Whether you want to level up your storytelling practice, or you're just getting started, you're in exactly the right place.
About Me
I’m an editor and coach for creative people who want to tell better stories.
I help you find the strategies, tools and confidence so that you can figure out how you want to sound.
I don't want to hijack your narrative. I want to help you feel great about your own voice.
Hi, I'm Micaela...
... and I'm a literal story doctor.
(If you count the PhD in narrative education.)
When I left elementary school teaching in 2011 to pursue my PhD in Education, I could finally stay up late on a school night. My friend Gina took me to an open-mic storytelling night. I genuinely didn't expect to get picked, but I got picked first. I got onstage before I'd ever seen a true, personal story performed.
I was terrified. But surprise! It was exhilarating. I loved the narrative artistry, the feeling of community, and the honest connection that all started with sharing a story from my life.
I’m a teacher, so I knew I wanted to help other people experience those feelings too. And that one five minute story actually did change the course of my life.
I got started in this work because my bedtime was finally later than 9.
How it all began...
This doesn't have much to do with storytelling, I'm just excited about it. I'm learning "American Tune" at the moment-- very slowly.
I started learning piano.
08
My memoir, "The Secret Life of Your Third Grade Teacher," is coming in 2027 from Harper One. Subscribe to my newsletter to hear about my process and be the first to hear when it gets a release date!
I sold a book.
07
I'm proud to be the Storytelling Performance professor at The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies here in Portland.
I moved to Portland, ME.
06
In December 2024, Audible released my audio memoir: "You Will Not Recognize Your Life." It hit #2 in its category in just 3 months. Listen here!
I wrote an audio memoir.
05
In 2018, I headlined in their first ever sold out ballroom of 9,000 people. I was SO nervous and I did it anyway, and I'm pretty sure you can do the scary thing too!
I headlined the opening keynote for SXSW EDU.
04
My PhD research explores storytelling and identity in classroom spaces. My research keynotes are kind of dissertation stand-up. My vibe is "earnestly goofy but wise, with the research to back it up."
I got my doctorate in Education from NYU.
03
As Director of Education for the international storytelling nonprofit, I wrote the storytelling curriculum that thousands of teachers now use worldwide.
I co-founded The Moth's Education Program.
02
I won two Moth GrandSLAMs and I tour nationally with The Moth. My stories have been on This American Life, The Moth, Risk!, and many others. You can see some of them here.
I got really into storytelling performance.
01
Here are 8 highlights from the last 14 years, ever since that night.
The Highlights
Since that first nail-biting storytelling experience in Manhattan, I’ve coached almost a thousand storytellers: from curious first-timers to veteran authors, from marketing professionals to high school juniors.
I've learned that you don’t need to be a word-perfect performer to tell a kick-ass story. My signature teaching style blends deep empathy, rigorous craft and a medium dose of silliness, and I help people find and share the stories that connect with their listeners AND feel great to tell.
Stories-for-everyone is my life's work.
So now...
Heard on & Trusted by
I will not be taking questions at this time.
Waiting for Guffman is a perfect movie.
I live, work, make art and coach storytellers in the balance of these three ideas. You can read my mini-manifesto about it in this Story Letter post.
Fun. Soul. Rigor.
As someone with a neurodivergent brain and chronic illness, I honor my own needs while working, and I'll honor yours too. We bring our whole selves to creative, personal work. I value flexibility, respect and super clear communication as a way to make great work without struggle or burnout.
Be your whole self. I'll be mine.
Collaboration is a fundamental part of creativity, and we have each others' backs, even if we're at the mic one at a time.
Storytelling is a team sport. Let's play!
Storytelling creates connection, but it can also be a tool for manipulation or (worse) bigotry. I believe in vaccine science, climate change, LGBTQIA+ rights, Black lives mattering, and abortion as healthcare. If you don’t share those values, I’m not the story coach for you.
There’s no space for hate (or propaganda) in this work.
Storytelling is more than following a formula, and your story belongs to you. So I won't dictate your story choices, though I will give you concrete ideas and plenty of guidance to get there.
There's no perfect way to tell a story: there's your way.
Sure, we laugh a lot in my workshops -- but I take my values seriously.
My Approach
Micaela Blei is an award-winning storyteller, author and educator living in Portland, Maine. She's a two-time NYC Moth GrandSLAM champion and the former founding Director of Education at The Moth, where she designed the storytelling curriculum now used by thousands worldwide. She's the creator and host of The Story Letter, a podcast about telling better stories.
Micaela's own stories have been featured on This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour, and many other podcasts and platforms. Her 2024 Audible Original memoir You Will Not Recognize Your Life was a category bestseller, and her full-length memoir is forthcoming from HarperOne in 2027. Having coached hundreds of storytellers from nervous first-timers to seasoned professionals, she specializes in helping people figure out that they're actually very, very interesting.
Find out how to work with Micaela and hear more stories at micaelablei.com.
The less short bio
MICAELA BLEI, PHD, is an award-winning storyteller, veteran educator and story editor based in Portland, Maine. Find out more and see more stories at micaelablei.com.
The shortest little bio
