
Season 4, Episode 11: Reclaiming Wonder - From Corporate Stories to Children’s Magic with Nancy Merrill
From The Starfish Storytellers by Liana Henry
November 17, 2025 · 55 min · Season 4 · Episode 11
About this episode
Nancy Merrill discusses the importance of storytelling and imagination in both corporate and children's contexts.
In a world driven by deadlines, deliverables, and data points, it’s easy to forget that at the heart of every campaign, pitch, or press release… is a story. Storytelling is the thread that connects boardrooms and bedtime routines, brand launches and lullabies. But somewhere along the way - especially for those of us in the business of shaping messages - we can lose touch with the purest form of storytelling: the kind that sparks wonder, invites play, and lives in the imagination of a child. In this episode, Nancy Merrill, a communications consultant turned children’s author of the holiday book Elf Dust , shares her personal story behind the book’s creation, why she believes kids need more imagination, and how her successful PR career coaching executives on how to connect with their teams helped her step into the spotlight as an author. Whether you're a parent, a writer, or someone dreaming of turning an old idea into something new, this conversation will warm your heart and remind you: sometimes the smallest stories have the most lasting magic.
People in this episode
Host: Liana Henry
Guest: Nancy Merrill
Topics covered
- storytelling
- imagination
- children's literature
- corporate communication
- personal storytelling
Keywords
- storytelling
- imagination
- children's author
- corporate stories
- Elf Dust
- communication
- PR career
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Elf Dust
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