Kevin, Host of the Better Learning Podcast

I was shooting hoops at my neighborhood park, earbuds in, listening to Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks.

Halfway through a chapter, I stopped mid-dribble and thought, I need to talk to this guy.

Here was a teacher who understood what we at Better Learning have believed from day one — that stories are how people change. It’s the cornerstone of our mission-driven company.

So, I convinced Matthew to be a guest on my podcast. But secretly, I had another plan.

About halfway through the episode, I threw him a curveball I’d been plotting all along. “Matthew,” I said, “can you give me feedback on one of my stories?”

Now, I’d told our company’s founding story dozens of times before. I knew it by heart. So I dove in, sharing the full journey — the inspiration, the evolution, the lessons learned along the way.

When I finished, I looked at him expectantly.

He paused, smiled, and said calmly, “Yeah… that’s not very good.”

Ouch.

After a brief moment of pulling that knife out of my ego, Matthew walked me through what was missing — the emotion, the stakes, the human truth behind the facts. His notes were like a lightbulb moment.

I realized I hadn’t been telling our story. I’d been reporting it.

From that day forward, we started rethinking how we communicate everything — from our mission to our brand to how each team member shares their own story. Matthew didn’t just give us feedback. He gave us a framework to make our stories stick.

Today, storytelling isn’t just something we use for marketing. It’s how we build trust, connection, and culture inside our company.

Because good storytelling isn’t a gift for the few — it’s a skill that’s inside all of us, waiting to be refined.