The Schedule
What happens during Story In a Day? Here’s the schedule:
Prepwork
We give you prep work to complete prior to the big day. You’ll arrive feeling clear and ready to dive in.
Part 1
Identify your story
What is the signature story that you need to be telling? If you have no idea, we help you figure it out.
Part 2
Write Your Story
Write a messy rough draft of your story. It does not have to be perfect. Our expert team gives you feedback and tweaks to polish it up.
Part 3
Lunch Hour
Hydrate, stretch, get some food, and prepare to record..
Part 4
Rehearse Your Story
Practice telling your story out loud. If you are nervous, that’s okay. This is the most supportive space imaginable. Each time you practice, your confidence grows.
Part 5
Make Your 30, 60, 90 Day Plan
You have created a powerful story! Who needs to hear it? Where are you going to share it and when?
Decide how you’re going to bring your story into the world and the action steps you will take—whether it’s telling your story at an event, on a podcast, on social media, at a client meeting, or somewhere else.
After the Big Day
Go share your story—and report back after 30, 60, 90 days to tell us what you’ve accomplished. We give you accountability to make sure you’re doing what you said you will do.
Rave Reviews
“Robert Hartwell has a gift and you have to experience it to really understand it. Obviously you can see that he’s such a talented person and a bright, amazing human being. But once you get in his presence, once he works with you directly on your story, you start to realize how truly transformational his gift is.”
Tivi Jones
Founder and CEO of Hey, Awesome Girl Creative Studio
“My experience with Robert Hartwell has been nothing short of amazing. He comes across as this huge personality, but really he’s very soft and very gentle; you can feel his energy. He is very caring and just really in tune; he makes you feel seen.”
Dr. Shenelle Dubose
Founder of Agile Design Services
“Robert is highly trained and he takes his craft very seriously. He is someone who really cares about those who he serves.”
Arlena Jackson
Founder and CEO of Elevation Ally
“To make a story come to life that was hard to tell is just so beautiful. Thank you, Robert, to you and your team for what you have given me. I am so grateful.”
Kristina Italic
Founder of Evoke Body
“Robert, I’m just overwhelmed and thankful that you got me to a place to tell this story. This is the authenticity and transparency that I want in the next season of my life and I am so grateful.”
Chelsea Williams
Founder + CEO of Reimagine Talent Consulting
“Robert is the most amazing artist! Just the talent and ability to shape a story and pull it out- he’s able to access it in such a way and it’s just magnificent to watch.”
Dr. Sabrina Couch
Founder of F*ck Being Stuck, Psychologist, Author, and Life Coach
“After working with Robert, it’s such a joy to experience somebody’s true craft. Robert truly is a storyteller. I have not experienced that before and to witness him work with us in such an intimate way was such an honor.”
Jordan Gill
CEO of Systems Saved Me
“Robert Hartwell has a gift and you have to experience it to really understand it. Obviously you can see that he’s such a talented person and a bright, amazing human being. But once you get in his presence, once he works with you directly on your story, you start to realize how truly transformational his gift is.”
Tivi Jones
Founder and CEO of Hey, Awesome Girl Creative Studio
Meet Your Coach, Robert Hartwell
Robert Hartwell is an award-winning Broadway performer, choreographer, director, producer, and entrepreneur. He is the host and executive producer of Taking Back the House, a television show presented by OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, HGTV, and Scott Brothers Entertainment.
From stage to screen, Robert creates jaw-dropping moments that leave audiences awestruck and inspired. You’ve seen Hartwell in Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals and featured in Pharrell and Jay-Z’s hit music video, “Entrepreneur.”
You might know Robert from his viral social media post. After purchasing a 200-year-old colonial mansion (which was built back when slavery was still legal Federally in the US), Robert inspired millions with his message of reinvention, liberation, and hope. As a Black gay man, he vowed to fill this home with love, honor his ancestors, tell their stories, and say their names.
Robert is the founder of The Broadway Collective, a musical theater education company for teens. The company made the Inc 5000 List for its rapid growth: 440% revenue increase in 3 years. He’s a seasoned educator who understands how to bring out the greatness inside each client – whether they’re a teenager or grown-up. After working with Robert, 97% of his students get into the top musical theatre college programs in the country—with scholarships.
