Backstage w/ Matt Stone

Mid-80s today (almost 90 the next two days), and Matt’s excited to be a little too warm after months of cold. After sharing trivia about Noah Webster’s dictionary (1828), cornflakes being patented (1896), and the Titanic hitting the iceberg (1912—124 years ago and people are still fascinated), he reflects on why that story resonates: we’re all on a boat together, and in the end, status didn’t matter. In this gilded age, those stories tend to hit.

But here’s what he woke up to this morning: the fear monger, that familiar friend showing up when another sale isn’t in the books yet. It can get dark pretty fast. Then he turned his mind to the opportunities at hand—a presentation next week in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, great meetings this week. The fear, the anxiety, the ups and downs—it’s just all part of building something new.

Especially when you’re building something people haven’t heard of before. If you open a donut shop, you just differentiate—ours are vegan, softer, sweeter. But when you’re offering something that walks a line—like leadership development with a media perspective, using video, a hybrid of coaching, facilitation, partnership, media creation—distilling that into something that sounds different, resonant, and valuable all at once? That doesn’t happen overnight. The messaging doesn’t fall out of the sky in diamond-hard form. There’s a period of play, sampling, constant feedback. And while he can feel exhausted by it sometimes (he just wants it to work), every bit of feedback is valuable data. He doesn’t have to follow it, but having people unafraid and gracious enough to tell him what they think? That’s a strength.

The lesson: even having people who respond to messages, read what you send out, give you feedback—that’s a gift they’re giving. Stay in gratitude, stay open, and remember you don’t have to act on everything reflexively. The question: Who tells you the truth openly and honestly? What does that mean to you, and how could you use it to propel yourself to the next level?

Sixty-nine days until summer, still feeling winter-ish at night (upper 30s, lower 40s), but a glorious weekend—Saturday sitting in the sun on the Upper West Side talking with a friend, much warmer than expected. After sharing trivia about the Apollo 13 explosion (1970) and Barry Bonds hitting his 661st home run (2004), Matt dives into a moment that made him feel very old: recounting a story about meeting Coolio in a Tokyo club to a guy in his early 20s at the cell phone store—who’d never heard of Coolio or Cypress Hill.

Here’s the thing: things pass. Eras pass. Most people, even celebrities and musicians, have a moment and then it’s over. Phil Donahue helped define a whole genre of television, but ask young people today and they’ve never heard of him. Television’s almost gone. Things move quickly. But the opportunity in all that? Reinvention. Something new. If you can look at the next thing and aim for that, that’s where the value is.

That’s what he’s doing with The Bigger Stage—aiming for the next thing. Because AI is continuing to change everything (he uses it every day), but the human experience around mission-driven work, building something bigger than yourself? That’s going to take an Olympic-style human development process to really stand out. To be iconic—and he doesn’t mean famous, he means being known for something you defined, something bigger than you that has meaning beyond you but that you’re the vessel for. Even if people don’t remember your name but they’re aware of what you did—that’s iconic.

He’s exploring what this means, doing some writing on it, launching a new website today at thebiggerstage.com (check it out by end of day). It’s getting clearer, and clearer is good. This week: interesting meetings, preparing for a presentation, dialing into his sales process after spending the weekend getting even clearer about the business, his goals, what kind of company he wants to build. Higher definition helps you move forward. The question: What are you excited about this week? What are you building? What vision gives you inspiration, and how do you stay connected to it as things come up?

Beautiful Friday, a little cold as usual, and Matt stopped mid-race to get centered before two podcast recordings—one with someone who just appeared on the Today Show for a clever electrical product (the kind you wish you’d invented), another with Jan Miller who stumbled into his current company 20 years ago after casually helping people with student loan issues on the side. After sharing trivia (Steven Seagal’s birthday, the safety pin patent in 1849), he dives into what’s really on his mind.

He’s inundated with emails telling him his podcast marketing sucks, his LinkedIn needs work—sometimes they’re right. But prioritizing what to work on is one of the hardest things. The Bigger Stage podcast doesn’t make money yet. Some videos have gotten hundreds of views. But the point was always honing his craft, showing people what to expect when they work with him, giving them a channel to follow. It’s a great way to get to know incredible referral partners, business partners, sometimes friends. A recent guest is coming to town and they’re meeting up.

The vertical value was always there. But if he just went by what AI platforms say—well, that’s not directly revenue generating, prioritize other things—he’d stop. And he knows, knows that he knows that he knows, it’s the right medium for him. So he balances time spent on it versus sales (which is priority number one). He’s gotten it pretty efficient. Could he optimize the channel more? Sure. But his priority is selling services, so the less-than-optimized thing has to hang for a bit. First things first.

Here’s the truth: there’s an opinion for everything. You might be prioritizing in a way others don’t get, but if you know it in your gut and it keeps coming up as right—listen to that. We’re the deciders of our behaviors and at least part of our destiny. The question: What are you controlling, what are you doing, and what are you prioritizing?

