Using Artful Intelligence to Tell Your Sustainability Story

You want your organization’s sustainability work to mean something, not just to regulators, but to customers, employees, investors, and the communities you serve.

And you know that the companies winning on sustainability right now aren’t just doing more. They’re telling it better.

But you’re frustrated because sustainability communications have a reputation problem.

Too many reports read like compliance documents. Too many campaigns feel like greenwashing. Too many organizations have done genuinely hard, genuinely important work, and watched it land with a thud because the story wasn’t there.

That’s exactly what this conversation is about.

Meet Bruno Sarda: The Chief Translation Officer of Sustainability

Bruno Sarda is the Head of Sustainability Services in the Americas for Ernst & Young, former sustainability leader at one of the world’s largest technology companies, former faculty member at Arizona State University, and host of the Sustainability Matters podcast.

He holds a Master of Applied Ethics in Science and Technology — a credential that sounds almost prescient in the age of AI. And he brings something rarer than credentials: a practitioner’s instinct for translating sustainability from a compliance exercise into a competitive advantage.

His definition of sustainability for business is the one I’ve been using for years: sustainability done right will help you grow revenue, reduce risk, and amplify your brand. Full stop.

That’s not idealism. That’s strategy.

What’s in it for You

• Why the rollback of sustainability regulations has unexpectedly strengthened — not weakened — the business case for corporate ESG
• How AI is both a force multiplier for environmental progress and a potential accelerator of ecological harm — and why it’s an “and,” not an “or”
• Why the Chief Sustainability Officer is really a Chief Translation Officer, and what that means for how your organization communicates its ESG work
• The sustainability metric nobody talks about: employee engagement with your sustainability story
• How to move from compliance-driven sustainability to culture-driven sustainability — and why that shift is where the real competitive advantage lives
• Why we all have magic now, and what the Harry Potter analogy reveals about AI, purpose, and power

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What Happens When a Brand Decides to Make Its Own Business Model Obsolete?

You want your brand to stand for something that outlasts the trend cycle — and if you’re willing to engineer your product around the customer’s entire life, not just their next purchase, then you just might build the most loved brand in America.

But most companies can’t resist the replacement cycle. They build products designed to wear out, go out of style, or become incompatible with the next version — because that’s how you sell another one. And so the furniture industry, like most consumer goods industries, keeps running the same play: manufacture cheaply, price aggressively, and count on the customer coming back in five years.

Shawn David Nelson decided to break that play entirely.

He started Lovesac at 18 years old with a hand-sewn bean bag made from his parents’ chopped-up camping mattresses. He paid $25 to register the company at the Utah State Tax Commission in 1998. Today, Lovesac (NASDAQ: LOVE) operates 300+ showrooms, employs 2,000 people, and is one of the fastest-growing furniture brands in America — anchored by a product philosophy so counterintuitive it sounds almost reckless.

They want you to buy their couch once. And keep it for the rest of your life.

Meet Shawn David Nelson: The Entrepreneur Who Won Richard Branson’s Rebel Billionaire — and Then Survived Bankruptcy

Shawn is the founder and CEO of Lovesac and the author of Let Me Save You 25 Years: Mistakes, Miracles and Lessons from the Lovesac Story.

He won $1 million on Richard Branson’s Fox reality series The Rebel Billionaire in 2004, served as honorary president of Virgin Worldwide, and then watched his company get forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy two years later.

He didn’t quit.

His mother’s advice — “You can quit or you can keep going” — became the defining Shawnism of his career. And keeping going meant 10x-ing the company, listing on NASDAQ, and pioneering a product category that’s now being imitated by a generation of online furniture startups who can only ride in Lovesac’s draft.

What’s in it for You

1. Why demonstration marketing — not advertising — is the real engine behind Lovesac’s growth, and how it converts a showroom into a live brand story experience
2. How the forever philosophy redefines sustainability as an engineering principle, not a marketing claim
3. The Shawnism that saved Lovesac from bankruptcy and applies to every business, marriage, and creative pursuit you’ve ever undertaken
4. Why Lovesac is onshoring manufacturing to the United States — and why Shawn believes robots in America will be cheaper than factories in Vietnam
5. How brand storytelling is 50% of building a remarkable product company — and why Shawn admits it’s actually closer to 90%

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The Financial Story Running Beneath Your Brand May Be the Most Important One You’ve Never Quite Understood

Every Business Is Telling Two Stories at Once

You’ve built a business on the power of story. You know that the brands people remember aren’t just the ones with the best product — they’re the ones with the clearest narrative, the most resonant voice, the sharpest sense of who they serve and why it matters.

What you may not have fully named yet is that your business is actually running two stories at once.

There’s the one you’re crafting for your audience — your brand, your messaging, your market position. And there’s the one your numbers are quietly narrating beneath everything else: your cash flow, your margins, your growth arc, your risk exposure.

