Many call me Erin. (Mostly, professionally. Family, too.) But with a last name like Winker, why not go by Wink? (It’s OK if you prefer to stick with Erin — I answer to that name, too.)

When I was a kid, my childhood dog had eight puppies. (Fun fact: We didn’t even know she was pregnant. That’s a whole different story.) After 24 hours, the runt of the litter didn’t make it. I buried him with a love note. 

My grandmother wore a colored piece of feather in her hair, every day. As a teenager, I asked why. “It’s a conversation piece,” she told me. Touché. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in the midst of lockdown, I found my journals from high school and college. Over an outdoor fire — socially distanced of course — I read them aloud to my best friend whose name popped up in a few entries. Sipping wine, we laughed (and maybe shed a few tears), remembering who we once were. 

Why am I telling you this?

I love stories. But what I love most about them is the connections they bring — both to and with people, places and things. And the emotions they evoke. To feeling like you truly know the lead character and sometimes forgetting that you don't. To starting one more episode when you really should go to sleep. To coming home from a great vacation and sharing all the moments experienced with those who couldn't join you.

Stories – no matter how they're told or shared – move people. For a brand, this is truly powerful.