Convivo

06/11/2025

With much gratitude for the awesome art of Erin Murphy Design, I'm delighted to announce Convivo's new logo and brand identity! Featuring Erin's original artwork, the logo speaks to Convivo's core value of building thoughtful human-to-human connection through authentic communication skills such as storytelling, public speaking, and more.

Despite what feels like ever-increasing AI hype, I'm really proud to have doubled down on working with actual talented human beings and supporting local small businesses. This logo is the product of collaborations and conversations with two amazing Berkshire-based artists and fellow EforAll Berkshire County small business graduates: Erin Murphy Design and Dan Morgan - photographer! They both listened carefully to the Convivo story -- and kept the focus on the client as the heart of the story throughout the many iterations of the logo design. Erin's final design brings all the themes together with elegance and the human touch. The three dots at the center of the logo represent people taking a Convivo class and working on their communication skills together, celebrating one another as they build authentic connections. The colors orange and blue represent Convivo's focus on building warmth, confidence, and joy in human connection. The custom hand-drawn font represents Convivo's commitment to honing the very human and messy craft of authentic communication.

And despite what feels like ever-increasing fascism, I'm really proud -- especially during Pride month -- to intentionally build the rainbow flag directly into the logo as a permanent signal of allyship and solidarity, not just as a temporary banner for a month. As a brown and bearded immigrant, I'm here to stay and to help build what's next, in community and connection with all who choose to fight the good fight.

Times have changed since Convivo's launch in October 2024, and it has been a long and tough first half of 2025. But I am energized by this new logo to build and offer new classes and programs -- with confidence and joy in the human touch. Stay tuned, and come join the journey -- come connect at ConnectConvivo.com!

01/02/2025

🎤🚀 Start off your 2025 with a fun and creative outlet: Develop confidence and joy in your public speaking and storytelling skills!

Come join a new 4-week storytelling class in North Adams in January 2025:

🐲 Adventures in Storytelling: Starts Jan 8!
📆 Wednesdays, 5.30pm - 7.00pm
🎤 Live showcase on Wed Jan 29!
📍 At Hotel Downstreet, North Adams
🎟️ $200 per person, with sliding scale discounts available:
--> ⛄️⛄️ 50% off with "bring a friend" discount: Buy one, get one free!
--> DM me for discount codes

➡️ Limited spots available! For more info and to register, click here: https://www.connectconvivo.com/storytelling

🖥️ Now also offering a VIRTUAL option at 12pm on Wednesdays: https://www.connectconvivo.com/storytelling-virtual

🤔 Ever been captivated by an engaging storyteller and wondered — gee, just how do they do it?

💭 Ever wanted to get better at telling stories, whether in personal or professional contexts, but don’t quite know how to get started?

📖 Storytelling is perhaps the most ancient of human arts, with a rich tapestry of traditions and techniques that can overwhelm you with where to begin. So… begin here!

🤘🏾 Join this live 4-week class to learn the five most important principles of storytelling in a warm, fun, and supportive experience! You will learn:

🔥 Five key elements of compelling stories
You will learn the five most effective elements that make stories truly compelling: motivating tension, main character(s), plot/twists, scenes, and supporting characters.

🔥 Storymapping and plot/twists
You will learn how to use a simple and flexible tool to help you map your story as a series of scenes that flow compellingly together.

🔥 Cinematic & experiential storytelling
You will learn how to make your stories come to life with vivid and multisensory storytelling techniques that hook your audience’s attention right away and make them feel like they are experiencing the story as if they are “there” in the action.

🔥 Dynamic audience engagement
You will learn how to engage and interact with your audience, so that they are drawn in and moved emotionally throughout your story.

🔥 No notes, no memorization
You will learn how to tell your story comfortably and confidently, and how to stick to your story without needing any notes or memorization.

12/17/2024

🚀 Develop confidence and joy in your public speaking and storytelling skills! Come join a new 4-week storytelling class in North Adams in January 2025:

🐲 Adventures in Storytelling: Starts Jan 8!
📆 Wednesdays, 5.30pm - 7.00pm
🎤 Live showcase on Wed Jan 29!
📍 At Hotel Downstreet, North Adams
🎟️ $200 per person
--> 🐣 Early bird discount: 20% off if purchased by Dec. 31
--> ⛄️⛄️ Bring a friend discount: Buy one, get one free!

