What started as a simple internet TV experiment became something much bigger.
In this special episode of Changing the Rules, host Jim Rose — usually the voice behind the engineering console — turns the microphone on Ray Loewe, founder of Changing the Rules, Life Under the Willow Tree, and The Friends Connection Forum.
Ray shares the unexpected evolution of these projects: from early internet television, to pandemic-driven podcasting, to a growing movement centered on storytelling, connection, and legacy.
Along with co-host Mary Ann Steinhauer, the conversation explores how podcasts have become more than just interviews. They became a way for people to truly know one another — neighbors becoming friends through stories instead of small talk.
The episode dives into:
The birth and evolution of Changing the Rules
How Life Under the Willow Tree created deeper community connections
Why storytelling helps combat isolation and build relationships
The emergence of storytelling dinners, coffee conversations, and live events
How “The Luckiest People in the World” are beginning to build their life stories through a collection of short, meaningful moments
At the center of it all is a simple but powerful idea:
A life isn’t defined by a résumé.
It’s revealed through stories.
And sometimes it only takes a handful of stories to understand who someone really is.