A Creative Approach to Communication, Collective Care, and Social Innovation
Because boring workshops won’t get you where want to go. I help you design experiences that deepen trust, fuel collaboration, and make your big vision tangible.
You’ve been in the room when it didn’t land. When the off-site felt more like a formality than a turning point. When everyone nodded along—and then went back to business as usual.
You’ve brought in consultants who never quite understood your team. You’ve sat through slide decks filled with hopeful imagery and well-placed humor — but everyone forgot the message by Monday.
What you really want is a space where people connect honestly and ideas move beyond bullet points. Where trust is built, not just talked about.
That’s the work I do.
Creative Acts of Nourishment
Before I launched my business, I was tired of traditional workshops and routine engagements. I’d find myself looking around the room, wondering: We’re all here, so clearly we have something in common. How might we play together? Where do our stories intersect?
This healthy curiosity has fueled my entrepreneurial path and fed my desire to deliver immersive experiences that invite people to shed old narratives, reclaim their creativity, and drive innovation.
With a blended approach that borrows from ethical storytelling, human- centered design, creative play, and action learning, I design engagements for participants to discover new ways of communicating through hands-on activities and embodiment practices that strengthen self-awareness and leadership styles.
Meet Michaela Audio Transcript
[00:00:00] Hello there. My name is Michaela Ayers, and just like you, I hold many different identities. I am a daughter, creator, facilitator, and sweet potato pie enthusiast.
[00:00:22] I launched Nourish in 2016 as a series of dinner parties because I saw a need in the market for more artful, engaging, and creative learning environments. The DEI industry is inundated with lecture style corporate trainings that don't stimulate adult learners or support long term behavior change.
[00:00:53] I truly believe that people learn best by doing, and that conversations are one of the primary ways that we make meaning together. That is why Nourish takes an interactive approach to educational events that prioritizes human connection and supports conversations across difference.
[00:01:22] As a multidisciplinary artist, I weave creative practices into my offerings because I believe that creative play is the backbone to a fulfilling life.
[00:01:43] When I'm not facilitating workshops or hosting events, you can find me elevating the impact of Black women through my project, Black Her Stories.
[00:01:55] Black Her Stories is a creativestorytelling podcast and intergenerational community that centers the lived experiences of black women, past and present.
[00:02:12] Through this platform, I explore the concepts of Blackness and belonging and create a space to celebrate black history all year round, which is my absolute favorite thing.
[00:02:27] Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know me and explore my site. If these offerings resonate with you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Head on over to my contact form and say hi, I love to collaborate.
Meet our Founder, Michaela Ayers
Artist, Founder, and Lead Experience Designer
audio transcript
The Philosophies That Guide Me
Facilitation as an art form
Every conversation we have changes us a little; my trauma-informed approach to 1:1 and intercultural dialogues ensures that participants are cared for, connected, and respected.
creativity as a tool for connection and transformation
You bring the bold ideas, I bring the creative spark and a space that feels safe enough to explore them. As an interdisciplinary artist and Art Historian, I help teams organize, visualize, and articulate their strategic plans so the big vision becomes reality.
Storytelling helps us remember… and imagine..
When we witness each other’s stories, we expand our capacity to lead, listen, and heal. I take an ethical and inclusive approach to shaping stories that honors generations from the past, present, and future.
Creating spaces where people feel safe, seen, and inspired to engage.
Each engagement is an invitation to unmask and discover deep connections with other people. I design spaces that prioritize well-being and nourish the mind, body, and spirit.
Meet our Founder, Michaela Ayers
Facilitator, interdisciplinary Artist, Creative Caregiver
I’ve never fit neatly into one category—maybe you haven’t either. Born and raised in Nebraska, the youngest of four, I grew up in a home shaped by my single mother’s encouragement and creativity.
In my family, food is a love language. Sunday dinners at my grandparents’ house were a somatic experience—Black art covering the walls, the smell of something delicious filling the air, and soul music playing in the background. At the heart of it all was conversations.
Around that table, I learned that storytelling isn’t just something we do—it’s how we understand each other, how we create connection, how we belong.
finding my way
I graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art History—at the height of the Great Recession. Like many, I found stability in restaurant work, spending years behind host stands and café counters. In those service spaces, I discovered my knack for facilitation. I was the one training new hires, helping them find their rhythm.
That revelation led me to a career in learning and development, where I worked as a corporate trainer in the tech sector. There, I quickly noticed a pattern—too many workshops relied on lecture style learning, leaving learners uninspired and disconnected.
As one of the only—or one of the few—Black women in many workplaces, connection often felt elusive. I longed for genuine relationships with my peers.
building what I needed
Everything shifted in 2016 when I saw the barriers that keep people apart in plain sight. I knew I had to do something. Drawing from the warmth of my grandparents’ dinner table, I created Nourish—a welcoming space where people could gather, talk about what really matters, and build community.
What started as intimate dinners evolved into something more—interactive events for adult learners designed to foster connection.
That’s when Black Her Stories (BHS) was born. What began as a personal mission to archive the legacies of Black women has evolved into a community based creative storytelling platform and growing archive that celebrates the creative power of Black women throughout history and modern times.
When I reflect on these early days of entrepreneurship, I see a time tested simple truth: people learn best through experience—by immersing themselves in ideas that awaken curiosity and ignite imagination. After long days spent at desks, on screens, or in isolation, we crave spaces to play, create, and imagine new possibilities.
“A time tested simple truth: people learn best through experience—by immersing themselves in ideas that awaken curiosity and ignite imagination.”
michaela ayers
Press & Interviews
Bringing a bold vision into reality is no small task. And Individualism won’t get us there—it takes community, collective effort, and demonstrated care.
Change requires creativity and the conscious choice to do things differently.
Whether I’m guiding a group through an interactive collage workshop, hosting a panel, or producing a podcast, the goal is always the same: to cultivate spaces where people can explore ideas through shared experiences that connect people in meaningful ways.
Thanks for stopping by, don’t be a stranger. Drop me a line!
