Changing the Rules

One good story begets another. And sometimes, another. And another! It all started with a story about a piano. That story inspired more piano stories, which we captured in Episode 257 of Changing the Rules. But something unexpected happened when we finished recording. Our storytellers weren't finished talking! Fortunately, our alert podcast engineer sensed that something special was happening and...

What makes a novel draw us in, keep us turning pages, and leave us saying, “Wow—I want more”? Author and returning guest Don Helin joins Ray Loewe and Mary Ann Steinhauer to take us behind the stories. His latest novel has roots in a discovery he made at fifteen: he had Viking heritage. A trip to Norway in his fifties deepened that curiosity. Decades later, in his eighties, he turned that lifelong...

Can ChatGPT turn a handful of random memories into a meaningful personal story? And can that story actually help you live a better life? In this unusual episode of Changing the Rules, Ray Loewe, the Luckiest Guy in the World, and co-host Mary Ann Steinhauer invite ChatGPT into the conversation for a live storytelling experiment. Ray shares memories of a trip to Beijing during preparations for Chin...

Mining for gold by relistening to three past podcasts. Hosts: Ray and Mary Ann find storytelling gold by revisiting three podcasts -Episode 233. Don Helin — The CREATOR: Don uses fiction to explore real emotions and universal human truths. -Episode 260. Lana Edwards Santoro — The REMEMBERER: Lana draws on memories and family history and finds meaning in moments that might otherwise disappear. -Epi...

Doug Heir was 6'4", headed for college, ready to play football—and ready for life. Working as a lifeguard, Doug dove into a swimming pool to save a child. The lifeguard stand slipped. Doug broke his back and became a quadriplegic. At one point, Doug contemplated whether life was even worth living. But with his family's help, he found the will to move forward. Doug became a Paralympic athlete, winn...

Ray Loewe and Mary Ann Steinhauer sit down with marketing guru Joe Serpente to discuss an important change in his business—and his life. Joe has transformed his full-service marketing company into a consulting practice. Today, he helps business decision-makers make smarter marketing choices and manage their marketing departments effectively. By moving from a full-time staff to a virtual office, Jo...

Hosts Ray Loewe and Mary Ann Steinhauer talk with guest Lana Edwards Santoro about the power of “Read Alouds.” Most of us remember the pleasure of storytime as children. Lana explains why that experience shouldn’t end when we grow up. Reading aloud to seniors—and sharing stories with one another as adults—can spark memories, create conversation, strengthen connections, and bring people together th...

Hosts Ray Looewe & Mary Ann Steinhauer revisit three past podcasts and analyze the common thread between them. This week, they look at Sally Pepper, E239, Applied Improve - Shelley O'Donovan, E236 - Julia Adams, E253 Clear Ice, and Bitters, and discuss communication, a common thread

Host Ray Loewe has a conversation with Charlie Shaffer about Charlie's boyhood encounter with "The Champ" leading to an invitation to dinner.

We had an interesting storytelling session the other day. Our lead storyteller talked about buying a piano at age 12 for a dollar at auction. That mint green piano stayed with her for fifty years. It turned out that pianos were an important part of people's lives. The next four storytellers change their planned stories to talk about pianos. It's incredible how one story can lead to a memory and an...

After Thoughts is our reflection on some of our past podcasts, pulling out extra meat and substance to help the Luckiest People in the World. This week, Mary Ann and Ray evaluate three past podcasts, all evoking leadership in very different ways: Episode #238, Dale Power. #245 Dan Cooper discussing Lou Holtz, #248 LaKiesha Tomlin. (Questions for future episodes of After Thoughts can be directed to...

This week, two of our regular guests, John Gardner and Mary Ann Steinhauer, share how, when a story pops into their brain, they can transform it into a shareable idea in fifteen minutes or less. What tools do they use? How are they building a personal storybook? How do they make stories shareable with family and friends? How do they share a Story Legacy?

How does ChatGPT help me write stories? Basically, it helps me get started, stop hesitating, and stop procrastinating. Mary Ann Steinhauer and I discuss how I use ChatGPT as a story coach, how I keep ownership of my stories, and how I can pluck a memory that was lost somewhere in my mind and get a story in my storybook in 15-20 minutes...It won't get lost; I can develop it further should I want to...

