Leadership Story Lab Announces First International Cohort

Global leaders from Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Bahrain earn Certified Story Facilitation certification

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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Leadership Story Lab, a storytelling consultancy based in Chicago, has announced the first fully international cohort to earn their Level 1 Certified Story Facilitation certification. The cohort includes Saif Rahman, Program Manager at Nesma and Partners in Saudi Arabia; Amy Moore, Executive and Team Coach, and Writer of Teaching Cases in South Africa; and Ahmed Alfadhel, Director Strategy and Corporate Performance at BNET Bahrain Network in Bahrain.

Why it matters

In divisive times, leaders are turning to storytelling skills to foster authentic communication and connection within their organizations. The Certified Story Facilitation program empowers leaders with the skills to build trust, motivate teams, and demonstrate their fitness to lead.

The details

The six-week Certified Story Facilitation program teaches participants how to engage others and support them in telling their own stories through storytelling tools like fundamental storytelling frameworks, IRS Paired Introduction, Crazy Good Questions, and Aggressive Listening. With Level 1 complete, the new certified story facilitators will continue investing in their communication skills through an exclusive monthly professional development call with the broader community.

  • The first fully international cohort earned their Level 1 Certification at the end of 2025.
  • Leadership Story Lab's Certified Story Facilitator (CSF) program is now in its fifth year.

The players

Saif Rahman

Program Manager at Nesma and Partners in Saudi Arabia.

Amy Moore

Executive and Team Coach, and Writer of Teaching Cases in South Africa.

Ahmed Alfadhel

Director Strategy and Corporate Performance at BNET Bahrain Network in Bahrain.

Esther Choy

Founder and CEO of Leadership Story Lab, a women-led storytelling consultancy based in Chicago.

Eugene Toh

A Level 2 Certified Story Facilitator based in Singapore.

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What they’re saying

“Attending the Certified Storytelling Facilitator Program transformed my writing and communication. This structured, yet flexible process is the most well-designed course, with real rigor, I have experienced. Working on the final project proved the quality was maintained throughout. I am now more confident in facilitating business storytelling workshops and sessions for leaders.”

— Saif Rahman, Program Manager at Nesma High Training Institute in Saudi Arabia

“Across the globe, cultures and languages, people crave stories: telling theirs and listening to others. There is something powerful about truly seeing others and being seen. Leaders who are skilled in holding space for their team to tell and listen to stories hold the key to thrive and succeed in the 21st Century.”

— Esther Choy, Founder of Leadership Story Lab

“The calls remind me that storytelling is a living discipline. You never truly 'arrive'; you keep refining, listening, and adjusting. Each session offers a gentle recalibration — a reminder that facilitation is not about control, but about creating conditions for discovery.”

— Eugene Toh, Level 2 Certified Story Facilitator

What’s next

With Level 1 complete, the new certified story facilitators are invited to continue investing in their communication skills through an exclusive monthly professional development call with all the other certified story facilitators in Leadership Story Lab's community, and to continue on through the next two levels of certification, which builds story mastery progressively.

The takeaway

In an era of division, global leaders are investing in storytelling skills to build authentic communication and connection within their organizations. The Certified Story Facilitation program empowers leaders to meet goals, see differently, and create meaning through the power of story.