Stories are what make the world go ‘round. From selling a product, service, or podcast like this one, to dating, raising kids, and building friendships, the stories you tell yourself and others are going to either unlock doors and open opportunities…or close the doors before you even had to chance to see them there.

Donald Miller is an expert storyteller and an expert and helping other people articulate and share theirs. Today, we talk about why humans are so interested in storytelling, what foundational elements make a good story, the importance of a “story loop,” to get other to buy-in to what you’re sharing by making them part of the story. Whether you’re a marketing professional or just want to help your son deal with his first bully at school, this podcast is for you.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 - Introduction 00:22 - Hobbies and Interests 00:53 - Fly Fishing Buddies 01:15 - Nashville and Culture 02:26 - Why Move to Nashville? 03:06 - Are People Really that Kind? 03:23 - Population Growth in Nashville 04:27 - Concerns about Assimilation 05:51 - Portland Used to be a Great City 07:44 - Austin is a Great City, too 08:40 - The Power of Stories 09:34 - Why are Stories so Powerful? 10:30 - Stories as an Attention Device 11:06 - Stories in the Bible 12:12 - Truth and Stories 12:17 - Stories Equip Us for Threats 13:03 - Stories Shape Identity 14:19 - What Sort of Stories Work? 14:28 - Braveheart and the Writer 15:39 - Cultures Shaped by Stories 16:52 - Personal Stories in Church 18:10 - Opening Story Loops 18:51 - Rom-Com Story Loops 20:11 - How to Open Story Loops 20:38 - Leadership and Story 23:05 - Casting a Vision 24:55 - Catastrophic Failure 25:23 - What is Your Family Against? 26:17 - A Structure for Family Life 27:21 - What is Your Family For? 28:11 - The Vibe of Your Family 28:50 - Sound Bites and Repetition 30:02 - Shaping Identity 31:18 - Context is Key 32:15 - Truth with a Capital "T" 33:09 - Hitler and Churchill 33:59 - Hitler's Narrative 35:18 - Territorial Sovereignty 36:19 - Xi Jinping's Narrative 37:54 - Moral Responsibility 38:50 - Don's Core Belief 40:17 - Israel and Palestine 41:20 - Missing Christ in the Israeli-Palestinian Narrative 41:54 - What Makes a Compelling Story? 42:18 - Compelling Story Elements 44:23 - External and Internal Journeys 45:04 - External, Internal, and Philosophical Conflict 48:04 - The Hero is Transformed 49:23 - Affirmation from Mentors 51:15 - The Market in Men 51:55 - John Eldridge 52:32 - Answering the Internal Struggle 52:59 - Separation from God 54:57 - God's Love is Immovable 55:41 - Human Love Needs Human Meriting 56:46 - Nancy Duarte 56:51 - Story of Bullying 58:50 - Bullies and Evil 59:17 - StoryBrandAI 01:00:59 - Telling Stories About Core Values 01:02:02 - The Power of AI in Storytelling 01:02:53 - Jocko Willink and Tough Narratives 01:03:24 - Conclusion and Where to Connect

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