Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

Latest Episodes:

Signature Stories: Simone Stolzoff Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Signature Stories is a miniseries where world-class business storytellers take us inside one important story and dissect it with us. It's like Song Exploder meets storytelling for our work! In our fifth episode of the series, a globetrotting, bestselling, keynote-giving, smart-opinion-having, big-idea-distributing author takes us inside what was ultimately a tiny moment in his life that sparked all that "big" stuff.

Simone Stolzoff is the author of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work. He's written for the Atlantic and Wired, worked as a design lead for the innovation firm IDEO, and even got his creative start in school delivering spoken word poetry from the stage.

Together, we dissect a signature story that's become "mythology" to him from his own life, and we talk about what makes it work -- and why he approaches it with such restraint. Then, we learn why and how effective storytellers imbue stories with meaning to ensure they matter to others.

BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER:

Subscribe to Jay's free newsletter, Playing Favorites, and learn what it takes to stand out easier and resonate deeper by communicating with greater power, everywhere you show up. Join free at jayacunzo.com.
Join the Creator Kitchen, a mastermind of smart experts learning to become more influential voices -- NOT by relying on any cheap tricks, but by mastering their craft and creating higher-impact content. Community, masterclasses, 1:1 and 1:few coaching from Jay, and more. Learn about membership and see what's inside the Kitchen at creatorkitchen.com.

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IN THIS EPISODE:

Simone Stolzoff: website and books - LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads - Instagram

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo
Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

Fighting Endless AI Junk Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

We interrupt the current series to bring you this message.

Find and share this rant in essay form.

Subscribe to Jay's free newsletter to become a stronger storyteller. (Sent every other Friday, these essays help you get off the content hamster wheel, escape social feeds, and get the perspective and frameworks you need to write and speak with greater impact, everywhere you show up).

Recommended resources to help you do the work AI can't:

The Idea Impact Matrix: how to craft more valuable, original work
How to create original work consistently (a visualization of Jay's process)
The paradox of storytelling (how to ensure your work resonates emotionally with others)
From telling stories to BEING storytellers (the first episode of our Signature Stories series)
How to differentiate your ideas (the XY Premise Pitch)
Super-Stories (how to shape the same story to teach anything and everything you need to say)

JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN -- A MASTERMIND OF BUSINESS STORYTELLERS:

Where smart experts become influential voices. Join fellow entrepreneurs, marketers, and creators learning to craft more valuable, more original content, with a community of creative, kind humans, daily access to the Kitchen’s founders, masterclasses and elite guest interviews, group calls and 1:1 support, and shared focus sprints fitting busy schedules.

Learn more about membership at creatorkitchen.com

Signature Stories: Amanda Natividad Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we're joined by Amanda Natividad, the VP of marketing at SparkToro, who shares a story about the time she met her marketing hero: her now-boss, Rand Fishkin. Amanda is a former tech journalist and also a former test kitchen cook for the LA Times. She writes the newsletter The Menu which includes marketing advice and delicious recipes (for actual food, not marketing). And she takes us inside three different drafts for potential intros of this signature story, where we learn about the paradox in our storytelling: to connect deeper externally, we need to go deeper internally.

But does our work and culture encourage that? Amanda and Jay wrestle with that.

Throughout this series, we'll learn from how inspiring creators and experts craft their most valuable, most original stories that build connection and resonate deeply. We're putting on display the hidden details, tiny choices, and emotional moments, as we seek to go beyond telling stories to instead BECOME storytellers.

BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER:

Subscribe to Jay's free newsletter or work with Jay to consult your team or coach you personally: jayacunzo.com

Hire Jay to develop a differentiated podcast.

JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND:

Learn more about membership at creatorkitchen.com

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IN THIS EPISODE:

Amanda Natividad, VP marketing at SparkToro and writer of The Menu newsletter. Find her on LinkedIn.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo
Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

Signature Stories: Jenny Blake Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

Up next in Signature Stories, we're joined by Jenny Blake, author, speaker and podcaster. She's written three books and hosts the wildly popular podcasts "Free Time" and "Pivot." Jenny sits down with Jay to share a story about a walk with her dog. Jay and Jenny unpack how we can pull out moments of meaning from a small interaction, and how to reshape a story for an audio-only medium versus video.

BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER:

Subscribe to my free newsletter. Every other week, get a new story/framework to help you stand out easier and resonate deeper with your work:

jayacunzo.com/newsletter

CRAFT A PODCAST YOU’RE PROUD TO CALL YOURS:

Work with me one-on-one to develop or improve a show that stands out easier and resonates deeper. Using your creativity, NOT your budget, you’ll walk away with an irresistible premise and format – and the on-mic skills to tell stories and conduct interviews that grip and inspire them.

Book an hour now or learn more about my coaching and collaboration.

JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND:

Connect with Jay and peers who care deeply about the craft: The Creator Kitchen is a mastermind of content creators learning to ship higher-impact work. We help you see the possibilities, decide the best approach, and execute with clarity + confidence on your most important projects.

Learn more about membership – plus get some free samples – at creatorkitchen.com

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IN THIS EPISODE:

Jenny Blake: author, podcast host of Free Time and Pivot with Jenny Blake, and international keynote speaker.

"Reclining Liberty" Artist: http://www.zaqart.com

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

- Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo

- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

Signature Stories: Michael Bungay Stanier Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

Up next in Signature Stories, we're joined by Michael Bungay Stanier, speaker, coach and author of the wildly popular book "The Coaching Habit" and the brand new book, "How to Work with (Almost) Anyone." Michael sits down with Jay to share a story about a very bad job. Jay and MBS dive into how to use open loops, comedy in storytelling, and crafting tiny stories to create a sense of safety for your audience -- plus, they add some seasoning to the main ingredients of Michael's story to make it tastier.

BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER:

Subscribe to my free newsletter. Every other week, get a new story/framework to help you stand out easier and resonate deeper with your work:

jayacunzo.com/newsletter

CRAFT A PODCAST YOU’RE PROUD TO CALL YOURS:

Book an hour now or learn more about my coaching and collaboration.

JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND:

Learn more about membership – plus get some free samples – at creatorkitchen.com

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IN THIS EPISODE:

Michael Bungay Stanier: author of "The Coaching Habit", podcast host and keynote speaker

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

- Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo

- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

Signature Stories: Melanie Deziel Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

Up first in this mini-series, Creator Kitchen co-founder and author Melanie Deziel sits down with Jay to share a story about her time as the first-ever editor of branded content at the New York Times. Jay and Mel dive into the messy reality of crafting resonant narratives -- and using them to serve an audience and build your business.

BECOME A STRONGER STORYTELLER:

Subscribe to my free newsletter. Every other week, get a new story/framework to help you stand out easier and resonate deeper with your work:

jayacunzo.com/newsletter

CRAFT A PODCAST YOU’RE PROUD TO CALL YOURS:

Book an hour now or learn more about my coaching and collaboration.

JOIN THE CREATOR KITCHEN MASTERMIND:

Learn more about membership – plus get some free samples – at creatorkitchen.com

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IN THIS EPISODE:

Melanie Deziel: speaker, author, co-creator of the Creator Kitchen with Jay

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

- Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo

- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

Tasty | One-Shot #25 Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

What is taste? And once we understand it, how do we use our own taste? In this one-shot, Jay dives into they days before dating apps to find something unexpected - Bryan Cranston showing us just want the power of having taste can do.

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KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS:

1. Learn more about Jay's 1:1 coaching and collaboration: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators

2. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter

3. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential.

Go inside the making of Unthinkable and all Jay's projects, immerse yourself in the work of inspiring creators, get personalized feedback from Jay, and join live sessions to do better work, more consistently and confidently.

creatorkitchen.com

(Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.)

