S08 E25: The Sacredness of Story

This week, Michael McRay and Harris III gather for a raw, timely conversation about what it means to treat story as sacred in a world that has reduced it to formulas and frameworks. Reflecting on last week's interview with Kaitlin Curtice and her new book Everything is a Story, they explore why their conference is simply called "STORY" - a deliberate choice to reclaim storytelling from the creative class and awaken everyone to their inherent creativity and narrative power. The conversation confronts the cultural moment we're living in: a world where rage has replaced nuance, where social media algorithms feed us dopamine hits of outrage, and where we've lost the ability to sit at tables with people who think differently. In this episode, they also discuss:

• Why we must resist the urge to "master" storytelling and instead, approach it with the humility and care we would give any sacred thing
• How single stories strip away nuance and dehumanize, while wise stories hold paradox and complexity
• Why leaders must audit their vocabulary and choose words carefully to avoid weaponizing language
• Why choosing narrative agency over apathy is how we stop the descent of disagreement to demonization

Coming Up: 

• Michael's new book The Wild Way: Navigating the Space Between the Old Story and the New is available October 21st - order now for over $500 in pre-order bonuses!

Resources Mentioned:

• Kaitlin Curtice's new book Everything is a Story
• The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie