Change the Narrative

Throughout this season of the podcast I’ve been talking with storytellers about their craft, and the potential they have to make positive change in the world.  Now that we’re struggling to get access to reliable facts about COVID, climate change, and even our own history, it seems like it's time to change the narrative of how we develop knowledge, and ask ourselves: who owns a story and who gets access to them? In this episode, I talk with Catherine Stihler, CEO of Creative Commons, about the importance of open source resources, and developing licenses that allow for sharing of information while protecting the intellectual property of researchers, artists, and writers.

Maybe you made mix tapes in high school. Or maybe you make Spotify playlists for your boo. But what goes into curating a good musical story, and can it actually help us to think of ourselves and the world differently?

In this episode, jazz advocate and KCRW DJ LeRoy Downs (AKA The Jazz Cat) shares secrets about how he performs for radio audiences around the world, how to balance the avant garde with popular taste, and how he crafts sonic stories that vibrate through our bodies and minds.

It's an easy career change to go from being a biologist to becoming a National Geographic photographer, right? Only if it involves your dad's camera, some anime episodes, and a few insect parasites...

On this episode of Change the Narrative, we talk with National Geographic photographer, Anand Varma, who works at the intersection of art and science. What role do art, storytelling, wonder, and passion play in the scientific process? Hear his origin story about how he became a renowned photographer, where he finds inspiration for his work, and his tips on how to create visual stories that stop readers in their tracks.

These days, everyone calls themselves a storyteller: CEOs, marketing experts, even roller coaster designers... But what makes for a truly good story, and how can we use story to build community, process the world, and find our identities? It's a good thing we spoke with the former Director of Education at The Moth, Micaela Blei, because she helped us wrap our heads around it, and shared a few tips about crafting stories that can move your audience.

Season Three is dedicated to our namesake subject--Narratives: the stories well tell ourselves, the stories we tell each other, and how narratives can be used to affect positive change in the world.

If there's anything the past two years have taught us, it's that story is everything. From disinformation campaigns to the freak out over CRT and mask-wearing, nothing matters more than who controls the narrative.

I’m coming out of pandemic hibernation with a new season of Change the Narrative. This time, I’m excited to explore one of my favorite topics: storytelling. The stories we tell ourselves, the stories we tell others, and how we use narratives to make sense of the world, give us comfort, and inspire others.

Host Michael Hernandez turns the mic around to record his entire day teaching remotely. Originally recorded for NPR's It's Been A Minute With Sam Sanders Podcast, listen to Michael's day in all its digital glory: What happens in a Zoom class? Michael's daughter drops the hammer on worksheets. And what it's like to teach in your underwear. Don't say we didn't warn you!

Are kids wasting time and falling behind during remote learning? Turns out all this flex time has strengthened family bonds, and given them time to find new passions. In this interview, recorded in May 2020, I spoke with Arun Balaji and Nakul Nayak, high school juniors in Northern California who have used their windfall of non-academic time to start a non-profit business and a national journalism publication. Not too shabby for a pair of teenage boys who are motivated to learn and work without grades. 

How are students managing classes during remote learning, and how have teachers helped or hindered that learning? What expectations do teachers or school administrators have of students, and is that realistic or healthy? My conversation with Lily Bessler was recorded in May, at the beginning of the pandemic and the end of her Freshman year of High School, but her insights are just as poignant today.

What do students REALLY think about remote learning? A high school freshman from Los Angeles talks about the advantages of flexible schedules, the time she's had to learn about herself, and her advice about how to move forward.

What's missing from all conversations about remote learning and school re-openings is the main stakeholder--students. In this episode, I talk with two  Silicon Valley HS students about what academic pressure looks like in the age of remote school, what happens when they see their teachers in the wild, the rediscovery of self-care, and how their perceived privilege keeps them from talking about depression. And they have some choice advice for teachers...