The Power of Storytelling in the Age of AI | Donna Griffit on Startup Pitching & DeckCheck

In this engaging episode of Future-Proofed, Brent sits down with Donna Griffit, world-renowned pitch alchemist and author of Sticking to My Story, to explore the timeless power of storytelling — even in a world driven by AI. Donna unpacks her journey from NYU drama therapy to helping over 1,000 startups and Fortune 500s nail their message, raise capital, and win attention. She shares how her AI-powered tool, DeckCheck, is helping founders strengthen their pitches, and explains why storytelling remains the emotional core of all successful communication.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & 30-minute AI help session offer
00:52 – Meet Donna Griffit: her journey from NYU to pitch alchemy
03:30 – From corporate trainer to startup storyteller
04:28 – The Hiroshima moment: why founders struggle with pitching
05:22 – Donna’s book & working with Stanford GSB
07:00 – Storytelling = Engagement: the secret sauce for brands and pitches
08:38 – Emotional connection vs. facts and figures
09:47 – Donna GPT? Why her brain is a trained LLM
11:06 – ChatGPT as a sous chef and writing assistant
13:51 – AI saves time — freeing founders to focus on their genius
14:21 – Launching DeckCheck: AI-powered deck scoring for startups
15:50 – Bridging the founder’s “clarity gap” with story structure
17:06 – Donna’s 4-act investor deck framework
18:27 – Real-time pitch deck workshopping process
19:49 – The storytelling alchemy: turning straw into gold
20:16 – How AI accelerates her work without replacing creativity
22:01 – Donna’s AI twin & the future of collaborative coaching
23:44 – Advice to founders: you must have an AI strategy
25:32 – How Donna’s clients use AI in industries like medtech & entertainment
27:07 – AI + celebrity IP = ethical monetization at scale
29:07 – The evolution of media and immersive brand experiences
30:41 – Let AI work with you — not against your brand
31:42 – Why storytelling is still the most powerful engagement tool
33:01 – ChatGPT’s own take on storytelling vs. automation

If you’re a founder, marketer, or leader struggling to craft your story or pitch deck — Donna Griffit is your go-to pitch alchemist. With over 20 years of storytelling mastery and clients including Google, Cisco, and hundreds of VCs and startups, Donna helps turn your spaghetti thoughts into gold.

✨ Try her free AI-powered DeckCheck tool at www.donnagriffit.com to audit and optimize your pitch deck instantly. Want to go deeper? Book a session and let her storytelling magic elevate your brand and message.

And as always — if you're a business leader ready to discover quick AI wins to unlock time or drive growth, book a free 30-minute session with the Future-Proofed team.

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