Story Podcast

As we continue our conversation around the Storytelling type, the Artisan, this episode features our friend, wildly talented Nashville fine artist, Ed Nash, alongside our mutual friend, acclaimed photographer, Allen Clark. You’ll hear Ed as he discusses not only HIS connection to the world around him, but to what he’s creating and the story he hopes it tells, but how it’s interpreted by those that experience it. If you haven’t already taken our Storyteller Type Assessment, please do it, it’s quick, and it will help you follow along on these conversations regardless of which type you are, because learning about different types will help you leverage and understand the skills that they bring to the table like you never expected. 

We are moving on to the next Storyteller Type in our 5 part series, and this one is the Artisan. Many in the STORY community will identify as Artisans because they are deeply passionate about their art and the story it tells those who view or interact with it. From paint on canvas, to carefully crafted lines in poetry, to movement of bodies through dance, to notes that seem to float off of sheet music, Artisans use a variety of mediums to intertwine their heart and message.  This is exactly why we wanted to kick off the Artisan series with Academy Award Winning costume designer, Ruth Carter. She has dreamt up the way her costumes and designs guide and deepen the stories of those that wear them. Her work has been featured in movies such as Selma, Malcolm X, and Black Panther to name a few, and she is not only brilliant, but deeply connected to the way that costumes tell stories of their own. Don’t miss this conversation, and all the wisdom shared that you can apply to the stories you tell, regardless of the w

Are you thinking big enough when it comes to your power? At the heart of being an Amplifier and storyteller, is a desire to chase and hope for impact. Something that moves the needle and creates solutions for the future. As we wrap up the Amplifier portion of this storytelling series, listen as Ben Von Wong explains how he uses a focus on solutions to create change vs. a sole focus on the problem that will make you want to get up and DO for all the right reasons.

Story's greatest power is not in its ability to simply convert, but its ability to connect. If you want to play the long game you must lead with connection first. But for a change-maker who wants to make a bigger difference faster, that can be a little bit complicated. It can be difficult to be patient with the long-term value journey when the cause that you are trying to amplify needs attention now. In this episode, we dip into the archives of a recent Round Table conversation with Ben Stewart, co-founder of Louder Agency, Brand Messaging Strategist and Copywriter, Janelle Traister, as well as Artist and Activist and longtime friend of the STORY Community, Benjamin Von Wong. Listen in as they discuss the tension that often comes from honoring your values in the process of amplifying stories worth telling.

As we continue to dive into the storytelling type we call, "The Amplifier,” in this episode we dip into our archives to learn from AJ Hassan. If you aren’t familiar with AJ, you probably are familiar with her work. She is the Emmy Award-winning Executive Creative Director behind the widely recognized #LikeAGirl campaign that challenged gender bias and captured over 150 million views worldwide. A perfect example of an Amplifier, AJ has built an award-winning career on tackling and bringing to light tough topics without fear. A believer that everyone’s story deserves, and must, be told, AJ leverages her role as an advertiser to push the ball of change down the hill, all while compelling people around the world to join. Don’t miss her wisdom in this episode of the STORY Podcast.

What happens if your story doesn't get heard? What if your message doesn't resonate, and falls flat or you don't get the sale?    In this episode, jump into the storytelling type we call, "The Amplifier." We do so by dipping into the STORY archives and listening in on some wisdom from a talk from Ben Stewart, co-founder of Louder Agency. You'll be reminded of story's greatest power, and how to amplify your stories so they connect with others, change hearts and minds and help you achieve your storytelling goals.

After a little break from the podcast, the STORY team is back with an incredible new series of episodes focused on helping you better understand who you are as a storyteller and how to equip yourself to better tell stories that matter. Over the next 6 months, we're going equip you to level up your storytelling skillset and inspire you along the way. Welcome to season 6!

You may have heard the story about how the Chinese word for “crisis” can be represented as “opportunity.” As it turns out, that’s not quite accurate. The word is more like “a crucial point” — the moment right before a big change. There’s still a lesson there for us, but it’s a pretty nuanced one, and that’s something John Bucher understands well. John is the Creative Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation in Hollywood, who understand the ideas of story and myth about as well as anyone. Take a listen to John’s talk from the STORY 2020 stage as he explores the concept of embracing these crucial points in the midst of dark moments.

One cause of writer’s block isn’t that we run out of ideas, it’s a fear that the ideas we do have are bad ones. We don’t want to keep writing, keep painting, keep creating — whatever it is — because we’ve got a feeling that the next steps just aren’t very good and we’d rather not create at all than create something that sucks.  Seth Worley knows that fear. He’s a writer and director who’s done videos for Bad Robot Sandwich Video and Red Giant, where he’s the senior content creator. He’s also helped create some really great tools for writers like the Storyclock Workbook. He says that the key to getting around making bad art is just to go ahead and make bad art and explains why the secret to making good art is making bad art. Take a listen.

We don’t like to talk about disappointment in the creative field is. Creativity is a risk and risks, by their very nature, have a pretty high rate of failure. Those stories don’t get told very much, for obvious reasons. But by not telling those stories, we reinforce this idea that unless you’re hitting success after success, you’re a total failure and should give up. Take a listen to Cress Williams from the 2020 STORY Stage. Cress is an actor, known for his roles on Black Lightning, Hart of Dixie, and Prison Break.

