DANGEROUSLY GOOD STORIES

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. I've kept it in the public archive because it offers an accessible entry point into story work, especially for meaning-makers craving more than goal-setting alone.

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This guided reflection invites you to move beyond traditional goal-setting and reconnect with your life through story.

Originally created as a 2020 planning episode, the practice is timeless: you'll reflect on past experiences, map anticipated stories, and explore what deserves to be healed, revisited, or deeply felt.

Think of it as a values-rooted story ritual for your personal new year, reflective season, or any time you feel stuck in survival mode.

Topics Covered

• Why traditional goal-setting often bypasses personal meaning
• Five reflective story work steps for life planning
• Prompts to surface stories from past years and childhood
• The power of honoring unresolved or painful memories
• Using stories to deepen connection in relationships
• A surprising example of how old memories inspired a cross-country move
• The impact of love letters and story-fueled gestures
• Why your "tiny story list" is more grounding than your to-do list

Access all active archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-podcast-archive

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. I've kept it in the archive because Michelle's reflections on creativity, parenting, and artistic evolution are still deeply grounding, especially if you're navigating life transitions or letting go of creative rules.

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Michelle McKay returns for a conversation about navigating separation, motherhood, and the quiet shifts that shaped her creative work.

We talk about letting go of perfection, showing up through uncertainty, and finding new rhythms in both life and art.

Topics covered:

• Navigating separation, single parenting, and business simultaneously
• Evolving her artist identity: "photographer" to "photographic artist"
• Letting go of perfectionism in editing and memory-keeping
• The impact of in-person vs. online client reveals
• Finding local "social influencers" to grow a photography business
• Real talk on mom guilt, presence, and permission to seek
• Creating and launching Beautiful Ordinary Lightroom Presets
• Michelle's iconic photo and what it revealed about noticing joy

Where Michelle Is Now:

Michelle McKay is a poetic photographic artist, writer, and educator based in Geelong, Australia. She continues to create honest, artful family portraits and now leads We Are Memory Catchers — an international community and educational space for photographers drawn to real-life storytelling. Her work centers the beauty in the everyday and the stories worth preserving before they slip away.

Connect with Michelle and access the archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive

⚠️ This episode was originally recorded as a 2020 webinar during the Intentional Documentary® era. I kept it in the public archive because of its practical guidance for moving from chronic overwhelm to intentional awareness without sacrificing your ambition.

It introduces the DGS 5-Part Story Work Practice through the lens of "survival mode" living.

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What if you didn't need to run off to Bali, delete all your apps, or read another self-help book to feel like yourself again?

What if your stories could help you get out of your own head and into a life that actually feels like yours again?

This episode offers a gentle five-part practice to help you get out of survival mode and start feeling more present, awake, and like you. It's not about productivity. It's about using your own stories — the ones you've already lived / are living — to feel grounded in your life again.

Originally recorded as a live workshop, this session introduces the story-based practice that became the foundation of Dangerously Good Stories.

Topics:

• What survival mode actually feels like and why it's so common
• How "tiny stories" can help you pause, realign, and reset
• The 5-Part Story Work Practice: Observation, Preservation, Expression, Connection, Cultivation
• Why journaling, documenting, and reflection aren't just about memory-keeping
• Tangible examples of how story work creates emotional traction and clarity
• The faulty promises of most self-help fixes—and how story-based self-awareness is different
• How to reduce mental noise while honoring your ambition

Access all active archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-podcast-archive

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. I've kept it in the public archive because it explores documenting as a form of presence, self-reflection, and truth-telling.

Jason's approach to video journaling goes far beyond memory-keeping. It's a practice of witnessing yourself with honesty and care.

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What if documenting wasn't about remembering the past, but about witnessing yourself right now?

Jason McGarva didn't set out to turn the camera on himself, but once he did, something shifted. What began as an experiment in video journaling became a grounding way to reflect, feel, and see himself more clearly.

In this conversation, Jason shares what it's like to see yourself on screen without performing, and how video can become a mirror for noticing what you're really carrying.

This episode is for anyone curious about how documenting can support reflection, truth-telling, or reconnecting with the self beneath the noise.

Topics:

• What video journaling is, and how it differs from content creation
• Why Jason started filming himself, and what shifted over time
• How watching old footage can reveal what you didn't notice in the moment
• The tension between performance and presence on camera
• Using video to access vulnerability, reflection, and emotional truth
• Why documenting is less about memory, and more about being seen
• How video journaling can support life transitions and internal shifts
• The power of self-witnessing as a story practice

Connect with Jason + access the archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. It remains in the archive because it speaks to the power of story as service and self-expression, especially for heart-led professionals and business owners navigating identity, messaging, and visibility.

