Master the art of personal storytelling by learning how to hook your audience, improvise authentically, and craft narratives that resonate. Discover the techniques that transform ordinary events into unforgettable stories.
In Conversation
Jade Arthur for Bold. Brilliant. Unstoppable.
Read the transcript
Jade Arthur: And I want to be here to show them that being a woman can be a variety of different things that represent who you are, and helping them express that story that's inside them to create opportunities in line with their vision and their goals in life.
What does being an Influential Woman mean to you?
Jade Arthur: What does being an influential woman mean to me? It means being somebody that other women trust to get them the help that they need. We live in a place where women are often overlooked, whether because of their gender alone, their race, or pre-held assumptions about who they are and what they should be. And I want to be here to show them that being a woman can be a variety of different things that represent who you are, and helping them express that story that's inside them to create opportunities in line with their vision and their goals in life.
What's one piece of advice you would give to younger women chasing their dreams?
Jade Arthur: For women chasing their dreams, I would say. Why are you chasing it? What are you trying to attain that feels far away? And you have to run after it, like it's something that isn't available to you now. We look at our dreams as something that is far away. And the fact is, is that we're already. In the process of getting to that dream. So if we look at chasing them, Then we look at it as a struggle. And we need to look at attainment of that goal, of that dream. As something that starts right now, it's right here. That dream could be any day in any way, or It could already be showing itself up in your life somehow. You just need to be able to see what does the dream look like in the realm that I inhabit now. How can I act on what is possible in my life that I haven't. Understood how to cultivate yet, like, for example, whether it be how you make a connection and how you say the words that make that connection more valuable to you and to them, and, and make yourself valuable to them. What is that dream? That feels like you need to chase it. And how can you feel closer to it? So that There are places you can walk to in that dream. That are right nearby. What does that look like? How can you walk those routes now? And not feel like it's a struggle to get where you wanna go.
Full transcript available
Her Story
About Jade
I'm a career coach for job seekers in gaming, where I help them articulate their value, voice, and vision by overcoming different villains in their job search - these are representations of the challenges they face, like the cover letter crusher and the interview assassin. By doing this, I help them create opportunities in their industry, rather than waiting around for the perfect role. I also teach ESL to business professionals, coaching them to be better able to go beyond just the grammar and the language to manifesting what they read and see in the materials that I provide. Through all of this, I help people tell their story, essentially connecting the parts of what they do, how they think, why they're there, to ultimately what inspired them and what they hope to accomplish in their lives. I run my own company, Make the Grade with Jade, which evolved from just teaching ESL to job coaching when I realized that the intersection between gaming and education was where I really shined. I grew up as a huge Pokemon fan, watching E3 conferences and gaming content, and I realized that I could connect and understand the gaming world in a way that allowed me to differentiate myself in the marketplace.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jade
01What do you attribute your success to?
Partnerships. Without connecting with people in gaming, including the founder of Malayla Interactive Chris Salas and two-time Shark Tank Alum/founder of Game Class Skyler Scarlett, I wouldn't have discovered the meaningful possibilities in cultivating mutually beneficial offers with others. Whether it's providing feedback on a beta version of an app, co-hosting an educational workshop, or simply promoting a great service, I realize how valuable and necessary it is to build a "safety net-work" that can make you more credible, visible, and helpful.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
"Treat LinkedIn like a game." Why? Well, partly because I kept collected people in my network like Pokemon rather than only connecting with people I knew or thought I could help. But it's also something I've realized I can, and should, apply to every challenge aspect of life, including job searching. This forms the backbone of my approach to career coaching -- giving job seekers in gaming a fun, interactive, story-telling adventure where they need to overcome job search villains to better articulate their value so they can create meaningful opportunities in their industry. It's a reminder that things that seem repetitive and unavoidable can be viewed as gamified progress.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you're going to do something like this, then you need to understand it's going to be a difficult journey to figure out how you stand out, and to find sustainable income while you're figuring this out. If this is truly where you know you belong, and you know you can offer the greatest value, then figure out how you can differentiate yourself from me, from other job coaches. You need to see where do I fit in this world. I do this with my job seekers, because I show them that there can be dozens of 3D artists and game designers and narrative designers, but everybody has their own pathway into that, and everybody has their own vision that they want to articulate. So if you want to be a career coach in gaming, find out what aspects - is it just teaching anyone? Is it particularly programmers? Is it creatives? What world do you want to help with, and what world do you want to create within the same space that I inhabit?
