Business of Story

#589. Tara Shuler Reveals How Speaking in Questions Slays the Invisible Monster Killing Your Sales Oct 12, 2026 53:05 Tara Shuler Reveals How Speaking in Questions Slays the Invisible Monster Killing Your Sales Most salespeople believe objections are the problem. Sales trainer and convo control expert Tara Shuler says they are wrong. In this episode of the Business of Story podcast, host Park Howell sits down with Tara Shuler — high-ticket closer, corporate sales trainer, and author of Questions Close Deals — to

#588. Sean Schroeder: The False Summit Every Brand Builder Climbs Oct 5, 2026 54:03 You want your brand story to drive real business results — define it, refine it, get every soul behind it — and you will create a competitive advantage nobody can take from you. But getting to your brand story is not the victory. It's the false summit. Host Park Howell sits down with Sean Schroeder — co-creator of the StoryCycle Genie® and architect of the Cognitive Mesh Architecture — to tell the

#587. Parker Howell: How to Use AI as Your Slop-Free Creative Amplifier Sep 28, 2026 59:57 Most creatives are terrified of AI. And honestly? That terror makes sense. Sameness. Replacement. Theft. Those three fears have colonized the creative internet. And they're not entirely wrong. Bad AI use produces a gray paste of mediocrity. It steamrolls voice. It scrapes without permission. But here's what I've come to believe after years of building the Story Cycle System™ and developing what I

#586. Magda Adamska: Four Strategic Traps That Destroy Even Iconic Brands Sep 21, 2026 43:30 What kills iconic brands like MTV, Nike, Blockbuster, and GoPro? Not bad marketing. Not weak products. But four specific strategic traps that fragment brand story governance — and silently destroy enterprise value from the inside out. Brand strategist and BrandStruck founder Magda Adamska joins Park Howell on the Business of Story to reveal the four strategic traps that cause even the world's most

#585. Attia Qureshi: How to Negotiate Sales and Marketing Into Telling One Story Sep 14, 2026 49:52 Most organizations don't have a brand storytelling problem. They have a negotiation problem. When sales, marketing, and IT each champion their own version of the company story, the result is narrative entropy — the slow fragmentation of your brand message across every channel, every team, and every customer touchpoint. And in the age of AI-powered search, that fragmentation doesn't just confuse yo

#584. Matt Beezley: AI Is Either Ignoring Your Brand or Reinventing it. Here's The Fix Sep 7, 2026 47:10 Your brand is being described right now on platforms you don't control — and AI is assembling those fragments into a story you'd never tell about yourself. Matt Beezley, Senior Strategist at Red Fan Communications and creator of the Brand Authority Index, calls it narrative entropy. And in this episode of the Business of Story, he explains exactly why it's the defining brand challenge of the AI se

#583. Lindsey Busfield: Own Your Niche. Govern Your Story. Win Your Market. Aug 31, 2026 44:43 What separates the brands that dominate their category from those that disappear into digital noise? Two things: a ruthlessly focused niche and a brand story governed with such precision that your ideal client finds no other logical answer. Lindsey Busfield, co-founder of Optimize My Firm, built the nation's most recognized SEO agency for personal injury attorneys by doing exactly that — going so

#582: Gavin McMahon: The Arrow of Coherence That Unifies Your Brand Storytelling Aug 24, 2026 55:23 Gavin McMahon: The Arrow of Coherence That Unifies Your Brand Storytelling Business of Story Podcast | Host: Park Howell Most brand stories fragment the moment they leave the marketing department. Gavin McMahon has a name for what stops that — and it may be the most important concept in business storytelling you haven't heard yet. Gavin McMahon is a recovering mechanical engineer, founder of a 25-

#581: Rain Bennett: Why Your Brand Story Belongs to Operations, Not Marketing Aug 17, 2026 55:52 Rain Bennett — award-winning documentary filmmaker and author of The Chief Storytelling Officer — joins Park Howell on the Business of Story to make the case that your brand story doesn't belong to marketing. It belongs to your entire organization. And if no one is governing it, AI is fragmenting it faster than you can fix it. In this episode, Rain introduces his Narrative Operating System (NOS) —

#580. Sharon Toerek: Don't Sell What You Do. Profit from How You Think Aug 10, 2026 53:07 Sharon Toerek: Don't Sell What You Do. Profit from How You Think — Libsyn Description Most marketing agencies are unknowingly giving away their most valuable asset — and AI has quietly turned that mistake into a legal emergency. IP attorney Sharon Toerek, founder of Legal+Creative and host of The Innovative Agency podcast, joins Park Howell to reveal the intellectual property and AI legal risks ev