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

- Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo

- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

Writer’s Block (Maker Monsters 4) Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

Writing matters... a lot. You don't need us to tell you that. But what happens when you feel like you can't write? Yes, on this episode we're talking about writers' block - what it feels like, how it shows up, and how we can tackle it once and for all.

SHARE THE SHOW:

Help others find Unthinkable in their favorite podcast player by sharing this link: https://pod.link/jay

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

https://jayacunzo.com/newsletter

Every Friday, I send a new idea, story, or framework for crafting more resonant work to thousands of subscribers, ranging from entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent creators, to marketers and leaders at brands like Adobe, Red Bull, Shopify, Salesforce, the BBC, Wistia, HubSpot, Drift, ProfitWell, a16z, and the New York Times.

DEVELOP MORE INSPIRING IDEAS & STORIES:

Jay's free newsletter, with a new idea for communicating in ways that connect shared every other Friday: jayacunzo.com/newsletter
The Creator Kitchen: Jay's membership for quality-obsessed creators, built in partnership with Melanie Deziel (author, speaker, NY Times, TIME, HuffPost). Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.
Jay's 1:1 coaching: book an hour or a month of swapping voice memos -- or book Jay as your dedicated collaborator, coach, exec. producer, and creative partner to develop your ideas and tell more effective stories.

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VOICES IN THIS EPISODE:

Mia Quagliarello: Head of Creator Community at Flipboard, writes Mia's Queue newsletter
Mark Schaefer: keynote speaker, founder and co-host of Marketing Companion, bestselling author (of 12 books!)
Beth Dunn: coach, public speaker, author, Principal Content Designer at Thrive Global

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PAST MAKER MONSTER EPISODES:

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

- Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo

- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

Fun with Formats Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Unthinkable, why formats matter so much. If you want listeners to stay engaged, for readers to finish an article, for your whole experience to resonate deeply, then we need to go beyond grabbing attention to genuinely HOLD it.

Today, we focus on why formats are mission critical to creative work, and how you can search them out for yourself and craft your own to hook an audience and get them to the end.

We’re joined by the most format-obsessed person out there: Hugh Garry, co-founder of Storythings. Hugh and his team (and friends) write the newsletter, Formats Unpacked, diving each week into a format and why they love it so very much and why, maybe, you should too.

DEVELOP MORE INSPIRING IDEAS & STORIES:

Jay's free newsletter, with a new idea for communicating in ways that connect shared every other Friday: jayacunzo.com/newsletter
The Creator Kitchen: Jay's membership for quality-obsessed creators, built in partnership with Melanie Deziel (author, speaker, NY Times, TIME, HuffPost). Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.
Jay's 1:1 coaching: book an hour or a month of swapping voice memos -- or book Jay as your dedicated collaborator, coach, exec. producer, and creative partner to develop your ideas and tell more effective stories.

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INSIDE THIS EPISODE:

Hugh Garry: Director at Storythings, writes the Formats Unpacked newsletter
Tone Knob newsletter
Brands and Humour newsletter

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PRODUCTION CREDITS:

- Creator, host, writer, editor: Jay Acunzo

- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins

How to Define Quality | One-Shot #24 Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

How you define quality is contextual, it's in the eyes of the beholder. In this one-shot, Jay breaks down the three questions we each need to ask to define quality - Who is it for? What is it for? How will I know if it's working? - and then shares the two habits that can help us to create quality content.

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KEEP MAKING WHAT MATTERS:

1. Learn more about Jay's 1:1 coaching and collaboration: https://jayacunzo.com/accountability-group-for-b2b-marketers-creators

2. Get a new story/framework from Jay every other week for making things that matter more to you and others: jayacunzo.com/newsletter

3. Join the Creator Kitchen, a membership program for professional communicators to achieve their creative potential.

creatorkitchen.com

(Use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off membership.)

***

PRODUCTION CREDITS:

- Creator, host, writer, editor, sound design: Jay Acunzo

- Producer and researcher: Ilana Nevins