➡️ Limited to just 10 participants! For more info and to register, click here: https://www.connectconvivo.com/storytelling

🖥️ Now also offering a VIRTUAL option at 12pm on Wednesdays: https://www.connectconvivo.com/storytelling-virtual

🤔 Ever been captivated by an engaging storyteller and wondered — gee, just how do they do it?

💭 Ever wanted to get better at telling stories, whether in personal or professional contexts, but don’t quite know how to get started?

📖 Storytelling is perhaps the most ancient of human arts, with a rich tapestry of traditions and techniques that can overwhelm you with where to begin. So… begin here!

🤘🏾 Join this live 4-week virtual class to learn the five most important principles of storytelling in a warm, fun, and supportive experience! You will learn:

🔥 Five key elements of compelling stories
You will learn the five most effective elements that make stories truly compelling: motivating tension, main character(s), plot/twists, scenes, and supporting characters.

🔥 Storymapping and plot/twists
You will learn how to use a simple and flexible tool to help you map your story as a series of scenes that flow compellingly together.

🔥 Cinematic & experiential storytelling
You will learn how to make your stories come to life with vivid and multisensory storytelling techniques that hook your audience’s attention right away and make them feel like they are experiencing the story as if they are “there” in the action.

🔥 Dynamic audience engagement
You will learn how to engage and interact with your audience, even in a virtual environment, so that they are drawn in and moved emotionally throughout your story.

🔥 No notes, no memorization
You will learn how to tell your story comfortably and confidently, and how to stick to your story without needing any notes or memorization.

So come connect at www.ConnectConvivo.com 🤝

Develop confidence and joy in your public speaking and storytelling skills! Learn and practice the five most important principles of storytelling in a warm, convivial, supportive group class led by international storytelling coach Hari Stephen Kumar. Celebrate your achievement in a live public showc

11/20/2024

So honored and grateful to have worked with the amazing team at Berkshire United Way on Mission-Driven Storytelling! We just completed an impactful two-week training program, involving:

✅ Full day workshop on Oct. 29
✅ Two weeks of post-workshop hands-on coaching for project teams
✅ Shareback celebration on Nov. 15 with potluck lunch 😋💗

The team worked hard on developing new stories emphasizing the crucial role of Berkshire United Way as an impact partner in elevating systems level change in Berkshire County to address urgent community challenges: household stability, mental health, and school and career readiness. By centering the passionate work of volunteers, funded partners, and communities themselves, Berkshire United Way comes alongside as a trusted and impactful partner that empowers advocacy, enables infrastructure, and convenes people to tackle problems larger than any one group could solve on their own.

I came away utterly inspired and energized by the Berkshire Untied Way team's dedication, passion, and fierce commitment to community. This is a small but mighty team, and I am so honored to promote their stories. They are making Berkshire County a better place, and we are all better for it. So here's major props 🙌🏾 to the team: Tom Bernard, Brenda Lee Petell, Chloe Rychcik, Gretchen Fairfield, Gretchen Weber, Karrie Buratto, Katherine von Haefen, and Pam Knisley!

Thank you team for all that you do and be! And thank you for being Convivo's launch partner for my work with mission-driven organizations!

10/25/2024

Excited and grateful to partner with Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires and Hotel Downstreet to offer a workshop for nonprofits on Mission-Driven Storytelling! Coming to the beautiful new Studio B artspace at Hotel Downstreet in North Adams on Wednesday, November 20! Check out details below to sign up!

💥 NEW WORKSHOP! 💥 Learn to confidently tell your nonprofit story compellingly and effectively. Wednesday, November 20, 9:30am - 11:30am in North Adams. You'll learn...

🌟 Why stories work so well to connect with audiences – and what NOT to do in storytelling.

🌟 How to center your organization’s story around your constituents as the main characters.

🌟 How to connect the programmatic details (the what and how) of your organization’s activities with a clear and compelling why (the motivating tension) that drives the story.

🌟 How to include just the right amount of detail when telling your story in scenes – show don’t tell, yes, but what does that actually mean for your stories?

🌟 Practical and visual story crafting tools that you can take away back to your organization to use for working on your next set of stories.