How Stories Happen (Jay Acunzo)
Explore every episode of How Stories Happen
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Sep 2024 | "If all knowledge is experience, all wisdom is framework" | Laura Gassner Otting, Keynote Speaker & Author | 00:45:57 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 by the chipped ornaments and tattered boxes, she grew to love these mismatched decorations. It’s a story about finding meaning in often unexpected, imperfect places—and it's full of callbacks and insights helping LGO serve thousands of attendees at events across the globe where she speaks. Laura is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and executive coach. She’s a regular contributor to Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, Harvard Business Review, and Oprah Daily. She also served as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, founded an international search firm, and has a superpower in seeing others’ greatness and reflecting it back to them. Together, Jay and Laura discuss her effective use of "the specific," finding wisdom in frameworks, and how LGO draws from her time in politics to imbue her speaking with musicality. Plus, they talk about the importance of having rounded edges to end in stories, how to immediately become relatable to your audience, and the art of using callbacks. Whether you’re an aspiring author or keynote speaker, executive coach or entrepreneur who teaches through content, this episode will motivate you to resonate more deeply with your stories as you show up to any audience, in any medium. RESOURCES: ⚫ Learn more about Laura at her website and watch her viral TED Talk ⚫ Follow Laura on TikTok or Linkedin ⚫ Buy Laura’s books, Wonderhell, Limitless, and Mission Driven 🔵 Subscribe to Jay Acunzo's fortnightly newsletter at jayacunzo.com 🔵 Join Jay's membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads
*** ABOUT JAY: Consulting A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 07 Feb 2025 | “You can’t make pottery without clay” | Elise Hu dissects her TED Talk | 00:45:11 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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. She’s the host of TED Talks Daily, Accenture’s Built for Change, and a co-host of Forever 35. And if that’s not enough, she also co-founded the LA-based podcast production company, Reasonable Volume to work with brands and companies tell their stories better. She spent time at Vice News and NPR, serving as their first-ever Seoul bureu chief. She released her first book, Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital in 2023.
Elise and I discuss:
We also unpack why observation is the key to being a great storyteller, and why vulnerability and honesty are essential for any truly compelling speech. I imagine you (like me) will be endlessly enthralled by Elise’s curiosity, wisdom, and charm. Happy listening! Connect with Elise on her website and Linkedin Grab a copy of her book, Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital Listen to Elise on your favorite podcasts And watch her TED Talk here *** 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 long. For a limited time, registrants get my bonus masterclass, Booking Better Stages, all about marketing, selling, and booking yourself as a speaker, whether you want to get paid to speak or drive business another way through your talks. Register now at jayacunzo.com/signaturetalk IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 24 Jun 2024 | “Words can do WHAT?! Are we serious right now?!” | Tucker Bryant, Poet & Keynote Speaker | 00:50:14 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 Bryant. Tucker isn't just a keynote speaker; he's a poet who has taken the stage everywhere from corporate boardrooms to major conferences, importing what he knows from the world of verse to the world of business innovation. After working at Google, Tucker transformed his own unique perspective and skill as a poet into keynotes that grip audiences by the thousands, leaving lasting impressions on everyone from marketers to HR pros to C-suite executives.
⚫ Follow Tucker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuckerbryant/ ⚫ Tucker’s site: https://www.tuckerbryantspeaks.com/ 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter 🔵 Learn about Jay’s coaching and consulting: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ 🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 19 Mar 2025 | Jay Answers Your Questions about Public Speaking as Marketing Approach, Revenue Engine, and Creative Craft | 00:30:27 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 engagement coming up, give tons of talks each year, or you're just thinking about becoming a stronger and more strategic speaker to support your business and message, this episode will help you rethink some important pieces to the puzzle.
IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Explore my services: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 21 Feb 2025 | If growth is hard, you might need your "idea before the idea" | 00:18:25 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 long. Register now at jayacunzo.com/signaturetalk
IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 09 Dec 2024 | “Now is the time to double down on your story” I Shez Mehra, creative entrepreneur and DJ | 00:40:27 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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, free and ungated, at https://jayacunzo.com/stars To cap off the series, each storyteller will appear on How Stories Happen for their very own episode, featuring the story we began developing behind the scenes together. Kicking things off is Shez Mehra, one of the world’s foremost experts in sound and music used by brands to create memorable, cohesive experiences. He leads The 194 Group and has worked with Nike, Sephora, Google, Ford, Microsoft, and others. He’s also a partner in the software company Raina Music, which helps retail and hospitality brands with their music experiences. Shez shares a moving story of the power of music, talks about his lifelong obsession with music and sound (and what we can learn from his years as a DJ crafting his sets), and together, we dissect the pieces of his signature story to get more specific, to pivot from a personal story to a relevant message to clients, and to stick the landing of a story well-told. WATCH THE SERIES: STORYTELLING STARS For all 6 videos (3 group coaching calls and 3 one-on-ones), plus a free template associated with each (no forms required), visit https://jayacunzo.com/stars RESOURCES: Connect with Shez on X, Linkedin, and Instagram Subscribe to my newsletter at jayacunzo.com Join the Creator Kitchen membership Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT JAY: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After starting at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve helped organizations like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy, plus dozens of individual authors, founders, execs, consultants, and creators with their storytelling and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi via jayacunzo.com | |||
