Business of Story

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 description...

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 e...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

BG Brand 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 close tha...

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 machin...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...