Something you hear our last year described as a lot is a “dark time” or a “dark season.” Getting to the end of all that was described as a “new day” or a “new morning” for us. And there’s a lot of truth to that, since so many of us lost so much in 2020. But it’s worth asking if our immediate impulses to avoid, ignore or rush through those dark times and get right to the morning is the healthiest way to deal with pain and hardship. Last year at STORY, we asked that question, and one of our most talked about speakers, Brooke Shaden, had some really great thoughts to share. Brooke is a wonderful artist who uses her work to explore things like darkness, pain, death and decay. She wants to find beauty in those things, and hopefully help us have a better understanding of the dark and hard times in our own life. It’s an experience she’s walked through, and now she wants to help others do it too.

I think all of us can feel tempted towards cynicism these days. However we need to remember that change is possible, and we need to help inspire others to believe it too. That’s how Dr. Chené Swart sees it. She’s a narrative coach and consultant who helps people, organizations and communities with a technique called “narrative therapy,” teaching them to understand their own stories better.

There are two kinds of marketers out there. The first are the Don Drapers—the guys who know how to package lies to turn profits. Certainly an easy way to make money, but it takes a toll on your soul, right? The second kind wants to help people tell a better story about their lives, their hopes, their work. They want to help the world see your work the way you see your work.   Ben Stewart is that kind of guy, and helps storytellers understand that if you want to leverage the power of story to convert, you have to lead with story’s greatest power: it's ability to connect. Don't miss this practical, wisdom-packed episode of the STORY Podcast.

Finding your purpose is a huge deal — for everyone, obviously, but younger generations are especially pursuing purpose-driven work. A Society for Human Resource Management study found that 94 percent of Millennials want to use their skills to benefit a cause. Another survey found that 63 percent of millennials believe the primary purpose of companies should be to make a difference instead of make a profit. But artist and author Shabazz Larkin has a surprising take on the subject, suggesting that what we’re really looking for isn’t exactly purpose, but something else. Listen in...he might just change your mind on what we talk about when we talk about purpose.

I think most of us are aware of the idea of story as a passion, a skill, and maybe a career. But what about story as survival? What about story as a way of finding your way when all else seems to be lost? There are times when story is sort of like the trail of breadcrumbs we leave in the forest. No matter how dark things get or how far we wander, we’ve got something to lead us back home to hope and safety.  That’s the theory of Marc Pimsler, an Experiential Therapist, leading voice in Emotional and Mental Health, and a leader at Onsite Workshops, a Personal Growth and Wellness Retreat Center in Nashville. Last year at STORY 2020, Marc gave a talk about story as a way to see in the dark, and it’s one of the most powerful, convicting ways of thinking about story we’ve heard yet. Listen in.

Some stories are a way of making sense of the world. Life can seem confusing or random, so we fit all the details into a story to help us figure out what’s going on. That’s useful, as long as we’re telling beautiful, compassionate, loving stories. But sometimes, lazy stories get told that write off other people’s experiences with prejudice or stereotypes. That’s something Krish Kandiah is out to change.   He is the Founder and Director of the adoption and fostering charity Home for Good, and he wants to make sure that the kids in the adoption and foster care systems aren’t abandoned to bad stories. There’s so much we all can learn from his work as storytellers, and he has some incredible stories of his own. Listen in on this week's episode of the Story Podcast.

There’s still this idea that we’re living in an extra dark time, that things are bad, worst year ever...that sort of thing. That’s because stories — even macro-level stories — don’t just change on their own. We need storytellers to help us learn how to tell better stories. We need people who care about story to help us set a new, better narrative. That’s something Erin Collasaco is passionate about.   She’s the creative director at OnBeing, a media and public life initiative that’s all about helping people change on a personal level in a way that makes societal transformation better. They’re all about helping us live out better stories, and that’s something Erin wants to help us all do. But, according to her, finding the right story isn’t always as intuitive as you might think. Listen in on some of what she shared with us in her amazing talk last September at STORY.

It’s one thing to know that stories have power. It’s another to learn how to invite the power of story into your spaces. And sometimes, the most important thing you do is nothing at all besides invite others to the table. That’s a lesson David Hutchens knows well. He’s worked with companies like Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, GE, and so many others, helping them learn about things like strategy and leadership, as well as ethics and corporate responsibility. But what does that have to do with the work you’re doing, regardless of the spaces you’re doing it in? It turns out, everything, because all of David’s work is rooted in his deep understanding of narrative. In this episode, David generously passes some of that understanding along to us.

Zimbabwe has about 13 million people in it, and twelve psychiatrists. Yes, twelve. That’s a problem for Dixon Chibanda, who cares deeply about mental health. He can’t really expect each psychiatrist in his native country to take on a little over a million patients, so he started thinking about what they did have: grandmas. What does this have to do with your work as a storyteller? Everything. Don't miss this incredible episode of the STORY Podcast.

Obviously, there are certain types of stories in America that are easier to accept than others. At some point, we make certain judgments about which stories we want to buy into and which ones we don’t, and most of us get pretty good at doing this automatically. We decide which stories we think deserve to be taken seriously, and which can be dismissed. It’s just how we get through life. The problem is, the way we decide which stories to listen to says a lot about us. And sometimes we reject stories because they tell us something we don’t want to hear. That’s where Christina Blacken comes in, the Founder of The New Quo, and all-around amazing human being. Prepare yourself for an incredible episode as we get to learn from her on this episode of the Story Podcast.