The Storytelling Lab

"A living story is immersive, embodied, agentic, responsive, and social. It's stories that we get to be in and experience and live — as opposed to dead stories." —Charlie MelcherCharlie Melcher has been on the cutting edge of storytelling for decades—from designing books with J.J. Abrams and Al Gore to building an app that Steve Jobs fell in love with to producing a 6,000-person immersive storytelling summit. In this conversation, he breaks down what he calls living stories: experiences that are immersive, embodied, agentic, responsive, and social, and why he believes they are the antidote to the loneliness and disconnection fueled by passive media.We cover the neuroscience of multi-sensory learning, the dyslexia origin story that put Charlie on this path, and the moment he walked into his team and said "we're no longer in the book business." We also get into where AI fits into all of this and why Charlie sees it as the great unlock for immersive storytelling at scale.This one will make you see every story you've ever consumed differently.In this episode, you will learn to:Understand what a living story is and how immersion, agency, and embodiment change the way audiences feel and rememberRecognize why limiting storytelling to two senses is leaving most of your audience's emotional capacity untappedUse multi-sensory and physical elements to deepen learning, memory, and emotional connection in any story formatSee how AI will enable personalized, responsive story worlds at scale and why that demands a moral compass from storytellersReframe your own origin story the way Charlie did: not as a limitation but as the thread that explains everythingFollow Charlie Melcher:Website → https://www.futureofstorytelling.orgPodcast → The Future of Storytelling with Charlie MelcherBook → The Future of Storytelling by Charlie Melcher https://amzn.to/4w6gFVQCompany → Melcher Media → https://www.melchermedia.comExperience → Future of Storytelling Explorers Club → https://www.futureofstorytelling.orgBook Referenced → The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul https://amzn.to/42UcU8ABook Referenced → Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam https://amzn.to/4whTtUJBook Referenced → S. (Ship of Theseus) by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst https://amzn.to/4f7PvI0App Referenced → Our Choice (iOS app, Apple Design Award 2011)Conference Referenced → State of the Story by Storytelling360Experience Referenced → Meow Wolf: House of Eternal Return (Santa Fe, NM)Experience Referenced → Sleep No More by Punch Drunk TheaterExperience Referenced → The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere (Las Vegas)For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit:Website → https://rainbennett.comPodcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.comOr follow along at:TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficerTwitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennettInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennettFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglabYouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They argue that a product is the lived experience where your story is proven or exposed. Nike and Highland Pro are used to show building with customers, not for them. The Hub and Spoke model keeps every feature tied to a core narrative. The conversation warns against feature bloat, trend chasing, and misreading data and assigns customer interviews to surface real stories.

Bill Blankschaen, author and founder of Story Builders who helps leaders shape their stories, explores why your unique story is a multiplier. He breaks down the Story Multiplier Formula and the five traps that stop people from sharing. He highlights building a story ecosystem, editing for your audience, and why character quotient (CQ) outlasts IQ and EQ.

"I wasn't processing and dealing with my own stuff. Somehow I made my way back to storytelling. And that was really, if I could point to two things—my wife and story—those pulled me out." — Ret. Lt. Col. Scott MannScott Mann spent nearly two decades as a Green Beret, but the most powerful weapon he ever wielded was his story.In this episode, Scott breaks down rooftop leadership, the concept he coined in Afghanistan after watching storytelling and human connection turn frightened villagers into fighters. What he learned on those rooftops became the foundation for everything he now teaches about leadership, trust, and the courage to be relatable.After leaving the military, Scott hit rock bottom, standing in his closet holding a pistol, lost and without purpose. Storytelling pulled him out.Now he's an author, playwright, and the founder of a nonprofit helping veterans and first responders find their voice. His book The Generosity of Scars and his one-man shows Last Out and 11 Days are taking that message across the country and onto stages where veterans and civilians sit side by side and finally make sense of things together.If you've ever wondered whether your story is worth telling, Scott Mann's answer is clear: it was never about you in the first place.In this episode, you will learn to:Use storytelling as a trust-building tool in any high-stakes, low-trust environmentDistinguish between vulnerability for its own sake and relatability as an intentional, powerful communication strategyUnderstand what "autobiographical listening" means and why it explains how stories move people to actionOwn your story rather than let it own you by working through it in the service of othersRecognize that your scars are not your wounds—they are your most generous gift to the people who need to hear themFollow Scott Mann: Website → https://www.scottmann.comInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/greenberetscottmannBooks → The Generosity of Scars (out May 12th) and Operation Pineapple Express by Scott MannPlays → Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret and 11 Days: The Story of Operation Pineapple ExpressNonprofit → Task Force PineappleProgram → Take the Mic (storytelling coaching)People Referenced: Steven Pressfield, Bo Eason, Dr. Diego Hernandez, Gary Sinise, Daniel Coyle, Daniel PinkFor more storytelling tips and strategies, visit:Website → https://rainbennett.comPodcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.comOr follow along at:TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficerTwitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennettInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennettFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglabYouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"When you live in alignment with your values, you cause yourself as little suffering as possible in the long term. And that one just always sticks with me because it's really challenging in the short term. But if you have faith in your values and who you are and how you want to show up in the world, then ultimately you're creating a path that's going to serve you for the long term." — Jon BregelWhat happens when the thing you love most… starts breaking you?In this episode, Rain sits down with cinematographer, founder of Variable, and career/life coach for filmmakers, Jon Bregel, to unpack a reality most creatives don’t talk about enough: burnout.After years of success in the film industry, Jon hit a breaking point that forced him to reevaluate everything—his career, his identity, and the story he was telling himself. That journey led him to create The Nourish Community, a space designed specifically to support the mental and emotional health of filmmakers.This conversation goes beyond tactics. It’s about identity, purpose, and how to build a creative life that actually sustains you, instead of slowly draining you.If you’re a filmmaker, creator, or entrepreneur feeling the pressure… this one hits close to home.In this episode, you will learn to:Recognize the early warning signs of creative burnout before it becomes a crisisUse core values as a practical decision-making compassUnderstand the difference between a life coach and a therapist and why creatives may need both for different reasonsReframe career plateaus, pivots, and rest as seasons of inner growth rather than signs of failureBuild or seek out real community as a creative and understand why that distinction changes everythingFollow Jon Bregel:Website → https://www.nourishcommunity.coInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/jonbregelProduction Company → Variable (New York City)Film Referenced: The Baltimorons — directed by J. Duplass, starring Michael Strassner (cinematography by Jon Bregel)And, for more storytelling tips and strategies, visit:Website → https://rainbennett.comPodcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.comOr follow along at:TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficerTwitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennettInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennettFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglabYouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"If you think the world could be better and you want to change it, you're going to have to come up with a better story and know how to tell it better." —Joseph RommWhat happens when a physicist with a PhD realizes that data, charts, and credentials can't change a single mind, but a story can? Joseph Romm spent years working in climate science and clean energy before arriving at an uncomfortable truth: facts don't persuade people. Emotions do. In this episode, Joseph breaks down the ancient storytelling tools—the figures of speech used by Homer, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and yes, Taylor Swift—that make stories stick, spread, and move people to action.But this episode is about more than communication theory. Joseph and his daughter co-host the podcast Decoding Taylor Swift, where they analyze the storytelling craft embedded in her music. What started as a way to bond with his daughter over song lyrics became a masterclass in how great writers use foreshadow, irony, the hero's journey, and circular narrative structure to create stories that lodge in the brain and don't let go. As a father of a daughter himself, Rain finds this project deeply personal, and the conversation that follows