Lion’s Story

What Lion’s Story does

Lion's Story (legally Lion's Story Village) is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 that delivers racial literacy training, assessments, and consultations to individuals and organizations seeking to navigate identity-based stress. The organization's intellectual foundation is 35+ years of clinical research conducted by founder Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, codified into proprietary frameworks including the CLCBE emotional regulation model (Calculate, Locate, Communicate, Breathe, Exhale) and a signature "First Story Question" methodology that uses early memory of race as a catalyst for healing.

Core offerings comprise three product lines: (1) the Resilience Literacy Institute (RLI), a multi-day virtual training program priced at $1,250 per seat with group registration for organizations of eight or more; (2) the Stories That Stay podcast (currently in Season 2), a content asset featuring guest storytellers and racial literacy skill-building; and (3) bespoke racial literacy training delivered to schools, workplaces, and community organizations. The organization is led by Executive Director Lisa Nelson-Haynes (formerly StoryCorps Chief Programs Officer and Philadelphia Young Playwrights Executive Director), with Shamm Petros as Senior Director of Learning & Development and an Operations Manager, supported by a nine-person Board of Directors.

Revenue is generated through two streams: per-seat professional services revenue from the Resilience Literacy Institute and philanthropic donations that the organization states are required to meet demand and subsidize access for participants who cannot afford training. Distribution is virtual-first and global in scope, with a community-led go-to-market motion built around the podcast, newsletter, and cohort-based workshop registration. Partnerships include a relationship with the American Psychological Association that funds partial scholarships for BIPOC leaders, clinicians, educators, artists, and nonprofit practitioners.

Name

Lion’s Story

Legal name

Lion's Story Village

Website

https://thelionsstory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lion's Story is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers racial literacy training and consultations to educators, mental health professionals, organizational leaders, BIPOC practitioners, and artists, built on 35+ years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Racial Literacy Training and Education

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ), Creative Nonfiction & Memoir Workshops (EDAMAMAC)

Keywords

• Racial literacy training
• Equity education workshops
• Identity stress coaching
• Diversity consulting services
• Mindfulness facilitation training

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Support: Lion's Story depends on philanthropic donations to meet growing demand for racial stress healing programs and to serve those who cannot afford training. The organization is a 501c3 nonprofit.
2. Resilience Literacy Institute Training: Virtual institute training programs with per-seat pricing at $1,250, offering foundational racial literacy skills through multi-day immersive workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lion's Story is a 501c3 nonprofit that delivers racial literacy training, multi-day virtual institutes (Resilience Literacy Institute), and a storytelling podcast (Stories That Stay) to help individuals and organizations navigate and resolve identity-based stress. Programs are grounded in 35+ years of clinical-psychology research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania and combine mindfulness, emotional regulation frameworks, and narrative practices. The organization serves educators, mental health professionals, organizational leaders, BIPOC leaders, and artists through cohort-based workshops, paid training seats, and free content channels.

Product overview

Lion's Story is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of products centered on racial literacy and storytelling for healing. The primary offerings include the Stories That Stay podcast (Seasons 1 and 2), the Resilience Literacy Institute (a virtual multi-day training program), and Racial Literacy Training workshops for individuals and institutions. The organization also maintains a newsletter for community engagement. All offerings are grounded in 35+ years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania and focus on building courage, language, and skills to navigate identity-based stress.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Resilience Literacy Institute (RLI): A virtual institute that teaches foundational racial literacy skills, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and narrative practices to help participants navigate stress tied to race, identity, and other high-stakes experiences.
• Stories That Stay Podcast

Products and services

• Stories That Stay Podcast A podcast where healing happens at the intersection of art, science, and storytelling. Hosted by Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston, it features guests (filmmakers, musicians, educators, equity advocates) sharing their earliest memories of race and difference, paired with guided mindfulness practices and reflective questions. Available free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
• Resilience Literacy Institute (RLI) A virtual 4-day institute teaching foundational racial literacy skills through mindfulness, emotional regulation, and narrative practices. Participants pay $1,250 per seat, with early-bird code EarlyBird26 for 15% off and partial scholarships available through the APA partnership. Group registration for 8+ people is available via direct email inquiry.
• Racial Literacy Training Training programs grounded in 35+ years of racial literacy research, teaching methods and practices for navigating racial stress and identity-based experiences. Offered to individuals, schools, workplaces, and organizations seeking to address identity-based stress. Custom workshop engagements are arranged by direct contact with the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Training thousands of people over five years to confront identity-based stress
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Psychological Association (APA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA has partnered with Lion's Story to support the Resilience Literacy Institute. Through this partnership, Lion's Story is able to offer a limited number of partial scholarships for participants who would benefit from financial support to attend the Institute. The goal is to make this work more accessible to BIPOC leaders, mental health professionals, educators, artists, and nonprofit practitioners who are navigating emotional realities of leadership, care work, advocacy, and identity-based stress.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): National network mobilizing white people for racial justice through education, training, and action; comparable as a racial equity education and mobilization organization targeting similar audiences.
• Race Forward: Racial justice organization that publishes research, runs training, and convenes practitioners; overlaps with Lion's Story in providing equity-focused training and narrative/storytelling programming.
• National Equity Project: Equity-centered organization providing coaching, training, and consulting to education and community leaders; highly comparable in serving educators and leaders with equity-focused practice.
• The Winters Group: DEI consulting firm delivering training, coaching, and organizational assessments to corporations and nonprofits; directly comparable as a paid racial equity training provider serving similar buyer personas.
• Perception Institute: Research and action organization focused on racial bias, perception, and racial anxiety; closely aligned with Lion's Story's research-driven, racial literacy approach to identity-based stress.
• Cook Ross: DEI consulting and leadership development firm offering training, coaching, and inclusion strategy; comparable in delivering structured racial equity programs to enterprise and institutional clients.
• Equity in the Center: Research and consulting organization advancing racial equity in the social sector; comparable in producing frameworks, training, and tools used by DEI practitioners and institutional leaders.
• Better Allies: DEI training and content company offering workshops, books, and allyship programs; comparable as a smaller-scale training provider focused on identity and inclusion skill-building for professionals.

Broad incumbents

• Catalyst: Global nonprofit focused on workplace equity and inclusion research and consulting; broader in scope and more established, with overlapping training and advisory offerings for organizational leaders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StoriesThatStayPodcast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thelionsstory
• Facebookfacebook.com/thelionsstory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lion’s Story