| 10 Jan 2025 | “Great stories are ownable” | Ron Tite, keynote speaker and agency exec | 00:47:25 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 public speaking and performance. He takes a (relatively average) hotel and uses a series of interactions with the brand to make you laugh, feel inspired, and transform how you think about customer experience, social media, and even story structure. Of course, this story could ONLY be told by Ron Tite. It’s ownable for him. Ron spent 20 years as a comedian before shifting to the business world, where he founded the successful marketing and advertising agency Church+State. He’s written multiple books, including his latest, Think Do Say, and he tours the world as a keynote speaker, delivering gripping talks to thousands of people and generally making you laugh, think, and change your approach to marketing. Ron and I discuss what we can learn from standup comedy, the differences between a warm open and cold open (and how to craft them), his hilarious relationship with the Westin Grand in Vancouver (they’re in love!), and how to design and deliver stories that only YOU can tell—without making yourself the hero. It’s an episode you probably won’t want to end. Ron is one of the very best in the world at this, and his energy is infectious. Connect with Ron on his website and Linkedin Grab a copy of his books, Think Do Say and Everyone’s An Artist(Or At Least They Should Be) Learn about Church+State on their website *** IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 08 Jul 2024 | “I could tell this story in 1950 or 2024” | Scott Monty, Exec. Coach and Speaker | 00:56:06 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 although the world changes in many ways, human nature is one thing that doesn’t change much at all. So says our guest today, Scott Monty, and it’s part of what makes Scott such an inspiring storyteller – and a leadership advisor, consultant, and coach who has worked for and with brands like Ford, Google, IBM, Adobe, and Walmart. In fact, thanks to his work helping pioneer all things social media at Ford Motor Company, The Economist named Scott #1 on its list of social business leaders. In this episode, we hear Scott dissect a signature story piece by piece, taking us into the executive team meeting from his time at Ford and how storytelling helped him thwart – then win over – his archnemesis, the curmudgeonly CFO at the time. After hearing the story, we identify the three tentpoles that help it stand up, plus identify details that could improve – and we hear why the moments that don’t seem to advance the action are actually the most important pieces for this story to resonate deeper. Scott’s brand is about the idea of timeless leadership – and he effortlessly quotes philosophers and leaders from centuries past to help make his points, both on the show and everywhere he shows up. Resources:
⚫ Subscribe to Scott’s newsletter, Timeless & Timely: https://www.timelesstimely.com/ 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter 🔵 Learn about Jay’s coaching and consulting: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ 🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 10 Jun 2024 | “We congregate around emotional stories” | Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro | 00:38:02 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 about the audiences we wish to serve, and we can do so without feeling like we’re bragging and even without any newsworthy moments in our past. Meet Rand Fishkin, cofounder and CEO of two companies (audience research platform SparkToro and indie video game maker Snackbar Studio). He’s an entrepreneur who’s navigated the roller-coaster of startup life, written an incredible book about it (Lost and Founder), and gone on the journey with hundreds of thousands of professionals following his every move. Rand has spoken at countless events, sharing his (often difficult) journey with audiences ranging from fresh-faced founders to seasoned veterans. In this episode, Rand shares his personal story as he’d present it from the stage, illustrating for us the power of stories the more “strategic” thinkers among us might think unwise to share: stories of failure, struggle, and genuine emotional turmoil. You’ll hear the power of having an "enemy" to galvanize your cause and attract your tribe, and why sharing failures and other difficult experiences can forge stronger connections and teach more valuable lessons than sharing wins and case studies. Rand’s style is a breath of fresh air in communities that rarely get so real, and it’s a big reason he resonates deeper than most. Jump into the conversation: (01:14) Meet Rand Resources: ⚫ Follow Rand on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin/ ⚫ Follow Rand on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@randderuiter ⚫ Visit SparkToro: https://sparktoro.com/ ⚫ Visit Snackbar Studio: https://snackbarstudio.com/ 🔵 Follow Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter 🔵 Learn about Jay’s coaching and consulting: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ 🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 11 Apr 2025 | My recipe for great stories | 00:22:53 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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.com Explore my services: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help you package and communicate your expertise to differentiate & resonate, so it’s easier to attract better clients. Through stronger messaging, speaking, and storytelling, you’ll build your business on the impact of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. I help my clients turn their expertise into a clear, repeatable message and speeches & stories to inspire action.
From passive reach → to passionate fans
From constantly chasing business → to being highly sought
Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 13 May 2024 | “A story needs a job to do” | Michelle Warner, Business Designer & Strategist | 00:54:57 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 Strategy—an idea that represents her entire platform’s differentiated premise, and one the story she brings to us today reflects. Michelle has founded multi-million dollar startups, raised capital the traditional way, and generally followed “the blueprint” for business growth before burning out and finding a new path forward. She is an independent consultant and educator who doesn’t need to rely on social media for growth. What I admire about Michelle is that she’s designed her life and work in a certain way—she’s intentional, genuine, and carefully curates anything she elects to spend time on. These characteristics are reflected in her life, in her work, and in the way she tells stories. In this episode, we dissect one of her signature stories she recently sent to her newsletter. It was well-received, but the ending needs work, and she recognizes there are some structural problems with the story. We work on that together to turn this into a signature story she can take with her everywhere, and we identify the job this story does for her audience and her business. You’ll get a deep look at the small changes that you can make to a story to communicate with greater impact. Jump into the conversation:
⚫ Listen to Michelle’s podcast: https://www.themichellewarner.com/blog/sos001 ⚫ Check out Michelle’s website: https://www.themichellewarner.com/ 🔵 Follow Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter 🔵 Learn about Jay’s coaching and consulting: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ 🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 07 Oct 2024 | “We’re both the heroes and the villains in our own stories” | Chase Jarvis, Photographer + Entrepreneur + Author of Never Play It Safe | 00:41:08 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 next book tour. Starting in second grade when his entrepreneurial spirit was snuffed by his teacher, Chase works to find acceptance by pursuing the “best” path forward, before realizing that maybe it’s not the best path for him. It’s a story that’s brutally honest, surprising, and carefully crafted so that listeners get an intimate look at the real Chase Jarvis and the themes of his book. Chase is an award-winning photographer, entrepreneur, and the author of “Never Play It Safe," and he's widely considered to be one of the leading voices advocating for the importance of creativity in work, life, and society today. Together, Jay and Chase extract the various blocks that create the flow of Chase's story, exploring what makes certain segments most compelling and how to best drive the story forward. They discuss how great stories are built, rather than experienced, and the importance of allegory versus illustration. Whether you’re an aspiring author, artist or entrepreneur, this episode will compel you to slow down, reflect, and connect to your own unique path forward and all the stories that have shaped you and your work.
