Stories for Action

22/09/2025

No matter the challenge at hand, I believe the most effective response is that which is guided by the local community & is collaborative in who it brings to the table. Yes, it can make it more “complicated”… but life is complex, and if our response doesn’t mirror that complexity, we are doing ourselves a disservice. I’ve seen the benefits of this approach around the world. It always looks different, but the outcomes are longer lasting & create multiple benefits with a single program.

That’s why it was an honor to be a part of the Watershed Symposium this past weekend. It was a gathering of folks who are involved in this community-led, collaborative approach (also known as the “watershed approach”, understanding that all elements in a watershed, people and place, are interconnected).
It filled me with hope to connect with the people who selflessly give their focus & heart to benefit their community and the environments they’re a part of. In my opinion, if we really care about results and betterment, this approach is all that we should be incentivizing.

Thank you to MWCC for inviting me to lead presentations on how folks can share the story of their work in a way that expands their impact. I aimed to show how everyone, not just those working in Communications, have storytelling as part of their role. That their experiences have power to inform and create change, and they can insert these story moments throughout their day - from casual conversations to social media. How sharing human experience & connecting deeper through honesty and vulnerability leads to stronger working or personal relationships, and can be the antidote to the polarizing way in which we receive information these days.

I believe this locally-led, collaborative approach can move mountains, so thank you to those involved in that work, everywhere.

For the symposium, we only had time to share some tools. But if would like us to customize an in-depth Story Workshop for your org or working group, do reach out! [email protected]

Workshops can include everything from creating a Communications Roadmap to entry-level video or podcast training.

29/08/2025

https://www.kulr8.com/news/crow-and-northern-cheyenne-unveil-new-housing-for-healthcare-workers/article_4ccdf2ea-3f2a-4555-bba0-2815afbda75d.html

CROW RESERVATION, Montana - The Crow and Northern Cheyenne communities have taken a significant step to address the healthcare crisis on the reservation by unveiling a new housing facility dedicated

21/08/2025

I’m really looking forward to hearing from young people in Winnett!

Thank you to Winnett Superintendent Teri Harris & Mrs. Jill Eness (Winnett School History & English Teacher) for inviting this opportunity, and to Winnett ACES for helping to coordinate.

Thank you to these supporters who are making this event possible, and making it free of charge to the school:

Sandra Lambert
Chris & Jennifer Boyer
BioRegions International
Montagne-Montagne Family Fund
The Milton Family Ranch
Chelsea McKenna Design Chelsea McKenna Design

You all are amazing, thank you for showing up!

Growing up in a small town, and moving to a big city on the opposite side of the country after high school, I remember the feeling of downplaying where I grew up - thinking that folks would have certain judgements of those who grew up in rural places. I did a 180 from that younger mindset, don’t worry.
Throughout my 20’s, my eyes were opened to just how special it was to grow up where I did…that my upbringing and the place I grew up taught me lessons and skills that were highly valuable. I wish I had known that right out of the gates, but here we are. I want young people to see the value in the places that shape them, the communities that raise them, and to see that their perspectives and experiences, yes as a teenager, have great value. Not saying these teens don’t have all that already, I’m just looking forward to hearing from them and digging into it.

Are you a middle school, high school, or college-level educator who wants to have us host a Story Workshop for your students? These are very customizable to different objectives and topics, and can include entry level film and/or podcasting training. Reach out! [email protected]

21/08/2025

Missoula County has rolled out the draft of a letter stating the value of the U.S. Forest Service's Region 1 office in Missoula.

21/08/2025

I’m really looking forward to hearing from young people in Winnett!

Thank you to Winnett Superintendent Teri Harris & Mrs. Jill Eness (Winnett School History & English Teacher) for inviting this opportunity, and to for helping to coordinate it.

Thank you to these supporters who are making this event possible, and making it free of charge to the school:
Sandra Lambert
Chris & Jennifer Boyer

Montagne-Montagne Family Fund
The Milton Family Ranch
Chelsea McKenna Design weatherly
You all are amazing, thank you for showing up!

Growing up in a small town, and moving to a big city on the opposite side of the country after high school, I remember the feeling of downplaying where I grew up - thinking that folks would have certain judgements of those who grew up in rural places. I’ve done a 180 from that younger mindset, don’t worry.
Throughout my 20’s, my eyes were opened to just how special it was to grow up where I did…that my upbringing and the place I grew up taught me lessons and skills that were highly valuable. I wish I had known that right out of the gates, but here we are. I want young people to see the value in the places that shape them, the communities that raise them, and to see that their perspectives and experiences, yes as a teenager, have great value. Not saying these teens don’t have all that already, I’m just looking forward to hearing from them and digging into it.

