This is How Stories Happen
Business leaders and world-class creatives dissect signature stories
A refreshing and inspiring look at the storytelling mastery of guests like Seth Godin (marketing legend with 22 bestselling business books), Ann Handley (WSJ bestselling author of Everybody Writes), Chase Jarvis (one of the most influential advocates for creativity in work and life), Laura Gassner Otting (2x WSJ bestseller; Good Morning America correspondent on work and career), Andrew Davis (globally touring keynote speaker), Rand Fishkin (CEO of SparkToro), and bestselling author Simone Stolzoff, who worked out a draft of his entire TED Talk!
You’ll walk away ready to compete on the impact of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing.
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Kind Words about the Show
“what business storytellers have been waiting for.”
“In a world of hacks and shortcuts, Jay gives you the signal without the noise. What I love about the format is that you’re guaranteed both a good story and actionable takeaways in each episode.”
—Simone Stolzoff, author, The Good Enough Job + freelance reporter, The Atlantic, The New York Times, WIRED
“completely changed my creative process.”
“Jay has also restored much of my faith that people DO make things for the right reasons and CAN succeed in a saturated digital world while doing so.”
—Dr. Jade Wu, psychologist and researcher, Duke University + author, Hello Sleep
“No better teacher of storytelling.”
“There is no better teacher of storytelling than Jay Acunzo. Every podcast he’s made is gold and this may be his most special yet.”
—Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science + content entrepreneur of the year, 2023 (The Tilt)
“The show we need as we sort through A.i. pollution”
“This is the show we need right now as we sort through all the AI-generated pollution in the content ecosystem. Another amazing Jay Acunzo production.”
—Joe Lazer, author, The Storytelling Edge + contributor, Fast Company
Welcome to How Stories Happen
It’s a show for business storytellers focused on standing out easier and resonating deeper through substance and stories, not hollow stunts.
It turns out there’s a difference between “learning story” and being a storyteller. As Ira Glass says, “Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” He isn’t saying stories only appear to folks who have mastered the craft. He’s saying … it’s a craft. You don’t experience stories. You experience life. Then you turn that into stories.
How do stories happen? They don’t. Life happens, then you turn THAT into stories.
How do stories happen? Through the craft — a combination of your posture, process, and practice. You don’t just convey what happened beat for beat. You carefully construct the story to convey emotions and extract insights.
How do stories happen? I guess you could say, they happen on purpose. This show explores that purposeful creation.
Storytellers don’t need experience anything extraordinary.
They know how to imbue meaning into things that are ordinary.
I’m Your Host, Jay Acunzo
I’m an author, speaker, and podcaster, with nearly 20 years of business storytelling experience, working for brands like Google, HubSpot, and ESPN, as well as writing books, giving speeches, hosting podcasts and docuseries, and more.
Today, I consult experts and entrepreneurs, helping them differentiate by developing stronger IP — including becoming better storytellers. Together, we develop your original premise (an idea you can own), your signature stories, and your pillar projects and frameworks.
My mission is to help people make what matters to their careers, companies, and communities. My grandest aspiration (and biggest delusion) is to be the Anthony Bourdain of business storytelling.
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Keep making what matters
(When your work matters more, you need to hustle for attention less.)