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Finding clients have the financial means to afford my services. Working with job seekers will always be challenging as their resources are limited. But especially in a creative industry like gaming, job seekers don't know how to trust and why they should try an approach that doesn't fit the status quo. I intend to show people that it's not just about tweaking your resuming; it's about making a cohesive application built on the unique story and branding you offer recruiters. Without it, you'll use the same language everyone else uses to describe yourself, you miss out on unlocking the verbiage needed to differentiate yourself from your contemporaries.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I focus on five areas:
Cohesion – Creating a clear narrative that explains how your experiences fit together and where you're headed.
Unique Approach – Identifying what you do differently from other candidates with similar backgrounds.
Differentiation – Stand out beyond technical skills, especially in a market where portfolios often look very similar.
Value – Clarifying the impact you create and the problems you solve for teams and players.
Vision – Defining what kind of work excites you and what you're ultimately trying to contribute to the industry.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Jade
What You Need To Tell A Great Personal Story
Master the art of crafting compelling personal narratives that captivate and resonate with your audience.
Tell Me Something About Yourself
"Tell me something about yourself."
This can be an intimidating prompt for anyone who isn't accustomed to revealing aspects of their past in a way that hooks an audience, maintains their interest, and ultimately concludes with a satisfying resolution. But it doesn't have to be.
Storytelling elements weave their way into numerous aspects of our daily lives, from the subtle cues of body language to the shared humor that characterizes our closest friendships. There are countless avenues worth exploring for the interesting insights they offer.
One of the biggest challenges we face, however, is identifying and articulating the exact elements needed to craft a lasting narrative. Our tendency is to pursue facts first, finding an appropriate order for the events we recall and piecing them together convincingly.
The problems with this approach are obvious: a flawed memory bank, a focus on static details, and a method of expression that often feels inorganic.
Great storytellers are able to assemble fascinating tales illustrated with clever foreshadowing, improvisation, and emotional resonance. Others often pick and choose techniques they find valuable without realizing how the perception of their storytelling methods can significantly enhance the effectiveness of their delivery.
Combined with a creative structure, these elements can unlock the beauty of storytelling at its finest.
So, how can you combine perception and structure to create a rich narrative that enthralls and engages your audience?
Your Perception Does Not Equal Their Perception
What you tell—and how you tell it—depends on that amazing filter known as your brain. You select the parts of the story you want to highlight. You decide what is worth mentioning and what is irrelevant.
The problem is that we're not always the best judges of what other people will find interesting.
We may think our first romantic relationship is filled with storytelling potential. Likewise, we may assume that our late-night binge of the first season of Stranger Things is just filler material. But most events aren't inherently compelling or uninteresting. They are simply the ingredients that help form a memorable tale.
Like a delicious meal created by a master chef, those ingredients cannot stand alone and be appetizing, nor can they simply be thrown together without thought.
Yes, a recipe helps make a meal palatable. But to truly make it your own, you need to know how to improvise.
Improvisation Nation
Perception can help us adjust the highs and lows of our story, focusing on others' reactions to gain valuable feedback about how it should be told. Improvisation adds an extra layer of personalization that elevates the narrative.
For example, when you're talking about the time you failed a math exam, you might adjust your language depending on the audience. With your classmates, you may mention that you were up late partying. With a friend, you might notice their Marvel T-shirt and mention seeing someone wearing the same shirt at the party.
It's these small connective details that build richer stories—stories that people are more likely to remember and connect with.
The Hook Brings You Back (Thanks Blues Traveler!)
Just as you add new elements with each retelling and audience, you also need to capture people's attention from the very beginning.
Launching into your story from the point where you believe it begins doesn't necessarily mean you've found the best starting point. There are many possible threads to pull first, such as jumping directly to the climax or establishing meaningful backstory.
Knowing the right hook can bring you back to what matters most.
Likewise, a well-crafted hook can help shape the middle and end of your story. If you begin with receiving a mysterious package in the mail, once you've revealed what's inside, you might return to the strange address and uncover who actually sent it. You could then end the story by describing how you eventually met the sender in person—or how you later sent them a mysterious package of your own in gratitude.
Keep the beginning in mind throughout your entire story, and you'll be able to layer and interweave relevant plot points until you've constructed a deeply engaging narrative.
The Story Is Yours to Tell
If there's anything I want you to take away from this, it's this:
Tell the story you want to tell in the way it needs to be told.
It's your narrative.
Construct it around the elements you care about—the ones that make it meaningful and worth hearing.
Then consider your audience's needs in the telling.
What would they want to hear? What would keep their interest? Why would they care to listen?
Put yourself in their shoes and see how they fit.
You may find they're far more comfortable when you intentionally adjust the sole—or rather, the soul—of your story before beginning the journey.
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