Are you a middle school, high school, or college-level educator who wants to have us host a Story Workshop for your students? These are very customizable to different objectives and topics, and can include entry level film and/or podcasting training. Reach out! [email protected]

13/08/2025

It’s all connected: the health of communities, environments, local economies, health, and more. Find the 6 films and 30+ podcast episodes (all available for free) at LIFEintheLAND.org!

Enjoy them on your own or incorporate them as a free tool in your work - spark dialogue in a community gathering, organization, classroom, & more.

Reach out to [email protected] if you would like to use the content in a public setting and to receive a free Screening Guide or Lesson Plan (high school, college, adult-EF levels). We can also host Story Workshops for your community or group.

Accompanying podcasts are available on the Stories for Action series, on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, other platforms.

Project features:
.connections Mighty Few Community Development, Wyola Development Fund, , among others not on IG.

Production Leads:

Project sponsors: Big Sky Film Grant, Crocus Foundation, , , Greater Montana Foundation, Sandra Lambert, Foundation for Community Vitality, Scott Family, Courtney Scott, .weatherly, Milton Family Ranch, , , Bill Long & Billie Miller, Joan & Cliff Montagne, , Sustainable Ranching Initiative, , Rodney Frey, Gary Whited, Fernanda Robert, Kathie Messer, podcasts: , Wilburforce Foundation, , , , , , Chase Hibbard, Beth Madden, Sarah & Andy Roubik, , Chris & Jen Boyer

24/07/2025

I spent some time recently filming at , north of Havre, MT…on the high Hi-Line.

For the past few years, from afar, I’ve admired the approach of Vilicus Farms’ owners & farmers, Doug and Anna. Meeting them & seeing their operation in action reminded me of why I became a nerd about food systems years ago. It hits on all the things; land health, public health, economics, community connection, resilience. The way in which we design our food system has the power to “make” or “break” all of these elements. Doug & Anna are doing what they can to shift things to “make” it for all components.

Yes, they’re an organic operation, but it’s not about checking a box for certification. It’s a way of interacting with the world, of designing a business…to work with the land & take its lead, to build relationships with & give ownership to your buyers, to question the system that tells operations to dump more chemicals on the ground each year to produce the required yield, and to question all elements that keep our nation’s farmers in a constant financial squeeze.

Vilicus is proving how regenerative organic practices can be applied to large scale food production. They produce over 20 types of grain & crop species. We’re talking massive machinery & towering grain bins.

I appreciated speaking with Anna about an unfortunate narrative that villainizes non-organic, or conventional, farms. Farmers are working their tails off in a system that’s becoming more & more consolidated & corporate. It’s the system that needs to be called out.

Doug and Anna work to bring awareness to the needed systemic shifts. Not only land practices, but how to make the economics actually work for farmers. How to make farming & land more accessible for younger generations. How our food system mirrors public health. Their operation shows that large scale food production doesn’t need to sacrifice ecosystem health. Dividing their crop fields, they have pollinator strips; dense with native prairie grasses & blooms buzzing with life.

It’s inspiring, and like any farming, it’s loads of work & challenges. Respect to those who grow our food. 💪

📸 Photos #1-4 by

23/07/2025

On my birthday I climbed to the top of a mountain peak, to clear my head & give myself a physical kick in the butt. You just need it sometimes.

There’s been a lot happening in the world, as there always is, and my mind was spinning. I spent the entirety of the miles thinking about humanity…how the greedy stay in power and how the hardworking too often go unheard. About psychology, why we sometimes blindly follow, how we divide ourselves & seem to have lost interest in practicing basic curiosity or empathy for varied perspectives.

Why wasn’t I spending my time reflecting on the nature around me on the trail? I realized, this is nature…human nature…and as long as we have been walking on this planet we have been competing and conflicting with one another, it’s nothing new.

But it is also deep rooted human nature to seek connection and interact functionally in community (both immediate and distant), to take in new information and allow it to shift our view, to hunger for a better way forward. How do we tap more into THAT deep rooted human nature?

The same things still steer my compass for the types of stories I care to uplift, why I stepped away from the mainstream film industry and started four years ago:
⚡️I see greed at the top manipulating hardworking people at the bottom, also damaging our land & waters, and I want us to keep our eyes open to it.
⚡️I see division fueled by online polarization and I want us to humanize each other. And to bring back the value in healthy discourse & debate, not sweeping generalizations and purity test arguments.
⚡️I see incredible actions being taken by local communities to better their place, and I want our systems to incentivize that approach. For it to spread like wildfire.

