Storytelling

& Creative Facilitation

Join the journey, mile by mile

the back Story

My Brown body and Filipina heritage regularly felt out of place.

Hi, I’m Michelle. The only way I knew to move forward was to find my people and spaces where I belonged - and to share 10+ years of community storytelling experience.

Here at Miles Matter Studio, our work centers around:

  • Facilitating a sense of belonging

  • Overcoming racism

  • Creating safety in the outdoors

Specialties

What we’ve been shaping up over the past 10+ years…

  • Humans are hardwired for storytelling. Our approach to community storytelling is rooted in respect, resilience, and reciprocity.

    Collaboration builds storytelling, and storytelling builds our collaborations!

    The purpose of our work is to allow marginalized communities to take the lead in how they want to change attitudes, beliefs, and behavior within and between communities.

    A sample of past storytelling projects:

    • Sipayik’s Water Crisis - a water quality issue facing a Tribal community in Maine

    • Telling Your Story - an anthology of self-reflective stories by incarcerated people across the US

    • BisMarket - branding and social media for a community farmers market in north Dakota

  • Stories don’t write themselves, and goals don’t achieve themselves. I make working together easier by:

    • focusing on how folks collaborate and act in their power, rather than guiding groups to a specific outcome

    • rooting my approach in community psychology (how individuals work together), the intersections between social systems and ecosystems, and creative arts

    • anticipating and leading through conflict

    • bringing tools that are intentional, flexible, and right-sized for the group

    • and most importantly, keeping the facilitation process human

    I am trained in in-person and virtual facilitation of small and large groups.

    I facilitate based on a group’s needs. I also develop workshops to build individual and group skills.

  • Miles Matter Studio brings publication experience with:

    • Essays

    • Poetry

    • Op-eds and features

    • Multi-media storytelling

    • Social media

    • Technical writing, including training materials

    • Scientific research

  • Intentional and organized describe our approach to planning non-profits and small businesses over the past 10+ year. Miles Matter Studio prioritizes collaborative goal setting within administrative and financial bounds. Ask about:

    • How to set goals, create action plans, track metrics, and adapt

    • Organizational business development

    • Grantwriting

    • Align resources (your money, time)

    You can say I specialize in making dreams a reality. :)

Current Projects

“Miles Matter” - a newsletter

Here are stories about adventures, resilience, and observations on this Filipina-American life in Minnesota. Join the journey, mile by mile!

Screenshot highlights top articles in 2026

Read on Substack

“Reconsidering Rice and Race (R3)” - poetry zine

A zine is historically for underrepresented perspectives. That makes the zine great for publishing poems by six Asian Pacific Islander Desi American poets based in the Twin Ports area of Northern Minnesota & Wisconsin.

This work centers ancestry, friendship, and racism.

“R3” was created by Michelle de Leon and funded by Springboard for the Arts.

Read the full zine online

The Team

Michelle de Leon

Founder

Michelle is a writer with a background in community storytelling and conservation. She focuses on adventure, resilience, and observations on the journey back to her body (or wherever home is). She is a survivor, outdoors enthusiast, and as her friends say, a great host.

  • Masters of Science in Conservation

  • Certified yoga teacher

  • Nature-based somatic facilitator

CONTACT:  milesmatterstudio@gmail.com

Rusty the Toller

Best friend & Service dog

Brought home to hunt birds with Michelle, Rusty decided he loves to work and be of service. He stepped up to be Michelle’s psychiatric service dog, yet never stopped being a good boy in the water and woods.

CONTACT:  none because he's a dog ;)

What people are saying…

  • "Thank you so much for hosting this wonderful workshop. You are truly inspiring. We learned lots about poetry. We also were able to discuss what it means to belong as a APIDA community member. Thank you for providing a safe space to discuss what it means to be APIDA in the Twin Ports."

  • "Michelle has a gift of making those who are uneasy in group settings feel comfortable enough to participate, and confident enough to want more. Her approach to wellness is inclusive and her programming is thoughtful and well-designed. I got a lot out of it, had fun, and would join her again!"

  • "Creating welcoming spaces and attending to the small details is Michelle's specialty. Her commitment to bringing her love of nature to all is evident in all she does."

  • "Her ability to make you feel at ease, welcomed, and valued is truly amazing. She has an intrinsic ability to connect your mindset, your movement, and your breath to grounding as it relates to nature."

  • "I attended one of her workshops and from the moment you step through the door, she treats you like an old friend. She goes out of her way to make you feel welcome, listened to, and included, and gets to know you on a personal level. She creates a space where everyone immediately feels connected and safe to express themselves."