A personal post by Mary Walsh
Ten years ago, I started the Gab because I loved listening to stories, I couldn’t find enough storytelling events and I wanted to hear more. Often at the Gab, strangers come in as individuals and create a little community. I always wondered: Why does listening to stories make us feel so good? Why does it connect us so deeply?
Today, as I grow Ginkgo Collective with Robert Hawkes, I’m hoping to find the scientific “why” behind that magic.
The Gab has never been a solo project for me. It’s built on the hard work of the storytellers and some incredible people who understood the power of a shared space. My cousin Deirdre O’Mahony has been my co-conspirator since before the very beginning; she’s been the steady hand sharing and shaping the vision from day one.
Sharon O’Neill was a massive support from those early days, and even though she’s moved off the committee, she remains one of the Gab’s most able analysts at the Sketchbook. We don’t see them often enough now but Clair O’Sullivan and Judith Coffey shaped the Gab constitution and helped create beautiful shared storytelling spaces in the early years. We cannot forget Max Bell, who captures the essence of the Gab in every photo and video.
And then there’s Julie Crowley, who was the one to first introduce us all to the world of storytelling. I’m delighted to say we’ve finally co-opted her onto the committee to manage the books. It is and has always been, a committee of storytellers who put storytelling first and can also get the work done.
Through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, I realise that what we do at the Gab isn’t just entertainment, it’s a collective exercise in ventral vagal co-regulation. When we listen to a storyteller’s voice, we create an image of their story in our minds and our nervous systems begin to align. Our heart rates soften and our brains receive a biological signal that says: “You are safe. You belong here.” It’s the same feeling you get when listening to a choir; there is a physical reset that happens when we are in rhythm with one another.
This is exactly what we are bringing to our first Ginkgo event, The Science of Rhythm & Regulation. I know our facilitators, Brendan McKiernan and Anna Mitchell, personally. Brendan brings the clinical depth of Polyvagal Theory, and Anna brings the magic of a professional conductor. I know the day will be full of the same joy and connection you’d expect at a Gab storytelling event, with the added bonus of understanding the biology behind it.
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love spreadsheets and checklists, they’re the tools of my event management trade. But it’s also about the art of the gathering. Whether I’m arranging the room for a Gab event or planning a workshop on neuroscience, my goal is to create a space for co-regulation to come to life.
I want you to leave a Ginkgo or a Gab event feeling lighter than when you walked in. I want you to have that “aha” moment of a new insight, but I also want you to have had a genuine laugh along the way. Because when we feel good, we learn better. And when we connect, we thrive.
The Gab 