The Story Seat

What if the most powerful skill in leadership isn’t having the right answers—but asking the right questions? In this episode of The Story Seat, Tyler Chisholm—CEO, author of Curious as Hell, and host of over 600 podcast conversations—shares how curiosity can transform the way we lead, connect, and grow. From building a company from the ground up to navigating uncertainty in a fast-changing world,...

What actually makes someone a great leader—and how much of it comes down to the small, everyday moments? In this episode of The Story Seat, Ronald Reich—leadership and management development expert—shares insights from over 30 years of helping individuals and organizations grow. But instead of focusing on big, abstract ideas, this conversation brings leadership back to what truly matters: how we l...

What does recovery really look like—and how do you hold onto hope when the journey feels uncertain? In this deeply human episode of The Story Seat, Dale Walsh shares his lived experience with schizophrenia—moving through diagnosis, hospitalizations, and psychosis, and ultimately finding a path toward stability, independence, and purpose. But this conversation goes beyond one person’s story. Today,...

What if the moments that define your life aren’t the big, obvious ones—but the quiet, almost invisible shifts along the way? In this reflective episode of The Story Seat, Chip Scholz—executive coach, author, and storyteller—shares a journey shaped not by dramatic turning points, but by subtle realizations, small decisions, and unexpected resets. After a significant life transition, Chip began to r...

What if the book you’ve been putting off is the very thing that could change everything? In this episode of The Story Seat, Jill Clair—co-founder of Erin Marie Books—shares how she’s helped over 100 entrepreneurs turn their ideas into published books that grow their influence, authority, and income. But behind her work is a deeper story. After a life-changing cancer diagnosis, Jill made a decision...

What does it take to stop hiding—and finally face your truth? In this powerful episode of The Story Seat, Calvin Bagley—entrepreneur, bestselling author, and founder of a multi-million dollar company—shares a story that goes far beyond business success. Raised in extreme hardship and without formal education until the age of 22, Calvin spent years hiding a past shaped by survival, isolation, and s...

What happens when your body forces you to face what your mind has been avoiding? In this deeply honest episode of The Story Seat, Melissa Crook—host of The FEEL Podcast—shares the story of a turning point that changed everything. What began as a series of alarming health scares led to a powerful realization: the root wasn’t just physical—it was emotional. After years of holding it all together, pe...

What does it take to build a life around storytelling—and keep evolving as the world changes? In this episode of The Story Seat, Aaron Ryan—award-winning author, voice actor, and creative force behind more than 40 published books—shares the journey behind his work. From writing across genres like sci-fi, thrillers, and children’s literature to seeing his stories adapted for the screen, Aaron opens...

What happens when everything you built… suddenly falls apart? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit down with Alex Rajan—an AI innovator helping businesses transform how they connect with their customers through voice technology. After experiencing a dramatic fall from financial success to personal and professional uncertainty, Alex found himself at a crossroads. What followed wasn’t just a co...

Some patterns don’t start with us… but at some point, they ask to be seen. In this episode of The Story Seat, Dr. Kaci shares a journey shaped by early trauma, military service, and the kind of life experiences that force you to question everything you thought you understood about yourself. But this isn’t just a story about what she’s been through. It’s about what she began to notice. The patterns...

What do you do when the way you’ve always worked… suddenly doesn’t? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit down with Tyler Clapp, a leadership transition and team dynamics coach who has spent over 15 years developing leaders within the Volkswagen Group. Together, we explore what Tyler calls “the in-between”—that often unspoken phase where the old way of leading no longer fits, but the next step...

What really separates those who break through… from those who stay stuck? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit down with Dr. Bramante—a veteran talent agent with over two decades in the entertainment industry, who later pursued a Ph. D. in Psychology to better understand the inner world of performance. Having worked with actors across TV, film, and Broadway, Dr. Bramante shares a powerful tru...