So that’s why we’re here, doing what we can through story. Short films, a podcast, story workshops, and sharing content from others on our social media “stories”.

I’m grateful you’re here with us. We’ve been working on some projects I’m excited to share with you. Stay tuned.
- Lara, Stories for Action director

23/07/2025

On my birthday I climbed to the top of a mountain peak, to clear my head and give myself a physical kick in the butt. You just need it sometimes.

There’s been a lot happening in the world, as there always is, and my mind was spinning. I spent the entirety of the miles thinking about humanity…how the greedy maintain their power and how the hardworking too often go unheard. About psychology, why we blindly follow or believe what we do, how we divide ourselves and seem to have lost interest in practicing curiosity or empathy for varied perspectives.

Why wasn’t I spending my time on the trail reflecting on the nature around me. I realized, this IS nature…human nature…and as long as we have been walking on this planet we have been competing and conflicting with one another, it’s nothing new.

But it is also deep rooted human nature to connect and interact functionally in community (both immediate and distant)…to take in new information and allow it to shift our view, to hunger for a better way forward. How do we tap more into THAT deep rooted human nature?

The same things still steer my compass for what types of stories I care to uplift, why I stepped away from the mainstream film industry and started four years ago:
⚡️I see greed at the top manipulating hardworking people at the bottom, damaging our land and waters, and I want us to keep our eyes open to it.
⚡️I see division fueled by online polarization and I want us to humanize each other & stay curious.
⚡️I see incredible actions being taken by local communities to better their place, and I want our systems to incentivize that approach, for it to spread like wildfire.

So that’s why we are here, doing what we can through the power of story. I’m grateful you’re here with us. We have been working on some projects this year I’m excited to share with you all. Stay tuned.
- Lara

18/06/2025

Check out our latest Stories for Action podcast episode - touching on things that are relatable across Montana, and across the country.

This episode follows up on something covered in our Housing in Montana episode. The city of Whitefish, like many places, has become a place where working class people and families are struggling or unable to stay, largely due to housing costs. Many say they no longer feel like they are welcome in their own town, that it is not made for them, but more so caters to wealthy visitors or newcomers. A lack of community identity and belonging has real impacts.

Along with important updates on Whitefish’s growth planning processes, ’s Nathan Dugan also talks about the general need for younger people to have their voices be heard. As he says, often city council members are over 50, many more over 60, and the people sharing their public comments are largely over 50 or 60. Their voices are important too of course, but when only one age group makes up the input for decisions being made, addressing realistic challenges for other age groups can get left out.

In Montana, the deadline to put your name in to run for local government is June 11th, so yes it just passed, but mark your calendar for next year! And if you’re not interested in running yourself, support any friends who are…it takes a village to campaign, especially for people who aren’t retired age, who may be balancing jobs, kids, tight finances. Help them knock on doors, hang posters, offer to watch their kids, donate what you can. We all can play our role in keeping democracy alive and well 💪.

Also, Nathan has put his name in for Whitefish City Council:

Find the Stories for Action podcast: www.StoriesforAction.org/podcast

#406

11/06/2025

Nonprofit leaders concerned that further budget cuts could limit services available to communities statewide.

10/06/2025

We believe sharing stories & experiences contributes to more connected & empowered communities. Creating this opportunity for young people can reinforce a connection to place, civic involvement, understanding varied perspectives, and communication skills that they can carry with them on their future paths.

In 2022, Stories for Action produced a film series that featured stories of locally-led efforts in rural Montana (Life in the Land). One community featured in the series was Winnet, MT. This Fall, to expand on that elevation of story, we want to give Winnett teens a chance to articulate their own stories & connection to place.

About the Workshop: Winnett High School students will spend 2 class sessions writing & sharing their stories of how they connect to their community & landscape: past, present, and future.
The workshop aims to:
- uplift the value in students' personal experiences.
- show how their "place" imprints them as a person.
- raise awareness on what moving parts contribute to a thriving community.
- allow students to learn about their classmates' perspectives.
- create an opportunity for students to sharpen skills of civic engagement, research, public speaking, writing, & more.

In the evening, along with Winnett ACES, we will also co-host a gathering open to the community. We will screen the film that Winnett is featured in, "Life in the Land: The Central Montana Plains", Winnett ACES can share updates with and hear from the public, and some teens can share their story with the adults of the community.

Your donation will make the workshop for Winnett Teens and the community gathering possible. Any amount is greatly appreciated! Head to www.StoriesforAction.org/support or contact [email protected] for more info. Contact us if you want to make your payment directly (bypass our 501c3 fiscal sponsor & avoid the 8% processing fee). Thank you so much!

#406