is one of the most layered and surprising in the show's history.Whether you're trying to communicate complex ideas, reach an audience that doesn't share your worldview, or simply connect more deeply with the people you love, this episode gives you the framework to do it. In this episode, you will learn to:• Understand why storytelling is more effective than raw information in shaping beliefs • Recognize how narrative framing influences what people accept as true • Replace ineffective fact-based arguments with story-driven communication • Identify why misinformation spreads faster than truth • Apply narrative thinking to make your ideas more memorable and persuasiveFollow Joseph Romm: Podcast → Decoding Taylor Swift (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoding-taylor-swift/id1708550100)Book → How to Go Viral and Reach Millions by Joseph Romm (https://www.amazon.com/How-Viral-Reach-Millions-Shakespeare/dp/1944733779)Books & Talks Referenced: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Roger Federer's Dartmouth Commencement Speech Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph CampbellAnd, for more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.comOr follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Marketing might be how you get the first date. But to get the second and third date and hopefully form into a relationship, you have to have a brand." — Rain BennettBrand isn't your logo, your color palette, your fonts, or your tagline.Brand is the story others tell about you. And in this solo episode, Rain breaks down exactly how to influence that story before it gets told without you. As part of the ongoing Narrative Operating System framework from his upcoming book The Chief Storytelling Officer, this episode is your practical guide to building a brand that goes deeper than decoration.Rain walks you through two foundational tools: the Brand Pyramid and the Brand Bible. Using real-world examples from Patagonia, Liquid Death, Apple, Yeti, and even his own mother's real estate business in Eastern North Carolina, he unpacks how the most powerful brands in the world built identity, loyalty, and community.Whether you're building something from scratch or realizing your current brand has drifted off course, this episode gives you the framework to get it back on track. From finding your one-word North Star to running a voice test on your content, Rain arms you with tools you can use this week, and a mindset that will serve your brand for the long run.In this episode, you will learn to:Distinguish between the three types of story every brand carries — the story you tell yourself, the story you tell others, and the story others tell about youBuild your Brand Pyramid from the ground up, starting with a single guiding word that informs every decision you makeCreate a Brand Bible that keeps your voice, visual identity, and messaging consistent across your entire team and every platformUse real brand case studies (Patagonia, Liquid Death, Yeti, Apple) to reverse-engineer what makes brand identity actually stickEvolve your brand intentionally over time through a cycle of inspiration and reflection — without losing who you areEpisodes Referenced:EP 216 — Vision: The Big Future StoryEP 220 — Mission: How You're Going to Get ThereEP 150 — Brand Essence & the Brand Pyramid (Deep Dive)EP 219 — Shane Lucas on Design as StorytellingBook Mentioned: The Chief Storytelling Officer by Rain Bennett → Pre-order now! Release date: August 25thBook Recommendation: If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? by Alan AldaFor more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.comOr follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“When you start to look at things through the lens of story, it helps you appreciate and process what’s going on.” — Corey RosenWhat makes someone lean in when you tell a story instead of tune out? In this episode, Rain sits down with Emmy-nominated TV writer, Moth champion, and brand storytelling expert Corey Rosen to break down the real tactics behind stories that actually land. This is not a fluffy conversation about “storytelling matters.” It’s a practical deep dive into curiosity gaps, emotional stakes, visual detail, and the inner life that gives a story dimension.Corey shares how his background in comedy, television, and live storytelling shaped the way he now teaches stories for every occasion—from keynotes and investor pitches to eulogies, wedding toasts, and brand messaging. They also get into improv, theme parks, AI, and why the future belongs to people who can create connection, not just content.In this episode, you will learn to:Build curiosity early so people care about where your story is goingUnderstand the three elements that make stories feel vivid, human, and memorableUse storytelling to build trust before you try to persuade, pitch, or influenceReframe everyday experiences as story material by noticing what changed and why it matteredSee how storytelling skills transfer across live performance, brand communication, and businessFollow Corey Rosen on:Website → https://www.coreyrosen.comInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/storycoachcoreyLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyrosenstorycoachFor more storytelling tips and tricks:Visit → https://rainbennett.com and https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.comOr follow along at...TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficerTwitter → https://twitter.com/rainbennettInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennettFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglabYouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristen Sweeney, founder of Every Little Word and specialist in B2B, life sciences, and higher education communications, breaks down the invisible work behind strong content. She discusses messaging frameworks, content operations, extracting real insight from experts, differentiating in regulated industries, and making perspective-driven work instead of generic information.

Spade Robinson, screenwriter and story consultant who’s worked with Sundance and development teams, helps writers find emotional truth. She discusses how structure can free creativity. She explores unforgiveness showing up in characters and why outlines end writer’s block. She looks at writers becoming creator-studios and how short-form and brand work shape the future of film.