One of the questions I am most frequently asked is, “How did you begin doing this work?” How did I go from being a New York City public school teacher to helping people preserve family stories and creating show-and-tell experiences around the world? The answer begins with a missing photograph. Many years ago, after leaving my position as a high school biology teacher in New York City, I found myself at a crossroads. I loved teaching and loved my students, but I had promised myself that if I ever felt truly burned out, I would make a change. While figuring out what might come next, I enrolled in an entrepreneurial training program called Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO). Although I didn’t yet know what kind of business I wanted to start, I remained curious and open to possibilities. During this time, I traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, to visit a dear friend I hadn’t seen in years. One of the biggest changes in her life since we’d last connected was that she had become an aunt. She was absolutely delighted by this new role and wanted desperately to share that joy with me. There was just one problem. The story she wanted to tell depended on a particular photograph, and she couldn’t find it. For much of my visit, she repeatedly disappeared into another room, returning with envelope after envelope filled with printed photographs. She searched through stack after stack, hoping to locate that one special image. Despite all of her efforts, she never found it. Watching her struggle sparked an important question: How many other people have meaningful photographs, letters, keepsakes, and memorabilia hidden away in boxes, unable to be easily found or shared? That single question became the inspiration for my first business: Memories Out of the Box®. The mission was simple but powerful: help people organize, curate, preserve, and tell the stories hidden within their personal archives. Whether working with photographs, letters, travel souvenirs, family documents, children’s keepsakes, or treasured heirlooms, I wanted to help people transform collections of “stuff” into meaningful visual narratives. At one point, I even opened a storefront in Brooklyn where clients could attend workshops, work alongside me, or have projects completed for them. Over time, I discovered that the work wasn’t really about scrapbooks, photographs, or memorabilia. It was about stories. I often tell people that our homes are personal museums. Every object we keep represents a relationship, a memory, a transformation, a loss, or an important chapter in our lives. The challenge isn’t simply preserving these things; it’s preserving the stories attached to them. Because without the story, even our most treasured possessions can lose their meaning. Today, through Things That Matter, Martifacts, and Show & Tales, I continue to explore the same question that inspired my first business decades ago: What stories are hidden within the things we keep? And perhaps more importantly: Are we taking the time to share them? Are you looking to build deeper connections, community & legacy with your employees, volunteers, donors, community, alumni, family, friends, residents, team or event participants? Hire me to host a unique story-sharing gathering, playshop, exhibition or retreat. Email me at martie at showandtales dot com Have a story of a special item you’d love to share? Reach out to Martie McNabb at info at showandtales dot com and be part of a future episode with the Subject line: Podcast Guest✨ If you were asked “What Things would tell your life story?” What Things would you choose? Look around your home, office & even on yourself …. what Things do you surround yourself with & what stories would they tell? Grab my My Life in 30 Things playsheet to list your Things that matter here: https://www.showandtales.com/30-things-story/ Watch here: Or Listen Here:
