The Story Collider

In a perfect world, getting the health care you need wouldn’t require fighting for it. But in this week’s episode, both of our storytellers discover just how hard they have to push to get the treatment — and validation — they need and deserve. Part 1: Cooper Joslin is determined to get a hysterectomy to finally stop the debilitating symptoms of endometriosis but all the doctors won’t seem to let t...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers come face to face with one of their deepest fears: the ocean. Part 1: When the children’s TV show host Carly Ciarrocchi is assigned a scuba diving episode, she’s forced to confront a lifelong fear of the ocean. Part 2: Growing up, Darcie Little Badger was wary of the ocean. But when she takes an oceanography class in college, she begins to question...

In this week’s Best Of episode, we present stories from people who navigated our changing relationship to technology. Part 1: As a kid, Samy Kamkar discovers his superpower -- hacking. Part 2: When Jordan Bush's father-in-law-to-be is diagnosed with cancer shortly before her wedding, she finds a creative way to help him attend. Samy Kamkar is a hacker-turned-security researcher building tools to...

In this week’s episode, both storytellers discover just how far people will go for the ones they love. Part 1: When Bailey Swilley’s dad goes into cardiac arrest, she watches her mom care for him and starts to reevaluate what love really looks like. Part 2: At rock bottom, Pam Stepansky turns to her dad for support with her alcoholism. Bailey Swilley is a writer, comedian and storyteller from Memp...

In this week’s episode, storytellers share stories about carbs, control, and the unexpected ways bread shapes our lives. Part 1: When everyone in Rich Tackenberg’s family is diagnosed with celiac disease, he’s forced to confront a terrifying possibility: life without his emotional support carb. Part 2: During the pandemic, Aditya Surendran sets out to conquer making a 36-hour baguette. Rich Tacken...

In this week’s episode, we’re bringing you two stories about navigating the uncertainty, hope, and heartbreak of trying to have a baby. Part 1: After a pregnancy loss, Annie Tan channels her grief into rescuing an injured mockingbird. Part 2: Kibby McMahon is convinced she can will her way into pregnancy, but her body refuses to follow the plan. Annie Tan is an educator, activist, writer and story...

In this week’s Best Of episode, we present two stories of people who had to leave home to find a new home. Part 1: When Ph. D student Ali Mattu's girlfriend tells him she is moving to New York City, he has to make some tough decisions about where home is. Part 2: Arlo Pérez Esquivel struggles to define his boundaries with his father while he is pursuing his education in another country. Ali Mattu...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers reflect on the ways we try to hold onto the people we love. Part 1: Gwendolyn Napier is left heartbroken when harsh Atlanta weather destroys the trees planted to honor her family members. Part 2: Bimini Wright looks back on her childhood spent aboard a research boat, studying tuna alongside her larger-than-life fisherman father. Gwendolyn J. Napier...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales about whales. Part 1: As a child, Brittany Munson dreams of growing up to be a whale trainer. Part 2: As a marine scientist focused on living creatures, Maya Santangelo is convinced that diving to explore an old whaling shipwreck in the Antarctic will be boring. Brittany Munson is a Lead Educator at the California Science Center, where s...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers are forced to confront the terrifying unknown and decide how to live in the shadow of what might come. Part 1: After three generations of women in her family develop Alzheimer’s disease, Mary Jo Pollack enrolls in a study that could reveal whether she’s next. Part 2: When Sabrina Samuel is diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and told to wait a year befo...

When her twenty-five year marriage unexpectedly fell apart, science writer Florence Williams (author of Heartbreak ) felt shocked and blindsided. Such heartbreak led to a new range of intense feelings and, trained as a journalist, Florence set out on a journey to understand the science of heartbreak. She tried novel forms of therapy, immersed herself in nature, and consulted cutting-edge research...

In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers build shields to protect themselves and discover what happens when those defences fail. Part 1: As a lonely teenager searching for connection, Christopher Moncayo-Torres turns to an unlikely disguise—a giant Clifford costume—in hopes of bridging the gap between himself and the world around him. Part 2: JP Flores has always been the family’s “smart k...

Oxygen sustains almost every living thing on the planet and the air we breathe is meant to be invisible. But industrialization has changed that. In many cities around the world, the air is no longer clean. Polluted air affects our health, contributes to rising global temperatures, and harms ecosystems in ways we are only beginning to fully understand. In this week’s episode, both of our storytelle...

Wildfires have become more frequent and more destructive in recent years, increasingly threatening communities on the edges of — and sometimes within — our cities. What was once considered a distant risk is now a reality for millions of people living in urban areas. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share their experiences with wildfires and the ways those encounters impacted them....

Water covers roughly 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface and is essential for human survival. But it can also unleash devastating consequences. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales about water — from flooding to polluted groundwater. Through their stories, we explore how water shapes our cities, our safety, and our sense of security in a changing climate. Part 1: While resea...

Climate change doesn’t happen in the abstract. It happens where we live, work, and raise our families. In this special Story Collider series, each episode explores a different element of urban climate change — from fire and air to water and earth — through powerful, true stories from the people experiencing it firsthand. In this episode, our storytellers turn their attention to earth, exploring th...

This week, in honor of Women's History Month, we're presenting two stories from our archive about women in science and the unique challenges they face. Part 1:  Alison Williams' blossoming passion for chemistry is sidetracked by a professor's thoughtless comment. Part 2: Climate scientist Sarah Myhre becomes embroiled in conflict after speaking out against a senior scientist's problematic sta...

This April, The Story Collider presents a special series on urban climate change. Through eight true, personal stories about science, we explore how the forces shaping our planet — earth, water, fire, and air — show up in the places most of us actually live: our cities. From flooded streets and wildfire smoke to shifting ground and the air we breathe, these are the moments when climate change...

In this week’s episode, both storytellers explore the surprising connections between dance and science. Part 1: Learning a modern version of her childhood Indian dances puts Sumitra Mattai’s brain and body to the test. Part 2: When people doubt that dance can empower girls to pursue STEM careers, Yamilée Toussaint sets out to prove them wrong. Sumitra Mattai is a writer, storyteller and textile de...

In this week’s episode, both storytellers share stories that illustrate why empathy, kindness, and humanity are essential to healthcare. Part 1: After feeling betrayed by the very systems meant to protect her, Karen McCaffrey chooses to become the advocate for survivors she once needed herself. This story does include mentions of sexual assault and rape. In case you’d find them helpful, now or at...

Hair might seem trivial, but for many of us it carries history, identity, and meaning far beyond keratin. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers explore the unexpected power their hair holds. Part 1: Being half Navajo and half white, Carissa Sherman turns to genetics to better understand her identity. As she questions where she belongs, her hair becomes a quiet but powerful marker of how...

This week we present two stories from Black people who were dealing with the ramifications of our racist systems. Part 1: As a science teacher, Mamoudou N'Diaye was supposed to have all the answers, but he struggles to explain being Black in the USA. Part 2: Rhonda Key fights to be taken seriously by her white co-workers and students when she gets a job at a middle school. Mamoudou N'Diaye is a Ma...

Science can feel isolating when you don’t see yourself reflected around you. This episode brings together two stories about the search for representation, connection, and belonging in STEM. Part 1: Graduate student Angelique Allen doesn’t fully understand the strong connection she feels to the 2015 animated film Home . Part 2: Growing up in segregated 1950s Baltimore, Ken Phillips learns early who...

Valentine’s Day may be all about couples, but this week’s episode celebrates heartbreak, breakups, and proudly being single as a Pringle. Part 1: Getting dumped is the push psychologist Jiawen Huang needs to step outside his comfort zone. Part 2: While completing her PhD in neuroscience, Leslie Sibener is determined to fix her relationship.  Jiawen Huang obtained his PhD in Psychology from Co...

Both of this week’s stories come from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative ’s Rare As One Project grantees, who share their deeply personal experiences with rare diseases and illustrate how research is so essential in the search for better treatments and cures. (For more stories like these, you can also check out our previous episode The Story Collider produced with Rare As One in 2019 , 2021 , 2023 , and 2...