Founder’s Playbook
Narrative Platform
Mission-driven organizations increasingly recognize that changing systems requires more than policy and programs—it requires narrative. Too often, the people most affected by an issue are absent from how it is understood. Robert Espinoza has helped leaders design storytelling platforms that center lived experience, expand public understanding, and build the cultural foundation for change. This is how voice becomes influence.
Design: RD Design
Images: SAGE - Advocacy & Services for LGBTQ+ Elders
Why the Moment Matters
Too often, older adults were spoken about rather than listened to—a reality that ran counter to the principle of “nothing about us without us.” For LGBTQ+ older people, this gap was even more pronounced. Their lives were rich with wisdom, resilience, humor, and insight, yet few platforms invited them to speak on their own terms or shape how their stories were told. What storytelling did exist was often filtered or simplified, leaving little room for people to share what they had lived through, what mattered to them, and what they wanted to see change. At a time when digital media was increasingly reshaping how people connected and engaged, there was a clear opportunity to build something more direct, more human, and more authentic.
Stories shaped without the people who lived them
“Robert pairs deep policy expertise with exceptional strategic communications instincts. He knows how to translate complex aging and care issues into compelling ideas that move leaders, advocates, and the public to action.”
— Michael Adams, Former President and CEO, SAGE – Advocacy & Services for LGBTQ+ Elders, and Former Board Chair, American Society on Aging
How the Vision Takes Shape
A comprehensive approach to storytelling and reach
We launched SAGE Story as a digital storytelling initiative designed to center LGBTQ+ older adults as the authors of their own narratives.
Partnered with participants from SAGE’s senior center in New York City to shape and share their stories
Collaborated with a local photographer to capture portraits that reflected identity, presence, and voice
Published stories online, in collaboration with the AARP Foundation, to reach audiences where they were already engaging
We expanded the initiative into a multi-platform storytelling experience:
Introduced a 1950s-inspired illustrated social media campaign that brought humor, wit, and a sense of camp
Hosted in-person workshops that helped participants develop and perform their storiesd.
Partnered with StoryCorps and The Moth to connect participants with nationally recognized storytelling platforms. Watch a video here.
“Robert has a rare combination of deep expertise on care policy and the high-level narrative and storytelling chops it takes to build demand for solutions to these important but challenging issues.”
— Nat Kendall-Taylor, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, FrameWorks Institute, a globally respected research organization advancing the science of narrative and strategic framing in social change.
What Can Be Delivered
SAGE Story created a platform where LGBTQ+ older adults could speak for themselves—clearly, powerfully, and on their own terms. The initiative combined digital media, visual storytelling, and live performance to reach diverse audiences, while grounding the work in authenticity and trust. It demonstrated that when people are given the tools and space to tell their own stories, the result is more accurate and compelling.
Beyond individual stories, the impact was cultural. The project helped shift how LGBTQ+ aging was seen—moving from invisibility and stereotype toward visibility, complexity, and voice. It created moments of reflection and recognition, both for those sharing their experiences and for those hearing them. In doing so, it reinforced that the people most affected by a system should be at the center of how it is understood—and how it steadily transforms.
From personal stories to cultural shift
Meet the Founder
Founder & CEO of The CareWorks Project, Robert Espinoza is a national expert on the care economy, advising leaders on caregiving, aging, workforce policy, and narrative strategy to create a long-term care ecosystem that truly works.