The Power of Stories: Inspiring Hearts, Changing Minds

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In this episode of the StorySpire podcast, host Mary  explores the profound impact of storytelling. 

She delves into the importance of stories in our lives, highlighting childhood fables like 'The Tortoise and the Hare', cautionary urban legends, and historical poems such as Longfellow's 'The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere'. 

Mary emphasizes how stories teach, inspire, and drive change, sharing powerful examples including the Chicago Tribune's 1993 campaign featuring children's deaths. 

Tune in to learn how to craft unforgettable stories that resonate and inspire meaningful action.

00:00 Introduction to Storiespire Podcast

00:20 Join the Story Spire Newsletter

00:56 The Power of Stories

01:29 Historical and Cautionary Tales

03:52 Connecting Stories to Hearts

04:45 The Impact of Stories

07:51 Cautionary Tales and Their Lessons

09:13 Inspiring Stories of Triumph

09:45 Crafting Memorable Stories

10:22 Conclusion and Encouragement

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to the Storiespirepodcast.
I'm Mary R.
Snyder.
I am your host and storytellingstrategist.
I'm here with expert advice,actionable tips, and frameworks
to create the stories that willinspire hearts and minds because
stories change the world.
Let's get into it.

(00:20):
Hey, before we get started, Iwant to remind you of something.
Have you said yes to my email,my newsletter, the Story Spire
News?
It is a weekly newsletter with alink to one of the episodes, the
episode of the week, along witha storytelling tip, maybe
something fun, a resource Ifound, or an inspirational story

(00:45):
just to brighten up your emailbox.
And you can do that simply bygoing to storyspire.
com and clicking on Join Mary.
I'd love for you to join methere.
Stories.
Someone recently asked me, whystories?
And I thought, what better wayto start this new podcast than
talking about the power ofstories?

(01:08):
So let's get into it.
Stories.
We grow up with stories.
It's what makes things stick,it's what makes us care, and
it's what makes us remember.
We learn through stories.
We learn great things and welearn some cautionary tales and
we're going to talk about bothof those today.

(01:29):
Think about this.
Listen, my children, and youshall hear of the Midnight Ride
of Paul Revere.
On the 18th of April in 75,hardly a man now alive who
remembers this famous day andyear.
It's the Midnight Ride of PaulRevere, written by Longfellow,
and it's a very long poem, butyou likely read it, and you

(01:54):
learned that That Paul Reverewarned the people the British
were coming.
He warned them, he told themwhat to do, and he told them to
beware.
It's how the colonists foughtagainst the incoming British,
but we learned our historythrough a poem, through a story.

(02:17):
Written by Longfellow.
we learned stories about thetortoise and the hare.
When I say that, what do youimmediately think?
Slow and steady wins the race.
Don't be overly confident likethat darn rabbit was.
Because he thought, you knowwhat, I am super fast Mr.
Turtle, Mr.

(02:37):
Tortoise, and I'm just gonnatake a nap because you are so
slow.
And he did.
And the tortoise didn't.
The tortoise just plotted along,and he kept going, and he won
the race.
So what we learned in that storyis that just keep going.

(02:59):
Going, even when the other guylooks like he's super fast or
super confident and then therewere those scary tales, you
know, the ones you said around acampfire about the couple that
was parking, remember that, thecouple that was parking in a
secluded spot and they kepthearing a noise and then there

(03:22):
was a scratching and she gotreally scared and they drove off
really fast The guy was soupset, he was like, we'll just
go and they make it home and shegets out of the car and there is
a hook hanging on to the doorhandle.

(03:44):
This is back in the day when youhad handles, like you didn't
just pull them up, you had toactually put your hand in and
press the button.
Connect your story to theirheart, whether you are telling a
story of what you've overcomeand how you know this overcoming

(04:05):
is available to everyone, oryou're telling a story of the
work you're doing, maybe it'swork in South Africa or
whatever.
At a local soup kitchen andyou're telling a story of how a
small donation made a hugedifference, how 5 can feed

(04:26):
someone who's going hungrytoday.
Maybe you're telling a story ofsomething you've walked through.
Maybe it's a story of adifficult time and your heart is
to encourage the next person onthat journey.
Your story will stick with them.
There was a newspaper, theChicago Tribune, and I don't

(04:51):
live in Chicago.
I don't, I've been to Chicago ahandful of times, but this has
stuck with me so much, and it isover 30 years ago this happened.
In 1992, over 57 children underthe age of 15 were murdered in
Chicago.

