Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

Any story you find can serve your cause -- if you know how to mold it and change it appropriately to tell it your way, for your specific goals.  Today, the four things we can change in any story we find to tell it better. "Better" doesn’t mean more epic or popular. It means more purposeful, more customized to your specific situation and needs — your audience, your goals, your desire to express you...

Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician and creator/host of the popular podcast Song Exploder. The show has a simple but powerful premise: each episode, a musician breaks apart a single track and, piece by piece, tells the story of how it was made. He's interviewed Madonna, Billie Eilish, Rick Astley, Lorde, U2, Yo-Yo Ma, and plenty of lesser-known artists creating beautiful music. Vulture even called the...

In this shorter, monologue episode,  we explore how we arrived at a place where so many creators view AI tools like ChatGPT at a killer robot coming to beat down their doors and crush them and why we worry that these tools are greater masters of our craft than we are.  We're obsessed with only one part of the craft, and it's the same part AI is getting alarmingly good at owning.  What if we focuse...

To be driven by creativity is to become a walking, talking collection of contradictions, but one conflicting notion sits at the center of the intertwining thoughts and emotions in our work -- the jumble, if you will.  Today, we dive into that jumble to try and find an answer to this mysterious yet ubiquitous contradiction at the core, and it leads us to meet some of our listeners and experience th...

For years, the promise of content marketing far exceeded its reality. But more than ever, brands -- even in B2B, the more "boring" cousin to consumer businesses -- are creating content that gives us reason to believe: creativity, community, and capitalism and not only co-exist, but for-profit can be used for-good.  Today, the story of In the Works , a publication from the software company Help Sco...

In this shorter, monologue episode, we learn from storytellers like Kazuo Ishiguro and Ira Glass just what it takes to speak and write in ways that instill the urge to act in others. Why would anyone pick you or stick with you? Why would they refer you to their peers or friends? What makes something truly resonate beyond simply holding your attention? After all, our jobs as communicators and story...

In this story, we hear from Chris Lavigne, the head of production at video software company, Wistia. His story helps reveal what it really means to build a big, meaningful body of work -- no matter where you work -- and how, maybe, the worst thing you can do is focus on the expectations of others. Instead, what if your entire aim was something else? Paradoxically, focusing there might THEN help yo...

One-Shots are monologue episodes complementing our longer-form narratives, which all seek to explore ideas like resonance, storytelling, and creativity in our work. Today, we learn how to tell stories about the seemingly mundane details in our lives. For a full written version of this episode, read the original story . REFER A FRIEND Love the show? Help others find us in their favorite podcast pla...

This story is a surreal, escapist journey into the true story about how the Savannah Bananas became exceptional by being the exception. This minor league baseball team has majorly passionate fans -- with more social media success than some of the biggest teams in the Major Leagues, and a plan to disrupt the MLB itself.  This story is told through the ever-optimistic, yellow-tux wearing Jesse Cole,...

One-Shots are complementary episodes to our longer-form narratives, which all seek to explore ideas like resonance, storytelling, and creativity in our work.  As we continue our exploration, we have to stop to appreciate the tiniest mechanic that enables us to tell stories with the biggest impact. The more we master open loops, the more gripping our communication becomes -- and the more we inspire...

In this episode of Unthinkable, the story of two marketers and community leaders, Andrew and Pete, of the brand ... Andrew and Pete!  They were heading down that now-familiar creator path of digital fame and fortune -- the speaking, the books, the followers -- when they decided to leave that behind. Instead, they've been helping OTHERS conquer fears and make leaps in their small businesses.  So of...

Which books have shaped minds & changed lives? 2 Pages with MBS is described as a show where "brilliant people read the best two pages of a favorite book … a book that’s shaped them and changed them. Listen as authors, leaders, activists, academics, entrepreneurs, change agents and celebrities dig into the ideas that matter the most." This is the episode featuring Jay, only lightly edited to repla...

