Changing the Rules

Host: Ray Loewe, Co-Host: Mary Ann Steinhauer, and our podcast team talk about how they stay engaged and on track when winter starts to get them down.

Word has been getting around about our Storytelling Dinners.

People keep asking the same questions: How do I get to one? What kind of story should I tell? Where do the best stories in my life even come from? And how do I make a good story better—and tell it well?

So we decided to answer those questions the best way we know how: by telling stories.

In this episode of Changing the Rules, four storytellers from our dinner table came to the microphones—Don Helin, Julie Stauffer, Phil Fretz, and Ray Loewe. They each retell one of their stories and pull back the curtain on how they found it, shaped it, and brought it to life.

Along the way, you’ll hear how ordinary moments become memorable stories, how a little polishing goes a long way, and why storytelling is a skill anyone can learn—and enjoy.

The result? Insight, laughter, and more than a few “I could tell a story like that” moments.

What a hoot.

The mission hasn't changed. We're still about helping the luckiest people get lucky, stay lucky, and get around the obstacles that get in their way. But there will be greater emphasis on the people who help them and the conversations they have to get there.

Don & Ray talk about how to pull your stories out of you and then tell stories. Stories in this episode: 1. Don talks about his first job. 2. Ray talks about rediscovering the Aurora Borealis. Don talks about "Do we really want to do this? And more...

Clemence is the owner of "Memoirs and More." Memoirs are the stories, and more are family histories. Genealogy is the skeleton of the family, but stories are the flesh & blood. How do you begin to tell yours, and why should you tell it?

Joan is an Attorney, Mediator, and Grandparent. In this episode, she talks about the positive influence grandparents have on their grandchildren, but how they often lack the power to follow through.

In this episode, host Ray Loewe and John Gardner explore the idea of “The Five Generations” — how generational context shapes opportunity, social mobility, and perceptions of success across time. The conversation examines how families and communities progress (or don’t) across generations, and challenges common assumptions about poverty, success, education, and “what it takes” to get ahead. The episode encourages listeners to think long-term — beyond a single generation — about legacy, values, and what “making it” can really mean.

Host Ray Loewe and guests Jane Armstrong, a puppeteer and ventriloquist; Jane Grove, a storyteller and driver of antique cars; and Mary Ann Steinhauer, a hot air balloon pilot and writer, discuss the power of the story in their lives. Lots of great stories are told in this episode

Two single women. A meeting by fate. The creation of a new business venture, Survival. Growth. And now the trials and tribulations of expansion. Now throw in some kids, horses, and chickens, and you have today's interview.