Donna Griffit - The Psychology Behind the Pitch: on Storytelling, Empathy, and Captivating the Investor's Gut

Donna Griffit - The Psychology Behind the Pitch: on Storytelling, Empathy, and Captivating the Investor's Gut

From The Human Founder by Gali Bloch Liran

May 11, 2026 · 1h 5m · Episode 171

About this episode

The episode features a conversation with Donna Griffit about the psychology of pitching and the importance of storytelling and empathy in entrepreneurship.

In this episode of The Human Founder, I sit down with Donna Griffit, a world-renowned Corporate Storyteller, Pitch Alchemist, and Communication Coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Donna is the bestselling author of "Sticking to My Story" and has spent over two decades helping startups and Fortune 500 companies globally raise more than $2 billion. Our conversation delves deep into the mental aspects of the entrepreneurial journey, exploring how communication serves as the foundation of all human behavior. We discuss the transformative power of empathy, the danger of losing our unique voice to artificial intelligence, and how founders can build the mental resilience necessary to navigate constant market shifts. The GSBG Framework and Finding Your "X Factor" Donna shares a powerful framework she initially created during a market downturn to help anxious corporate employees identify and present their unique value. Today, she uses this method with Stanford students to help them articulate their personal narratives effectively. The framework, known as GSBG, stands for setting an internal Goal for the interaction, telling a relevant Story that highlights your suitability…

People in this episode

Host: Gali Bloch Liran

Guest: Donna Griffit

Topics covered

  • storytelling
  • empathy
  • investor relations
  • entrepreneurial journey
  • communication
  • mental resilience

Keywords

  • pitching
  • communication
  • entrepreneurship
  • empathy
  • storytelling
  • investors
  • mental resilience
  • GSBG Framework

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stanford Graduate School of Business

Books & works: Sticking to My Story

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