Telling your story can be empowering, but also intimidating. Whether you’re applying for a peer support program, speaking publicly, or supporting someone one-on-one, knowing how to share lived experience without rambling, freezing, or oversharing is a skill worth developing.
In this post, I’ll walk you through a simple storytelling formula I use called LISO a structure designed to help you tell your story with intention, emotional safety, and clarity.
Not into reading right now? No problem! Check out the video here:
Storytelling is a powerful tool in peer support and mental health recovery. Research shows that sharing personal experience can help others feel less alone, foster connection, and reduce stigma. But it’s not just about helping others—it’s about helping yourself make sense of where you’ve been and where you’re going.
Still, one of the most common questions I hear from new peer supporters or applicants to the School of Peer Support is: “How do I tell my story without oversharing or going blank?”
That’s why I created the LISO method.
LISO stands for:
This storytelling technique is especially useful in peer support, mental health work, speaking engagements, and job interviews. Let’s break it down.
This is the foundation of your story—your lived experience.
You don’t have to tell your whole life story. Focus on a moment, chapter, or turning point that’s relevant to the situation.
If you’re supporting someone, you might not have the exact same experience—but you can still connect emotionally. For example, if someone is talking about feeling stuck in a relationship, you might remember a time you felt stuck in a different area of your life. Connection often lives in shared feelings, not identical situations.
Before you share, ask yourself:
If you’re preparing a speech or application, consider:
After you’ve shared what happened, offer a bit of context. This helps your listener or reader understand why the experience mattered.
You might include:
In a peer support setting, this could sound like:
“At the time, I didn’t know how to ask for help, so I pulled away from everyone.”
You don’t need to relive every detail—just enough to show what it meant to you.
This is where you share what you did to cope, heal, or grow.
It could be:
You don’t need a happy ending—just honesty.
And it’s okay if you’re still figuring it out. The strategy section doesn’t have to be “I solved it.” It can be:
“Here’s what I tried. Here’s what I’m still working on.”
Also—positive experiences are worth sharing too. Stories of joy, peace, or even small wins are deeply valuable in mental health spaces.
Wrap your story by sharing where things stand now.
Your outcome doesn’t need to be perfect or polished.
It might be: “I still have tough days, but now I have support.”
Or: “I’m still working on it—but I’ve learned how to check in with myself.”
Even showing up and telling your story with intention is part of the outcome.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is this:
You don’t owe your story to anyone.
You get to decide how you share it, when you share it, and why you’re sharing it. That choice is part of your power.
The LISO framework is just one way to take something deeply personal and make it a little more manageable, a little more clear.