⚫ Learn more about Chase at his website, or listen to his podcast, The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show ⚫ Follow Chase on X and Instagram ⚫ Buy Chase’s book, Never Play It Safe 🔵 Subscribe to Jay Acunzo's newsletter at jayacunzo.com 🔵 Join Jay's membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads
*** ABOUT JAY: Consulting A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 28 Oct 2024 | Designing a New Signature Talk Beat by Beat with Justin Moore (Founder of Creator Wizard, Author of Sponsor Magnet) | 00:46:19 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 more and better brand deals to grow their businesses. Through trainings, coaching, and his signature course, Justin has made a name for himself in the creator economy. For both his book and for the next wave of growth that he sees for his business, involving a slightly new group of buyers, Justin wants to develop a talk capable of earning him the main stage, not just breakouts, where he's up against multiple speakers at the same time slot. Together, we work through a structure you can use to develop your speeches. We discuss the differences between breakouts and keynotes, virtual and in-person, and why Justin needs his "higher-order idea" or the idea BEFORE the ideas he's known for already, in order to inspire action in his audience and grow his business through speaking. It's a rare look at the speech development process with two established creative voices, with one entrepreneur playing coach and the other the vulnerable but committed student. I hope this is both enjoyable and useful to your speaking journey! RESOURCES: Learn more about Justin's business at creatorwizard.com Get a copy of Justin's book Sponsor Magnet, or join the waitlist now (coming in January 2025) Subscribe to Jay's newsletter at jayacunzo.com Join Jay's membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads Produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT JAY: Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and differentiation-and-thought leadership consultant on a mission to help you make what matters to your career, company, and community. He's an advisor to experts, execs, and entrepreneurs who want to resonate deeper with others, not just reach them. To do so, he helps you turn your expertise into IP and your IP into differentiated messaging, exceptional speeches, and celebrated creative projects, equipping you with the communication techniques and power of today’s top thought leaders—because he believes in standing out through substance and stories, not hollow hype. A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 05 Aug 2024 | To tell stronger stories, understand yourself first | Ryan Hawk & Brook Cups, Coauthors of The Score That Matters | 00:45:30 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 episode, we meet Brook Cupps and Ryan Hawk, coauthors of the book The Score That Matters. We talk about how they collaborated on their book together and how they use stories to inspire and lead others. Brook is the head boys basketball coach at Centerville High School in Ohio, while Ryan hosts the popular podcast, The Learning Leader Show. What makes their partnership one of a kind—and what you'll hear in this episode—is the blend of practical coaching wisdom, deeply personal ideas, and storytelling finesse. The story we dissect comes from Brook, who shares how he transformed his coaching approach after a pivotal moment with his daughter, which shifted his entire philosophy. Ryan chimes in with insights from his own journey, emphasizing the importance of inner growth, values, and deliberate practice. It's a refreshing look at storytelling and the tough things we need to embrace first, which then allow us to become more effective communicators and leaders. BONUS: Hear Jay and Ryan on Ryan's podcast, discussing the art and science of hosting great interviews: https://learningleader.com/episode/330-deconstructing-the-art-science-of-interviewing-with-jay-acunzo/ ⚫ Check out Ryan Hawk’s podcast, The Learning Leader Show: https://learningleader.com/ ⚫ Learn more about Brook Cupps and Blue Collar Grit: https://www.bluecollargrit.com/about-us.html 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter 🔵 Learn about Jay’s coaching and consulting: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ | |||
| 18 Mar 2024 | Introducing How Stories Happen: Business Builders Dissect Their Signature Stories Piece by Piece | 00:09:21 | |
Welcome to How Stories Happen, a show for business storytellers focused on standing out easier and resonating deeper through substance and stories, not hollow stunts. Each episode, an expert, entrepreneur, or world-class communicator breaks apart a single story piece by piece, sharing how they developed it and how they're using it to grow their brand and leave their legacy. Hosted by Jay Acunzo As Ira Glass said, “Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” He doesn’t mean worthy things only appear to those who are already masters of the craft. He means, this is in fact a craft. But if that's the case, shouldn't we learn storytelling by getting closer to the actual crafting? Enough theory and technique. This show puts on display the posture, process, and practice of incredible business storytellers. Storytellers don’t experience extraordinary things. They know how to imbue meaning into things that are ordinary. How do stories happen? They don’t. Life happens. Then you turn that INTO stories. I guess you could say great stories happen ON PURPOSE. I’m your host, Jay Acunzo. I’m an author, speaker, and podcaster, with more than 15 years of business storytelling experience. I’ve held marketing and editorial roles at Google, HubSpot, and ESPN. I’ve consulted Fortune 500 brands and hosted documentaries and podcasts for exciting startups, and I’ve traveled the world imploring builders of brands and communities to bridge the gap between what best practices claim you have to do and what your intuition is urging you to try. In all of that, I’ve spotted a problem with the way we learn story: it’s an abstraction. It’s external to us. We start seeking answers “out there,” when in reality, that’s not how stories happen. You don’t experience the extraordinary. You see meaning in the ordinary. EVERYTHING is inspiration in the hands of an effective storyteller. To understand that is truly the difference between “learning story” and actually being a storyteller. Join me in an original series where world-class storytellers break apart their signature stories and piece by piece, share how it was made, how they used it to support their cause, and how it might still get better. Because stories aren’t snapshots of life. Stories are built with intention. This show puts that intentionality on display, from inception to development, marketing and selling to growing a following or changing the world – everywhere being a storyteller empowers you to lead. You’ll walk away thinking more about the power of your words and less about the volume of your content. It has never been more urgent to become an effective storyteller, so you can stand out easier and resonate deeper than all the mediocrity flooding our world. Join us as we explore How Stories Happen. ***
💌 Playing Favorites is the newsletter from Jay about resonance, storytelling, differentiation, and getting off the content hamster wheel to make things that matter more (because when your work matters more, you can hustle for attention less). *** WORK WITH JAY: ✅ Jay consults entrepreneurs, execs, and expert-based businesses to help them develop stronger IP—your premise, storytelling, frameworks, and pillar projects—so you can differentiate easier and resonate deeper. You can't own your audience, but you can own an idea in their minds. Learn more about Jay's consulting and coaching.