#579: Collin Henderson: The 5-Part Mindset Storytelling Method for Confidence Aug 3, 2026 54:39 What separates elite performers from everyone else isn't skill, strategy, or preparation. It's psychology. Collin Henderson knows this firsthand. A former Division I wide receiver at Washington State University, seven-time author, and host of the Master Your Mindset podcast, Collin has spent his career cracking the code on peak performance — training number one NBA draft picks, Heisman football fi

#578: Find Your One Word and Become Impossible to Ignore, With Brian Burkhart Jul 27, 2026 53:02 What does it take to stop competing on price and start commanding attention? One word. Your core belief. In this episode of the Business of Story, host Park Howell sits down with Brian Burkhart, founder of Square Planet and one of America's top communication strategists, to reveal why most businesses become invisible commodities — and exactly what to do about it. Brian has spent decades helping Fo

#577: How Almost Nothing Changes Everything in Your Brand Storytelling, With Ryan Kohn Jul 20, 2026 50:38 What makes a brand story powerful enough to move millions of people on the world's most complex issue? Not more data. Not louder messaging. Not a bigger ask. The answer, according to serial entrepreneur Ryan Kohn, is radical simplicity — and a single theme that makes your audience feel the truth of your idea before they ever think about it. Ryan Kohn is the founder of Point One, a global business

#576: The Power of Pull: Find Customers Who Are Already Sold, With Rob Snyder Jul 13, 2026 57:52 What if your best customers are already sold — before you ever say a word? That's the promise of the PULL framework, and in this episode, startup advisor and author Rob Snyder breaks down exactly why smart, well-resourced founders keep pushing brilliant products onto people who aren't ready to buy — and what to do instead. If you've run the demos, done the research, and still watched prospects dis

#575: Elliott Rayner on Why 81% of Your Team Can't Tell Your Story Jul 6, 2026 50:53 Only 19% of employees can consistently tell their company's story. That means 81% of your brand touchpoints are leaking narrative — and costing you customers. Elliott Rayner's groundbreaking research explains why, and what to do about it. Elliott Rayner — fractional Head of Storytelling and author of The State of Storytelling 2026 — analyzed 25 emerging Chief Storytelling Officer job descriptions

#574: Jason Swenk: Own Your Business Before It Owns You! Jun 29, 2026 45:57 Most agency founders built their business to buy back their time — then woke up to find the business owns them instead. Jason Swenk built and sold a seven-figure agency that served AT&T, Hitachi, and LegalZoom. Today he advises 7- and 8-figure agency owners through Agency Mastery, hosts the Smart Agency Masterclass podcast, and just released his book Operator to Owner. He's seen this trap from eve

#573: A Tech Titan's Warning: Better AI Won't Save Us. Better Humans Will, With Brett Hurt. Jun 22, 2026 55:17 Brett Hurt got the Lamborghini. He got the exits, the valuations, everything a tech titan is supposed to want. And then he felt nothing. That emptiness became the most important moment of his career — and the catalyst for his new book, Love Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for All. Brett is the co-founder of data.world (acquired by ServiceNow), Bazaarvoice (unicorn IPO), and C

#572: How to Simplify Complex Ideas to Get Your People to Act, With Rob D. Willis Jun 15, 2026 44:35 What if your deepest expertise is the very thing making you harder to understand? British music producer turned strategic story producer Rob D. Willis joins Park Howell on the Business of Story to explain why complexity kills communication — and how story structure gives your audience exactly the right combination of connections to get you, what you're about, and what you're asking them to do. Rob

#571: AI Doesn't Replace Your Story. It Helps You Tell It Better, with James Taylor Jun 8, 2026 46:35 What if the secret to staying irreplaceable in the age of AI isn't working harder — it's getting more creative? That's the central argument of SuperCreativity: Augmenting Human Creativity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the new book by global keynote speaker James Taylor. In this episode of the Business of Story, Park Howell sits down with James to explore how the world's top communicators

#570: How to Command the Room, Connect the Dots, and Close the Deal, With Dr. Laura Sicola Jun 1, 2026 53:54 Dr. Laura Sicola reveals why expertise alone won't get you heard — and the 3 Cs that turn knowledge into leadership influence. You've mastered your subject. You know your material cold. So why does the room glaze over when the stakes are highest? Cognitive linguist, executive coach, and author Dr. Laura Sicola says the gap isn't your expertise — it's the three inches between your brain and your mo

