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About Us

The Shared Chair was born to create spaces where stories can be shared with dignity, safety, and respect. It exists for anyone who carries experiences that have often gone unheard, stories shaped by struggle, growth, resilience, and transformation.

Through workshops, human library experiences, community events, and storytelling collaborations,

 

The Shared Chair brings human stories into the open. These stories foster empathy, challenge stigma, and create meaningful change.

This is more than storytelling.

It is advocacy.

It is healing.

It is connection.

 

By providing space for people to be heard, The Shared Chair helps transform shame into strength, isolation into connection, and voices that were once silent into agents of understanding and change.

Our purpose is simple: "no story has to live in silence, and every person, regardless of background or experience, deserves a place to be held, heard, and remembered. "

 

Stories don’t just belong to individuals, they have the power to build understanding and shape a better future for us all.

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Pull up a seat. Share a story. Be heard.

SERVICES

Why Lived Experience Matters?

Every story carries a piece of someone’s journey, their struggles, resilience, and wisdom. Sharing lived experiences not only honours these voices, but creates understanding, empathy, and human connection in ways data alone never can.

Yet too often, the people most affected by systems are the least represented in shaping them. Research consistently shows that organisations and services designed with lived experience at the centre are more trusted, more effective, and more impactful. When people feel seen and represented, engagement increases, outcomes improve, and communities strengthen.

Representation is not just about visibility,  it is about accuracy, dignity, and building solutions that actually work. Without lived experience, decisions are made based on assumptions. With lived experience, decisions are grounded in reality.

When organisations genuinely listen and respond to stories, they don’t just raise awareness,  they build cultures of empathy, design more inclusive programs, strengthen community trust, and create meaningful, lasting change.

This is where storytelling becomes more than sharing,  it becomes a tool for transformation.

At The Shared Chair, we help organisations, teams, and communities bring lived experience to the centre of their work through facilitated storytelling workshops, human-library experiences, and storytelling for projects, events, and advocacy. Because when people are heard, systems begin to shift  and when stories are held with care, they have the power to change not just perspectives, but outcomes.

Create an illustration showing a diverse group of people sharing stories in a safe, suppor

Become a Human Book

Share Your Story. Inspire Others. Be Heard.

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Do you have a story that can change perspectives, challenge stereotypes, or help people see the world differently?

The Shared Chair invites you to become a Human Book!

By participating, you’ll join a community of storytellers who use their lived experiences to spark empathy, understanding, and connection. Plus, you’ll receive Human Book Certification,  perfect for professional development, community engagement, or personal growth.

Expression of Interest (EOI) Form

 

  • Amplify your voice: Share your unique lived experience with a safe, supportive audience.

  • Build empathy: Help others understand diverse perspectives and cultures.

  • Grow your skills: Receive training and certification in storytelling facilitation.

  • Professional development: Ideal for staff in community, multicultural, or social services.

Why Become a Human Book?

  • Fill out the Expression of Interest (EOI) form below.

  • Our team will review your story theme and suitability for the Human Book program.

  • Participate in a certification program to prepare your story and facilitation skills.

  • Be featured in storytelling sessions and pilot events run by The Shared Chair.

How it works

Your lived experience matters!
Share it, inspire others, be a Human Book.

Bring Lived Experience to Your Event, Workshop, or Program

Every story carries insight, courage, and wisdom. At The Shared Chair, we believe that real understanding begins when people are heard, seen, and valued.

 

Organisations, schools, community groups, and workplaces often design policies, programs, and events without the voices of the people most affected. This leaves gaps, assumptions, and missed opportunities for connection. Stories change that.

From migration journeys to disability experiences, mental health, LGBTQIA+ perspectives, gender diverse voices, and beyond,  every lived experience has the power to inspire, teach, and transform. When you invite lived experience into your work, you:

  • Build empathy and understanding in your teams and communities.

  • Create programs and policies that are relevant, inclusive, and effective.

  • Challenge stigma and amplify voices that are often unheard.

  • Engage participants in ways that facts and figures alone cannot.

 

How it works:

  • Workshops & Facilitation: Interactive sessions that bring stories to life.

  • Human Library Experiences: Borrow a story for your event, program, or initiative.

  • Storytelling for Projects & Campaigns: Tailored sessions to support engagement, training, or advocacy.

  • Virtual & Video Experiences: Reach your audience anywhere, anytime.

 

No matter your focus or audience, we have stories ready to be shared,  to educate, connect, and inspire. All you need to do is invite us in.

Let’s work together to make lived experience the heartbeat of your next project, event, or initiative.

 

Upcoming Events

A Place Where Your Story Can Rest...

Someone once said, "if you don’t have anyone to share your story with, you begin to forget it." This space exists so your story can live, be held, and be remembered.

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Write your story here. Share as much or as little as you feel comfortable.


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