Storytelling Adventure

What to Expect

Imagine hiking through the forest, the sound of rushing water getting louder with every step, until you arrive at a breathtaking double waterfall. That's where this storytelling adventure unfolds.

This is not a typical storytelling workshop. It's a 4-hour outdoor creative experience that blends nature, reflection, and storytelling in one unforgettable setting.

Led by Cathey Armillas, TED speaker coach, storytelling expert, and Co-Founder of Speaker Skills Academy, you'll be guided through a series of creative exercises designed to help you uncover a powerful moment from your own life.

Using Cathey's Idea Map, her signature storytelling tool that has helped CEOs, TED speakers, and leaders craft compelling stories, you'll learn how to find the real idea inside your experience and shape it into a meaningful story.

Along the way you'll hike, pause for creative prompts, spark ideas, and explore how moments from our lives become powerful stories. The forest has a way of unlocking creativity, and the setting of the double waterfall makes the experience even more magical.

By the end of the adventure, everyone will have shaped a real story from their life and will share it with the group.

It's part hike, part creative lab, part storytelling experience.

And for many people, it becomes one of the most memorable storytelling experiences they've ever had.

Saturday Afternoon, April 11, 2026

The Storytelling Adventure takes place on the Saturday afternoon of Creative Lab PDX weekend. It's included as part of the full Creative Lab PDX experience, but a limited number of standalone tickets are available for those who want to join just for this unforgettable afternoon.

• When: Saturday afternoon, April 11, 2026
• Where: Columbia River Gorge, Portland, Oregon
• What to bring: Comfortable walking shoes, layers, water bottle, your best stories
• Price: $250 standalone (included with Creative Lab PDX registration)