#569: From Hubspot to Harvard: What Mark Roberge Learned About Scaling That Business School Don't Teach (Until Now) May 25, 2026 54:21 Mark Roberge scaled HubSpot from $0 to $100M in revenue as its Chief Revenue Officer — and now teaches founders and operators at Harvard Business School why most growth strategies fail. The answer isn't effort. It's sequence. In this episode, Mark shares his Science of Scaling framework: the four-stage methodology that sequences product-market fit, repeatable sales motion, customer success, and re

#573: How to Find Your Million Dollar Story, With Elizabeth Brett May 18, 2026 01:01:08 How to Find Your Million Dollar Story, With Elizabeth Brett What if your most powerful business story is the one you've been most afraid to tell? In this episode, Park Howell sits down with Elizabeth Brett — former NBC reporter, creator of Story Alchemy™, and host of the Sacred & Sovereign podcast — to explore the difference between performing your story and actually living it. Elizabeth spent nea

#567: The TRUTH Brand Storytelling Framework for Hiring, With Bryan Adams May 11, 2026 53:33 The TRUTH Brand Storytelling Framework for Hiring, With Bryan Adams How do you build an employer brand that attracts the right candidates and repels the wrong ones? Bryan Adams — CEO of HappyDance, founder of Ph.Creative, and employer brand strategist behind iconic campaigns for Nike and Apple — says the answer is simpler and harder than most organizations expect: tell the truth. In this episode o

#566: How to Access Your Genius Creativity on Demand, With Sara Connell May 4, 2026 54:15 What if your best ideas aren't something you have to grind for — but something you can learn to receive? In this episode of the Business of Story, Park Howell sits down with Sara Connell — 5x bestselling author, founder of Thought Leader Academy, and author of the upcoming book The Download — to explore the neuroscience and quantum physics behind creative downloads and how to access them on demand

#565: How to Make Your Ad Agency Indespensible, With Marcus Sheridan Apr 27, 2026 50:02 Is your ad agency truly indispensable — or is it one AI update away from irrelevance? Marcus Sheridan — bestselling author of They Ask, You Answer and Endless Customers, and founder of AI Trust Signals — joins Park Howell on the Business of Story to deliver a message most agency principals aren't ready to hear: the three services that built most agencies are already disappearing, and the threat is

#564: From Compliance to Culture: How AI and Story Are Rewriting the Sustainability Playbook, With Bruno Sarda Apr 20, 2026 52:37 How are you augmenting your intelligence — artificially or artfully? And which approach is actually sustaining your brand? Bruno Sarda, EY Americas Climate Change and Sustainability Services Leader, Top 10 Global Sustainability Influencer, and host of the Sustainability Matters podcast, joins Park Howell on the Business of Story to explore the intersection of AI, storytelling, and ESG strategy. Br

#563: The Mistakes and Miracles of the Lovesac Brand Story, with Shawn Nelson Apr 13, 2026 47:35 Why the Last Couch You'll Ever Buy Is the Most Radical Business Idea in America, with Shawn David Nelson What does it take to build a brand designed to last forever — in an industry built on replacement cycles? Shawn David Nelson started Lovesac at 18 with a hand-sewn bean bag made from his parents' chopped-up camping mattresses. He paid $25 to register the company. Today, Lovesac (NASDAQ: LOVE) o

#562. How to Understand the Narrative Behind Your Numbers for Growth, With Nick Jain Apr 6, 2026 36:37 BGBrand Genius Genie™ Sent on 3/26/2026, 3:09:10 PM On it — working through Steps 6, 9, and 10 now. Let me start with the Libsyn description. Step 6: Libsyn Episode Description What if the story your business is telling the world is completely out of sync with the story your numbers are telling you? Nick Jain, co-founder of Eagle Rock CFO, has spent his career helping $5–$50M businesses c

#561: Why Storytelling Is the One Skill AI Can Never Replace, with Joe Lazer Mar 30, 2026 01:04:26 What if the skill that made us human is the same one that will keep us relevant in the age of AI? Joe Lazauskas — CMO of Pepper, co-founder of Contently, and author of Super Skill: Why Storytelling Is the Superpower of the AI Age — spent five years inside AI companies researching exactly that question. His answer: storytelling isn't just surviving the AI revolution. It's the one skill the machines

