The Storytelling Lab

Rain Bennett

The Storytelling Lab covers everything you need to know about personal and professional stories to leverage their power to deepen your connections, increase your sales + donations, and serve your audiences better with real-life examples and experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Steven Pressfield Was 52 (!) Before His First Novel Sold

    1d ago

    Steven Pressfield Was 52 (!) Before His First Novel Sold

    "A good day is when the flow starts to happen and you kind of lose yourself in it. But you cannot count on those days. So I'm a real believer in grinding — just get in there and take what the defense will give you." — Steven Pressfield ORDER THE ARCADIAN HERE: https://amzn.to/4nYHV5e Steven Pressfield is your favorite writer's favorite writer. But years before his best-selling hits like Gates of Fire and The War of Art, Steven Pressfield didn't sell his first novel until he was 52. After over two decades of trying! In Part 2 of our conversation, he and Rain dig into what kept him going, and what keeps him going still. From his daily gym ritual to his philosophy on the Muse, from building a catalog instead of betting everything on one book to his relationship with mentor Robert McKee, this episode is a masterclass in the long game of creative work. If you're in the weeds, struggling to finish, or wondering whether it's too late, this is the conversation you need to hear. In this episode, you will learn to:Build a daily creative habit that beats Resistance even when inspiration doesn't show upThink in catalogs, not single projects, to take pressure off any one piece of workUse physical movement and morning routines as momentum for the creative work that followsTrust the Muse over the market — your least commercial idea may be your most resonant oneEmbrace the long game and stop measuring yourself against overnight success stories Special Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor for this episode, Vocatales → https://www.vocatales.com Links & ResourcesFollow Steven Pressfield: Website → https://www.stevenpressfield.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/ Book → The Arcadian by Steven Pressfield (out May 2025) https://amzn.to/4dA7yFJ Book → A Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4uvYojv Book → Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4nVT5aT Book → The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4tXWiYM Book → The War of Art by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/43wWTWn Person Referenced → Robert McKee Person Referenced → Randy Wallace (screenwriter, Braveheart) Person Referenced → Rick Rubin Person Referenced → Jack Carr (thriller writer) Nove/Film Referenced → Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    41 min
  2. Why Most Writers Build Characters Completely Wrong with Steven Pressfield

    May 28

    Why Most Writers Build Characters Completely Wrong with Steven Pressfield

    "Sometimes you write a character that asserts himself—something you didn't plan. It's like he wanted to come back, and he brought his own story with him. It was kind of my job as a writer to ask myself what that story was." — Steven Pressfield ORDER THE ARCADIAN HERE: https://amzn.to/4nYHV5e Steven Pressfield is your favorite writer's favorite writer. And in this episode, Rain sits down with him in person in Los Angeles to talk about the craft behind The Arcadian, the new novel in his Telamon series. What starts as a conversation about a centuries-spanning warrior with a karmic curse quickly becomes a writing advice masterclass in how great fiction actually gets made: through instinct, detail, observation, and a willingness to follow a character wherever he leads. Steven breaks down how he discovered Telamon's immortality only after writing him across multiple books, why physical and historical details are what make the impossible believable, and how a 2500-year-old quote from an ancient Greek philosopher became the seed of an entire novel. If you write anything—novels, screenplays, brand stories, or scripts—this conversation will change how you think about finding and following a story. In this episode, you will learn to:- Trust instinct over planning in your writing and follow your characters even when you don't understand where they're going- Use specific physical details to earn the reader's trust before asking them to believe the extraordinary- Find story seeds in quotes, lyrics, and observations, and let them percolate until the full shape emerges- Get the story first and research second to avoid using research as a form of Resistance- Move the camera inside your prose, shifting perspective the way a cinematographer would, to write vivid, immersive scenes Special Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor for this episode, Vocatales → https://www.vocatales.com Links & ResourcesFollow Steven Pressfield: Website → https://www.stevenpressfield.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/ Book → The Arcadian by Steven Pressfield (out May 2025) https://amzn.to/4dA7yFJ Book → A Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4uvYojv Book → Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4nVT5aT Book → The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/4tXWiYM Book → The War of Art by Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/43wWTWn Film Referenced → Past Lives directed by Celine Song For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min
  3. Why Storytellers Are More Valuable in the Age of AI with Joe Lazer

