Hello I’m Linda.

I am a journalist who relishes giving voice to people’s stories. I am an entrepreneur, co-founder of a democracy initiative, co-founder of an education non-profit, keynote speaker, wife, mother, daughter, sister, dancer and lover of life — and my country.

Although I left the broadcast airwaves a while ago, I still have a lot to say. About who we are. About who we can be. About this beautiful life and how I want to spend my remaining days on this planet trying to bring us together. Connecting. Encouraging. Reminding us of our common humanity through my passion for storytelling.

How did I get there?

My backstory begins on the South Side of Chicago (a few blocks away from Michelle Obama) where I dreamed of one day being a professional dancer. After I graduated from Stanford University, that dream came true. My dad, the doctor, wasn’t all that happy about my career choice.

I danced in modern, jazz and African companies in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago and Denver, once performed with Maya Angelou and Ray Charles (on the same night), and auditioned for “A Chorus Line” and other major musicals on Broadway.

I got my Actor’s Equity card doing musical theater…playing a man. Ballroom is my most recent dance passion; before I majored in Italian I was fluent in French; and at one time I considered being a professional tennis player. Instead, I became a news anchor.

The University of Missouri J-school Masters program prepared me well, catapulting me from the Columbia campus to the CBS affiliate in St. Louis, and on to the NBC affiliate in Houston where I gained my so-called claim to fame.

Fast forward to 2009. My passion for giving a voice to the voiceless and finding a good story to tell in a memorable way led me to found Linda Lorelle Media, a multimedia production and communications consulting firm. I love the lightbulb moment when a client gets that it’s not about the message…it’s about the story!

My passion for storytelling took a different turn in late 2018 when I launched Our Voices Matter Podcast. The Linda Lorelle EncourageX Collection , launched in 2020, builds upon my life theme of connection, encouragement and love.

And now, as the 2024 election year unfolds, I am wading deeper into the public arena as co-founder of Civil Dialogues, a new democracy initiative, with my friend, fellow journalist and NY Times best-selling author, Jean Becker. Like I said, I have a lot to say about who we can be. I’m determined to use my voice to elevate the voices of others in pursuit of saving our democracy. I can’t think of anything more important.

My family is what drives all of this work. The love of my life, Lou Gregory. Our amazingly talented, beautiful daughter, Lindsey, and our adorable grand puppy, Layla. And nearly 400 additional “kids” to whom our non-profit, Linda Lorelle Scholarship Fund (LLSF), has awarded more than $4.6 million in college scholarships and life skills training since 1991.

A core group of them, along with Lindsey, are now leading the organization into the future. As they take the helm, I couldn’t be more proud, or more inspired to continue doing everything in my power to create a better world for them — for all of us.

The key — I am convinced — is reminding us of our common humanity.