Stephen Satterfield

When we understand the complex factors that make up an individual’s origin story, we unlock a new path to empathy, says Stephen Satterfield. In this talk, the host of the critically acclaimed Netflix docuseries High on the Hog reveals his framework of “origin foraging” and how it can help us understand not only ourselves but all the people around us.

“Foraging for origin just means understanding where the things we eat come from, as a way to better understand the experience of being human,” Stephen says. A former sommelier, he reveals how the stories behind the food we eat can reveal our personal terroir (“where we came from, and how the soil, climate, slopes, and human intervention played into how we are and who we are”). And he shows how, in our divided time, this insight can help us forge new paths towards community, connection, and belonging.

“Story and power are synonymous,” says Stephen Satterfield, host of Netflix’s Peabody Award-winning docuseries High on the Hog. A good story is the most influential form of power in the world—nothing else comes close.

Stephen has spent his career wielding the power of story to influence culture, shape perspectives, and reframe our understanding of our history. In this talk, he unpacks the function and utility of story, showing audiences how to use it to gain and wield power or hold it to account. He teaches leaders, marketers, and everyone else how to choose the right narrative for your audience and articulate a compelling message. And he offers new inspiration to use this knowledge to make your own voice heard.