    May 14

    Why Storytellers Are More Valuable in the Age of AI with Joe Lazer

    "AI was going to get better at technical skills like coding and data analysis much faster than storytelling, because it's much easier to objectively define what is correct code. With storytelling, it's much more ephemeral. AI researchers have called it absurd, trying to quantify what good storytelling is." — Joe Lazer When ChatGPT launched, the headlines were brutal. Storytellers were cooked, creative work was done, they all said. Joe Lazer did what any good journalist would do: he started asking questions. What he found, after two years of salons, research, and interviews with AI developers and future-of-work researchers, was the exact opposite. In this episode, Joe breaks down why AI will make storytelling the most important skill in the new economy. Joe is the co-founder of Contently, author of the new book Super Skill, and one of the sharpest thinkers on the intersection of AI and human-centered storytelling. We get into the neuroscience of why storytelling makes us better at leadership, persuasion, and collaboration; why heavy AI reliance causes a measurable 17% drop in skill mastery; and how to avoid the "vortex of mid" that's pulling most brands toward mediocrity. We also get real about how both of us actually use AI day-to-day, and where we draw the line. In this episode, you will learn to:Understand why AI raises the value of storytelling rather than replacing itRecognize how heavy AI reliance causes measurable skill atrophyAvoid the vortex of mid and stay out of generic AI-flavored contentApply the Unlock, Unleash, and Upgrade framework from Super SkillBuild audience trust through transparency about your AI use Links & Resources Follow Joe Lazer: Website → https://www.joelazer.com Book → Super Skill by Joe Lazer → https://amzn.to/4ublf3W Substack → Subscribe for a signed copy → https://www.joelazer.com/subscribe Company → Contently → https://www.contently.com Tool Referenced → Verify My Writing → https://www.verifymywriting.com Newsletter Referenced → Rachel Karten (Link in Bio) on Substack Person Referenced → Shane Snow Conference Referenced → State of the Story by Storytelling360 For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
  4. Your Audience's Senses Are Craving This Storytelling Technique with Charlie Melcher

    May 7

    Your Audience's Senses Are Craving This Storytelling Technique with Charlie Melcher

    "A living story is immersive, embodied, agentic, responsive, and social. It's stories that we get to be in and experience and live — as opposed to dead stories." —Charlie Melcher Charlie Melcher has been on the cutting edge of storytelling for decades—from designing books with J.J. Abrams and Al Gore to building an app that Steve Jobs fell in love with to producing a 6,000-person immersive storytelling summit. In this conversation, he breaks down what he calls living stories: experiences that are immersive, embodied, agentic, responsive, and social, and why he believes they are the antidote to the loneliness and disconnection fueled by passive media. We cover the neuroscience of multi-sensory learning, the dyslexia origin story that put Charlie on this path, and the moment he walked into his team and said, "We're no longer in the book business." We also get into where AI fits into all of this and why Charlie sees it as the great unlock for immersive storytelling at scale. This one will make you see every story you've ever consumed differently. In this episode, you will learn to:Understand what a living story is and how immersion, agency, and embodiment change the way audiences feel and rememberRecognize why limiting storytelling to two senses is leaving most of your audience's emotional capacity untappedUse multi-sensory and physical elements to deepen learning, memory, and emotional connection in any story formatSee how AI will enable personalized, responsive story worlds at scale and why that demands a moral compass from storytellersReframe your own origin story the way Charlie did: not as a limitation but as the thread that explains everything Follow Charlie Melcher:Website → https://www.futureofstorytelling.org Podcast → The Future of Storytelling with Charlie Melcher Book → The Future of Storytelling by Charlie Melcher https://amzn.to/4w6gFVQ Company → Melcher Media → https://www.melchermedia.com Experience → Future of Storytelling Explorers Club → https://www.futureofstorytelling.org Book Referenced → The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul https://amzn.to/42UcU8A Book Referenced → Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam https://amzn.to/4whTtUJ Book Referenced → S. (Ship of Theseus) by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst https://amzn.to/4f7PvI0 App Referenced → Our Choice (iOS app, Apple Design Award 2011) Conference Referenced → State of the Story by Storytelling360 Experience Referenced → Meow Wolf: House of Eternal Return (Santa Fe, NM) Experience Referenced → Sleep No More by Punch Drunk Theater Experience Referenced → The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere (Las Vegas) For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 5m
  5. How a Narrative Operating System Solves the Product Problem That Kills Every Brand