#560: The Story You're Afraid to Tell is the One That Changes Everything, with Rachel McCord Mar 23, 2026 54:24 Don't Ever Waste a Heartbeat: How Open Heart Surgery Unlocked Rachel McCord's True Purpose What happens when the woman producing 19 shows, running a Hollywood media network, and appearing on national television is quietly fighting to stay alive? That's the story Rachel McCord tells in this raw, remarkable episode of the Business of Story. Meet Rachel McCord Rachel McCord is the founder of The McCo

#559: Why Tone is the Missing Link in Brand Storytelling Success, with Charly Tate Mar 16, 2026 58:31 Your audience doesn't understand your message first—they feel it. In today's noisy world, tone is the hidden ingredient that makes your brand story resonate, build trust, and spark a real connection. On this episode of the Business of Story, Park Howell welcomes Charly Tate, founder and Chief Kindling Officer at Kindling Works and host of the Tater Thoughts podcast. With over a decade in communica

#558: Unlocking Message Market Match: The Secret to Predictable Profits, With Charles Gaudet Mar 9, 2026 58:01 Unlocking predictable growth starts with one thing: message market match. In this episode, Park Howell welcomes Charles Gaudet—CEO of Predictable Profits, creator of The Predictable Profits Operating System™, and "The CEO Whisperer" (Yahoo Finance)—to reveal why so many founders get stuck working harder for less. You'll learn how to escape the founder's trap by aligning your brand story with the r

#557: How to Be Heard: Turning Audience Pain into Business Impact, with Dan Manning Mar 2, 2026 50:01 Discover how to make your message truly heard with Dan Manning, former fighter pilot, speechwriter, and military diplomat turned professional storyteller. In this episode, Dan reveals his simple, repeatable "Before, Change, After, Meaning" framework that helps founders and executives communicate ideas that move people to action. Learn why understanding your audience's pain is the secret to engagem

#556: From Clicks to Conversions: Fixing Your Post-Click Story, with Shamir Duverseau Feb 23, 2026 59:03 Unlocking Post-Click Success: How to Convert Clicks into Customers with Shamir Duverseau Are you pouring budget into digital ads, getting plenty of clicks—but not enough conversions? You're not alone. Most marketers focus on getting the click, but the real opportunity comes after. In this episode of the Business of Story, Park Howell sits down with Shamir Duverseau—founder of Smart Panda Labs and

#555: Which Story Should You Tell and to Whom, With Lee Schneider Feb 16, 2026 01:01:10 Finding the Right Story for Your Audience with Lee Schneider Are you telling your story in a way that truly connects with your best customers? Most businesses try to be everything to everyone, but the real magic happens when you focus on the 20% of your audience that delivers 80% of your results. In this episode of the Business of Story, host Park Howell welcomes Lee Schneider—founder of Red Cup A

#554: How Great Brand Storytelling Helps You Recruit Rockstars, With Jeff Hyman Feb 9, 2026 57:12 Unlock the secret to recruiting top talent with storytelling! In this episode, Park Howell welcomes Jeff Hyman—author of "Recruit Rockstars"—to reveal how the ABT narrative framework can transform your hiring process. Discover why stories attract missionaries (not mercenaries), how to make your job postings irresistible, and the role of AI in scaling your employer brand. Whether you're an HR leade

#553: How to Turn AI Into Artful Intelligence That Inspires Your Brand Storytelling, With Jen Perry Feb 2, 2026 54:20 Discover how to transform "artificial intelligence" into "artful intelligence" and inspire your brand storytelling in this must-listen episode of the Business of Story. Park Howell is joined by Jen Perry, Executive Creative Director at Vagrants, who shares her journey from building creative teams for brands like JetBlue, IKEA, and Dunkin' Donuts to leading Vagrants' evolution into a creative power

#552: How Stories Are Alive And Energize Your Brand, With Christopher Vogler Jan 26, 2026 01:03:15 Chris Vogler, legendary story consultant and author of The Writer's Journey, joins Park Howell to reveal how the Hero's Journey is more than a Hollywood formula—it's a living, breathing blueprint for personal and brand transformation. You'll discover why wish fulfillment is at the heart of every great brand story, how to turn obstacles ("threshold guardians") into opportunities, and why stories ha

