The Power of Storytelling: How One Life—and One Story—Can Change the World
- Bridget Cook-Burch
- Mar 29
- 4 min read
Before I ever understood the power of storytelling, I was living inside one.
I was adopted as a baby—my third set of parents before I was six months old. Dick and Pat Wurling, the extraordinary couple who brought me home, gave me safety and love. But deep inside, I carried a quiet belief: big people leave. That belief made me fiercely independent… and a little girl who turned to books like lifelines.
I climbed trees, played outside with rattlesnakes (yes, really), and escaped into the pages of Anne Frank, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. These books didn’t just entertain me—they formed me. They whispered truths about courage, injustice, and the human spirit. Even then, I knew: I didn’t just want to live stories. I wanted to tell them.
A Second Chance and a Bigger Purpose
In college, I was burning the candle at every end—juggling three jobs and pushing through classes—until my body gave out. I ended up in the hospital, critically ill. I overheard the nurses:
“This girl isn’t going to make it through the night.”
But I did.
And what happened that night changed me forever.
Two figures appeared in my room. One, an angel. The other—Jesus Christ. I was given a second chance at life… and something else. A gift. The ability to see people’s stories, not just as moments, but as sacred, transformational narratives waiting to be told.
When Stories Find You
After college, that gift led me to Denver, where I worked as a PR consultant, interviewing high-risk youth. Their stories—raw, real, and courageous—showed me how much our narratives shape the way we see ourselves, and what we believe is possible.
Then one night, I had a dream. A former gang member was telling me his life story. I wrote it down, even though I didn’t know him. A few days later, I stumbled onto a website—and there he was, looking for someone to help him write his story.
It felt like divine confirmation: when we’re listening, the right stories find us.
The Stories That Changed Me—and the World
Since then, storytelling has taken me places I could never have imagined.
I’ve written books that landed on Oprah, Dr. Phil, CNN, and Good Morning America. I’ve worked with people whose courage changed me forever:
Melissa Moore, daughter of the Happy Face Serial Killer, whose journey from victim to victor helped others reclaim their voices.
Rebecca Musser, the 19th wife of the FLDS prophet, who testified against the cult’s inner circle wearing bright red—an outlawed color in her community. Her story helped dismantle a religious crime ring.
These weren’t just stories. They were revolutions wrapped in words.
The Narratives We Live By
Harold Goddard once said, “The destiny of the world is determined less by battles lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in.”
The same is true for our personal lives.
What stories are you telling yourself?
That you’re not ready? Not good enough? That no one wants to hear what you have to say?
Or are you ready to shift the narrative—to choose courage, purpose, and the belief that your story matters?
Storytelling as a Tool for Change
From global movements to personal transformations, storytelling drives real impact.
Think about Apple. Its success wasn’t just in technology—it was in Steve Jobs’ ability to tell a story that made people feel different, powerful, and seen.
Even Warren Buffet says that if you want to increase your value, learn how to express yourself. Because stories sell ideas. They inspire action. They connect people.
And now, with tools like AI, storytelling is evolving. Some worry it will replace creativity—but I see it differently. AI is a tool, not the storyteller. It can support, organize, and edit—but the heart? The soul? That still comes from you.
The Legacy of Story
One of the most meaningful projects I’ve supported is the Statue of Responsibility—a 305-foot monument in Draper, Utah, inspired by Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.
If the Statue of Liberty represents our freedom, this statue will represent our responsibility: to lift others, to tell the truth, to do something with the freedom we’ve been given.
Your Turn
If you’ve been carrying a story—one you’re meant to write but haven’t yet—start here:
Create a simple timeline.
Where did your story begin?
What were the defining moments?
What lessons are rising from the ashes?
If you are ready to work with me and my team, join us at our hands-on, accelerating, working retreat.
The Inspired Writers Retreat was created for storytellers like you—people with powerful truths, waiting for the tools, structure, and support to bring them to life.
Your story matters.
And when you tell it with courage and honesty, it just might change the world.
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