As a director and choreographer his work has been seen at Lincoln Center in NYC, the Kennedy Center in DC, and numerous theaters across the country.
Robert’s work has been featured in countless media outlets including Good Morning America, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, People, and more.
Robert divides his time between New York City, Los Angeles, and his new home in Massachusetts.
Meet the TEam
Robert Hartwell
Founder + Artistic Director
Dallin Halls
Director of Operations
Liza Harper
Director of Programming
Elizabeth McNeil
Strength on Stages Coach
Desiree Elder
Strength on Stages Coach
Robert Hartwell
Founder + Artistic Director
Robert (he/him) is the host and executive producer of “Taking Back The House” co-produced by the Oprah Winfrey Network and HGTV. The 6 episode series will air on Discovery+ and chronicle his journey of renovating a historic home built in 1820 with a complicated history.
In 2016, he founded The Broadway Collective which hit the Inc. 5000 list with 440% growth and recently launched a new company Strength On Stages where he is coaching entrepreneurs and VC to tell more authentic stories from the stage.
Robert has performed in 5 musicals on Broadway and 2 National Tours: Dreamgirls, Memphis, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Cinderella, Motown, and Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler. He is also featured in Pharrell and Jay-Z’s latest hit single–“Entrepreneur”.
As a Director/Choreographer his work has been seen at Lincoln Center, Music Theatre Wichita, North Carolina Theatre, The University of Michigan, and Fulton Theatre. Most recently he directed and choreographed For Colored Boyz and won the Fulton Theatre’s inaugural Stories of Diversity Playwriting Festival.
Robert is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and The University of Michigan’s Musical Theatre department where he earned summa cum laude honors and the Willis Patterson Diversity Award.
He is a member of Actors Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, and the Tony Award-winning Broadway Inspirational Voices.
Dallin Halls
Director of Operations
Dallin Hals (he/him) is an event producer & storytelling coach. His mission is to create magical, unforgettable moments that audiences never forget. He loves taking a client’s vision and bringing it to life — exceeding even their highest expectations. Dallin has produced a wide range of events — from multi-million dollar celebrity weddings, to educational conferences with hundreds of students and parents, to national tours with 18 stops across the U.S.
As the Director of Operations for The Broadway Collective, Dallin produced in-person (and online) events that helped the company to hit the Inc 5000 List as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America with 440% growth.
Dallin began his career as a classically-trained Shakespeare actor before transitioning into events and education. Because of his background in the performing arts, he knows how to connect with an audience, tell stories in a grounded + authentic way, and create experiences that people remember for years.
Liza Harper
Director of Programming
Liza (she/her) is a Sales, Operations and Leadership Coach who has spent the last 15 years working for some of the most recognizable brands including Vera Wang and Design Within Reach. Liza has spent her career building systems and helping sales teams exceed their goals with ease.
In addition to her work with brands and corporations, Liza is a successful entrepreneur who has built a 7 figure business using the same systems, sales and confidence mindset approach she equips corporate teams with.
Elizabeth McNeil
Strength on Stages Coach
Elizabeth (she/her) is a certified life coach with a gift for helping entrepreneurs live in their unapologetic authenticity. Elizabeth’s expertise spans over 20 years as she is a natural leader and nurturer. Her storytelling superpower is empathy. When she works with clients, she deeply listens to their needs and helps pinpoint a story that is not only healing but also freeing.
Elizabeth is the mother of our founder, Robert Hartwell, and was instrumental in helping him create a very successful Broadway career and provide support in building his first multi 7-figure company.
She will help you visualize a larger stage for yourself and how to get your story out with confidence and groundedness.
Desiree Elder
Strength on Stages Coach
Desiree Elder (she/her) is screenwriter, Pastor and Executive Director whose work focuses on Black women’s experiences with sex, religion and mental health. She attended Cal State Northridge where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a Pan African Studies minor. She found another love in dance and her journey landed her in the most unexpected of places: New York City and seminary.
In 2012, she graduated with a Master’s Degree in Divinity with a focus on the arts. Since then, she has served as both an Associate Pastor of Innovation and Arts at an unconventional church committed to social justice and the arts, and Executive Director of The Dream Center, a non-profit designed to awaken dreams. Her work has been highlighted in Ebony, Essence, The Daily Post and a host of other places.