#551: Why Building Your Audience Now is the Only Moat Against AI, With Joe Pulizzi Jan 19, 2026 58:32 The content marketing pioneer who coined the term in 2001 reveals the urgent reality: creators have 12-24 months to build discoverable human audiences before AI-generated synthetic content makes it nearly impossible. The 99% Problem and the Vinyl Solution Joe Pulizzi drops a startling statistic: 99% of content being created today is heavily influenced by AI. Instagram recently admitted they can't

#550: How to Use The Hero's Journey in Business and in Life, With John Bucher Jan 12, 2026 01:10:39 Why This Episode Matters This milestone 550th episode brings the Business of Story full circle to its foundational inspiration: Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey. Host Park Howell interviews John Bucher, PhD, Executive Director of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, revealing why the Hero's Journey is more than a story framework - it's a neurological blueprint for business success. What You'll D

549: Don't Market More, Matter More: Why Resonance Beats Reach, With Jay Acunzo Jan 5, 2026 54:33 What good is reach if you don't have resonance? In this transformative episode of Business of Story, host Park Howell sits down with Jay Acunzo to explore why clarity isn't enough for brand stories and how to transform expertise into influential public voice through premise development. --- ABOUT JAY ACUNZO --- Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and public speaking coach who helps experts become st

#548: Bringing Stories of Wisdom Back From Beyond the Grave, With Miles Spencer Dec 29, 2025 52:47 Miles Spencer's SoulTech platform brings loved ones' voices back from just 10 seconds of audio, transforming grief into connection through interactive AI conversations. Discover how Reflekta created the Soul Technology category, why spontaneous conversations beat static videos 10x, and what happened when Miles heard "Tiger" eight years after his father passed. Show Notes: You know those moments wh

#547: From Burnout to Breakthrough: How Taking Time Off Accelerates Growth, with Michael Walsh Dec 22, 2025 01:03:19 What if working LESS is the smartest business growth strategy for 2026? Michael Walsh went three years without a vacation—grinding relentlessly, believing scaling required personal sacrifice. Then his wife forced him to take time off. The result? He generated $10,000 in new sales—more than any previous week. He tested further, taking the last week of every month off. His income kept growing. After

#546: Pretotyping: How to Build the Right 'It' Before You Build it Right, With Alberto Savoia Dec 15, 2025 01:00:19 Discover why 80% of new ideas fail—even with perfect execution—and how to test market desirability before wasting time and money. Alberto Savoia, Google's first Director of Engineering who launched AdWords, reveals the pretotyping method he developed as Google's Innovation Agitator. Learn the XYZ hypothesis for turning fuzzy ideas into testable assertions, the YODA framework for collecting data th

#545: How Curiosity and Stories Rescue Your Corporate Training, With Damon Lembi Dec 8, 2025 53:03 Damon Lembi is a 3x bestselling author, the host of The Learn-It-All Podcast, and CEO of Learnit – a live learning platform that has upskilled over 2 million people. Drawing from his more than 30 years in the learning industry, Damon brings invaluable insights into what helps organizations grow, how great leaders learn, and why learn-it-all companies outpace their competitors every time. It's all

#544: The REST Method: How to Turn Hostage-Taking Stories Into Leadership Gold with Julie Lancaster Dec 1, 2025 59:09 Are your leadership meetings killing engagement with PowerPoint bullets and 45-item agendas while your team's eyes glaze over? You're stuck in what Park Howell calls the "voice vacuum"—and there's a stupidly simple way out. Julie Lancaster, founder of Lancaster Leadership and author of Beyond Words: How Our Stories & Strategies Inspire Action, reveals the REST method that's helped her team coach o

#543: From Adversary to Advocate: How Auditors Use Story to Build Trust Instead with Shagen Ganason Nov 24, 2025 45:52 Shagen Ganason, author of The Storyteller's Ledger, is the Chief Audit Executive at Liva Group SAOG, and shares how to use storytelling to give memorable and enlightening context to your data and how you deliver it in your reports to create powerful meaning for your audiences that moves them to action, turning the typical adversarial role of an auditor into one of an advocate to help people excel

#542: Why AI Makes Your Agency More Valuable, Not Cheaper with Drew McLellan Nov 17, 2025 46:59 Drew McLellan, CEO of the Agency Management Institute, and author of the latest Agency Edge Research Report: Leading through the AI Revolution: The New Competitive Edge for Agencies, reveals the impact AI is having on clients and agencies and why agency principals and marketing consultants should be AI leaders to create a timely competitive edge. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in minute

