Your Story Is the Strategy
Michele Payn coaches scientists and executives in food and agriculture to turn expertise into stories that move people to action.
Data doesn’t build trust. Story does.
Michele Payn built a career finding the human moment inside the science – training Ukrainian grain farmers, advising Fortune 500 executives, coaching scientists on storytelling. Six continents, four books, one method: connect first, inform second. She'll challenge you to do the same.
Michele’s method to help you
Every session starts with the same question: what’s the story underneath your facts?
Data alone doesn’t move people. A well-told story does – it builds the emotional bridge people cross before they’ll trust what you know. This is the same method behind Michele’s book Science Story Speak, and it’s the throughline of every coaching session: find the human moment, then let the facts support it.
Neuroscientific research shows that humans cannot make decisions without emotion. Data speaks to the rational mind that justifies a choice, but stories target the emotional centers where choices are actually made.
Is This You?
Scientists & Researchers
- Your data is solid. Your story isn’t landing.
- You’re tired of being cast as the villain.
- You know the facts. You’ve never learned to tell them as a story.
- You understand the ethics of your research, but communicate that to non-scientists
Executives & Leaders
- One headline could undo years of trust.
- Your board needs a story it can repeat, not a slide of jargon.
- You need to lead hard conversations, not survive them.
- You're trying to articulate why others should invest in your organization or cause.
What Michele's coaching delivers
Michele works with select clients and then helps create a plan to meet your needs, such as:
- Finding the story underneath your facts.
- A personal introduction people actually remember.
- An emotional thread your audience feels, not just hears.
- Real practice, with candid feedback, until the story lands.
- A social strategy built on your story, not a template.
Michele is extraordinarily gifted as a coach and communicator. She has great instincts about people, how they think, and – most importantly – how they connect with one another. She is particularly insightful in ways to build emotional connections and cross boundaries on important issues like food, farming and science. Michele has taught me how to communicate my science and connect with audiences in ways that they value. ~ Dr. Cami Ryan, Ph.D., Bayer Crop Science
"I’m so grateful for the way you connect both sides of the table. The journey from idea to product is long, complex, and filled with years sometimes entire careers focused on solving a single challenge for a grower. Thank you for helping people see the heart, rigor, and care behind that work." ~ Broch Martindale, Corteva Agriscience
Coaching tailored to your needs
One hour. Or a full package. In person if Michele’s already local – otherwise Zoom. Michele tailors coaching to your needs, from a few hours to a few months. A short questionnaire first, so no time is wasted.
This is personal coaching, not a course – Michele works with you directly, session to session, until your story is one you can tell under pressure. You'll learn to move hearts to move minds.
A note from Michele....
Facts inform. Story connects. I use both – but story always comes first. It’s the bridge people cross before they’ll trust your facts.
Whether you represent a product, a university, a business, or your own leadership – I’ll help you find the story only you can tell, then build the tools to tell it well. An outside perspective sees what you can’t, and I won’t let you settle for jargon over connection.
I love to work with people who want to grow their skillsets. I also enjoy helping leaders differentiate themselves by building more meaningful connections. Our time will be spent helping you do that and communicating more effectively about your work in science, food, and agriculture. Reach out today so we can get started sooner than later!