Guest: Julia Adams, Clear Ice & Bitters Last week, Julia Adams created a one-of-a-kind cocktail experience for co-host Mary Ann Steinhauer. This week, she turns her attention to Ray Loewe—and the result is entirely different. Rather than asking what someone wants to drink, Julia begins by getting to know who they are. Through thoughtful questions and remarkable listening, she uncovers memories, em...

Guest: Julia Adams, Clear Ice & Bitters - What if the most memorable part of a party wasn't the food or the music—but the feeling that someone created just for you? In this episode of Changing the Rules, Ray Loewe and co-host Mary Ann Steinhauer talk with Julia Adams, founder of Clear Ice & Bitters, who is redefining hospitality one guest at a time. Drawing on her background as a classical musicia...

What happens when you accept an invitation to experience someone else's passion? In this episode of Changing the Rules, Ray and Sandy Loewe climb into the back seat of a beautifully restored 1911 Stevens-Duryea (a $300,000 antique car) and join a caravan of thirty Brass Era automobiles winding through the Pennsylvania countryside. What began as an invitation from friend Jane Grove quickly became m...

Host: Ray Loewe - A few weeks ago, I had coffee with some friends. We started talking about the incredibly stupid things we did as kids and how we ever survived childhood. Maybe we were just the "Luckiest Kids in the World. "Hopefully, this podcast will take you back a few years to your youth. Enjoy!

Guest: Terry Lieb - Host: Ray Loewe - Co-Host: May Ann Steinhauer - A journey from coal mine country through trade school, the circus. From college to finding the life he wanted by exploring the counseling world. All told through some of the most fascinating stories you'll ever hear.

LaKiesha Tomlin, Engineer, MBA, Company Owner, just returned from a four-week immersion trip to southern France to learn French. LaKiesha credits intentionality and the ability to seize opportunities. If it's important, just do it! Host: Ray Loewe, Co-Host: Mary Ann Steinhauer

What started as a simple internet TV experiment became something much bigger. In this special episode of Changing the Rules, host Jim Rose — usually the voice behind the engineering console — turns the microphone on Ray Loewe, founder of Changing the Rules, Life Under the Willow Tree, and The Friends Connection Forum. Ray shares the unexpected evolution of these projects: from early internet telev...

In this episode of Changing the Rules, hosts Ray Loewe and Mary Ann Steinhauer welcome Rebecca Hoffman, founder of Good Egg Concepts and keynote speaker for the March 2026 Friends Connection Forum. Building on her inspiring presentation from the Forum, Rebecca takes listeners deeper into the art — and power — of storytelling. But this isn’t just about becoming a better speaker or writer. It’s abou...

What if the best leadership lessons aren’t found in boardrooms… or even on the battlefield? In this episode of Changing the Rules, Ray Loewe sits down with Vice Admiral Dan Cooper (Ret.) to explore leadership through an unexpected lens—a legendary college football coach. Dan shares personal stories about his friend, Notre Dame’s Lou Holtz—not the public figure, but the man behind the reputation. T...

“I lost a friend this week.” That’s how this episode begins—with a simple sentence that opens the door to something much deeper. After reading an impressive obituary filled with accomplishments and milestones, host Ray Loewe is left with an unexpected realization: the most important parts of his friend’s life weren’t there. Not the lunches. Not the conversations. Not the laughter. Not the way Bill...

What happens when you stop following the “expected path”… and start following your heart instead? In this episode of Changing the Rules, hosts Ray Loewe and Mary Ann Steinhauer sit down with Anna Brooke—better known to audiences as Rev. Legs Malone. With a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Art, Anna seemed destined for the traditional art world. But something didn’t fit. So she made a bold pivot—fro...

Host: Ray Loewe Cohost: MaryAnn Steinhauer What if project management wasn’t just about timelines and deliverables… …but about storytelling, inspiration, and living life on your terms? Dawn Mahan is one of the “Luckiest People in the World”—and she’s earned it. A globally recognized project management expert, she’s built a career in demand around the world while intentionally designing a life that...