About Hillary Rea
To quote the great Valerie Cherish: “I’m a storyteller.”
I’m the Founder of Tell Me A Story (you are currently on the website for this company), the creator of the podcast Rashomon, and a keynote speaker.
Get to know me and my work:
Hillary’s Five Word Life Story from April 5, 2023.
What’s a Five Word Life Story? It’s the foundational brainstorming exercise that all TMAS clients get to do with Hillary. It’s also a podcast coming late 2023/early 2024. Stay tuned!
10 things that are super important to know about me:
I wrote a book when I was 10 called Millicent Wimbleberry: The Early Years. That same year, I accidentally insulted Kevin Bacon, and many many years later that experience launched my storytelling career. (You can listen to the story here.)
I deleted all of my social media accounts on December 31, 2020. Almost all of my clients use social media as a core part of their work and I see my social-media-free perspective on their stories and how they are being shared as a huge value add. I’ll worry about the narrative, you (or your team) can worry about the algorithm. Although please don’t worry about that too much…
I have been taking voice lessons for 30 years and I hold a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from New York University. While I no longer desire to be on Broadway, I LOVE being in the audience. Current faves: Six and Kimberly Akimbo.
I auditioned for The Bachelor when I was 26. In truth, I wanted to be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and I believed this was my way in. I walked into that audition absolutely pretending to be someone I was not, and walked out feeling like I over-performed and hid all of the things that make me who I am. If anything this experience (and the story I’ve told about it on stage) fueled my passion to help reality series stars tell the stories of who they really are — whether they want to show up on DWTS or a platform of their own making.
I’m a dual citizen of the US and the UK! I’m not bi-continental yet, but I soon will be. Instead of house hunting, I’m on a mission to solve the mystery of the flat once bequeathed in a will to my father by his fallen-ill aunt until all of a sudden the will was “changed” so that the flat (in Hampstead Heath!!!) went to her doctor instead. Show me the receipts! Let’s get this story on This American Life!
In 2018, I completed a two-year certificate in Audio Documentary from Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies and, whilst in that program, launched my podcast, Rashomon. I am fascinated by both documentary and narrative ethics and believe that everyone has a right to tell their story in their own voice, with their own words, and with their own perspective. Own your narrative!!
I love personal development and love working with people who love personal development. Do you have an astrologer? Awesome. Do you have a therapist? Fabulous. Have you been to Hoffman? So cool, I’m jealous.
In 2022, I went on a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation course and completed my second course in the Fall of 2023. I do my best to meditate every single day, including in preparation for any kind of public speaking/storytelling.
I’m a hobby tap dancer and currently spend my Monday nights in an Intermediate/Advanced tap class of all women ranging from the ages of 30-70.
If you are here reading this, I believe in you, your voice, and your stories. I cry every single time I witness my clients share who they are through the stories they tell. It’s life-changing, healing work for you and for your audience (me included).
A selection of my podcast guest interviews:
Click on the podcast artwork to listen to each interview.
Photo and Bios:
Hillary Rea, Founder of Tell Me A Story
Photo credit: Heather McBride Photography
+ The Short + Sweet Bio
Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a communications consulting and coaching business that works with people in the public eye who need to craft a new narrative, communicate it with impact, and become more confident as they become more visible. She helps them to own their voice and then empowers them to use it — by sharing their unique stories with honesty and passion.
Through her company’s signature Crafting Your Narrative: Solo Retreat, as well as ongoing coaching partnerships, Hillary helps her clients own their voice and then empowers them to use it — by sharing their unique stories with honesty and passion.
She is an award-winning storyteller (NYC Moth StorySLAM winner and 2019 Rad Award for Storyteller of the year), and has been telling her own stories on stage since 2009 - as a performer, as the host of a the long-running Tell Me A Story Live Show, and now as a keynote speaker.
In addition to running her own business, Hillary is an audio documentarian. She produced and hosted three seasons of Rashomon (pronounced Ra-SHO-MAHN) - a long form narrative storytelling podcast where one family tells every side of the same story. You can listen to it on your favorite podcast player. New podcast coming soon!
+ The Longer One
From her first time performing experimental comedy at Space 1026, to winning a Moth StorySLAM, to realizing the power of storytelling in the workplace, Hillary Rea is an expert in the art of using personal experiences to build trust, inspire, and help people understand each other on a deeper level.
Standing on stage at her first ever open mic storytelling event – rain-drenched, having cashed in her piggy bank to pay for admission into a local story slam event – Hillary’s heart was beating out of her chest. She forced herself to do what she had set out to do.
“Telling my story to an audience of strangers changed the whole way I viewed performing and communicating – I discovered that I didn't just love making people laugh, I loved building meaningful connections with strangers while bringing them on a journey that had a beginning, middle, and end.”
From there, her newfound passion led her to create one of Philadelphia’s longest-running storytelling shows. She went on to develop the Tell Me A Story brand as a full-service communication consulting business, showing her clients how the art of storytelling can translate beautifully as a powerful communication tool. Through her workshops, coaching and keynote speaking, she invites others to engage in genuine conversation and develop their ability to spark authentic human connection.
Hillary is a graduate of New York University's Steinhardt School with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, and holds a certificate in Audio Documentary from Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies. She is also the producer and host of Rashomon, a narrative storytelling podcast in which one family shares every side of the same story. Rashomon was selected as one of 100 Outstanding Podcasts of 2018 + 2019 by Bello Collective and named one of the "Best Kept Secret" podcasts from Inside Podcasting.
Hillary has worked with 1812 Productions behind the scenes (It's My Party: The Women and Comedy Project) and on stage (A Tribute to Joan Rivers). She is a NYC Moth StorySLAM winner, a 2016 Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts recipient, and received the 2019 Rad Award for Storyteller of the Year.