Seventy-three days until summer, 34 degrees overnight (still freezing), but by Monday it’s hitting the 70s and 80s for good—so get ready for Matt complaining about the heat. After sharing trivia about King Henry I getting reprimanded for long hair (1105), LaSalle claiming Louisiana for France (1682), and Jumbo the circus elephant arriving in the U.S. (1882), he dives into yesterday’s 7:30 AM networking event near Grand Central.

He’s a huge extrovert, but every time he shows up to these things, there’s that moment right outside—the cold start problem. Do I belong? Will I feel excluded? It’s like going to the gym when you don’t want to, but once you’re in, it’s better than great. He started talking to the guy at the coffee station who was super friendly—later learned he’d lost his father a few weeks prior but gave no indication of the grief he was carrying. The woman running the event? Number two employee at WeWork years ago, incredible personality, made him feel more welcomed than anywhere he didn’t technically belong.

Here’s the reminder: we connect on a human level, regardless of profession or background. The sooner you get one notch deeper than weather and traffic, the more opportunity for real affinity. And when he introduced himself, the head of the group asked him to speak at a different meeting on April 21st—depending on how that goes, maybe at this one too. Now he’s got a date certain to prep a short version of what will become a longer talk. That’s the game: create moments that force you to do the work. Even if he doesn’t join, the value is there.

The theme: doing things in spite of feelings to the contrary. When you know all it takes is getting your mind right and connecting, you’ll belong. And when you put yourself out there, opportunity comes. The question: What’s your opportunity that’s going to move you closer to where you want to be?

Seventy-six days until summer, beautiful sunny day, though Wednesday night’s dropping below freezing one last time before hitting the 80s next week. After sharing trivia about Brigham Young marrying his 27th and last wife (1868—quite a responsibility) and Jimmy Dewar inventing the Twinkie (1930), Matt reflects on last week’s trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma—his first time in the state.

He flew down to work with an amazing husband-and-wife team running a roofing business, set up a remote shoot with two cameras, lights, tripods, and mics. Found the sweet spot of equipment without overdoing it—the iPhone 17 Pro Max camera is so good that for some shots it was even better than the Sony. But the real magic was having authentic, powerful conversations while capturing them. He interviewed customers, employees, and the owners, helping them become authorities in their space through storytelling. Not just recording stories for the world, but the act of crafting and internalizing them first—that’s what takes you to the next level.

One customer was teary-eyed by the end, talking about how much she appreciated the company and what they did for her. Seeing the impact of your work firsthand like that—you can’t replicate it online. Online’s great for global reach and collaboration, but being in-person with clients is a next-level experience. They had dinner together, and he’ll remember it joyfully for years. The message: if you work remotely or hybrid, intentionally bring in live face-to-face meetings—networking, whatever. It’s a totally different quality of exchange. The question: What in-person connection is going to fill you this week?

Eighty-three days until summer, heading into the 70s today (upper 80s in Oklahoma where he’s flying tomorrow), and Matt’s making it quick before a client meeting. After sharing trivia about Washington proclaiming the boundary of the new capital city (1791) and Jeopardy’s TV debut (1964—didn’t realize it was that old), he reflects on a weekend that was productive but exhausting.

Saturday hit the gym and worked, then Sunday ran errands in Manhattan—B&H for equipment, Apple Store to replace his iPhone battery. Turns out Apple never put two screws back when they fixed it years ago, so they refused to service it. He wanted to just swap the battery and go another couple years, but the system funneled him into upgrading and locking in for three more years with Verizon. Congratulations to them. The lesson: if you’re committing to errands on a Sunday, brace yourself—it won’t be relaxing, and you won’t feel refreshed. That’s okay, but it caught them both off guard.

But here’s what really landed: Sunday morning, early, he woke up anxious to finish a client project. Got on his computer, worked on it, and his heart was full of joy. When you wake up early on a Sunday morning excited to get to client work and you actually enjoy it—that’s a signal. Amongst all the stress and anxiety of building a new business, those signals matter. You can’t manufacture that kind of joy. So the question: What kind of work do you enjoy doing any day of the week? That’s the signal that you’re in the right lane. He’s off to Tulsa tomorrow, working with great people, capturing stories, helping folks move from operator to icon. Back Friday with hopefully some good stories to share.

Sonnet 4.5

Title: Being the Best Dance Partner (So the Other Person Shines)

Subtitle: On service over self-interest, curating stories that help people, and why good feedback makes you better

Description:

Eighty-six days until summer, high of 67 today (19 Celsius for everyone else), and Matt’s squeezing out as much spring as possible. After sharing trivia about the urinal patent (1866), the corkscrew patent (1860), and the first cherry trees from Japan planted in D.C. (1912), he’s gearing up for a podcast recording with a fantastic entrepreneur who built a painting business 30-40 years ago—so successfully that he started a consulting company. The guy’s run marathons in all 50 states, high energy but reflective, and Matt’s excited to dig deeper into the psychology and what’s worth passing along.