#541: How CMOs Turn AI Marketing Chaos into Credible Brand Storytelling With Joeri Billast Nov 10, 2025 52:24 Are you a CMO or marketing leader struggling to connect scattered AI experiments into a powerful, credible brand story? In this episode of the Business of Story, Park Howell welcomes Joeri Billast—international marketing strategist and host of the "Web3 CMO Stories" podcast—to reveal how top brands transition from fragmented AI efforts to systematic, story-driven success. You'll discover: The dif

#540: From Money Horror Stories to Financial Happiness: Rewrite Your Financial Narrative with Jason Leong Nov 3, 2025 01:00:16 Jason Leong, co-founder and CEO of Pocketsmith, personal finance software serving 190 countries, reveals how viewing your financial future as a narrative instead of numbers transforms anxiety into confidence. Discover the 'time machine for money' concept, 30-year forecasting technology, the household CFO positioning that reframes bill payers as financial heroes, and customer stories including the

#539: How to Turn Boring Presentations Into Brilliant Performances With Femi Oke Oct 27, 2025 01:05:30 In this Business of Story episode, Park Howell interviews Femi Oke, distinguished international journalist with 30-plus years at BBC, CNN, NPR, and Al Jazeera, and co-founder of Moderate the Panel. Femi shares professional moderating techniques including how she stopped a president mid-speech at the United Nations, ninja methods for redirecting verbose speakers, re-engagement tactics for drifting

#538: Curious How AI Changes Your Customers? Mark Schaefer Has Some Answers. Oct 20, 2025 56:38 Mark Schaefer, author of How AI Changes Your Customers, discussing research from 300 global futurists on artificial intelligence's impact on customer behavior, marketing strategy, and business success through 2035. Learn the dual content strategy for optimizing both AI algorithms and human connection. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in minutes, not months, and instantly create compelling

#536: How Hollywood's 27 Genres Transform Unknown Brands into Blockbusters with Greg Logan Oct 13, 2025 01:03:55 In Business of Story Episode 530, Park Howell interviews Greg Logan, author of Creating a Blockbuster Brand and founder of Narrativity, who's worked with companies like Google and Adobe to transform brand storytelling. Greg reveals Hollywood's 27 Genres framework that aligns brand stories with audience emotional reality through classical storytelling wisdom with modern technological precision. Dis

#536: Audience-First Brand Storytelling: The Strategy Driving Amazon and Lululemon's Shows with Jen Moss Oct 6, 2025 01:01:21 Jen Moss is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of JAR Podcast Solutions, a leading branded podcast agency working with clients like Amazon, lululemon, Cirque du Soleil, Wharton, and Deloitte. A former radio producer, journalist, and award-winning writer, Jen brings decades of storytelling experience to every show she touches. She's worked with CBC, Roundhouse Radio, and the National Film Bo

#535: Your Business Story Changes When AI Does the Work: Automation Secrets with Alane Boyd Sep 29, 2025 55:09 Alane Boyd, Co-CEO of Biggest Goal (Workday Ninja), explores how to avoid burnout, reach mental clarity, and increase lifetime value of your clients with better, scalable systems through automation. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in minutes, not months, and instantly create compelling content that converts customers with the StoryCycle Genie™ #StoryOn! ≈Park

#534: From Expert to Authority: The 3-Story Secret With Kyle Gray Sep 22, 2025 57:54 Kyle Gray is a world-class presentation coach, story strategist and author who helps coaches, startups and executives use storytelling to better communicate their unique value, and improve sales with their audience. He combines timeless storytelling with cutting edge marketing to ensure you've got the right story to tell while presenting, on a sales call or in conversation, both online and offline

#533: Why Random Acts of AI Are Killing Your Sales With Alice Heiman Sep 15, 2025 54:38 Alice Heiman, Chief Sales Energizer, shares why random acts of AI, using Ai for the sake of AI, is stalling your sales and how a real human-centric strategy first approach will always win out over artificial intelligence. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in minutes, not months, and instantly create compelling content that converts customers with the StoryCycle Genie™ #StoryOn! ≈Park

#531: How to Position Your Brand Against a Clear-Cut Enemy With Laura Ries Sep 8, 2025 01:11:01 Laura Ries is a world-famous brand marketing expert, positioning strategist, and bestselling author of THE STRATEGIC ENEMY (Wiley, Sept 16, 2025). As chairwoman of global consulting firm RIES, she continues the legacy of her late father Al Ries, the positioning pioneer and co-author of Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind – one of the world's best-selling marketing books of all time. Laura has le

