The Power of Storytelling for Consultants and Coaches with Ex-Disney Execs Bob and Rick Allen

If you love Disney, not just the parks but the thinking behind them, this episode is for you.

And if you are a consultant or coach who wants to communicate the value of your work more clearly, more humanly, and with more impact, this episode may change how you think about storytelling entirely. It is one of the most underrated skills for a consultant or coach.

In this conversation on Consulting Matters, I sat down with brothers Bob and Rick Allen, two former Disney executives with a combined family legacy of more than 100 years at Disney. Their father started at Disneyland on opening day in 1955, worked directly with Walt Disney, and was later named a Disney Legend. Bob and Rick followed, each building very different careers inside the company, one creative and one operational, but both shaped by the same storytelling culture.

What emerged was not a conversation about storytelling as performance, but storytelling as a way of thinking, working, and influencing every day.

A Disney Family Story That Shaped Everything

One of the reasons this episode is special is because storytelling was not something Bob and Rick learned later in their careers. It was part of their upbringing.

Their father, Bob Allen Sr., started as an hourly cast member riding on the back of the Casey Jr. Circus Train at Disneyland, literally tasked with blowing a whistle if a guest fell off. From there, he moved through operations, guest relations, entertainment, and eventually helped shape major Disney initiatives, including early work on Walt Disney World.

Because Disney was small in those early years, he worked closely with Walt Disney himself. Storytelling was not a branding concept then. It was how decisions were made, how experiences were designed, and how people understood why their work mattered.

That legacy shaped how Bob and Rick would later approach leadership, creativity, and consulting.

Storytelling at Disney Was Never About the Stage

One of the biggest misconceptions Bob and Rick addressed is the idea that storytelling is something you do on a stage or in a keynote.

At Disney, storytelling showed up everywhere.

It showed up in how Imagineers designed experiences.
It showed up in how operators trained teams.
It showed up in how leaders explained decisions.

Bob explained that human brains are literally wired for story. When we are given charts, graphs, or bullet points, our brains have to work harder to convert that information into meaning. Story does that work for us.

This is why Disney did not start with spreadsheets. They started by painting a picture of what a guest would experience.

The Six Elements of Story Disney Relied On

Bob shared the six elements of storytelling he has used throughout his career, including at Disney Imagineering and later as an entrepreneur.

For something to truly function as a story, it needs:

• Characters people care about

• A clear setting

• A distinct voice and point of view

• Plot that holds attention

• Details that help people visualize

• Emotion that makes it human

Without emotion, Bob says, what you have is not a story. It is a data set.

This distinction matters deeply for consultants and coaches. You may be brilliant at what you do, but if you only communicate in frameworks and explanations, your audience has to do extra work to understand why it matters.

A Disney Housekeeper Story That Explains Everything

Rick shared one of the most powerful Disney stories in the episode, and it perfectly illustrates why storytelling works.

As a general manager, Rick wanted to understand why one housekeeper, Betty Jackson, received more guest comments than anyone else. When he worked alongside her, he noticed something surprising. She missed cleaning details. She was not technically perfect.

But Betty knew every guest.

She knew their names. Why they were there. Whether they were on their honeymoon, traveling for business, or visiting with children. She used that knowledge to create moments that mattered to them.

Rick used that story for years to teach teams why relationships matter more than systems. He could have told them that principle a thousand times. The story made it land.

What Disney Storytelling Teaches Consultants and Coaches

For consultants and coaches, this is where the episode becomes deeply practical.

Storytelling helps people see themselves in the outcome before they understand the process. It creates clarity without persuasion. It builds trust without pressure.

Bob shared how even financial proposals at Disney worked better when leaders started by painting a picture of the future, then supported it with numbers. The facts still mattered, but the story gave them meaning.

This is the same challenge many consultants face today. Explaining what you do is not the same as helping someone imagine what changes because of it.

Why This Episode Is for Disney Fans

If you love Disney history, Imagineering, and behind-the-scenes stories, this episode is a gift.

Bob and Rick shared stories about Disneyland’s early days, Epcot, Walt Disney World, Imagineering, operations, and how decisions were really made long before Disney became a global giant.

They also talked about why they are now working on Tales of Mouse and Men, a project dedicated to preserving and sharing Disney stories that have never been told publicly, from a perspective only they could offer.

This episode is as much about honoring Disney’s storytelling legacy as it is about applying those lessons today.

What struck me most about this conversation is that storytelling is not a tactic. It is a way of seeing.

Disney understood that if you help people imagine what is possible, the rest becomes easier. That mindset shaped experiences, leadership, and culture.

For consultants and coaches, the same principle applies. When you start with story, you are not dumbing things down. You are helping people understand.

If you love Disney and you care about communicating your work with clarity and heart, this episode is for you.

Next Steps

1. Notice where your message stops landing: Pay attention to the moments where you explain what you do, but people still look unsure. That is often a sign that the story is missing, not the expertise.
2. Start with the picture before the process: In your next conversation or proposal, describe what changes when the work is successful before explaining how you get there. Stories help people see themselves in the outcome.
3. Get support clarifying your message: If this episode made you realize you need help communicating the value of what you do, I created a free messaging guide to help. It includes four simple questions designed to help you move from confused to confident, with messaging that makes the right clients say, “Where have you been? I need you.” Download it here: https://www.betsyjordyn.com/confused-to-confident

Other articles you may enjoy:

• Command The Fees You Deserve with Casey Brown
• The Brand Messaging Process Consultants Need for Clarity and Confidence 
• 5 Signs You Have a Brand Messaging Problem (and How to Fix It)