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What if telling your story wasn't just about visibility, but about service, clarity, and deeper connection?

April Pertuis of Light Beamers joins Marie to explore story as a transformational tool for creatives, coaches, and small business owners. With over 25 years in journalism and storytelling, April shares a simple framework for identifying and expressing your stories — even if you think you don't have one.

Topics covered:

• Why every story matters, not just the "big trauma" ones
• A practical framework for identifying the story arc
• What to do when you have multiple stories
• How to weave personal stories into your business content without feeling redundant
• The importance of documenting and reflecting (journaling, voice notes, etc.)
• Light Beamers Community and "Wednesday Live" story-sharing practice
• The connection between story, freedom, and visibility

Where is she today?

April Adams Pertuis is still lighting the way. As the founder and CEO of LIGHTbeamers, she helps women turn their personal stories into powerful tools for visibility, connection, and service, whether through speaking, podcasting, or becoming published authors. Her work centers on the belief that everybody has a story, and that story is a beacon.

She also hosts The Inside Story podcast, where she spotlights entrepreneurs and changemakers who have walked through fire and come out brighter, all to inspire listeners to share their own stories with purpose.

Connect with April + access the archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. I've kept it in the archive because it gently explores how holidays shape our memories, highlight what we've lost, and offer new chances for meaning and connection.

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Holidays have a way of bringing up everything — joy, nostalgia, grief, awkwardness, change. In this short story, I reflect on how Thanksgiving shifted in my family over the years, and I invite you to do the same with your own traditions, memories, and missed connections.

It's a gentle reminder to notice what's changed, what remains, and what stories are quietly unfolding in the background.

Topics:

• How family holidays evolve across generations
• Memory, grief, and the quiet absence of loved ones
• The emotional terrain of new traditions
• Using reflection to notice stories in transition
• Journal-style prompts for your own holiday story audit

Access all active archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-podcast-archive

I love hearing about products and services other people love, so I thought I’d put together a slim little gift guide for documentarians, storytellers and those of us who want to live life wide awake in 2020…. 

Enjoy the story. 

FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.dangerouslygoodstories.com/068 

Listening to old family stories of people who you love dearly is just THE BEST isn’t it?

Today, Jeremy Adamson talks to us about everything they’re doing and learning over there at StoryBox, so that we can get those wheels turning on who’s stories we might want to record now. Also, StoryBox offers such an affordable package that I think this would make for a high value gift for your clients, yourself or your friends and family. 

FULL SHOW NOTES: http://www.dangerouslygoodstories.com/067 

⚠️ Note: This episode was recorded during the Intentional Documentary® era. It remains in the public archive because it explores story work through the lens of identity, community, and creative purpose, conversations still deeply relevant today.

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This episode is a candid, heartfelt conversation between two storytellers who once worried about being "documentary enough." Together, Courtney Holmes and I explore how we've redefined success, meaning, and creative freedom in our work.

If you've ever questioned where you fit in the creative world or felt torn between industry labels and what truly matters to you, this one's for you.

Topics covered:

• The pressure to fit documentary photography into a narrow definition
• How Courtney Holmes found her version of meaningful work
• Letting go of imposter feelings and peer comparison
• The role of intuition in creative decision-making
• Why honoring your own values leads to more sustainable work
• A shared story of burnout, clarity, and returning to purpose
• The real definition of "enough" when it comes to storytelling

Where is Courtney now?

Courtney is the founder and lead educator of FilmingLife® Academy, where she teaches photographers around the world how to bring heart and storytelling into their filmmaking. Alongside her teaching, she continues to create nostalgic, love-soaked films and photos for families, specializing in the quiet, in-between moments that often mean the most.

Connect with Courtney + access the archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. I kept it in the archive because it names the tangled, unspoken thoughts that often surface before story work begins, when we're still sorting through the noise, not yet making meaning.

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This episode is less polished insight, more a naming of what was tangled and unspoken at the time. I share seven things I was afraid to say out loud: fears, opinions, and unresolved thoughts that I hadn't yet worked through.

Sometimes, before story work can begin, we need to pause and simply notice what we're carrying.

If you're sitting in that space too, I hope this offers a sense of recognition and relief.

Topics Covered

• A critique of how vulnerability is often used as a branding tool
• Fear of failure and comparison to past success
• A raw admission about religion, death, and the fear of "getting it wrong"
• Feelings of guilt and disconnection in motherhood
• Navigating time scarcity, partnership stress, and life logistics
• Owning discomfort around pet ownership and public judgment
• A tension between women's empowerment spaces and the inclusion of men
• Why expressing fear and confusion can still be part of meaningful connection

Access all active archived episode resources here: → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-podcast-archive