#531: How to Break Free From Broken Marketing Models With Sara Nay Sep 1, 2025 43:26 Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing and Author of Unchained, Breaking Free From Broken Marketing Models, shows you how to stop renting your marketing from ad agencies and own it yourself through a new trend that is saving money and growing revenue for small to medium-sized businesses. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in minutes, not months, and instantly create compelling content that co

#530: Why Close-ups of Your Customers Create the Most Powerful Stories With Nick Francis Aug 25, 2025 58:36 Nick Francis, Founder and CEO of Casual Films and author of The New Fire: Harness the Power of Video for Your Business, is driven by an insight from famous WWII photojournalist, Robert Capa, who said, "If your photos aren't good enough, you're not close enough." The same is true with your corporate videos. If you're not connecting with your customers, you're not close enough to their story. In thi

#529: How EI + AI = ROI, Your Return on Intelligence With Dr. Robin Hills Aug 18, 2025 59:35 Dr. Robin:, Business Psychologist, Emotional Intelligence Trainer, Coach and Facilitator at EI4Change, explores how artificial intelligence is a force multiplier of emotional intelligence enabling you to make a great impact in the world with your chosen profession. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in minutes, not months, and instantly create compelling content that converts customers with

#528: 10 Essential Story Elements of Vibe Branding That Make Your Brand Narrative Enthralling Aug 11, 2025 43:12 Park Howell, co-creator of the StoryCycle Genie™ and author of Brand Bewitchery, walks you through the 10 essential story elements that help your create a captivating brand narrative strategy in minutes, not months. Click here to start crafting yoru vibrant brand story strategy today: https://www.storycyclegenie.ai/ Story on!

#527: The Five Revolutionary Principles of Vibe Branding With Sean Schroeder & Park Howell Aug 4, 2025 56:32 Sean Schroeder and Park Howell, co-creators of the StoryCycle Genie™ with Matt Levine, introduce the five revolutionary principles of Vibe Branding and how to leverage your business intuition to craft vibrant brand stories, brilliant marketing strategy and compelling content that converts all based on your business and customer knowledge and experience. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in

#526: The Generosity-Driven Storytelling Strategy for Small Business Growth With John Whitt Jul 28, 2025 54:13 John Whitt, Founder & President of Businesswhitt, and author of Checkmate: Winning Tactics for Translating Ideas into Money, shares why generosity is the key to building a business that serves your life and others. Craft your brilliant brand story strategy in minutes, not months, and instantly create compelling content that converts customers with the StoryCycle Genie™ #StoryOn! ≈Park

#525: From Newsroom to Boardroom: AI in Storytelling With Pete Pachal Jul 21, 2025 01:02:16 Pete Pachal, founder of The Media Copilot, explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the media landscape, journalism, and business communication. Pete brings over 20 years of newsroom experience from outlets like Mashable and CoinDesk to share how media pros, PR teams, and content marketers can use AI as a creative collaborator to boost productivity, maintain credibility, and craft more

#524: How AI is a Storytelling Collaborator, not a Competitor, With Hamlet Azarian Jul 14, 2025 57:12 Hamlet Azarian, Founder & CEO of Azarian Growth Agency, a data-driven marketing firm that has helped tech and SaaS companies raise over $269M in funding, shares insights on how to use artificial intelligence to scale startups, digital innovation, and performance marketing. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrati

#523: Growing Revenue and Retention for Your SaaS Brand with Dan Balcauski Jul 7, 2025 01:00:39 Dan Balcauski, Founder & Chief Pricing Offer of Product Tranquility and host of the SaaS Scaling Secrets podcast, shares that pricing isn't about finding the 'right number." It's about building a strategic system that determines WHO you charge, HOW you charge them, and how you communicate value. Most companies obsess over customer acquisition while ignoring the two other ways to grow: monetizatio

#522: The Five Essential Elements (the H.E.A.R.T.) of the Perfect Pitch With Ben Wiener Jun 30, 2025 55:16 Ben Wiener, Managing Partner of Jumpspeed Ventures and author of Fever Pitch: shares how to sell your vision, raise venture capital and launch your startup using storytelling. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framework that all influential business communication is built on. Grab your copy of The Narra