ABOUT JAY: Jay Acunzo helps business leaders develop more original premises — the big ideas they become known for publicly. His work focuses on his core belief in prioritizing resonance first, not reach.
Jay is a proud New England resident, a troubled Knicks fan, and an obsessive grilled pizza chef. His grandest aspiration (though he’d say delusion) is to be the Anthony Bourdain of business storytelling.
| |||
| 29 Apr 2024 | “The only way to figure out a story is to tell it” | Andrew Davis, Keynote Speaker | 00:50:31 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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.
🎨 Watch a video animation of Andrew’s signature story: https://jayacunzo.com/blog/how-stories-happen-episode-1-andrew-davis
⚫ Follow Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewdavishere/ ⚫ Explore his speaking: https://www.akadrewdavis.com/ ⚫ Watch the Loyalty Loop: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeegDFQqmxjBUpr5FCHzlpsKVyeEmPuf3 🔵 Follow Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter 🔵 Learn about Jay’s coaching and consulting: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ 🟢 Video animation by La Hacienda: https://www.lahacienda.media/ 🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 16 Sep 2024 | “A perfectly competent character is boring” | Nat Eliason, Author & Essayist | 00:45:12 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 moment he went from investing hundreds of dollars to having $10 million of his own money on the line, plus more than $100 million of others under his purview, when the whole system was hacked. Nat recently published his first book, “Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance,” and in this episode, he dissects the choices he made writing his prologue (which he shared with more than 20 people to get right). Together, Jay and Nat dissect Nat’s thrilling story, unpacking how he grounded the drama, making it feel authentic and relatable, while still embracing the primacy and recency effects in storytelling. Plus, they discuss strategies for getting more valuable feedback on your creative work, Nat’s decision to focus on such a dramatic moment for his prologue, and how to effectively combine educational or technical concepts into a story in a way that doesn’t lose or bore readers. Whether you are an aspiring author, give keynotes, write articles, or record multimedia content, this episode will make you look a bit closer at how your favorite stories are told—from the very first hook to a perfectly placed detail to the closing line that makes you realize that although the story was specific … it was profoundly universal. ⚫ Follow Nat on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateliason/ ⚫ Follow Nat on X: https://x.com/nateliason ⚫ Visit Nat’s website: https://www.nateliason.com/ ⚫ Subscribe to Nat’s Substack: https://blog.nateliason.com/ 🔵 Work with Jay to develop and differentiate your IP and stories: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🔵Join his Creator Kitchen membership: https://creatorkitchen.com/ 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/
🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 31 Jan 2025 | How to find powerful stories everywhere | Jay Baer, hall-of-fame speaker & NY Times bestselling business author | 00:48:57 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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.) In this episode, bestselling author and Hall of Fame keynote speaker Jay Baer brings one of his oldest, most proven stories to the show -- and we learn the two psychological concepts we can embrace to craft more memorable work. Jay and I also discuss how to collect and develop stories regularly, anywhere you go, and hwo to design them so they arrive at the insight that most closely matches your current teachings, premise, and IP. Jay’s latest book is The Time to Win: How to Exceed Your Customers’ Need for Speed. He's a globally touring keynote speaker, brand advisor to some of the world’s most legendary companies, and a marketing and customer experience thought leader. Jay is among the more process-driven storytellers in the world, and he takes us inside that approach in this episode in a refreshingly transparent way. Connect with Jay Baer on his website, Instagram, and Linkedin Grab a copy of any of his bestselling books. *** IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 04 Nov 2024 | A repeatable system for stronger ideas and stories | 00:26:22 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 ideas and stories. Be forewarned: this trick involves sharing your thinking publicly. Not “building in public,” as many like to talk about doing, but by aerating your thinking to sharpen it. So what “thinking” are you aerating? A very specific kind. To communicate in ways that resonate does NOT require you to experience a lightning strike insight or sensational story. This isn’t about doing something grand and newsworthy either. No, this trick requires us to do something which our society doesn’t often teach, but it’s free and easy to start. RESOURCES: Subscribe to Jay's newsletter at jayacunzo.com Join Jay's membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads Produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT JAY: Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and differentiation-and-thought leadership consultant on a mission to help you make what matters to your career, company, and community. He's an advisor to experts, execs, and entrepreneurs who want to resonate deeper with others, not just reach them. To do so, he helps you turn your expertise into IP and your IP into differentiated messaging, exceptional speeches, and celebrated creative projects, equipping you with the communication techniques and power of today’s top thought leaders—because he believes in standing out through substance and stories, not hollow hype. A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 24 Jan 2025 | "It's not effortless, it's intentional" | Mike Ganino, keynote director & author | 00:44:36 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 that: intentionality. It’s practiced. Until it looks effortless (even if, for a long while, it wasn’t). In this episode, Mike Ganino shares a story about his childhood and falling in love with E.T., and his understanding at the young age of 10, that stories make us feel less alone. Mike is the author of the new book, Make a Scene. He is also a keynote director, working to help others master their stage presence and storytelling, and he draws on his roots in theater and acting to help. Mike and I discuss why intentionality is everything is storytelling, how storytellers are really thought custodians, and how to craft scenes that allow audiences to connect with the emotional core of any story. And be warned: this episode gets very meta. We’re two storytelling geeks talking shop about the work we love. Connect with Mike on his website and Linkedin. Grab a copy of his book,Make A Scene: Storytelling, Stage Presence, and The Art of Being Unforgettable in Every Spotlight. *** IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 02 Dec 2024 | The 2 questions (and a quote) that helped me most in 2024 | 00:18:00 | |
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 episode I’m sharing the two questions (and a quote) that made all the difference for me in 2024. I hope these will help you, too. I’ve lovingly crafted these questions for you, so that you can avoid years of the being stressed out, frenetic, reactive and busy without knowing what the heck you’re doing. As for the quote? That’s from the master. RESOURCES: Subscribe to my newsletter at jayacunzo.com Join the Creator Kitchen membership Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT JAY: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After starting at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve helped organizations like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy, plus dozens of individual authors, founders, execs, consultants, and creators with their storytelling and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi via jayacunzo.com | |||
| 25 Sep 2024 | Working out a new TED Talk with Simone Stolzoff, Author & Journalist | 00:52:41 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 episode of a new bonus episode of How Stories Happen called "Is This Anything?" which we'll occasionally run in our off weeks. During this miniseries, you'll hear Jay and friends actively develop and work through new material for stories, speeches, and other projects. In this miniseries debut, Simone shares an 8-minute TED Talk draft as he prepares for the big day, and Jay offers some notes to strengthen the content, insert callbacks and other framing devices, and tighten the talk track. Simo responds in-kind with vulnerable sharing, piercing questions about what might make more sense, and brand new ideas brainstormed on the fly. It's all in the name of actively developing the speech from raw material into something special. Because that's how stories happen. RESOURCES: ⚫ Learn more about Simone Stolzoff and join his newsletter at simonestolzoff.com ⚫ Follow Simone on Instagram or LinkedIn ⚫ Buy Simone's book, The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work 🔵 Subscribe to Jay Acunzo's fortnightly newsletter at jayacunzo.com 🔵 Join Jay's membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads
*** ABOUT JAY: Consulting A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 27 May 2024 | “How do we all sign our work?” | Ann Handley, Author & Keynote Speaker | 00:48:09 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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.
⚫ Follow Ann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annhandley/ ⚫ Check out her website and subscribe to her newsletter here: https://annhandley.com/ ⚫ Read Ann’s book, Everybody Writes: https://annhandley.com/everybodywrites/ 🔵 Follow Jay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter 🔵 Learn about Jay’s coaching and consulting: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ 🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 21 Oct 2024 | Seth Godin Dissects a Signature Story | 00:46:05 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 world-renowned storyteller and thought leader, a legendary keynote speaker who helped disrupt the format, and the bestselling author of more than 20 books, including Purple Cow, The Practice, and This Is Marketing. His brand new book, This is Strategy, is available now. Together, Seth and I discuss his delightful story about recumbent bikes. This "super-story" has found its way into Seth’s work repeatedly for over a decade. We discuss the evolution of this story, how he conceptualizes status and affiliation, and why focusing on pedagogy as a storyteller is essential. Also in the episode: why the idea of your posture matters for storytellers, the role of the storyteller today (and why tiny stories make a big impact), and how can you make yourself, your work, and your stories truly stand out. RESOURCES: Learn more about Seth at his website and read his blog Buy a copy of Seth's new book, This Is Strategy Subscribe to Jay's newsletter at jayacunzo.com Join Jay's membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads Produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT JAY: Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and differentiation-and-thought leadership consultant on a mission to help you make what matters to your career, company, and community. He's an advisor to experts, execs, and entrepreneurs who want to resonate deeper with others, not just reach them. To do so, he helps you turn your expertise into IP and your IP into differentiated messaging, exceptional speeches, and celebrated creative projects, equipping you with the communication techniques and power of today’s top thought leaders—because he believes in standing out through substance and stories, not hollow hype. A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 18 Apr 2025 | Justin Moore: How he altered his storytelling to resonate with more people | 00:48:26 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 building a playlist of publicly available coaching calls to put the process on display of developing stronger speeches and stories. Justin Moore was the first to kick things off about a year ago, and I invited him back on a call to check in on his progress and workshop a signature story together. Justin is the founder of Creator Wizard, which offers sponsorship education and coaching to help creators earn consistent income. He’s is also one of the most trusted voices in the creator economy today. Recently, Justin published his first book, Sponsor Magnet, and he’s also starting to scale his business, as he’s trying to meet his existing buyer earlier in the buyer’s journey and also expand his market to speak to other types of creators and media company owners who’d benefit from his teachings. All of that is pointing him towards elevating the impact of his storytelling everywhere he goes, plus pursuing main stage keynotes at events like never before. Today, we get a raw and refreshing look at the process and rework some things in realtime once again.
CLARIFY YOUR MESSAGE + INCREASE YOUR IMPACT: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one to nail your message or your next speech: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: You don't need more content. You need a better premise. I help you find and own a Big Idea, then turn it into a differentiated message, stronger speeches, and powerful IP, so you can grow from yet-another expert into their favorite voice. Build your business on the impact of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing.
Connect with me: LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky ***
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 17 Jan 2025 | “Little nuggets take your story furthest” I Veronica Romney - Author, Entrepreneur, and Marketing Leader | 00:45:31 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 unlike any other. In fact, it’s 18 years in the making. It even made the news, and it reveals a major lesson about modern marketing. Throw in a Harley-Davison superfan riding his motorcycle to the afterlife, and you’ve got the makings of an unforgettable signature story. Veronica is the author of the book, Identity Marketing, and a frequent keynote speaker at marketing events. She’s also a veteran entrepreneur who sells high-ticket services, so public speaking and storytelling both play a major factor in building her business. High priced offerings require high amounts of trust, and showing up with greater communication power (without needing to shout) is a superpower for that type of business. Veronica and I also discuss the power of the shower thought and why our most candid, knee-jerk ideas are often the ones that resonate deepest with others. We chat about how to get buy-in too—not only from your audience, but from yourself in your strongest ideas. Connect with Veronica on her website and Linkedin Grab a copy of her book,Identity Marketing: How to Create Loyal, Lifelong Fans and a Legendary Brand Subscribe to Veronica’s newsletter, Vitamin V *** IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 22 Jul 2024 | “You have to work against people assuming they know how this goes” | Danielle Bayard Jackson, Author of Fighting for Our Friendships | 00:53:06 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 episode, author, PR agency founder, and friendship expert Danielle Bayard Jackson reveals the simple way she responds to that simple question: “How’d you get here?” Together, we break it apart into component pieces and re-build certain aspects, spotting ways to customize the story to the specific audiences Danielle speaks to as a speaker and service provider. You’ll walk away with a new framework for crafting your own gripping answer to the personal background question (“MBAS” – Mission, Background, Anecdote, Summary), and you’ll get a glimpse into the craft of two communicators reaching geeky levels of appreciation for what it takes to resonate with our words. Danielle is the author of the new book, Fighting for Our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships.
⚫ Follow Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellebayardjackson/ ⚫ Follow Danielle on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefriendshipexpert ⚫ Visit Danielle’s website: https://www.daniellebayardjackson.com/ 🔵 Subscribe to Jay’s newsletter: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🔵 Join the Creator Kitchen membership for storytellers: https://creatorkitchen.com/ 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/ 🔵 Follow Jay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacunzo/ 🟢 Created in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ 🟢 Cover art designed by Blake Ink: https://www.blakeink.com/ 🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 27 Dec 2024 | Whisper | 00:22:49 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT THIS EPISODE: A special bonus story and a crucial question to guide your 2025. This episode was handcrafted for you by Jason, with love. | |||
| 07 Mar 2025 | A trick from John Mulaney to create better content | 00:21:19 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 volume of your marketing.
IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Explore my services: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 19 Aug 2024 | What it takes to craft a signature story | Susan Boles, CFO, Business Strategist & Podcaster | 00:56:00 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
In this special episode, Jay is joined by a favorite client, Susan Boles, to work through a draft of a signature story, which emerged on the back of their months-long work together developing Susan’s premise of “calm is the new KPI.” They apply Jay’s Align-Agitate-Assert structure, and they find the two biggest opportunities to improve the story. Susan is the founder of Beyond Margins and host of the podcast of the same name. She teaches entrepreneur clients how to optimize their business for quality of life, not just profit margin, by making calm their focus and their literal KPI. In the episode, Jay and Susan dissect her emerging, signature story involving Rand Fishkin, founder and CEO of SparkToro and, previously, founder and CEO of Moz. When one piece of the story runs too long, Jay shares some pointers for how to shorten it without sacrificing the story’s power, and the duo figure out what insights can be extracted and delivered from the story to teach and inspire Susan’s audience.
⚫ Follow Susan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesusanboles ⚫ Listen to Beyond Margins: https://podcast.beyondmargins.com/ ⚫ Subscribe to Beyond Margins Newsletter: https://beyondmargins.ck.page/21380f9bae 🔵 Work with Jay to develop and differentiate your IP and stories: https://jayacunzo.com/ 🔵Join his Creator Kitchen membership: https://creatorkitchen.com/ 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/
🟢 Find and support our sponsors: https://jayacunzo.com/sponsors | |||
| 16 Dec 2024 | "The personal is more universal than we think it is" | Sarah Stockdale, CEO of Growclass | 00:42:40 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 being dedicated parents learning to be parents, informed citizens struggling with so many things in society, and being public voices with pressure to deliver ... all at the same time. This frames our conversation into the subtleties of storytelling. How do we show up when life is life-ing hard? How do we imbue the work with the right personal details to find the universal? And what happens when your public persona and your business results are intertwined? This is a special episode of the show for another reason too. 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, free and ungated, at https://jayacunzo.com/stars To cap off the series, each storyteller will appear on How Stories Happen for their very own episode, featuring the story we began developing behind the scenes together. This is Sarah's episode, and you'll hear the story we workshopped during Storytelling Stars. WATCH MY LIMITED SERIES, STORYTELLING STARS For all 6 videos (3 group coaching calls and 3 one-on-ones), plus a free template associated with each (no forms required), visit https://jayacunzo.com/stars RESOURCES: Follow with Sarah on Linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Learn more about Sarah's career and her speaking on her site Subscribe to my newsletter at jayacunzo.com Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This show is produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME, JAY ACUNZO: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After starting at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve helped organizations like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy, plus dozens of individual authors, founders, execs, consultants, and creators with their storytelling and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi via jayacunzo.com | |||
| 14 Oct 2024 | “Is this ANNything?” Ann Handley and Jay Acunzo Work Out New Drafts | 00:50:59 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 drafts, and hidden ideas to see if it is, in fact, anything. But because it’s Ann, we’re renaming it Is This ANNything. Get it? Do you get it? (If you didn’t like that, you’re really not gonna like this episode…) First, we discuss a story we co-wrote on Threads, sharing back and forth posts to build on each others’ previous ideas. Read that story here (you need to click into the first Thread for the threading to make sense. Oh, Threads…) Then, we share drafts of our newsletters, each at different stages, and workshop improvements. It’s a refreshing look at two prolific writers and speakers (and one bestselling author!) in the middle of their process. Read Jay’s final newsletter version here. (Ann has not written the draft publicly as of this episode’s publish date.) Listen to Ann’s first appearance on How Stories Happen as she dissects a published piece: “How do we all sign our work?” - Episode 3 with Ann Handley RESOURCES: ⚫ Follow Ann on LinkedIn and Instagram ⚫ Buy Ann’s book, Everybody Writes 🔵 Subscribe to Jay Acunzo's newsletter at jayacunzo.com 🔵 Join Jay's membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen 🔵 Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads
Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and differentiation-and-thought leadership consultant on a mission to help you make what matters to your career, company, and community. He's an advisor to experts, execs, and entrepreneurs who want to resonate deeper with others, not just reach them. To do so, he helps you turn your expertise into IP and your IP into differentiated messaging, exceptional speeches, and celebrated creative projects, equipping you with the communication techniques and power of today’s top thought leaders—because he believes in standing out through substance and stories, not hollow hype. A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 23 Dec 2024 | "Specific moments make it feel real" | Natalie Taylor, B2B marketing leader | 00:44:42 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 details, and describe one or two tiny moments, do others start to care. Because the goal isn't to say everything all at once. The goal is to find the touchstones of the story that bring it all to life, allowing your audience to fill in the rest in their heads. This ensures they're enrolled into the story, leaning forward, and paying close attention. This ensures they genuinely care. This is the final episode in a short three-pack of episodes, each of which features a different storyteller from my video series built alongside Intuit Mailchimp, taking you inside my coaching process with three marketing leaders. The series, called B2B Storytelling Stars, offers 6 videos plus associated storytelling templates you can use in your work, all available for free without any registration required at https://jayacunzo.com/stars To cap off that series, each storyteller gets their own episode of How Stories Happen to further improve 1 story I helped them start building. Closing out the series is Natalie Taylor, head of marketing at video software company, Capsule. Natalie tells a tasty story about pizza. She crafted it for her work to speak to heads of creatives at enterprise brands (the company's core customer base). Together, Natalie and I discuss how tiny details help audiences connect with a character and a story, and you’ll get a front row seat to her story’s transformation during this episode. I also share a technique for validating, improving, and marketing your story which I call "up the mountain, down the mountain." WATCH THE SERIES: STORYTELLING STARS For all 6 videos (3 group coaching calls and 3 one-on-ones), plus a free template associated with each (no forms required), visit https://jayacunzo.com/stars RESOURCES: Connect with Natalie on Linkedin and learn more about her company Capsule Subscribe to my newsletter at jayacunzo.com Join the Creator Kitchen membership Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT JAY: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After starting at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve helped organizations like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy, plus dozens of individual authors, founders, execs, consultants, and creators with their storytelling and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi via jayacunzo.com | |||
| 28 Feb 2025 | "Stories that inspire more stories: that's what I'm after" - Brad Montague, children's author and keynote speaker | 00:43:02 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 here's here to show us that celebrating failure is part of the process of doing meaningful things. Brad is a New York Times bestselling author of books for kids and former kids alike. He’s also a speaker and creator of the web series Kid President which took the world by storm years ago and was the first viral video I shared to all my friends instantly. His books, which he writes and illustrates with his wife Kristi, include The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination, The Circles All Around Us, Becoming Better Grownups, and his most recent, Failabration. In our episode, Brad shares a delightful story in verse about the "dumpster fire" we always talk about, and a little girl who is skeptical, hopeful, and brave. Brad and I discuss why his style of communicating matters, how humor cuts through defenses, the difference between speaking to an audience of children versus adults, and how we can let our audience know, instantly, “You’re in good hands.” Connect with Brad on his website, Instagram, and LinkedIn Grab a copy of Brad’s books Watch the video I mention at the top of the episode, Kid President’s Pep Talk *** IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 14 Feb 2025 | “Is this ANNything?” Ann Handley Returns to Work Out New Drafts | 00:55:06 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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. Today, Ann and I start by discussing the first time we were paid to speak, then we touch on my white whale of public speaking, the big no-nos when opening speeches, and how we have evolved our on-stage voices over the years. Then, we crack open Ann’s notebook to hear musings on her favorite pencils, Blackwings, before I reciprocate with a draft of my own: a story about a hilarious business bro who didn’t realize he was the joke. It’s a refreshing look at two prolific writers and speakers (and one bestselling author!) in the middle of their process. Learn more about Ann at her website and subscribe to her newsletter Follow Ann on LinkedIn and Instagram Buy Ann’s book, Everybody Writes *** 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 long. For a limited time, registrants get my bonus masterclass, Booking Better Stages, all about marketing, selling, and booking yourself as a speaker, whether you want to get paid to speak or drive business another way through your talks. Register now at jayacunzo.com/signaturetalk IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 25 Nov 2024 | "Your brain is a straight line machine" I Melanie Deziel, author and speaker | 00:41:43 | |
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 something, you’re often piloting THREE somethings, so we should rethink the ways we actually test, validate, and improve those somethings. That’s a lot of somethings, but hey, this episode has everything. Or at least a handful of really freaking good somethings. We're putting on display the hidden details, tiny choices, and emotional moments, as we seek to go beyond telling stories to instead BECOME storytellers. RESOURCES: Learn more about Melanie at her website Subscribe to Jay's newsletter at jayacunzo.com Join Jay and Mel’s membership program for business storytellers and service providers, the Creator Kitchen Follow Jay on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Threads Produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT JAY: Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and differentiation-and-thought leadership consultant on a mission to help you make what matters to your career, company, and community. He's an advisor to experts, execs, and entrepreneurs who want to resonate deeper with others, not just reach them. To do so, he helps you turn your expertise into IP and your IP into differentiated messaging, exceptional speeches, and celebrated creative projects, equipping you with the communication techniques and power of today’s top thought leaders—because he believes in standing out through substance and stories, not hollow hype. A leading voice in B2B content marketing for many years thanks to his roles at brands like Google and HubSpot, companies like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy have turned to Jay to strengthen their storytelling, while dozens of individual authors, speakers, consultants, and service providers hire Jay as their dedicated thought partner and exec. producer to help develop their premise, IP, speaking, and shows. Jay lives in the Boston area with his family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan. In the 60 seconds per week he's not creating stuff for work or making his kids laugh, he likes to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with his wife, and daydream about telling stories like that of his storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. | |||
| 14 Mar 2025 | The elements of stronger messages & how to say what they can’t unhear, with Tamsen Webster, message designer | 00:50:21 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 platform. Tamsen in not only a leader in the field of message design, she’s also the author of two revolutionary books: Find Your Red Thread and Say What They Can’t Unhear. She’s been named to the Thinkers50 Radar, spent over 10 years as an Idea Strategist for TEDx events, and continues to be a sought-after speaker and consultant helping her clients design messages that create large-scale change. Tamsen understands the mechanics and structure of how to motivate readers, audiences, and listeners toward action. In this episode, we get into the nitty gritty of her favorite tagline (and why), what Aristotle has to teach us about story, and why story is an argument (and how to win it). We also break down what it takes to create a powerful message by examining the beats of the argument you need to address, from the foundation to the framing to the finishing. Can you communicate to get buy-in? Connect with Tamsen on her website, instagram, and Linkedin Grab a copy of Tamsen’s books *** IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING + STORYTELLING: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** CONNECT: Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink *** ABOUT ME: I help business leaders become stronger speakers and storytellers. The goal isn’t to get in front of your audience. The goal is to ensure they care. While others agonize over reach, your ability to resonate helps you compete on the influence of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing. With my clients, I help clarify + differentiate their message, craft their thinking and expertise into a distinct premise and IP they own, and develop signature speeches, frameworks, and stories to influence, inspire, and drive results. After making a name for myself as an early advocate for quality and storytelling in content marketing at brands like Google and HubSpot, I’ve partnered with orgs like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy and consulted dozens of authors, entrepreneurs, execs, and creators on their storytelling, messaging, and public speaking. I live in the Boston area with my family as a proud Yankees and Knicks fan (yes, I’m in enemy territory). In the 60 seconds per week I’m not creating stuff for work or making my kids laugh, I like to shoot hoops, sip nice bourbons, cook with my wife, and daydream about telling stories like my storytelling hero, Anthony Bourdain. Say hi on LinkedIn or contact me here. *** SUPPORT THE SHOW: Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||
| 27 Mar 2025 | Neal Foard: How to tell small stories with big meaning to persuade and inspire | 00:42:58 | |
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/signaturetalk ABOUT 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 out: we talk about constructing stories, practicing and rehearsal, and how to shape a true story into something entertaining. Together, we hear his famous story of "the best bartender in Chicago" and talk about the little moments that make it work. Neal is a keynote and TEDx speaker, a former ad agency and brand executive, and a storytelling and personal brand coach. After 25 years in advertising and marketing, working with world-class brands, Neal teaches leaders how to tell more persuasive stories. The story we dissect: the Best Bartender in Chicago. The final story you hear in the episode: the Peace Treaty. Connect with Neal on his website, Instagram, YouTube, or Linkedin. *** CLARIFY YOUR MESSAGE + INCREASE YOUR IMPACT: Subscribe to my newsletter and learn more about me at jayacunzo.com Work with me one-on-one to nail your message or your next speech: jayacunzo.com/services Book me to speak: jayacunzo.com/keynotes *** ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: You don't need more content. You need a better premise. I help you find and own a Big Idea, then turn it into a differentiated message, stronger speeches, and powerful IP, so you can grow from yet-another expert into their favorite voice. Build your business on the impact of your ideas, not the volume of your marketing.
Connect with me:on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky *** SHOW CREDITS: This episode was produced by Ilana Nevins Cover art designed by Blake Ink Leave a review on Apple Podcasts | |||