    Apr 30

    How a Narrative Operating System Solves the Product Problem That Kills Every Brand

    "Your product is not the features, the specs, it's not what you ship. The product is the experience, the transformation that your customer goes through. It's the change in their lives. That's what you're selling." — Rain Bennett You can have a bold vision, a clear mission, and a brand people believe in... and still fail. Because none of it matters if your product doesn't deliver. In this solo episode, Rain breaks down the fourth layer of the Narrative Operating System: Product, the moment where your story is either proven or broken. Using Nike's grassroots origins and screenwriting software Highland Pro as case studies, Rain shows how the best brands don't build products for their customers—they build them with them. He also introduces the Hub and Spoke Model as a practical framework for keeping every feature and offering tied back to your core brand narrative, and walks through the most common product traps (feature bloat, trend chasing, and data misreading) that cause brands to drift and fracture over time. In this episode, you will learn to: Reframe your product as the moment your brand story is proven, or exposedUse the Hub and Spoke Model to keep every product feature tied to your core narrativeBuild with your customers instead of for them by treating listening as a storytelling strategyUnderstand where the Chief Storytelling Officer sits in the product conversation and why it mattersAvoid the three biggest product traps: feature bloat, trend chasing, and misreading data without context Episodes Referenced: EP 216 → Vision: The Big Future Story (https://www.thestorytellinglabpodcast.com/items/the-real-reason-your-brand-feels-disconnected) EP 220 → Mission: How You're Going to Get There (https://www.thestorytellinglabpodcast.com/items/%E2%80%9Cvision-is-what-inspires-your-people.-mission-is-what-activates-and-organizes-them.%E2%80%9D) EP 225 → Brand: How It Feels to Be Part of Your Story World (https://www.thestorytellinglabpodcast.com/items/the-real-brand-difference) Guest Referenced → Nelson Farris, first Chief Storytelling Officer at Nike Guest Referenced → John August, screenwriter and founder of Highland Pro Podcast Referenced → Scriptnotes with John August and Craig Mazin Software Referenced → Highland Pro → https://www.highland.app Book → The Chief Storytelling Officer by Rain Bennett → Coming August 25th (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chief-storytelling-officer-b-rain-bennett/1149080177?ean=9781636988115) Substack → Subscribe for more NOS content → https://rainbennett.substack.com For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    25 min
  6. The Story Advantage and Why Nobody Has the Same One as You with Bill Blankschaen

    Apr 22

    The Story Advantage and Why Nobody Has the Same One as You with Bill Blankschaen

    "CQ — the character quotient — is who you are at the core of your values, and how consistently people can trust you to be that person. That to me is the exponential topper." — Bill Blankschaen Every person has a story no one else has. The problem is most people either don't know how to tell it or don't believe it's worth telling. Bill Blankschaen, author of Your Story Advantage and founder of StoryBuilders, has spent over a decade helping thought leaders (from John Maxwell to Lewis Howes)nfind their story, shape it, and use it to grow their impact, influence, and income. In this episode, Bill breaks down the Story Multiplier Formula, the five traps that keep people from ever telling their story, and why the structure he teaches doesn't constrain you, but actually sets you free to be more creative and more effective. He also walks through IQ, EQ, and the often-overlooked "CQ," and why that last one is the only variable that's entirely your choice. If you've got a message inside you that you haven't figured out how to get out, this is your episode. In this episode, you will learn to: Apply the Story Multiplier Formula to turn who you are into measurable impact, influence, and incomeIdentify and break out of the confidence trap, the chaos trap, and the other story blocks holding you backUnderstand the difference between IQ, EQ, and CQ—and why character is the only one you fully controlBuild a story ecosystem with a clear message, a multiplier like a book, and a path to monetizationEdit your story for your audience, not yourself, because your story is about you but it was never for you Follow Bill Blankschaen:Website → https://billblankschaen.com/ Free Resources → https://www.yourstoryadvantage.com/free-resources Book → Your Story Advantage by Bill Blankschaen: https://amzn.to/4vPjudW Company → Story Builders → https://mystorybuilders.com/ Book Referenced → Never Quit by Glenn Cunningham (https://amzn.to/4tsDFNe) People Referenced → John Maxwell, Lewis Howes, Dean Graziosi, Jason Wilson, Stephen Covey, Hugh Hewitt And for more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    49 min
  7. How the Generosity of Scars Makes Your Story More Powerful with Scott Mann