#521: Your Story is Your Strategy with Renee Frojo Jun 23, 2025 01:00:34 Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framework that all influential business communication is built on. Grab your copy of The Narrative Gym for Business, a short guide on crafting ABTs for all of your communications. Read Brand Bewitchery: How to Wield the Story Cycle System™ to Craft Spellbinding Storie

#520: The Human Story in AI-Driven Sales with Gaurav Bhattacharya Jun 16, 2025 53:23 Gaurav Bhattacharya, CEO of Jeeva.ai…. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framework that all influential business communication is built on. Grab your copy of The Narrative Gym for Business, a short guide on crafting ABTs for all of your communications. Read Brand Bewitchery: How to Wield the Story Cycl

#519: How to Build Deeper Human Connections Online With Robin Nathaniel Jun 9, 2025 51:02 Robin Nathaniel, author of Social Media SYNC, is a former hip-hop artist turned social media strategist who helps people connect online and through speaking by using AI tools that amplify your authentic voice. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framework that all influential business communication is buil

#518: How to Catch Your Stories With Aaron Calafato Jun 2, 2025 59:58 Aaron Calafato, Award-winning storyteller, Narrative Designer and Content Strategist and host of the 7 Minute Stories podcast, shows you how to catch your stories in the wild and make a bank of unforgettable tales you can use to grow your brand and your business. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framewo

#517: Where to Find The Right Audiences for Your Brand Stories With Rand Fishkin May 26, 2025 52:40 Rand Fishkin, Cofounder and CEO of SparkToro, shows you how to avoid the Google/Facebook duopoly to easily and honestly find your audience where they like to consume information and how they like to receive it to make your brand storytelling more impactful. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course. Grab your copy of The Narrative Gym for

#516: Lincoln But Trump: Storytelling Similarities Between the Righteous and Riotous with Randy Olson May 19, 2025 58:45 Randy Olson, author of the new book, Lincoln BUT Trump: Narrative Metrics and Similarities Between Heroes and Villains, taking a page out of evolution, explores how humans select for the simplest, most problem/solution centric communications by comparing the storytelling techniques of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Commu

#515: How to Build an Unforgettable Brand Using Neuroscience with Rande Vick May 12, 2025 51:48 Rande Vick, Founder of the Vick Agency and author of the new book, NeuroBranding: The Brain-Based Method to Make Your Brand Unforgettable, reveals how to use neuroscience in your storytelling to make your brand unforgettable. . Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framework that all influential business com

#514: How to Effectively Position Your B2B Brand With April Dunford May 5, 2025 01:04:06 April Dunford unpacks the proven frameworks behind her bestsellers Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch to help you craft positioning that sells. Whether you're scaling a growth-stage startup or leading a legacy tech brand, you'll leave this episode with the tools to own your space in the market—and tell your brand story in a way only you can. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of

#513: How to Unlock Brand Alignment to Accelerate Your Business Growth With Brandon Coleman Jr. Apr 28, 2025 01:00:13 Brand Gordon Jr., founder and CEO of Big Picture Thinking, shares how to unlock the hidden power of brand alignment to maximize your business potential. By aligning every aspect of their brand—from internal culture to customer experience—you can achieve exponential growth and stand out in today's competitive market. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ qu

#512: How to Use Candor and Kindness for Profound Leadership Storytelling Apr 21, 2025 53:01 Betsy Petrie, founder of Betsy Petrie Consulting and author of RAILS-Talk: A Tough Conversations Workbook for Managers of People, believes human to human communication is the first and final frontier. If you're looking for better collaboration from yourself and/or others, or not sure what productivity problem you're trying to solve, this show is for you. Improve your storytelling immediately with

#511: How to Avoid Fauxthenticity With Your Brand Story Using the 50% Rule Apr 14, 2025 54:54 Erin Hatzikostas, founder of b Authentic Inc, and author of The 50% Rule, reveals how to bring your true self to the world so you will outperform all of the schmucks out there. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framework that all influential business communication is built. Grab your copy of The Narra

#510: How to Use Your Growth Mindset to Craft and Share a Lucrative Brand Story Apr 7, 2025 01:03:37 DESCRIPTION: Shane McGlaughlin, founder of StoryShift Creative, explores the science behind fixed vs. growth mindset and how it impacts performance, leadership, and resilience. Improve your storytelling immediately with my The ABTs of Agile Communications™ quick online course to learn the agile narrative framework that all influential business communication is built. Grab your copy of The Narrati

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