(05:12):
They were caught in thecrossfire of some violence, they
were killed in a gang, or theywere murdered by the very people
who were supposed to love them.
And some journalist at theChicago Tribune said, This isn't
okay.
And the whole newspaper said,this is not okay.

(05:34):
We take a stand against killingour children.
And for 360 days in 1993, Theysaid, we will feature a child on
the front page and we will tellthat child's story.

(05:55):
And they did that 360 times.
Now not everyone left it.
They didn't want to read aboutmurdered children.
It's not what you want to readin your newspaper every single
day of the entire year.
Did it affect their numbers?
I don't know.

(06:15):
I don't have those statistics.
But what I did.
Is it told stories, and thosestories stuck, and those stories
brought those children to life,and those stories reminded
people that children are dyingin our city, and we're not okay

(06:36):
with it.
360 days, and then in 1994, theystarted the saving our children
investigation, and theyinvestigated and talked about
the people who were making adifference.

(06:57):
And those stories stuck.
I don't know the whole outcomeof what happened with the
killing our children and thesaving our children.
I just know that a young mama ina little town in Alabama heard
about that 31 years ago.
And it stuck in my heart thatthey cared enough that they

(07:21):
would make their children themain story every day.
That's the power of stories.
Your story and how you tell it,that could stick with someone
for 31 years, or maybe like thestory written by Longfellow,
hundreds of years.

(07:43):
Stories matter.
They change our trajectory ofwhat we do.
Scary stories remind us to besafe.
Remember the one about theperson that woke up without a
kidney?
You haven't heard that one?
The story goes, and everyoneknows someone who knows someone
who knows someone that thishappened to.

(08:04):
This person was out.
They met someone at a localadult beverage establishment and
maybe it had a little bit toomuch to drink and decided to go
back to a hotel with thisperson.
Cautionary tale.
They wake up.
They are in a bathtub filledwith ice and there's a note.

(08:27):
And a phone because this storypredates cell phones.
There's a phone beside them anda note and it says call 911.
Do not get out of the tub.
The person calls 911, peopleshow up, EMTs, first responders,
and they realize there has beena surgical procedure done on

(08:48):
this person and they have takenthe person's kidney.
Now, I searched far and wide tofind out if this had any truth
to it and couldn't find any.
But the cautionary tale is thatit is never wise to go home with
someone you've never met to ahotel room.

(09:09):
Don't do that.
Cautionary tales.
Tales that encourage and inspirestories that make us want to go
farther, dream bigger, believemore.
The Olympic stories, they werebeautiful.
The stories of Simone Bilesovercoming all that she overcame

(09:31):
in the 2020 Olympics to comeback in 24 and win, win, and
win.
Story after story.
They move the hearts of people.
How do you tell the story?
that makes people want to leanin and listen.

(09:52):
That's the whole point of thispodcast.
It is helping you tell thestories that make people want to
care.
Stories that they will remember31 years from now.
Stories that move their heart toaction.
Stories that make them believethey can run faster, jump
higher, achieve more, and bemore than they ever dreamed or

(10:16):
imagined.
That's the power of stories.
Our world is full of stories.
The Bible is full of stories.
We tell our children's storiesat night.
Once upon a time, there was.
You fill in the blank.

(10:36):
So my question to you is what isyour story and how are you
telling it?
Are you encouraging people withit?
Are you inspiring people withit?
Are you pushing people beyond tobelieve that they can do more

(10:56):
than they ever thought orimagined?
Until next week, keep tellingthose stories, keep believing,
and I look forward to seeing youback here next week.
Have a good one.
Bye for now.