For years, I’ve been an extemporaneous storyteller. I built my 7 Minute Stories Podcast into what has become one of the leading short-form autobiographical podcasts in the world… and I didn’t write a word of it. I spoke it. Every story. Every memory. Every moment.
And then something shifted…
A few months ago, some folks here in Medina, Ohio (shout out Medina!) where I record and broadcast, suggested I try something new. They encouraged me to take those spoken stories and shape them into written ones. Not transcripts. Not copy-and-paste. Something adapted. Something intentional.
So I did.
After recording each story, I began taking the transcript and reworking it into a written version. Tightening it. Listening for rhythm on the page instead of the ear. Letting the story breathe in a different way.
These written version of these 7 Minute Stories are now a series called Stories in a Snap.
To that end, I was asked to write a column in my local paper (The Medina Weekly). About 20,000 readers. And to my surprise, it became one of the most rewarding creative shifts I’ve experienced. I think readers would say the same too.
So am I a writer? Or just a extemporaneous storyteller trying to mascaraed as one? I’ll let you decide. But I do think we’re all storytelling animals. Or at least that’s what the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre believed.
And I think he’s right.
Whether we listen, watch, or read… story is the thing that connects us. It’s the thread that runs through everything. The matra I live by is: a story is the shortest distance between two souls”
Which brings me here.
This Substack exists for a pretty simple reason. Like many of you, I wanted one place. One singular digital space where I could share my weekly stories directly. Not multiple landing spots and algorithmic landscapes in between.
Just a clean line between “storyteller” and “storycatcher”.
That’s the hope.
Here’s what you can expect:
Every Friday, I’ll publish a new Stories in a Snap. These are true, short-form written stories drawn from my extremely normal yet deeply relatable life here in Ohio. They’re adapted from my audio stories (which have reached over 30 million listeners in the last two years)…
but are now shaped for the page… quick, immersive, and often carrying a quiet sense of nostalgia.
If the audio version feels like someone telling you a story across the table, these written versions feel like the same story waiting for you on the page. Hopefully, leaving you just a little better than it found you.
You’ll also find opportunities to click through and listen to the original audio versions on the podcast feed if you want to hear where the story began.
To the team at Substack, thanks for building something that actually feels aligned with creators and the people who follow them.
And to those of you who’ve been here long before me… I’m glad I finally made it.
If you decide to subscribe, I hope these stories find their way into your week in a meaningful way. And maybe, just maybe, they leave you a little better than they found you.