What if the struggle with food… isn’t really about food? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit down with Jane—a psychotherapist and author of Always Hungry: How I Lost the Weight and Found Myself—to explore the deeper emotional layers behind weight, identity, and self-worth. After losing 103 pounds and maintaining it for over a decade, Jane shares why lasting change didn’t come from dieting—bu...

What if the biggest thing holding you back… isn’t external—but internal? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit down with Stan Lewis, a leadership and communication expert whose work centers on one powerful idea: most people aren’t stuck because of circumstance—they’re stuck because of conditioning. With over 15 years of experience across leadership, law, and human behavior—including his time a...

In a world that constantly pulls us in different directions, what happens when we choose to slow down? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit with Rusty Gardner—a lifelong teacher, counselor, and self-described wanderer—who discovered something profound through a simple daily practice: walking. What began as early morning phone calls with his son evolved into something deeper—uninterrupted conv...

Why do certain moments affect us more than they should? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit down with Brian—a psychotherapist with over three decades of experience—to explore the neuroscience behind emotional triggers and why so many of our reactions feel automatic. Drawing from his work and his book Living a Trigger-Free Life, Brian explains how what we often see as flaws are actually learn...

What if belonging isn’t something you find… but something you help create? In this episode of The Story Seat, Tamara Fyke shares a journey rooted in connection, creativity, and the quiet power of bringing people together. As the founder of Love In A Big World and a lifelong educator, her work has touched communities across generations—offering spaces where people feel seen, valued, and included. T...

What happens when you spend your life doing everything “right”… but feel nothing at all on the inside? In this episode of The Story Seat, Adam Tomlin shares his journey from a successful career as an attorney to confronting the emotional disconnection he had carried for years. Raised in an environment where only certain emotions were acceptable, he learned early on to suppress what he felt—until t...

What happens when one life ends… and another begins in a completely different world? In this episode of The Story Seat, Gregg Owen shares a journey that feels almost cinematic—moving from life as a touring rock musician to becoming a prosecutor handling some of the most serious homicide cases in Chicago. It’s a story of sharp turns, unexpected choices, and the weight of stepping into roles that de...

What if the very thing that broke you… could become the thing that helps you heal? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit with Dave Mowry—a comedian, author, and mental health advocate who shares his journey of living with bipolar disorder and severe anxiety, and what it really felt like to lose years of his life to it. But this isn’t just a story about struggle—it’s a story about transformatio...

What if the life you’ve worked so hard to hold together… is the very thing holding you back? In this episode of The Story Seat, Heather shares the truth behind high-functioning success—the kind that looks strong, capable, and “put together” on the outside, but feels exhausting and disconnected on the inside. Through her own journey, and the message behind her book Illuminate Your Worth, this conve...

What if the life you committed to… was never truly yours to begin with? In this episode of The Story Seat, Toni shares her extraordinary journey of spending sixteen years in a convent—living under a vow of obedience—and the moment she began to question everything she had once believed was certain. But this conversation goes beyond religious life. It opens up a deeper truth about the invisible vows...

What happens when the life everyone believed in suddenly unravels—and it does so where everyone can see? In this episode of The Story Seat, Karen shares the deeply personal story of a life that once looked “perfect” from the outside, and the moment it all shifted overnight. As a public crisis collided with private pain, she found herself navigating not only loss and uncertainty, but the pressure t...

What if your healing wasn’t something you had to search for—but something you could create? In this episode of The Story Seat, we sit with Devorah, an artist whose work evolved into something far deeper than expression—it became transformation. Through her Soul Portraits process, she invites people to work with the fragments of their own lives—letters, photographs, memories—and turn them into some...

Some stories aren’t about becoming someone new— they’re about remembering who you’ve always been. In this episode of The Story Seat, Nuria Gimenez-Bosch takes the seat to share a deeply introspective journey of identity, transformation, and inner reconnection. Through moments of transition, grief, and self-discovery, her story explores what it truly means to outgrow old versions of yourself and st...