We look to stories as portals to our shared humanity. The art of storytelling remains a constant in a world that becomes more and more digitally-inclined. But the fact of the matter is this: fiction can serve as a compelling medium to teach us things about ourselves—and others—that we wouldn't have been able to recognize in the grind of daily life. Naomi Shah understands this idea and has tapped into the opportunity that comes with modern storytelling by launching Meet Cute—a next-generation entertainment company that makes short-form audio rom-coms that, in their words, "take you from meet-cute to happily ever after in 15 minutes."

For Naomi, Meet Cute's mission of breathing new life into the rom-com genre is also rooted in something that more transcendent: providing hope for the whole world. While romantic comedies appeal to our inner fantasies, Meet Cute is here to shake up the narrative of what it means to create stories around hope, human connection, and representation in this day and age. And in a time that is calling on all of us to band together, Meet Cute is playing its role in writing the next chapter of the story of us. 

In this conversation, Naomi shared more about the inception of Meet Cute, why audio storytelling is an important vehicle to spark imagination, and why slowing down makes us better storytellers both personally and professionally. This episode also opens with a story contributed by writer Loré Yessuff.