Barbara van den Bogaard
Barbara van den Bogaard


I love to write and people and nature inspire me to new stories so often. Or makes me remember stories that went to the background. Recently when I am in nature, stories occur in me that come from natures perspective. This is very touching for me when this happens. I graduated from University many years ago with a specialization in dramaturgy. And in the years that followed I founded two storytelling companies. One more dedicated in line with my primary work as a filmmaker. The other organization grew from the first because of our international story encounters. My passion for our stories and the understanding of their value, their strength and their extremely sustainable dna, has grown to the level that I believe in their power as changemakers more than anything in the world.

In the past decade my uneasiness with the dominant story of separation and the often harsh way of communicating we practise when living or working together, brought me on a new journey; the journey of generative journalism.

What this means to me? Through my work as a story gatherer I come across many perspectives. The learning on how to connect even when the going gets tough and viewpoints might differ has been an amazing learning experience to me. The skill of listening and speaking honestly takes courage and is of great beauty. In my life and work, I focus on applying deep listening and a variety of media-making crafts, to honor and reflect people’s experiences, perspectives, intentions, and actions.

Medium member since March 2023
Barbara van den Bogaard

Barbara van den Bogaard

I'm a filmmaker, generative journalist and storyteller and passionately in search of what binds us as human beings rather than what sets us apart.