    Apr 14

    How the Generosity of Scars Makes Your Story More Powerful with Scott Mann

    "I wasn't processing and dealing with my own stuff. Somehow I made my way back to storytelling. And that was really, if I could point to two things—my wife and story—those pulled me out." — Ret. Lt. Col. Scott Mann Scott Mann spent nearly two decades as a Green Beret, but the most powerful weapon he ever wielded was his story. In this episode, Scott breaks down rooftop leadership, the concept he coined in Afghanistan after watching storytelling and human connection turn frightened villagers into fighters. What he learned on those rooftops became the foundation for everything he now teaches about leadership, trust, and the courage to be relatable. After leaving the military, Scott hit rock bottom, standing in his closet holding a pistol, lost and without purpose. Storytelling pulled him out. Now he's an author, playwright, and the founder of a nonprofit helping veterans and first responders find their voice. His book The Generosity of Scars and his one-man shows Last Out and 11 Days are taking that message across the country and onto stages where veterans and civilians sit side by side and finally make sense of things together. If you've ever wondered whether your story is worth telling, Scott Mann's answer is clear: it was never about you in the first place. In this episode, you will learn to: Use storytelling as a trust-building tool in any high-stakes, low-trust environmentDistinguish between vulnerability for its own sake and relatability as an intentional, powerful communication strategyUnderstand what "autobiographical listening" means and why it explains how stories move people to actionOwn your story rather than let it own you by working through it in the service of othersRecognize that your scars are not your wounds—they are your most generous gift to the people who need to hear them Follow Scott Mann: Website → https://www.scottmann.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/greenberetscottmann Books → The Generosity of Scars (out May 12th) and Operation Pineapple Express by Scott Mann Plays → Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret and 11 Days: The Story of Operation Pineapple Express Nonprofit → Task Force Pineapple Program → Take the Mic (storytelling coaching) People Referenced: Steven Pressfield, Bo Eason, Dr. Diego Hernandez, Gary Sinise, Daniel Coyle, Daniel Pink For more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m
  8. The One Thing Every Storyteller Misses About Their Audience with Jon Bregel

    Apr 6

    The One Thing Every Storyteller Misses About Their Audience with Jon Bregel

    "When you live in alignment with your values, you cause yourself as little suffering as possible in the long term. And that one just always sticks with me because it's really challenging in the short term. But if you have faith in your values and who you are and how you want to show up in the world, then ultimately you're creating a path that's going to serve you for the long term." — Jon Bregel What happens when the thing you love most… starts breaking you? In this episode, Rain sits down with cinematographer, founder of Variable, and career/life coach for filmmakers, Jon Bregel, to unpack a reality most creatives don’t talk about enough: burnout. After years of success in the film industry, Jon hit a breaking point that forced him to reevaluate everything—his career, his identity, and the story he was telling himself. That journey led him to create The Nourish Community, a space designed specifically to support the mental and emotional health of filmmakers. This conversation goes beyond tactics. It’s about identity, purpose, and how to build a creative life that actually sustains you, instead of slowly draining you. If you’re a filmmaker, creator, or entrepreneur feeling the pressure… this one hits close to home. In this episode, you will learn to: Recognize the early warning signs of creative burnout before it becomes a crisisUse core values as a practical decision-making compassUnderstand the difference between a life coach and a therapist and why creatives may need both for different reasonsReframe career plateaus, pivots, and rest as seasons of inner growth rather than signs of failureBuild or seek out real community as a creative and understand why that distinction changes everything Follow Jon Bregel: Website → https://www.nourishcommunity.co Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jonbregel Production Company → Variable (New York City) Film Referenced: The Baltimorons — directed by J. Duplass, starring Michael Strassner (cinematography by Jon Bregel) And, for more storytelling tips and strategies, visit: Website → https://rainbennett.com Podcast → https://thestorytellinglabpodcast.com Or follow along at: TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefstorytellingofficer Twitter/X → https://twitter.com/rainbennett Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/rainbennett Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/thestorytellinglab YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@RainBennett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    56 min
4.7
out of 5
46 Ratings

About

The Storytelling Lab covers everything you need to know about personal and professional stories to leverage their power to deepen your connections, increase your sales + donations, and serve your audiences better with real-life examples and experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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