Here’s the main theme: it’s so easy to focus on what you need as a business owner—paying bills, taking care of family, building a business for yourself. Your brain naturally goes there. But the more time he spends thinking about who he’s serving and how he’s helping them meet their needs, the more it shifts everything. He’s becoming more discerning about podcast guests—not because anyone’s worthless versus high value, but about what story will actually help people. He asks potential guests for topics, then crafts a conversation that serves the audience.

He’s also staying flexible with clients at this stage, being all-in on what it takes to serve them in a way that gives real tangible benefit. Recently he pushed a client to retell a story from a different angle to build the muscle of storytelling for different purposes. Same story, different emphasis—active versus passive voice, different details. She gave him feedback on better phraseology to help her think about it the right way, and he genuinely appreciated it. It’s about being the best dance partner you can be so the other person shines. If they shine, you shine—you don’t even have to worry about that. The question: How can you put yourself in a posture of service that benefits you, your business, whatever venture you’re in?

Eighty-seven days until summer, 73 degrees today (23 Celsius for the global crowd), and Matt’s feeling it. After sharing trivia about the UN Security Council’s first meeting in NYC (1946) and Jonas Salk announcing the polio vaccine (1953—though we’re apparently bringing back measles now), he touches on the absurdity of TSA chaos for his Tulsa trip next week before diving into what’s really on his mind.

He’s getting requests for ancillary services from new clients, forcing him to test his strategy. But mostly he’s focused on today—specifically, building a community around The Bigger Stage. Not just another weekly cohort or group everyone’s launching, but something creative, different, exciting, probably leveraging New York City. Starting with 100 people, growing to thousands. The dream is forming, but he doesn’t know what it looks like yet. And that’s okay.

Here’s the pattern he’s noticed over the years: when he puts the call out—whether it’s for writing or strategy—he doesn’t know the answer and thinks it’ll never come. But it always does. It’s like working in a restaurant: you write the order on a ticket, stick it in the metal structure above the plates. “I want an order of a community building strategy.” Then as you move forward, view what others are doing, take in information, it becomes clearer. You get great advice and make it your own.

Yesterday they did their first LinkedIn Live—30 minutes with Kait. People came early, left comments, then dropped off. They need to make it highly relevant early and give people a reason to stick around. Not sure LinkedIn is the right habitat long-term, but there’s only one way to find out. In the process, he figured out StreamYard, successfully streamed to both LinkedIn and YouTube. The recording’s on The Bigger Stage channel if you’re curious. The question: What’s the call you need to put in? What answer are you waiting for? Start with the call—the answer will come.

Eighty-eight days until summer (a lucky number), and Matt’s cruising through March with his first live LinkedIn show launching in less than an hour—What’s the Point? with co-host Kait LeDonne. After sharing trivia about the first public pancake-making demonstration in NYC (1882—who knew?) and the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (1911), he reflects on last night’s mergers and acquisitions group meeting in northern New Jersey.

Lots of gray and blue suits, and you might think M&A wouldn’t be the most exciting crowd. At first he felt like an outsider—but then he sat down next to a guy at a table in the back. They hit it off, shared stories about Japan, off to the races. Then a woman sat down who turned out to be a riot, works in marketing, great time, follow-up meetings planned. Once you meet the people and forget about the titles and industries, everything gets easy and fun. He heard common themes in the Q&A about trust, disclosure, not lying—themes that run across industries and unify us all.

The lesson: if you feel like you don’t belong in a certain space, you probably do. It’s just about connecting at a human level first and letting the rest blossom. He’s finding more joy in his days lately, and that’s a beautiful thing. So the question: where do you feel like you don’t belong that you actually might?

Thirty-two degrees when he woke up, heading to a ‘toasty’ 47 later, and Matt’s back after missing Monday—just off to the races. After sharing trivia about the NYC subway groundbreaking in 1900 (you can feel those 126 years) and someone surviving an 18,000-foot fall from a plane in 1944 (no parachute?), he dives into evolution and what’s changing with the show.

The five-day-a-week frequency is getting challenging with travel coming up (first time in Oklahoma next week), so things might get scattered. But he’s not stopping—just figuring out the commitment to himself and listeners in terms of when to expect episodes. The show might get rebranded as “Backstage” or “Behind the Stage” since the main business is The Bigger Stage, and this is the behind-the-scenes daily sausage-making. Matt Stone Live becomes the personal platform, The Bigger Stage houses everything else.

Here’s what’s launching tomorrow: a new LinkedIn show at noon Eastern with Kait LeDonne called What’s the Point?! Kait’s a smart, funny, all-around good human from the PR world, and they realized their conversations about headlines, messaging, and purpose should be a show. The ultimate question for all of us right now: whatever we’re doing, what’s the point? Social media and AI encourage proliferation and bastardization of everything, forcing us to ask—what’s the point of this post? This newsletter? This networking event? Is it meaningful? Helping our businesses? Serving us or others? They’re going to ask that relentlessly, maybe laugh in a semi-mocking way, and see if it catches fire. The real point: evolve, try, be creative, and stay open. How are you adapting today? What new thing will you try? What will you let go of to move forward?