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Kelly Swanson of High Point is a storyteller.

She travels all over the United States to share her tales and is recognized as a motivational speaker, comedian and writer.

Swanson has always liked to write, and early on, her dream was to publish a book and have it end up on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. She wrote lots of short stories, and during this time, some of the Southern characters that appear in her motivational storytelling popped into her head. Some of these characters are patterned after people she knew.

The turning point in her writing and storytelling came after she graduated from Appalachian State University. She was taking a creative writing class at GTCC, and her teachers told her they really liked her stories, but they liked even better the way she told the stories. The teachers invited her to visit their classes. By word of mouth, others in the community heard of her storytelling ability, and she was invited to speak to other groups.

Swanson learned that her real talent was in telling stories to adults. Her husband kept telling her she had a gift for telling stories and encouraged her.

“My storytelling would probably have remained a hobby if my husband hadn’t been such an encourager,” she said.

Now the storytelling business is a family affair. Her husband, Bill, and 7-year-old son, Will, whom she home schools, often go with her to the venues. Each of Swanson’s motivational speeches is unique and designed for the audience she is addressing. One speech is “Stand Up and Stick Out,” which includes tools to get noticed in a crowded market. Designed for those in business, the premise is “In school if you stick out, you are dead. In business, if you don’t stick out, you are dead.”

In writing this, she remembered her own childhood.

“Growing up, I was the kid on the bus other students threw things at, so I spent most of my time trying not to be noticed ... to blend in,” she said.

She was known as the “funny one,” but was extremely shy as a child.

“I was thinking that to be successful, I had to be like everyone else,” she said. “Then, I realized I wasn’t like everyone else. One day I stepped out of my comfort zone onto the stage as a motivational speaker and a comedian, and I haven’t looked back.”

Each of her speeches are crafted for the group that she addresses. On Friday , Swanson will speak to a group of mothers in Greensboro. She once delivered a speech to parents called “Don’t Make Me Pull the Car Over.”

She often includes a poem that is relevant to the particular group to whom she is talking.

Swanson reminds you of a stick of dynamite in action. She has a passion for what she does and hopes to inspire her audience to have a passion for what they are doing, too, or help them determine their passion.

She loves telling her motivational stories but also is involved in marketing and other business aspects.

Swanson’s mentor is Jeanne Robertson , Miss North Carolina 1963 , who travels across the country delivering humorous speeches.

Swanson thanks her church and people in North Carolina for offering strong support throughout her humorist career.

“They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” she said. “North Carolina has been good to me. I want people to take a look at themselves. I don’t want to just make them think something. I want to make them feel something. I know that God gave me this gift to come alongside people and pick them up.”

A look at Swanson’s calendar on her website will leave one wondering how she does it all.

And the calendar doesn’t even show the DVD she just made, “The Whole Enchilada ,” or her book published in 2009, “Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale — How to Hang on to Humor When Life Doesn’t Go the Way You Planned.”

In addition to all these things, Swanson is one of three Corporate Comedy Chicks. The other two, Cheri Britton and Meridith Powell, also are authors and speakers. Their website is www.corporate-comedy-chicks.com.

In a chapter of her book “My Yellow Brick Road Filled With Potholes,” Swanson said, “Humor is a gift. Don’t leave yours unwrapped.” If you hear her speak, you will shed a tear, laugh and most of all, learn that your life choices are up to you.

For information about Kelly Swanson, visit her website at www.kelly swanson.net or her blog at www.swansonspeaks.com .

If you have information about High Point people or events, contact Kathy Johnson at mjohnson2@triad.rr.com