Both are real stories. Both have protagonists and turning points and consequences. And how well those two narratives are aligned may be the single most decisive factor in whether your business breaks through or breaks down.

The challenge most growth-stage business owners face is that they can tell the first story with clarity and confidence while the second one remains frustratingly out of reach — not because the numbers are impossible to understand, but because the strategic financial thinking required to translate them into narrative has historically been gatekept to the Fortune 500.

The CFO-level advisor who can read your cash flow like a plot arc, who hears the tension building in your margins before it becomes a crisis, who connects what your balance sheet is saying to the direction your business story is actually heading — that expertise has cost more than most $5–$50M businesses can justify spending.

So the financial story keeps running in the background, largely untranslated, while leaders make growth decisions on instinct rather than insight.

This episode closes that gap.

Meet the CFO Who Reads Numbers Like a Narrative

Nick Jain is the co-founder of Eagle Rock CFO — a platform delivering Fortune 500-level financial advisory to businesses doing $5–$50M in revenue. A Harvard MBA who graduated at the top of his class, Nick holds degrees in math and physics and has turned around or scaled three companies with up to $100M in revenue across trucking, software, and eCommerce.

His thesis is simple and genuinely rare: most growing businesses have a financial story they can’t read — and the cost of not reading it compounds every quarter.

Eagle Rock CFO uses AI-native tools to deliver the kind of strategic financial clarity that used to require a million-dollar-a-year executive. The result is a hybrid model where machines handle the data grind and experienced operators handle the strategy — at roughly 5% of what a traditional fractional CFO costs.

What’s in it for You:

• Why cash flow isn’t the same as profit — and the specific timing gaps that catch growing businesses off guard before they become crises
• Why the metrics that matter at $2M revenue will actually mislead you at $10M — and the financial signals that predict whether your growth is sustainable or a ticking time bomb
• A simple framework for thinking like a CFO — whether you’re evaluating a new hire, a big purchase, or when to take on debt
• The three financial stories business owners tell themselves that quietly kill companies — and how to rewrite them
• Why going “code native” with AI coding agents (not chatbots) compresses 60 hours of financial analysis into 20 minutes

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The Machines Can Code. They Can Calculate. But They Cannot Connect.

What a content marketing pioneer who built Contently discovered after five years inside AI companies will change how you think about your career — and your voice.

You want your brand story to cut through the noise and build the kind of trust that actually drives business — and if you’re using the right story structures, the ones rooted in how the human brain is literally wired to receive and remember information, then you will create the kind of connection no algorithm can manufacture.

But most professionals are quietly terrified that AI is coming for their creativity, their voice, and their value. Because every McKinsey report, every LinkedIn pundit, and every breathless headline has been telling them the same thing: writers and creatives are first on the chopping block.

Welcome to the conversation that changes that narrative.

Why the Doomsday Prediction Got It Exactly Backwards

Joe Lazauskas has spent the last five years inside AI companies — first running marketing at A-Team, a machine learning startup that raised $55 million, and now as CMO of Pepper, an AI-native organic growth company. He has watched the AI revolution from the inside.

And his conclusion is the opposite of what you’ve been told.

Joe is the co-founder of Contently, one of the first and most influential content marketing platforms ever built, and the author of Super Skill: Why Storytelling Is the Superpower of the AI Age. He has spent a decade studying the neuroscience and behavioral science of storytelling — and five years watching AI reshape the world of work.

His thesis: as AI gets better at technical tasks like coding and data analysis, the uniquely human skills of connection, empathy, leadership, and storytelling don’t become less valuable.

They become the only things that matter.

What’s in it for You:

• Why AI slop is flooding the web — and why that’s actually great news for great storytellers
• The four story elements — relatability, ease, novelty, and tension — that make any audience stop and listen
• How to use AI as a creative amplifier without ever letting it replace your voice
• The science behind the vulnerability loop and why it’s the fastest way to build real trust
• Why Kurt Vonnegut’s rejected anthropology thesis turned out to be right all along
• How the Neanderthals — despite bigger brains — lost to homo sapiens because they had no Wi-Fi

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How a Broken Heart Created a Hollywood Media Empire

When the Story You’re Hiding Is the One the World Needs Most

You’ve built something real. You show up, you produce, you perform — and somewhere beneath the calendar and the content and the carefully curated brand, there’s a story you haven’t told yet.

Not because it isn’t powerful.

Because it’s the one that still hurts.

Rachel McCord knows that feeling better than almost anyone. She grew up in multiple trailer parks in Georgia, moved 33 times before she was 16, and started working 13-hour days at a pizzeria at age 13 — not because her family needed the money, but because she was battling depression and didn’t want to go home.

By her mid-twenties, she had sold her first company, moved to Hollywood, launched The McCord List media network, and was producing content that landed her on the jumbotron in Times Square and on stages with Michelle Obama, Tyra Banks, and Dr. Phil.

And she was still broken.

“I was walking through life with a limp,” she told me on the Business of Story. “On the outside, I looked like I was at the top of my game. But I was struggling to connect the dots between how I felt and what I was living.”

That’s the story Rachel finally tells in her new book, You Can’t Heal Your Life, But I Know a Guy. And it’s the story every entrepreneur who has ever faked a smile on a hard day needs to hear.

Meet Rachel McCord: Hollywood Media Mogul, Open Heart Surgery Survivor, Author

Rachel McCord is the founder of The McCord List, a Hollywood media network that produces McCordless Today — a daily talk show airing on network

television and streaming on Roku, Apple TV, Samsung, and Amazon. She produces 19 shows, co-founded Viral Brand (a creator marketing company that has launched campaigns for Twilight, Harry Potter, Toy Story, and more), and has built a network of over one million vetted creators.

She is also a survivor of severe childhood trauma, PTSD, suicidal depression, and open heart surgery at 32 — a procedure one in five patients don’t survive.

Her book is not a self-help book. It’s what happens after self-help fails.

What’s in It for You

By listening to this conversation, you’ll discover:

• Why the story you’re most afraid to tell is often the one with the most power to heal others
• What EMDR therapy is and how it helped Rachel recover suppressed childhood memories in a single session
• How a business trip to Jerusalem became the spiritual turning point that changed everything
• Why self-help alone — no matter how many books you read — cannot do what faith can
• The three-part framework from Rachel’s book: Get Real, Starve Fear Feed Faith, Do What You’re Here For
• How the StoryCycle Genie brand assessment revealed both the heartbeat and the gaps in The McCord List’s brand story

(more…)

Make Your Audience Feel Your Message—Not Just Hear It

Why Tone is the Secret to Brand Resonance

You want your brand story to stand out, to move people, and to drive real connection.

And you know that in a world full of endless content, it’s no longer enough to just get the words right.

But you’re frustrated because, despite your best efforts, your communications often fall flat—failing to build trust, spark emotion, or inspire action.

You wonder what’s missing.

It’s probably the tone of your brand storytelling.

Charly Tate, founder and Chief Kindling Officer at Kindling Works, built her business by helping founders and business owners discover clarity in chaos and connection through intentional, heartfelt storytelling.

With over a decade in communications and five years hosting her own music and storytelling podcast, Tater Thoughts, Charly knows it’s not just what you say, but how you make people feel.

Charly’s approach is rooted in her lifelong love of music—especially Queen—and her belief that tone is the undercurrent that gives your story life.
She’s seen firsthand how the right tone creates resonance, trust, and lasting impact.

What’s in it for You:

• Why your audience feels your message before they understand it
• How to uncover and express your brand’s authentic tone
• The biggest tone mistakes brands make—and how to fix them
• How to use music, mood boards, and emotional cues to shape your communications
• Ways to keep your tone consistent, even as your brand evolves

(more…)

Why Your Growth Depends on Truly Knowing Your Buyer

Why Most Founders Get Stuck (and How to Break Free)

When your brand storytelling speaks to the right buyers—like you know them intimately—you create predictable growth.

But you may feel trapped, working harder for less, because your message misses what your market really needs.

Today’s episode is all about escaping the founder’s trap by mastering message market match.

My guest, Charles Gaudet, is the CEO and Founder of Predictable Profits, creator of The Predictable Profits Operating System™, and “The CEO Whisperer” according to Yahoo Finance.

Charles has helped clients generate over $100 million in revenue, transforming founder-dependent businesses into scalable, predictable growth machines.

Why Message Market Match Is the Real Secret to Effortless Lead Generation

If you’ve ever wondered why lead generation feels so hard, Charles has the answer: it’s not about working harder—it’s about aligning your message with what your market truly wants.

When your story lands with the right audience, everything gets easier. When it doesn’t, you’re just shouting into the void.

Charles reveals that most founders are only about 60% accurate in knowing their real buyer. The secret? Stop guessing and start using data-driven insights to find your “super consumer”—the high-value segment that drives most of your profit.

What’s In It for You:

• Understand the difference between an ICP and a super consumer—and why most businesses get this wrong
• Discover why lead generation is a struggle when your message misses your market
• Learn the three paths founders face at inflection points: change your message, change your market, or change both
• See how reframing setbacks unlocks new opportunities for growth
• Find out how to use buyer data and narrative frameworks to create a business that doesn’t depend on you

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Unlock the Secrets of Audience-Driven Storytelling for Business Growth

Why Your Message Deserves to Be Heard—And How to Make It Happen

You want your stories to break through the noise and actually move people AND you know that real impact happens when your message lands with the right audience, at the right time, in the right way. BUT too often, your words fall flat because you’re not speaking to the real pain your audience feels—leaving your best ideas and business opportunities unrealized.

Dan Manning, former Air Force pilot, startup storytelling mentor, and creator of the “Before, Change, After, Meaning” framework, joins me on the Business of Story to show you how to make your message heard, not just said.

Meet Dan Manning: From Fighter Pilot to Startup Storytelling Mentor

Dan Manning brings a unique blend of military discipline, startup grit, and narrative science to the world of business storytelling. After a career in the Air Force—where he learned that survival depends on learning from others’ stories—Dan became a speechwriter and then a mentor to startup founders. He’s helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and leaders raise millions, clarify their messages, and pitch with confidence. Dan’s new book, The Story Stage Founder’s Guide to Startup Pitching, distills these lessons into actionable steps for anyone who wants to move ideas and inspire action.

What’s in it for You:

1. A proven framework for stories that get results
   Learn Dan’s “Before, Change, After, Meaning” approach and why it works for business, sales, and leadership.

2. How to uncover and leverage your audience’s pain
   Discover why identifying real pain points is the fastest way to connect and why empathy—not demographics—drives engagement.

3. Military storytelling lessons for business impact
   Find out how clarity, brevity, and mission-focused narratives from Dan’s Air Force experience can transform your business communication.

4. The difference between scenes and stories—and why it matters
   See why focusing on moments of change creates stories that stick and how to build your own “story map” for endless inspiration.

5. Avoiding common storytelling mistakes
   Get Dan’s advice on moving beyond jargon, features, and fragmented anecdotes to craft stories that drive action.

6. Practical steps to implement storytelling in your business
   Walk away with actionable tips for marketing, leadership, and team alignment using strategic storytelling.

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How to Turn Hard-Won Attention into Loyal Customers Without Wasting Another Ad Dollar

Why Your Marketing Story Isn’t Over After the Click

You’re a marketing leader who’s tired of watching your budget drive a flood of clicks—only to see most prospects slip quietly away, never to return. You want your marketing to mean something, to move people to act, and to finally see your website deliver the results you know are possible.

But let’s be honest: it’s frustrating. No matter how good your creative, how sharp your targeting, or how big your ad spend, prospects vanish after that first click. You’re left staring at analytics, wondering where the story fizzled out.

Welcome to the Business of Story. Today, we’re rewriting what happens after the click.

Meet Shamir Duverseau: The Post-Click Conversion Architect

Shamir Duverseau spent 25 years leading marketing for brands like Disney, Marriott, Southwest Airlines, and NBC Universal before founding Smart Panda Labs. After a career spent chasing advertising ROI, Shamir did something most marketers would call crazy—he walked away from ads to focus on what really matters: the post-click experience.

His framework has helped enterprise marketers and founders transform their websites into true conversion engines. Shamir’s mission? Help you stop being hostage to ad spend and finally understand where conversions are actually won or lost.

What’s in it for You

• Discover why the post-click experience is the biggest missed opportunity in digital marketing
• Learn how to align your teams for seamless customer journeys
• Get Shamir’s step-by-step framework for turning your website into a conversion engine
• Find out the exact tweaks that can dramatically boost your conversions
• See how to use research and feedback to create continuous improvement
• Get Shamir’s free guide to optimizing your own post-click experience

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How to Choose—and Deliver—the Story That Gets Your Best Audience to Act

Last week, a founder told me, “Everybody can use my product!” I asked how her advertising was working, and she admitted, “Not great.”

If you’re trying to reach everyone, you’re likely connecting with no one. The real winners know their best customers—and tailor their story just for them.

Meet Lee Schneider: Master Storyteller for Modern Business

Lee Schneider is the founder of Red Cup Agency, an award-winning podcast production house.

He’s written for Good Morning America, produced for Dateline NBC, and crafted documentaries for the History Channel, Court TV, and more.

Lee teaches storytelling at USC’s School of Architecture and has helped countless founders, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals turn complex ideas into projects that get funded.

No matter the medium—screenplays, news, business pitches—structure is essential. If you don’t give your story a clear setup, problem, and resolution, your audience will tune out (or worse, invent their own). Lee’s advice? “People crave story structure. If you don’t provide it, they’ll impose their own.”

What’s In It For You

• Discover why “setup, problem, resolution” works in every pitch and presentation
• Learn Lee’s “theme detector” exercise to find your most compelling story
• Build a story library: origin, customer benefit, and use case stories
• Make your audience the hero—why your story should be about their transformation, not your achievements
• Test your pitch with real people and refine it for maximum clarity
• Avoid the trap of being all things to all people—specialization is your storytelling superpower

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