A Good Reputation
When you become a better storyteller, you become memorable. Every week, get one story and one actionable insight on how to use storytelling to build your reputation, connect with your ideal audience, attract opportunities, and get buy-in for your business or big ideas.
All the small things
"We write about what we know because what we know is important." Madeleine L'Engle· American Author Welcome to Issue 72 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about telling better business stories. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, There I was, blissfully swimming in the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of a sleepy little town in southern Greece this summer, when I realized I had made what would soon be a very painful...
Storytelling is the happiness hack
"Success is just paying attention to what matters." Neela Singh's grandfather· WorkmanShit Welcome to Issue 71 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about telling better business stories. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, The ancient Greeks didn't believe it was easy to be happy. Happiness was so hard to attain that Aristotle, for one, said there could only ever be "the happy few." But in a recent interview with the New York Times, Laurie...
A peek inside my process
"One of the beautiful things about art is the way that our practice can allow us to lift out of our normal, habitual selves and into someone better and more interesting." George Saunders * Author Welcome to Issue 70 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about telling better business stories. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, As I write this, there are eight little girls wreaking havoc around my house, leaving a trail of potato chips and...
A case for closing the distance
"When I am afraid to speak is when I speak. That is when it is most important." Nayyirah Waheed· Poet Welcome to Issue 69 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about using storytelling for brand building. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) "How're you doing?" she asked from the other side of the screen. "To be perfectly honest," I said through a forced, toothy grin, "I'm just ready for it to be over." It was Thursday, and I was in the digital waiting...
I'm ditching the persona
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut· Novelist Welcome to Issue 68 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about telling better business stories. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, While disheartened, I wasn’t entirely surprised to learn the real reason so many young people are not having kids. It’s not, as studies have suggested, the cost of living, climate anxiety, career...
Your story needs a witness
"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." Hannah Arendt· Author, Men in Dark Times Welcome to Issue 66 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to tell a better story to build better brands. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, In a book I’ve been reading about how our lives and identities are shaped by the stories we tell, the author pointed to a study that found we humans spend between 30 to 40% of...
Is this what purpose feels like?
"Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes." Carl Jung· Analytical Psychoanalyst Welcome to Issue 66 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to tell a better story to build better brands. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, There I am, eyes closed, arms by my side with my palms facing out toward this group I’ve been leading and learning from all week, waiting for my body to “tell me” how it wants me to move. I’ve been...
What do you actually want to grow?
"You can only optimize so much, but you can care forever. Efficiency has limits, devotion doesn't." Shane Parrish · Author & Founder of The Knowledge Project Welcome to Issue 65 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to tell a better story to build better brands. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, Every spring, I trick myself into believing that I can be the type of person who gardens. The sun’s out, the flowers are blooming, and...
The capacity to care
"The fundamental message of marketing must change from 'we want your money' to 'we share your interests'." Christopher Locke · Gonzo Marketing Welcome to Issue 64 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to tell a better story to build better brands. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) Hello Reader, Of all the people I expected to have a philosophical conversation with this week, my hot tub guy wasn’t one of them. I hate admitting that I have a hot...
What I learned from the CIA's head of storytelling
“The secret of being boring is to say everything.” Voltaire · Writer Welcome to Issue 63 of A Good Reputation, a newsletter about how to tell a better story to build better brands. (Did someone send you? Subscribe here.) (Miss past issues? Read those here.) And huge apologies: This newsletter is coming out a week late. A weekend ER visit (everything's fine) and a client conference that took my life force delayed the writing process. Hello Reader, It was supposed to be a harmless Tweet thread...