How Nurse Practitioners Can Unlock the Power of Storytelling
Matthew Luhn, keynote speaker at the 2025 AANP National Conference, shares his tools on how — and how not to — connect with others.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) have a number of tools in their toolkits to help their patients achieve greater outcomes, from medical and health care expertise to an unwavering focus on patient-centered care. Furthermore, NPs take the time to listen to their patients and to relate important and relevant information in a compassionate and clear way that empowers, rather than overwhelms. To that end, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) is proud to speak with Matthew Luhn about how to even better connect with patients through storytelling.
Starting out as an animator on the longest-running animated television series of all time, “The Simpsons,” before pivoting to work on Pixar’s blockbuster film “Toy Story,” Luhn’s focus shifted from the granular parts of animation to the bigger picture of what he calls “story”: the themes and characters humans have used to create a narrative about life on earth (and beyond) for millennia. Luhn will share his process for creating new ideas, great stories, memorable characters and making stronger connections with attendees at the 2025 AANP National Conference! In advance of his opening keynote speech, AANP spoke with Luhn about how storytelling can help NPs make a difference relating to patients, colleagues and much more.
Q: Early in your career, you were an animator on “Toy Story,” and then you became entranced by the idea of the story artists and ‘The Story Room,’ where the ideas for the movies themselves were born. For those of us who don’t know, what is the difference between an animator and a story artist?
Luhn: The difference between an animator and a story artist is that an animator focuses on one shot in the whole 90 minutes of the film. A shot is when you hit record, and then you hit stop. And then you go to another shot, you hit record and hit stop. Those different shots in a TV show or film are all put together, and they make the TV episode, or they make the film. As an animator, you're focusing on that one shot. You're thinking about the acting, the emotion, the comedy and how things are moving correctly in animation. You get very focused on one piece of the big picture.
Now, the big picture is the part the story artists focus on. They're focusing on the whole movie, the whole TV episode. What's the big picture of the film? What's the theme? Is it that crime doesn't pay, or that love conquers all? You're also thinking about the different character arcs or the changes that the characters go through in the story. You’re having to think about the big picture to make something that can be relatable to people out there.
Q: When you decided to focus on storytelling, what did you learn about the process? What did you find out that was different from what you already knew about how to tell a story?
Luhn: While studying at CalArts, the animation college Walt Disney created — and even while working as an animator — I think I already had built-in story instincts because I had watched so many movies and TV shows as a kid with my animation and film-obsessed dad. But then when I went into a story room on “The Simpsons,” I saw the process that this group of people were using to create a TV episode. In every episode, there's a theme, a message and a main character that you're following through the story.
I saw that there was a strategy and technique to all of this. But what I didn't know until I dove deeper into the art of storytelling is that for thousands and thousands of years, from the earliest stories ever told in every culture around the world, there have been hidden patterns followed in storytelling. To say it simply, there's a hero on a journey. We all see ourselves as heroes on a journey. And every day, whether you're going to the dentist for an hour, college for four years or becoming a new parent, there's a journey there.
Q: NPs work hard to make complex issues understandable and relevant to patients. What advice do you have on relaying important information in a memorable, positive but concise way?
Luhn: When talking about themes in movies, there's always a message at the end. The theme is the part that makes it relatable and moving to the audience, and those themes need to be universal. The universal themes most commonly used in storytelling are the desire for love, the desire for safety and the desire for freedom — or to choose your own fate.
When I coach companies on storytelling — whether it's about cybersecurity, fashion or health care — I encourage people to use universal themes to connect with their listeners to make the information relatable.
In the medical world, we desire safety for ourselves and the people we love. We also want to have the freedom to be able to choose comfortably and willingly. We also desire love and to be able to make decisions, like “I'm going to stop smoking because I have kids, and I want to be around for them.” Or “I'm going to start exercising this year more because I want to live longer to be with my partner.”
It’s not about selling people a product, it’s about connecting with them on a universal level with a story. For example, this product or procedure is going to give you more time to be with your loved ones. It's going to make you feel more safe and secure. It's going to give you the freedom to be able to live your life to the fullest. Not getting into the specifics but getting to the theme. That's the heart of the message. That's what resonates with people and gives them confidence.
Q: Have you personally had an experience with a medical provider that could have been a more positive experience if the person speaking with you was a better storyteller? What could they have done differently?
Luhn: Unfortunately, yes. I had a doctor who was not listening to what I was saying, feeling and going through. She was telling me what I was going through — and diagnosing me with something which later on was not correct — and basically saying, “If you don't listen to me and do what I'm saying, you're never going to get better and you're doomed.” She should have listened to what I was going through and then shared with me options to pick from or examples of other people I could relate to who were dealing with or had dealt with something similar. For example, “I've dealt with the same problem,” or “I have a son or a daughter who's dealt with the same problem. And they went on this type of medication, or they went through this procedure and they’re very happy they did it.” I didn't need to know anything more about the procedure or what was in the medication. I just needed to know someone else similar to me who went through it — and they had a positive outcome.
That's really the heart of what makes a story moving. We watch a character on the screen or read about a character in a book and they go through a change. They either learn how to have more courage or learn to care. They go through a tough situation, and at the end of the story, they have an epiphany. They change and we, as the audience, watch that. This process called neural coupling happens when we put ourselves in the role of the main character in a film, or person in real life, and we go, “If they were able to accomplish something like that, I can.”
Q: You just reminded me of something, which is that storytelling is talking and telling, but it's so important to listen. Can you talk a little bit about how storytelling begins with listening?
Luhn: When you're creating a story, you can create a story just because you want to entertain yourself. You're like, “I find this entertaining. I think these jokes are funny. I think this person in this story, who's very specific — I can relate to them.” But what about the rest of the world?
Whenever you create a story, you need to know who your audience is, first, to make sure it is relatable. The same thing goes when you're trying to connect with people — a patient or people in your office. You need to listen to hear what is important to them to make yourself and the message you want to share relatable. To connect with someone, use the four things needed to make a great story: Who is the hero? What is the hero's goal? What are the hero's obstacles, challenges and how could the hero experience a change that could be good for them?
Now, the hero could be Indiana Jones, but most of the time the hero is going to be the person you're talking to. The patient, the person in your office, someone on your team — they're the hero. And then you think, what is their goal, what do they really want? To be healthy, to live a little longer, to like their job? But what are the obstacles? They haven't had a good experience in the past with a procedure or with people in the medical field. They’re afraid, they don't have enough money, who knows. Your job is to figure out: “How can I take them through their doubts and fears, and give them the confidence and tools they need to be able to move forward?”
A lot of times we think the hero is either the character on the screen or us. But we need to listen and think of the person who's speaking to us as if they're the hero, and you as kind of a mentor character in a story like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mr. Miyagi or Glinda the Good Witch. “What can I do? What can I give them to help them reach their goal?” In the movies, we see the mentor bestow a tool or gift to the hero to help them reach their goal, like a lightsaber or a pair of ruby slippers. But what if it's just a different way of looking at life? What if it's a different type of medication? What if it's a different type of procedure? That is what you, as a practitioner, are giving to them. You are being the mentor to help the hero reach their goal.
Q: During your presentation at the 2025 AANP National Conference you’ll be speaking about storytelling, but what else can you tease about what you’ll be sharing with your audience in San Diego?
Luhn: I think one of the things we all know is that people have a very short attention span — and shrinking — thanks to social media and everything else. How can we grab people's attention in less than eight seconds, like a good movie trailer does? How can we get people's attention in less than eight seconds so that they'll want to be able to engage with us for eight minutes more? I'm going to share how you can hook people within eight seconds and be able to keep their attention so that you can share how you can help transform their lives for the better.
See Matthew Luhn Speak at the 2025 AANP National Conference
Mastering storytelling will not only enhance patient trust but can also improve health outcomes and team collaboration — skills every NP needs. You won’t want to miss this exclusive opportunity to learn from Luhn, a master storyteller, and unlock your own storytelling potential!
The 2025 AANP National Conference takes place June 17-22, 2025, in San Diego, California. Matthew Luhn will give the keynote speech during the general session, Wednesday, June 18, 8-9 a.m. In addition to this exciting speech, attendees can look forward to a week filled with continuing education, networking opportunities and the chance to visit exhibitors in the Exhibit Hall. Individuals who register for the in-person conference also receive access to the 2025 AANP National Conference on-demand at no extra charge.