Story Podcast

Amena Brown is an author, speaker and spoken word poet who strings words into beautiful phrases while speaking truth. During this conversation she talks about embracing vulnerability in her work, dealing with criticism and how storytellers can shift cultures through creativity. She gave a powerful talk at STORY 2017 that was a blend of spoken word and soul-filled creative genius. It was one of our top rated presentations and you can view it now on STORYCraft.co if you become a premium member.

Have you ever held on to an idea so tightly that you didn't leave room for improvements or perhaps an even better idea? This week we talk about why you must be willing to fall out of love with an idea in order to come up with something better. To gain access to more creative resources, visit STORYcraft.co.

Do you ever find yourself waiting for inspiration to strike? Or waiting for the big idea to just come to you? This week we talk about how you have to meet your creative work in the middle and how to do just that. To access more creative resources and learn more about STORY, visit storycraft.co

Jim Krueger is an award-winning filmmaker, New York Times best-selling author, copy-writer, video game developer and comic book writer and graphic novel legend. He is quite literally one of the best storytellers we’ve ever met.  We always learn something from him and this podcast was no different. Listen in as we learn about the one thing that every good story needs. If you want to learn more from Jim, we are hosting a one-day workshop with him on March 24th in Chicago! Click here to learn more.

What's the difference between your limbic and executive brain? And why is it important to stay in your limbic state while creating? Learn why it's best to create without rules and before looking at your phone in the morning during this week's STORY Craft episode. This could be key for your next project. To listen to Ally Fallon's conversation and gain access to other resources, go to www.storycraft.co

As storytellers, we like to use the excuse "My work speaks for itself". But our audience is longing for more beyond the creative work. Humans want to dig deeper and learn the backstory of the project. Learn what you need to share in order to make a larger impact with your work in this week's #STORYCraft Episode. To gain access to more resources, visit STORYCraft.co. To learn more about STORY, visit STORYGatherings.com.  

Laura Youngkin is a theatrical producer, creative consultant, and proud Millennial, but she’s also so much more…. During this conversation we talk about the tension of living in a culture inundated with social media and praises the amount that we work. We'll also talk about the stereotypes that have been given to millennials and how we can navigate through them in the workplace. You can learn more about her organization The Brave Millennial here. Learn more about STORY and gain access to other resources visit www.storygatherings.com.

If you warm up your body before a workout, why not warm up your mind before a meeting or getting started on your next project? This week's creative tip will help you get your creative juices flowing when you need it the most. For more resources from STORY, check out www.storycraft.co

This week's #STORYCraft tip might help your team come up with the best idea you've ever had.  Listen to this week's creative tip and learn how this one thing can change how you brainstorm.

MacKenzie Huynh is a Creative Lead at Pinterest where she found a space where her storytelling abilities and creativity collided. She's been working on a campaign this year about stepping into a "What if" moment, to push people to embrace that thing that they want to do.  MacKenzie's "What if" moment happened on the STORY 2017 stage where she shared the fact that giving a talk was her one thing that she was scared to do. She ended up being one of our highest rated speakers. During this conversation you'll learn how to step into these moments and how shifting your perspective can change everything about your work and your life. To learn more about STORY visit www.storygatherings.com.

During this week's #STORYCraft episode, we'll talk about the one act that you have to make time for in your creative process. No matter what canvas you are creating with, this step will help make you're project better. Learn more about the producers of STORY at www.storygatherings.com. To gain access to more resources and creative content, visit www.STORYcraft.co 

Each week, the STORY team is going to bring you a creative tip that will impact your work and life in five minutes or less. No matter what vein of work you are in or what kind of medium you use to tell your story, these five minutes will help you to create your best, most creative work. This week will talk about how to ask the right questions and why this is the first step to discovering the right answers. For more creative tips and resources, visit www.storycraft.co.

Matthew Luhn is a 20 year Pixar veteran, who worked on some of their biggest films including Up, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Monster’s Inc, Cars and so many others. He began as an animator, but most of his career at Pixar was in the key role of Story Supervisor. He now spends his time as a branding consultant, a creative writing instructor and a workshop leader. During this conversation you'll learn about Matthew's journey to Pixar, how to bounce back from failure and how to create space for your best creative work. Learn more about STORY at www.storygatherings.com. Learn more about our members-only platform STORY Craft at STORYCraft.co.

To kick off 2018, we gathered some of the most successful and creative people that we know to talk about how they set their year up for success. It was two hours jam packed with incredibly useful information.  You can hear some of the insightful conversation during this first episode of Season 02 of the STORY Podcast. If you want to watch full replay of the interactive live stream with Jason Jaggard, Gillian Ferrabee, Jon Acuff, Brad Montague, Nikkolas Smith and Jim Krueger CLICK HERE. You will need to sign up for a free membership on our brand new site, STORY Craft. When you create an account, you will gain access to other talks from our annual conference. We hope that you'll join us!

He calls himself a "Hope Slinger" and we couldn't agree more. Carlos Whittaker is a People’s Choice Award winner, a former recording artist signed to a major label, a social media maven, and currently spends the majority of his time writing books and speaking on stages around the world. On this episode we talk about what it means to "hope sling", how he became a storyteller on every medium, and how "Killing the Spider" can lead you to a fuller, more hopeful life.

If you've ever struggled between the tension of commerce and art, this episode is for you. Ed Nash is a book salesman turned Art Dealer, Appraiser and Artist. His work can be found in collections across the US and UK and is represented in galleries in New York, Atlanta, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville TN. But this journey didn't happen overnight. Learn how a kid from the UK made his way to Nashville to become the successful artist that he is today. Find out more about STORY at www.storygatherings.com.

Bethany Haley Williams has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and masters and license in clinical social work, and she is a leader in the field of war-affected child rehabilitation. In addition to her work through Exile International, the organization she founded, she also works with organizations like the United Nations. She is an activist, committed to amplifying the voices and stories of war-affected youth through art therapy. We love that she had a moment where she knew that she couldn't not do it. And so she did something. Learn how she started an organization where her passions and skills met an unmet need and how you might be able to discover where you can use your art to do the same. Learn more about STORY at www.storygatherings.com.

Steven Chaparro is the Vice President of Strategic Design at Visioneering Studios where they envision and design spaces that matter and tell stories. During this talk at STORY 2016, he discusses the importance of creatives to find our identity outside of our work and our job as storytellers. This talk was given on stage at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN. If you would like to watch the talk, visit www.storygatherings.com.

Author and entrepreneur, Hannah Brencher talks about the different stages of writing and the creative process. During this talk you will learn about fighting with fear, insecurity, and comparison during the journey of starting something new. Hannah also shares why and how you should set boundaries around your creative process and how to stay authentic in your writing. This presentation was given at #STORY2016 at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN.

Communicator and entrepreneur, Hank Fortener gave this talk about how moments in our life define us to close out #STORY2016. In this presentation, he dissects different emotions that may effect how we view life and how we treat others. This insightful and creative talk will help you shift perspective and open your eyes to how moments have defined you and motivate your actions. If you'd like to watch this talk, visit www.storygatherings.com. This talk was given at STORY 2016 at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN.