How Stories Happen
Jay Acunzo
What does it take to resonate? On How Stories Happen, experts, entrepreneurs, and business leaders dissect their signature stories piece by piece. We explore how they found and developed their ideas, how they might improve even still, and how they use a story to show up with greater impact and influence. Hosted by Jay Acunzo.
Justin Moore: How he altered his storytelling to resonate with more people
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:"Reworking in Realtime." That’s a phrase I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. How often do you get to sit with a peer, a colleague, a mentor, a coach, and go through something to improve in realtime? Why don't we? Athletes do it. Comedians. Musicians. Filmmakers.We should too, and lately, on my YouTube channel, I've been
Apr 18, • 48:26
My recipe for great stories
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Lessons from 20 years of storytelling through my writing, speaking, podcasting, videos, and most of all, from my Grandma.***IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.comExplore my services: jayacunzo.com/servicesBook me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes***
Apr 11, • 22:53
Neal Foard: How to tell small stories with big meaning to persuade and inspire
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:AI and people both run on LLMs. AI has large language models. People have little life moments. But mostly, we don't draw on our LLMs confidently or consistently enough.Neal Foard does, and that's made him one of the most exceptional (and viral) storytellers in the business world. Neal joins me today to lay it all
Mar 27, • 42:58
Jay Answers Your Questions about Public Speaking as Marketing Approach, Revenue Engine, and Creative Craft
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:In this special bonus episode, I take your questions about public speaking. We talk about the craft, but also the way we can better approach our speaking as a marketing strategy and approach, how to think about whether to charge for public speaking (and how much), and a lot more!Whether you've got a speaking engag
Mar 19, • 30:27
The elements of stronger messages & how to say what they can’t unhear, with Tamsen Webster, message designer
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:This episode, we do something a bit different. I’m joined by the brilliant messaging strategist and pioneer of the message design industry, Tamsen Webster! We fully nerd out on crafting messaging and the elements that help you create stronger speeches, better stories, and a more effective message for your entire p
Mar 14, • 50:21
A trick from John Mulaney to create better content
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:A technique for our work found in an incredible moment between John Mulaney and David Letterman. This is a solo episode from me to share something you can apply to your work right away to become a stronger storyteller, to differentiate your message, and to generally compete on the impact of your ideas NOT the volu
Mar 7, • 21:19
"Stories that inspire more stories: that's what I'm after" - Brad Montague, children's author and keynote speaker
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:It's hard to show up publicly at times, sharing your work, giving of yourself to others. It can be even harder given the places we mostly show up online today. But Brad Montague is here to lead a joyful rebellion—one for creatives, artists, and humans of all kinds, both kids and (in Brad's terms) former kids. And
Feb 28, • 43:02
If growth is hard, you might need your "idea before the idea"
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:In this solo episode, I share a storytelling concept I'm calling "the idea before the idea," which helps solve issues of growth and audience traction.***REGISTER FOR MY NEXT BOOTCAMP:Design My Signature Talk is a virtual intensive where I help you develop and nail your next talk and elevate your speaking all year
Feb 21, • 18:25
“Is this ANNything?” Ann Handley Returns to Work Out New Drafts
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:This week, I’m joined by my favorite recurring guest and the star of our “Is this ANNything” mini-series, the brilliant Ann Handley.Throughout this mini-series (usually called “Is This Anything?”), close friends and collaborators join me to work out new ideas and unproven drafts to see if it is, in fact, anything.
Feb 14, • 55:06
“You can’t make pottery without clay” | Elise Hu dissects her TED Talk
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:In this episode, we go inside the delivery and construction of a popular TED Talk! Elise Hu gets real with us about the preparation and challenges that go into taking complex ideas and molding them to fit a tightly delivered speech.Elise is an award-winning journalist, podcaster, and author based in Los Angeles.
Feb 7, • 45:11
How to find powerful stories everywhere | Jay Baer, hall-of-fame speaker & NY Times bestselling business author
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Inspiration is everywhere -- if you're paying attention.Today we’re resharing a slightly modified version of an episode I used to help pilot How Stories Happen, back inside my old show called Unthinkable. (You’ll hear me reference the “miniseries,” which is what I used to craft this show and test various elements.
Jan 31, • 48:57
"It's not effortless, it's intentional" | Mike Ganino, keynote director & author
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:We’re told to steal from those we admire, but so often, we mimic the wrong things. It’s not WHAT someone does but WHY they do it (and why it works for them) which we ought to model in our own creative work and storytelling. Once we find that, we can intentionally master the craft. And this work is about exactly th
Jan 24, • 44:36
“Little nuggets take your story furthest” I Veronica Romney - Author, Entrepreneur, and Marketing Leader
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:What does the psychology of family systems have to do with being a good storyteller? Well, according to Veronica Romney, a lot. Understanding identity and how people define theirs can make or break your ability to stand out, resonate, and earn passionate fans.In this episode, V shares the story about a funeral unl
Jan 17, • 45:31
“Great stories are ownable” | Ron Tite, keynote speaker and agency exec
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:How do you make a story truly come alive? You pace things down and focus on the small details. Everyone else might want the big, flashy story, but your most effective (and ownable) stories are from noteworthy moments, not newsworthy events.In this episode, Ron Tite puts on display his otherworldly mastery of publi
Jan 10, • 47:25
Whisper
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:A special bonus story and a crucial question to guide your 2025. This episode was handcrafted for you by Jason, with love.
Dec 27, 2024 • 22:49
"Specific moments make it feel real" | Natalie Taylor, B2B marketing leader
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:When we communicate with business results in mind, whether we work in-house on a team or we ARE the business, it's so common that we omit specific details. We want to rush to stuff things full of our ideas and make our value clear instantly. The thing is, only when we slow our stories down, include specific detail
Dec 23, 2024 • 44:42
"The personal is more universal than we think it is" | Sarah Stockdale, CEO of Growclass
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Welcome to one of the more inspiring episodes of the show! Entrepreneur and growth marketing expert Sarah Stockdale is one of the most nuanced, capable, and generous voices in the industry. When she shows up, she resonates, no matter what she's creating or where she's appearing. Today, both of us commiserate over
Dec 16, 2024 • 42:40
“Now is the time to double down on your story” I Shez Mehra, creative entrepreneur and DJ
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:This is a special episode of the show. I’ve partnered with Intuit Mailchimp as part of a limited series called B2B Storytelling Stars. You can watch as I coach 3 marketers and experts on group calls and 1:1s, helping them craft their premises, messages, and stories. Get all 6 videos plus a storytelling template, f
Dec 9, 2024 • 40:27
The 2 questions (and a quote) that helped me most in 2024
As another year comes to an end, we often reflect backwards, because hindsight is 20/20. But what we don’t often realize is that sometimes when you have that clarity of sight, you'll want to close your eyes, rub your temples, maybe let your head fall to the table. Because you’re amazed at how you just… couldn’t… see it. That was me, all year long, but I finally see clearly again, and I want you to avoid the same frustrating slog I endured between 2020-2023.That’s why in this solo episod
Dec 2, 2024 • 18:00
"Your brain is a straight line machine" I Melanie Deziel, author and speaker
Signature stories aren’t just stories you tell a lot. They’re stories you’d sign your name to. In this episode, author and speaker Melanie Deziel shares a story that went from nerve-wracking to heart-wrenching the more she told it, as she found ways to tell it her own way (and as new details emerged from the story).Mel is my cofounder in our Creator Kitchen membership, and this interview was part of the miniseries that helped me pilot How Stories Happen. The thing is, when you pilot som
Nov 25, 2024 • 41:43
A repeatable system for stronger ideas and stories
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:"You have a real gift," we say to our storytelling heroes. But do they? Storytelling is a skill. Communicating with greater impact is a craft. It’s not something anyone is gifted. It’s something we all can master.Today, it’s just me, Jay. Hello! I’m trying a solo episode, sharing my favorite trick for stronger ide
Nov 4, 2024 • 26:22
Designing a New Signature Talk Beat by Beat with Justin Moore (Founder of Creator Wizard, Author of Sponsor Magnet)
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:It's time for a new edition of "Is This Anything?", the miniseries where friends and clients join me to work out new drafts and ideas for upcoming pieces and projects. In this episode, I help Justin Moore design his signature talk, beat by beat.Justin is the founder of Creator Wizard, which helps creators secure m
Oct 28, 2024 • 46:19
Seth Godin Dissects a Signature Story
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Today, it's a total treat as the one and only Seth Godin takes us into how he thinks about storytelling and the intersection of strategy and story, and then we hear him dissect a signature story. Plus, Seth and I trade stories in the back half of the episode—business storytelling nerdery on full display.Seth is a
Oct 21, 2024 • 46:05
“Is this ANNything?” Ann Handley and Jay Acunzo Work Out New Drafts
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:This week, we’re joined by our first-ever recurring guest. The brilliant Ann Handley (WSJ bestselling author of Everybody Writes and globally touring keynote speaker) joins us for a very special episode of “Is This Anything?”, the mini-series, where friends and collaborators join me to work out new ideas, unproven
Oct 14, 2024 • 50:59
“We’re both the heroes and the villains in our own stories” | Chase Jarvis, Photographer + Entrepreneur + Author of Never Play It Safe
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Why is candor essential for a good story? How brutally honest should you actually be in sharing a story with the world? The great Chase Jarvis brings us into his story of self-discovery, with the many twists and turns his professional career has taken, as he works through how to best tell that story ahead of his n
Oct 7, 2024 • 41:08
"If all knowledge is experience, all wisdom is framework" | Laura Gassner Otting, Keynote Speaker & Author
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:What is a super-story? And how can you flex yours to fit different audiences, mediums, or conclusions? That’s what we dive into today with powerhouse storyteller, Laura Gassner Otting.Laura takes us into a small story about her first time decorating a Christmas tree with her husband’s family. Initially horrified b
Sep 30, 2024 • 45:57
Working out a new TED Talk with Simone Stolzoff, Author & Journalist
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Go inside the development of a brand new TED Talk, as Jay offers notes to friend Simone Stolzoff on his v1 draft. Simone is the author of The Good Enough Job and a journalist whose writing has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and more. This is the first episo
Sep 25, 2024 • 52:41
“A perfectly competent character is boring” | Nat Eliason, Author & Essayist
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Telling stories about your life feels fraught. How do you weave together a story that is deeply personal to you and others, contains the right amount of tension without being too dramatic, and feels both gripping and accessible for your audience? In the case of our guest today, Nat Eliason, his story is about the
Sep 16, 2024 • 45:12
Is This Anything? with Simone Stolzoff, Author & Designer
You know how a comedian will test out new material, and turn to their colleagues and ask, “Is this anything?” Welcome to a new bonus episode series—aptly named just that (Is This Anything), that will run on our off weeks from the traditional show, where a guest and I will take their ideas, put it under a storytelling microscope, and find out if these ideas have legs. So what do you get? A front row seat on how the pro’s develop and evolve their stories.So for this episode, meet my friend, Simone
Aug 26, 2024 • 56:03
What it takes to craft a signature story | Susan Boles, CFO, Business Strategist & Podcaster
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:What should you include or omit to ensure your stories carry your message, resonate with others, and deliver something that could only come from you? That’s the challenge we encounter today. In this special episode, Jay is joined by a favorite client, Susan Boles, to work through a draft of a signature story, whic
Aug 19, 2024 • 56:00
To tell stronger stories, understand yourself first | Ryan Hawk & Brook Cups, Coauthors of The Score That Matters
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Storytellers often face a paradox: to connect deeper externally, you have to turn deeper internally. You have to know yourself and get more honest with how you think and feel than others might be comfortable doing themselves. That often means we have to stop caring what people think of us quite as much.In this epi
Aug 5, 2024 • 45:30
“You have to work against people assuming they know how this goes” | Danielle Bayard Jackson, Author of Fighting for Our Friendships
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:How do we compress our lifetime into their runtime? When we’re asked to explain our backgrounds and bios, we need a structure, some practice, and a few anecdotes at the ready. Because our story has to pull triple-duty: clarify who we are, build credibility, and teach whatever it is we’re there to teach.In this epi
Jul 22, 2024 • 53:06
“I could tell this story in 1950 or 2024” | Scott Monty, Exec. Coach and Speaker
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:While everyone scrambles to learn the new trends and act like a futurist, it’s the folks who understand what parts of this work are timeless – because they’re based on human nature – that are most powerful of all. Storytelling is one such thing. It’s been a constant throughout the history of humanity. Why? Because
Jul 8, 2024 • 56:06
“Words can do WHAT?! Are we serious right now?!” | Tucker Bryant, Poet & Keynote Speaker
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:How do we craft a metaphor that works? More importantly, perhaps, how do we ensure the metaphors we use pivot to the audience to teach them something in their lives or work, without them getting lost? Do we overtly explain the lesson? Imply it? Some combination? It’s a delicate dance, and few do it like Tucker Bry
Jun 24, 2024 • 50:14
“We congregate around emotional stories” | Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:The hardest question to answer when we show up publicly might be the simplest question we receive: “Tell me about yourself.” Who are you? How’d you get here? What’s your story?We then face a choice: we can make the story about us, or we can make it about the thing we’re there to say. We can make our own stories ab
Jun 10, 2024 • 38:02
“How do we all sign our work?” | Ann Handley, Author & Keynote Speaker
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:When so many people are excited to create a higher volume of content, shouldn’t we think more about what gives our work greater power? That’s what our guest today understands better than most, and she draws that power from everyday moments she hunts out, like a squirrel finding nuts in the yard.Meet Ann Handley—sh
May 27, 2024 • 48:09
“A story needs a job to do” | Michelle Warner, Business Designer & Strategist
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:Our guest for this episode is rarely online. But when she is, she’s telling small stories with big meaning.Meet Michelle Warner—she’s a business strategist and consultant who architects business models and marketing strategies for clients who sell high-priced services. She also hosts the podcast Sequence Over Stra
May 13, 2024 • 54:57
“The only way to figure out a story is to tell it” | Andrew Davis, Keynote Speaker
Enrollment is now open into my Public Speaking Accelerator. Register now for $400 off and secure a 1:1 coaching call with me too: jayacunzo.com/signaturetalkABOUT THIS EPISODE:I know a ton of storytellers and creators and entrepreneurs, but I know exactly zero other people who have learned how to do what they do from both legendary news broadcasters and Kermit the Frog.Meet Andrew Davis. He is a powerhouse business speaker who’s given speeches in 35 different countries, at more than 50
Apr 29, 2024 • 50:31
