t just learn about the world—they engage with it. Where storytelling isn’t just an exercise in creativity, but a tool for advocacy, connection and real-world impact.
Because when students learn to listen deeply, they don’t just hear stories—they step inside them. They learn to see the world through someone else’s eyes. They learn that stories aren’t just for telling—they’re for transforming.
Yet, despite its power, storytelling is often seen as an extra—a nice-to-have rather than the foundation of meaningful learning. But what if we saw stories for what they really are? Not just tools for communication, but blueprints for empathy, bridges between worlds and catalysts for action.
Because let’s face it—the world doesn’t need more people who can shout their opinions. It needs people who can hear, reflect and act with wisdom.
If we want a generation ready to solve the world’s most complex problems, maybe the real question isn’t: what should we teach them to say?
Maybe it’s: what should we teach them to hear?
Because the future doesn’t belong to those who speak the loudest.
It belongs to those who listen the deepest.
Listen. Follow. Share.
If it made you think, it might make someone else think too.
Listen. Follow. Share.
Like what you heard? Keep digging into the big, messy, inconvenient truths that shape our world. Two Inconvenient Women—no filter, no limits, just the conversations that need to be had.
