How do you ensure your data visuals are consistently effective—and on brand? In this episode, SWD data storyteller, Simon Rowe chats with Maxine Graze, Senior Data Visualization Engineer at King, about the process of building data visualization style guides. They explore why “structure liberates,” how to balance aesthetics with usability, and why stakeholder feedback is critical. Whether you're designing for dashboards or decks, you'll walk away with ideas on how to bring clarity and consistency to your data storytelling.

Related Links:

• datavizstyleguide.com – Explore open-source data visualization guidelines

• Better Data Visualizations by Jonathan Schwabish – The book that sparked Maxine’s journey

• Storytelling with Data Resources – Tools, tips, and templates from the SWD team

What if the numbers you work with every day weren’t as neutral as you thought?

In this episode, Mike is joined by Heather Krause, founder of We All Count and longtime quantitative researcher, to unpack a powerful concept: data equity. Together, they explore how every step of a data project—from survey design to chart choices—involves hidden decisions that impact what gets measured, who is represented, and what conclusions are drawn.

Heather shares the seven stages of the data equity framework, explains why choosing a denominator isn’t as simple as it seems, and offers practical ways to apply an equity lens to dashboards, visualizations, and more. Whether you're building a data product, making policy decisions, or designing a business presentation, this conversation will help you become more accurate, efficient, and intentional in how you generate and communicate evidence.

RELATED LINKS

• Learn more at weallcount.com

• Explore the Before & After audiobook → Listen here

Chris Dalla Riva is a musician, data analyst, and the author of Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. In this episode, he joins data storyteller Mike Cisneros to talk about musical myths, hidden industry incentives, chart data, and underappreciated hits, as well as the thorny questions about authenticity, categorization, and what it really means to tell an honest story with numbers.

RELATED LINKS

• Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves | Chris Dalla Riva’s book 

• Can’t Get Much Higher | Chris’s newsletter

• Audiomack | Music streaming service where Chris works on analytics and personalization

• Max Martin Knows How to Create a #1 Hit | Chris’s The Economist article on song intros

• Suno AI | Generative AI tool for music creation discussed in the authenticity segment

• Follow Chris at @cdallarivam

SONGS AND ARTISTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• “Want Ads” by Honey Cone
• “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals
• “Hey Jude” by The Beatles
• “Blinded by the Light” (written by Bruce Springsteen, recorded by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band)
• “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen
• “When Doves Cry” by Prince
• “Believe” by Cher
• “Golden” by HUNTR/X

In this episode of the storytelling with data podcast, Simon chats with Allison Horst—developer advocate at Observable, educator, and beloved data illustrator—to explore the difference between dashboards that get used and those that don’t.

They dig into why so many data products go to waste, the importance of co-creating with your audience, and the overlooked power of early feedback. Allison reflects on her experiences helping people go from "I built this thing" to "This actually gets used"—and how teams can better collaborate to avoid dashboard graveyards.

Along the way, they talk about environmental storytelling, visual metaphors, teaching the “gray areas” of data viz, and why curiosity (not perfection) is the key to lasting impact.

Related Links:

• Check out Allison's work at: https://allisonhorst.com/
• Connect with and follow her on LNKD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-horst/
• Order SWD's latest book, Before & After https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/books

Data visualization veteran Andy Cotgreave joins host Mike Cisneros for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of dashboards, the craft of data communication, and the future of generative AI in analytics. Andy reflects on his early career building “dashboards” in Excel for a demanding boss, how that experience shaped two bestselling books (The Big Book of Dashboards and Dashboards That Deliver), and what he’s learned from more than a decade at Tableau as an evangelist and public speaker.

They discuss the tension between efficiency and emotion in chart design, why no single chart type is ever “right,” and how semantic drift affects the way we talk about dashboards. Andy shares behind-the-scenes stories from Chart Chat, the Iron Viz competition, and his own evolution as a presenter and magician, offering tips for building confidence on stage and connecting with audiences.

Along the way, the conversation touches on the launch of Cole, Mike and Alex’ newest book, the fifth in the storytelling with data series, Before and After, upcoming in-person and on-demand learning opportunities, and the importance of community, practice, and curiosity in becoming a better data storyteller.