In this One-Shot, a list of better questions to ask others to learn from them (whether you want to hire them or publish their thinking) than the typical conventional wisdom provides us. Interviews are too important to drift through them, unhinging our brains in favor of the basic questions that yield basic answers. We need to dig deeper. We also talk about how to create an inviting, comfortable sp...

In the fourth and final MINI-Series episode, we learn from sound designer, artist, and brilliant documentarian James T. Green about their philosophy and practice around sound design and creation.  James is the founder of the studio Molten Heart, and their work has been heard in 99% Invisible with Roman Mars, The Met, Pop Up Magazine, and more. By unpacking and dissecting small pieces of sound and...

Creativity doesn't mean BIG, and so we're exploring the tiniest pockets of the created work -- small bursts of making, or projects that fit neatly into the  nooks and crannies of the internet. Today, joke writing and comedy songwriting with Matt Buechele. Matt is a writer, musician, and hilarious human who's performed original songs for Netflix commercials and worked as a writer on The Tonight Sho...

Resonating deeply doesn't require us to do anything big or expensive. The MINI-Series explores four types of created work that don't take up much space -- but still carry tons of meaning to those who encounter it. Last episode was about copywriting. This episode: illustration, featuring Haley Weaver of the wildly popular instagram account, Haley Drew This.  Together, we unpack some of her seemingl...

In a new 4-part Mini Series, we're unpacking how we create little pockets of resonance. Through conversations with sound designers, copywriters, comedians, and creatives, we are mapping out how we can create work that can make audiences feel connected, validated, and seen.  First up is a conversation with brilliant copywriter Margo Aaron who walks us through some of her most powerful copywriting b...

Maker monsters often creep in at the least opportune times, drag us backwards, convince us of defeat, fill us with self-doubt, so where do we go from here? And what does that mean for our creative, professional work? We hear from Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast host and producer Lizzie Peabody and poet and keynote speaker, Tucker Bryant, about how their maker monster, perfectionism, creeps into the...

Learn more about Elevate and apply here: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators The first group begins work April 11. MORE DETAILS: Achieve your creative goals with small working groups of B2B creators and marketers, led personally by me, Jay Acunzo. 8 weeks of guided work on your existing, most important projects, with 1:1 and 1:few time with me. Sharpen your ideas,...

In this one-shot, Jay reflects on a childhood writing lesson that continues to impact how he approaches his work today.   SHARE THE SHOW: Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousan...

A story about a writer and entrepreneur with an audacious mission driving the organization he helps lead. Together, cofounder Stew Fortier and his community-led business Foster is helping writers who care about turning their ideas into timeless writing, not viral hits that quickly fade. They're here to fight back against the hollow noise, to develop important ideas from unique voices, crafted into...

In this episode, we hear from the founder of the media company New Rockstars, Filup Molina, and their first head of operations, Holiday Kinard, about how a small team of creative people operating out of one tiny room established themselves as just part of the viewing experience alongside the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  You can find New Rockstars on YouTube and become one of their nearly 4M subscri...

In the second installment of The Concept, we learn about the idea of learned helplessness, which causes us to hit our ceilings as creators or even refrain from pursuing an opportunity, never attempt to overcome a challenge, or simply avoid asking for help.  We learn how learned helplessness forms in the brain -- and what it DOES to our brain -- through two experiments involving both dogs and human...

Patrick Campbell is cofounder and CEO of the software company ProfitWell, which sells tools to help subscription businesses (SaaS and DTC) reduce cancellations and optimize pricing and ultimately earn more revenue. Their media team -- a small group of about 6 full-time employees and a few freelancers -- has been setting the B2B marketing world on fire of late, as they've created 11 original series...

Suzy Batiz calls herself CEO to more conservative crowds, but PEO to everyone else. To define PEO, however, would be to make more than a few people blush. The Poo Executive Officer. Suzy is the founder of Poo-Pourri, a toilet spray that solves the problem of bathroom smells in a way that runs counter to conventional thinking. But more than the hilarious branding and advertising (and there's plenty...