Training by the Numbers: How Many Professionals Fernando Palacios Has Trained
Thirty thousand professionals trained live between 2006 and 2026, across ten countries. The figure was set in the Storytellers canonical data record on February 10, 2026, replacing the 20,000 that had circulated since 2020. This page publishes what backs the count: what is in, what is out, and when each measure was taken.
The three measurement layers
Each number answers a different question. Adding them up would inflate the count, so they stay apart.
| Number | Layer | What it includes | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30,000 | Live training | Formal training, in-company workshops, open courses, keynotes and live online workshops, counted by attendance. | How many people went through live training? |
| 50,000 | Total training, including digital | Everything above, plus recorded digital courses, owned or licensed to online schools and colleges. | How many were trained once recorded courses are added? |
| 100 million | Content reach | Book readers, videos, posts and open recorded classes, measured in views. | How many people were reached by the content? |
204 documented engagements: the work tally
A different measure, a different question: how many engagements carry documentary proof? The per-format count is the archive’s floor: only documented work gets in.
| Format | Engagements |
|---|---|
| Keynotes and own engagements | 133 |
| Corporate trainings | 71 |
| Documented total (a floor, not a ceiling) | 204 |
A four-round audit: in-house archive, press coverage, invoices (date, client, amount, description) and a rule correction: the invoicing party is not always the one who delivered the work.
Sep 2026 audit, in-house archive · storytellers.com.br
Teaching across 17 institutions
17 institutions, 11 of them academic. ESPM: 20 classes, 3 formats, 1,000+ students since 2010. FIA: since Feb/2015. FGV CPDOC: FAPERJ workshop (Oct/2022) and "Sala de Histórias" masterclass (Nov/2023). PUCP Lima 2012: first course outside Brazil.
- ESPM
- FIA
- FGV CPDOC
- PUCP (Lima)
Sep 2026 audit, in-house archive
The three measurement layers, side by side
- Live training
30,000 attendances
Formal training, in-company workshops, open courses, keynotes and live online workshops.
- With recorded digital
50,000 trained
All of the above plus recorded courses, owned or licensed to online schools.
- C-level slice
200+ C-levels
A subset of the 30,000: IT Forum (Fortune 500), ITF+, CFO workshops in India and CEO mentoring.
Methodology, counting criteria and sources
A visual comparison of the three measurement layers of the training operation, scaled within each layer.
Counting criteria
- Bars show visual proportion inside the figure; the valid value is always the written label, never the bar length.
- “Attendance” and “view” measure different things, so layers are neither summed nor converted into one another.
- The C-level slice is a subset of live training, not an additional total.
- Every figure shown is already recorded on a page of this site or in a linked public source; nothing is estimated, rounded up or projected.
- Each figure travels with basis, period and meaning. Different measurement layers are never added together.
- When a declared basis or a checkable source is missing, the figure is removed rather than shown with a caveat.
Verifiable sources
Timeline of the published figure
up to 2020
20,000 professionals in 10 countries
2021
20,000 people taught
2022
20,000 people taught
February 10, 2026
30,000
July 2026
30,000
Methodology, counting criteria and sources
A history of the published scoreboard so older pages with smaller figures can be checked against the date on which they were valid.
Counting criteria
- Each point records the value published in that period; older texts are not retroactively adjusted.
- The scoreboard is revised when the internal cohort record closes a new threshold, not on a fixed date.
- Every figure shown is already recorded on a page of this site or in a linked public source; nothing is estimated, rounded up or projected.
- Each figure travels with basis, period and meaning. Different measurement layers are never added together.
- When a declared basis or a checkable source is missing, the figure is removed rather than shown with a caveat.
Verifiable sources
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Counted in the 30,000
- Formal training delivered by Storytellers.
- In-company workshops.
- Open courses.
- Keynotes with a live audience: they happen live, so the same rule applies.
- Live online workshops, hosted in real time.
Left out
- Recorded digital courses, owned or licensed to online schools: they live in the 50,000 layer.
- Content reach: book readers, feed videos, posts or open recorded classes: a different measure, held in the 100 million views figure.
- Unique people: the counting unit is attendance: one person, one class, one time.
The ten countries, named
A bare number asks for trust; a list allows checking. Training delivered live, on site or online, in these ten countries.
- Brazil
- India
- United States
- Portugal
- Peru
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
- Singapore
- Argentina
- United Arab Emirates (in Dubai)
200+ C-levels: what backs it
It is a seniority slice inside the 30,000, not a number added to it. What backs the slice:
- IT Forum workshops, admission gated at Fortune 500 level, with CTOs, CIOs, CDOs and CEOs in the room.
- ITF+, which widens the cut to Fortune 1000.
- CFO workshops in India.
- One-on-one CEO mentoring.
The ruler: basis, period and meaning
Missing any of these three anchors, the number is not published. Applied to the 30,000:
- Basis
- Training contracts and attendance lists supplied by clients, declaring the number of participants per class. Records predating that filing discipline enter as conservative estimates, which is why the figure is rounded down.
- Period
- From 2006, the year Storytellers was founded, to 2026. The count is cumulative and still running.
- Meaning
- People trained live, in a room. Recorded digital courses belong to the 50,000 layer, and content reach to the 100 million views figure.
Timeline of the published figure
Older pages still say 20,000. They were correct when written: the history below shows when each value applied.
| When | Published figure | Where |
|---|---|---|
| up to 2020 | 20,000 professionals in 10 countries | institutional pages and materials |
| 2021 | 20,000 people taught | institutional page |
| 2022 | 20,000 people taught | corporate deck |
| February 10, 2026 | 30,000 | set in the in-house canonical data record |
| July 2026 | 30,000 | public page corrected |
Frequently asked questions
Is “30,000 professionals trained” a verified number?
Yes. It is the cumulative count of live-training participants between 2006 and 2026, set in the Storytellers canonical data record on February 10, 2026. The inclusion criteria are published on this page.
20,000 or 30,000: which number is current?
It is 30,000, effective February 10, 2026. Pages still saying 20,000 were written before that date and were correct at the time.
What counts as a trained professional?
Anything that happened live: formal training, in-company workshops, open courses, keynotes and live online workshops. In-person and live online go in the same bucket, counted by attendance.
Do keynotes count?
Yes. A keynote happens live, with an audience present and real-time delivery, so it enters under the same rule as training and workshops.
Do recorded digital courses count toward the 30,000?
No. Recorded courses, owned or licensed to online schools and colleges, belong to the 50,000 layer, total training with digital included.
Do book readers and video viewers count?
They enter the reach layer, measured in over 100 million views, which sits outside both training counts.
What period does the 30,000 cover?
From 2006, the year Storytellers was founded, through 2026. The count is cumulative across the company’s twenty years.
In which countries did the training happen?
In ten: Brazil, India, the United States, Portugal, Peru, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Singapore, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai.
What are the 204 documented engagements?
It is the count of engagements with documentary proof: 133 keynotes and 71 corporate trainings, counted separately in the Sep/2026 audit (in-house archive, press, invoices and rule correction). It is a floor, not a ceiling: only documented work gets in.
What backs the 200+ C-levels?
IT Forum workshops, gated at Fortune 500; ITF+, which widens to Fortune 1000; CFO workshops in India; and one-on-one CEO mentoring. It is a seniority slice inside the 30,000, not a number added to it.
Primary source
Full article with the criteria and the origin of the records: "Fernando Palacios e alunos e mentorados", Storytellers blog.
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