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4: All You Have to Do Is Ask
While passing time between flights in San Francisco, I met a kind stranger who changed the way I think about storytelling, connection, and the courage it takes to ask someone a simple question.
What began as a quiet breakfast turned into one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had on the road—and a reminder of how powerful our interactions with strangers can be.
This story explores:
- Why it pays to be “bold, dammit”
- The joy of feeling seen, especially by a stranger
- How one question can unlock a forgotten memory
- And why we should never wait to ask for the stories that matter
Get the transcript at HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep4.
Janna Barrett is a commercial flight attendant who’s fascinated by the associations we form with music. On her birthday in 2024, she went on a year-long music diet, giving up all the music she’d ever heard before. Janna started a collaborative journal to get music recommendations, asking people to write about a song they associate with a happy memory. But after falling in love with the question as a method for connection, she is now on a mission to prove that everyone has a song.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:09 Meeting the stranger
02:15 Starting a conversation
03:22 Sharing the project
04:58 Digging deeper
06:06 Talking about memories
08:47 Parting ways
12:44 Outro
View all episodes
By Janna BarrettWhile passing time between flights in San Francisco, I met a kind stranger who changed the way I think about storytelling, connection, and the courage it takes to ask someone a simple question.
What began as a quiet breakfast turned into one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had on the road—and a reminder of how powerful our interactions with strangers can be.
This story explores:
- Why it pays to be “bold, dammit”
- The joy of feeling seen, especially by a stranger
- How one question can unlock a forgotten memory
- And why we should never wait to ask for the stories that matter
Get the transcript at HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep4.
Janna Barrett is a commercial flight attendant who’s fascinated by the associations we form with music. On her birthday in 2024, she went on a year-long music diet, giving up all the music she’d ever heard before. Janna started a collaborative journal to get music recommendations, asking people to write about a song they associate with a happy memory. But after falling in love with the question as a method for connection, she is now on a mission to prove that everyone has a song.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:09 Meeting the stranger
02:15 Starting a conversation
03:22 Sharing the project
04:58 Digging deeper
06:06 Talking about memories
08:47 Parting ways
12:44 Outro