Unthinkable has ended. Please follow my new show, How Stories Happen, in its own feed.

Unthinkable is no longer running new episodes. Listen to the new show, How Stories Happen, wherever you get your podcasts.... more

Hear the trailer for my new show, How Stories Happen, where creators and communicators dissect their stories and drafts, piece... more

The planning fallacy plagues most people, regardless of profession. We under-estimate how long something will take in the near-term, i.e.... more

How do stories really happen?

What's the difference between creating content that others find and consume, and creating things that others adore?

A question to increase the power of your ideas which we're just not asking often enough.

An idea to embrace when you want or need to create, but you sense your work isn't quite where you... more

A holiday tradition on the show. I rewrote a class poem just for our purposes as content creators, storytellers, and... more

Inspiration is everywhere -- if you're paying attention.

Great stories aren't found and reported. They're built and practiced. Effective storytellers know how to imbue any moment with meaning.

Respect creatives. Respect writers. Respect artists. Pay creatives. Pay writers. Pay artists.

In our fourth episode of this mini-series, a prolific creator shares three different possible intros for a powerful new story... more

In our third episode of the mini-series "Signature Stories," we're looking at how a small story can create massive meaning.... more

In our second episode of the mini-series "Signature Stories," we're looking at the making of a tiny but powerful story... more

In a brand new mini-series, we're diving into signature stories from our favorite storytellers. Like Song Exploder but for stories,... more

In this one-shot, we explore taste - what it is, how we define it, and how we can continue to... more

It's our fourth episode hearing from creative people about their internal barriers. Specifically, we'll hear stories and ideas about the... more

The case for focusing on formats, specifics, and following your own interests.

In this one-shot, we explore how to to define quality through creating useful friction, asking 3 important questions, and adding... more

What does it look like to bet your business on resonance, not reach?

In this one-shot, we explore the problems with how "story" is taught, and why rather than focusing on understanding story,... more

In this miniseries called MINI-Series, we’re investigating the little pockets of work that resonate deeply. First up, copywriting and how... more

From a popular video featuring artists Pharrell Williams and Maggie Rogers, an overlooked lesson for doing more meaningful creative work.

We're sharing a favorite from the archives, a classic featuring a New York artist's odd but revealing experiment and the... more

Derek DelGaudio and his one-man show, In and Of Itself, offers a masterclass in how to customize any story we... more

Hrishikesh Hirway, musician and creator/host of Song Exploder, dissects clips from his show. Plus, we explore the overlap of grand... more

How did we arrive at a place where so many creators view AI tools like ChatGPT as a killer robot... more

We celebrate 200 episodes by facing a scary question about the show, then exploring the riddle underpinning every creator's work.

Inside a project, which represents a movement, which represents some hope for reconciling creativity, community, and capitalism.

There's a difference between good storytellers and effective storytellers. Understanding that difference can make all the difference in the world... more

Want to exceed the expectations of your audience? Get ready for a paradox. Maybe the best way forward is, in... more

Nothing is boring. Everywhere around us are small stories with big meaning, if only we'd stop to notice before using... more

Revisiting the eye-opening, ever-changing story of the Savannah Bananas, a small baseball team making a big ruckus.

In a new short-form monologue episode, we explore the world's most powerful storytelling technique.

What if neither working harder or working smarter is the solution? If you're wondering what's even left to try, that's... more

2 Pages with MBS is a refreshing twist on the typical interview show about success in work in life. Recently,... more

In a new short-form, monologue One-Shot, a list of questions to ask when looking to learn from, hire, or collaborate... more

The finale of our MINI-Series, exploring the tiny pockets of creative work that create big emotional responses, with sound designer... more

Part 3 of our MINI-Series, with comedy writer Matt Buechele (The Tonight Show, Netflix).

In our second MINI-Series story, we continue investigating the little pockets of work that resonate deeply. This episode, webcomics and... more

In this new miniseries called MINI-Series, we’re investigating the little pockets of work that resonate deeply. First up, copywriting and... more

This episode we’re exploring our “maker monsters” --  internal barriers which we must wrestle with, befriend, or defeat in order... more

Announcing a new initiative to help you elevate your creativity and see better results from your work.

In a new short-form, monologue One-Shot: In the Margins, Jay reflects on the lessons from one of his favorite childhood... more

One company's mission to increase the signal of the internet, starting by serving writers. In an era defined by egos... more

A story about breaking old habits as you grow, while breaking from conventional wisdom that stifles creativity and leads to... more

The Concept is a new Unthinkable miniseries. Each episode, we explore a single named concept, dug up from science, history,... more

Some people (not you) make excuses for why they can't be more creative with their work. When you hear those... more

The story of when intuition clashes with convention, and how one entrepreneur solved a rather smelly problem in a refreshingly... more