Related Links:

• Check out Andy's Books: ⁠Dashboards That Deliver⁠ and ⁠The Big Book of Dashboards ⁠
• Register for upcoming ⁠workshops and courses⁠⁠

• Order Before and After⁠⁠

• Follow ⁠@storywithdata⁠ | share via ⁠#SWDpodcast

Asking good questions can help improve our own and others’ work: both when exploring and explaining data. In this rebroadcast of episode 19, Cole covers five smart queries to pose and answer during the analytical process and five more to consider when getting ready to explain that data to others.

We’re sharing this popular episode again as we look ahead to what’s next: Before and After, the fifth book from storytelling with data, comes out September 23, 2025 — pre-order now wherever you buy books!

If you want to put these strategies into practice, join one of our upcoming 2025 sessions:

• Virtual half-day workshops: August 21 and November 6

• 8-week online course: September 15–November 9

• In-person workshop in NYC: October 14

Links:

• Register for upcoming ⁠workshops and courses⁠

• Pre-order Before and After

• Questions? email ⁠[email protected]⁠

• Follow ⁠@storywithdata⁠ | share via ⁠#SWDpodcast

Data storyteller Alex talks with Nadieh Bremer, an award-winning data visualization practitioner, about her new book, Chart: Designing Creative Data Visualizations from Charts to Art.

Nadieh talks about her data visualization journey, from losing passion while creating dashboards to finding joy as she pushed the boundaries of data art. During this journey, she shares her tips for becoming a freelancer, suggestions for adding creativity to your work, and discusses the difference between data viz and data art.

Tune in to learn Nadieh’s process for creating a visual and hear her advice on how to be more creative with your work.

• Follow Nadieh: website | Instagram | LinkedIn

• Book: Chart: designing creative data visualizations from charts to art

• Nadieh’s creations that were mentioned during the episode

  • Patchwork Kingdoms

  • GenCoop

  • Adyen’s Shareholder Report

  • Why do cats and dogs…?

  • Olympic feathers

In this founder series edition of the storytelling with data podcast, Randy sits down poolside in Antalya, Turkey with Fares Ksebati—CEO and founder of MySwimPro, YouTube creator, and author of Swim Like a Pro and How Not to Drown.

From humble beginnings as a walk-on college swimmer to building one of the world’s most recognized swim coaching platforms, Fares shares the behind-the-scenes journey of scaling a global remote company, navigating the tech startup ecosystem, and staying relentlessly curious along the way.
They talk about what it means to democratize swimming, using storytelling to build product and community, and how AI and human connection will shape the future of sport.

Fares opens up about teaching his mom to swim at 62, launching MySwimPro with zero funding, and the lessons learned from crashing his app right after being named App of the Year by Apple. It’s a candid, inspiring conversation about growth—personal, professional, and everything in between.

Check out Fares’s work:

• 
  
  
  
• 
  
  
• swim like a pro

the best swimming app myswimpro.com

YouTube: MySwimPro


LinkedIn: Fares Ksebati

In this second installment of our new podcast series, The Founder’s Journey, we sit down with Odun Odubanjo, CEO and founder of Insight7, a platform making qualitative data instantly actionable.

Odun’s story starts in Lagos, Nigeria, where a chance internship at Google Zurich opened a door that would eventually lead to founding multiple startups, scaling a business across Africa, working at Shopify in Canada, and launching Insight7 in the U.S. Today, Odun helps organizations turn qualitative data—from customer calls to interviews—into meaningful business insights.

In this episode, Randy and Odun talk about:

• The surprising power of staying in touch

• Lessons learned building startups in Africa and breaking into new markets

• How Insight7 helps teams unlock the hidden value in their qualitative data

• The power of storytelling as a founder, including a “holy moly” moment with a new customer

• Navigating the AI revolution and how tools like ChatGPT and Claude are reshaping the way we build, communicate, and lead

Odun also shares his perspective on why now is the best time to be alive—and to start something new. Tune in and be inspired by the story of a founder who’s innovating across continents and categories.

• Learn more about Insight7 at insight7.io

• Connect with Odun on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/odunodu