storyOS

It’s one thing to know that stories have power. It’s another to learn how to invite the power of story into your spaces. And sometimes, the most important thing you do is nothing at all besides invite others to the table. That’s a lesson David Hutchens knows well.

He’s worked with companies like Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, GE, and so many others, helping them learn about things like strategy and leadership, as well as ethics and corporate responsibility. But what does that have to do with the work you’re doing, regardless of the spaces you’re doing it in? It turns out, everything, because all of David’s work is rooted in his deep understanding of narrative. In this episode, David generously passes some of that understanding along to us.

Zimbabwe has about 13 million people in it, and twelve psychiatrists. Yes, twelve. That’s a problem for Dixon Chibanda, who cares deeply about mental health. He can’t really expect each psychiatrist in his native country to take on a little over a million patients, so he started thinking about what they did have: grandmas. What does this have to do with your work as a storyteller? Everything. Don't miss this incredible episode of the STORY Podcast.

One of those tropes you hear a lot about out there is how much children have to teach us, but if you think about it, we don’t really live that way. We call people who are acting inappropriate “childish.” But there’s a big difference between what is child-ish and child-like. What would it look like to live a life that is child-like, while growing up in ways that leave what is child-ish behind? Maybe kids really do have something to teach us? That’s the life Brad Montague is living.

He’s the guy behind the Kid President web series who also writes for Joanna Gaines’ The Magnolia Journal and all sorts of other amazing projects. He’s written multiple books, including his new book, The Circles All Around Us, which is hitting shelves later this month! Brad has spent his life trying to figure out what kids get right and it’s made a huge difference. He thinks what he’s learned can make a difference in your own life too. If you won’t listen to the kids, maybe you’ll listen to the guy who listens to kids. Listen in on some of Brad’s talk from STORY 2020 here on this episode of the STORY podcast.

What if we could keep creating and never give up? That kind of hope feels a little bit harder to hold on during times like these, doesn't it? Morgan Harper Nichols is a poet, a music artist and a visual artist, and in this talk delivered live at STORY, she shared about how she’s found joy in the everyday, despite the heaviness so often felt in the world around her, and how that joy permits her to keep creating. Want to learn to do the same? Listen in on this first episode of Season 5 of the STORY Podcast.

STORY 2020 is here! It’s our flagship gathering, where each year, over 1,000 storytellers from around the world gathering together for 2+ days of inspiration and instruction to do their best, most creative work. In this special, extended episode, you’ll hear the audio from a mini-masterclass with Jason Jaggard, an entrepreneur, leadership coach, a founding partner of Novus Global and so much more. Together, they discuss leadership as an often overlooked storytelling essential, and how to approach STORY or any other event with a “leader” mindset instead of a “consumer” one. You’ll learn how about how maximum value comes out of full participation, and a new concept Jason discusses that he likes to call “Listenings.” It’s a content-rich episode, and a great way to pre-game any conference experience, whether in-person or virtual. Don’t miss it!

In this special episode, we look ahead to STORY 2020 with our director and curator, Harris III as he unpacks the intentional design of this year’s virtual experience. Whether you’re attending STORY 2020 or not, this episode is rich with insights into the planning and creative process behind producing the event, making it relevant to anyone who wants to creates great experiences for others.

If you already have a ticket, listen to this short episode to learn more about what to expect between now and STORY, and how to fully prepare for our time together as a community.

We’re so used to living in stories that sometimes we don’t even recognize them. It’s like how fish don’t know they’re wet. It takes a really keen mind to not just know a good story when it sees one, but put it together in a way others can understand and find themselves in. Documentary filmmakers are especially great at this, where others might just use rolls and rolls of b-roll, they see a narrative that just needs a little bit of structure.

This week on the STORY Podcast, we learn from a storyteller who is excellent at this very subject, Yogi Roth. Yogi seeks to uncover the humanity in sports around the globe. He’s a Pac-12 Networks college football analyst, filmmaker, scholar, New York Times bestselling author, coach, speaker and world traveler. He’s the kind of guy who can watch a football game and see not just a series of plays, but a real plot. And his take on the intersection of artistry and athletics is so insightful. Don’t miss this illuminating conversation between Yogi and Harris.

Does the word “marketing” strike you as kind of a dirty word? Many of us are part of a generation that really doesn’t like to feel like we’re being sold to. Brands know that, and the smart ones are getting ahead of it by swapping out marketing copy for real stories and real connection.

At STORY, we’ve been saying for years now that a story’s greatest power is not in its ability to convert, but in its ability to connect, and when it comes to achieving conversion in the long term by leading with connection first, few marketers do that better than AJ Hassan. AJ is an Emmy-winning executive creative director who works with creative teams to help businesses and brands infuse their message with life and relevancy. She led the Equality Can’t Wait gender equity work for R/GA in partnership with Melinda Gates’ company: Pivotal Ventures. The “Like a Girl” campaign she led was a huge viral hit. She’s won tons of awards and lots of acclaim for her work and she understands, better than most, how to make advertising just a little more human.

This week on the STORY Podcast, we dip into the archives to hear a portion of AJ’s talk from her time at STORY. It’s one that can help us all, because we’re all marketers now. As we share and promote our own work, or the work of others, how can we focus on connection? Listen to AJ Hassan tell us how.

Let’s be honest...getting a new perspective is harder than it sounds. It’s not just shaking your head and trying harder. It’s not just a gut check. It’s a real mental move — a shift in your whole way of being. It’s about being aware of your awareness, and taking control of it, and that’s a huge part of navigating the kind of spaces we’re finding ourselves these days in a healthy way.

In this episode of the STORY Podcast, Apollo Robbins speaks to these very ideas. He’s an American sleight-of-hand artist, security consultant, self-described gentleman thief, and deception specialist.

Forbes has called him “an artful manipulator of awareness.” Obviously there are lots of ways a guy like Apollo can use his talents — and he does. But he can also teach us how to do what he does — take control of our own awareness. Don’t miss this insightful episode.