Writer, director, producer, and creative strategist Ryan Cunningham joins 100 Stories for a conversation about ADHD, identity, comedy, representation, creativity, and the stories we construct around our lives.

Ryan’s ADHD diagnosis changed the way she understood her past.

The events themselves stayed exactly where they were. What changed was the meaning she gave them.

Things she had interpreted as personal shortcomings suddenly had context. And with that context came a different relationship with herself: more kindness, more understanding, and less fighting against how her mind actually works.

We talk about meditation, directing, comedy, representation, and the moment Ryan stopped waiting for permission to lead creatively.

Then Ryan offers several ideas that push my thinking about Narrative Intelligence.

What happened and the story we construct about what happened are different things.

A useful story has to be strong enough to hold complexity.

And sometimes intelligence may require recognizing that something does not need to become a story at all.

What in your past might mean something different if you had more context now?

More about Ryan Cunningham: https://www.instagram.com/ryanecunningham

More about Paige Williams: https://paigewilliams.co/

StoryKeys: https://storykeys.co/

The 100 Stories Project: https://100storiesproject.com/