{"podcast":{"title":"Innovation Storytellers","slug":"innovation-storytellers-3701797","podcast_index_feed_id":3701797,"rss_url":"https://innovationstorytellers.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://susanlindner.com/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/a/7/5/5/a755d4cc9a3cd33116c3140a3186d450/Cover-InnovationStories_1.jpg","author":"Susan Lindner","episode_count":100,"summary":"Did you ever wonder how an innovation got to its finish line? How innovators saw the future, made a product, and created change – in our world and in their companies? I did. Innovation Storytellers invites changemakers to describe how they created their innovation and just as important – THE STORIES – that made us fall in love with them. Come learn how great innovations need great stories to make them move around the world and how to become a better storyteller in the process. I'm Susan Lindner, the Innovation Storyteller. But I wasn't always. I've been a wannabe revolutionary, an epidemiologist at the CDC and an AIDS educator in the brothels of Thailand helping to turn former sex workers into entrepreneurs. Trained as an anthropologist and the Founder of Emerging Media, I've spent the last twenty years working with innovators from 60+ countries. Ranging from cutting edge startups to Fortune 100 companies like GE, Corning, Citi, Olayan, and nine foreign governments, helping their leaders to tell their stories and teaching them how to become incredible advocates for their innovations. Great innovation stories make change possible. They let us step into a future we can't see yet. I…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-16T14:17:09.638531+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797"},"episode":{"title":"252: How Authenticity Elevates Leadership Storytelling","slug":"252-how-authenticity-elevates-leadership-storytelling","published_at":"2026-04-07T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797/252-how-authenticity-elevates-leadership-storytelling","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797","url":"https://innovationstorytellers.com/podcasts/","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/innovationstorytellers/2026_Storytellers_252.mp3?dest-id=2720171","summary":"How do you tell a story that people actually believe, trust, and remember long after the meeting ends? In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Neal Foard, Founder of Storyfire, to explore what separates a good idea from one that truly lands. Neal brings decades of experience from the world of advertising, where he created campaigns for brands like Budweiser, Lexus, and Sony, and shares how storytelling is never just about the words you say. It is about the experience you create, the signals you send, and the way you make people feel before, during, and after every interaction. Our conversation moves beyond the traditional storytelling frameworks and into something far more human. Neal challenges the idea that leaders need to position themselves as heroes, arguing instead that credibility is built through humility, generosity, and the ability to elevate others. We also unpack the role of authenticity in leadership, especially at a time when executives are being asked to communicate complex, often uncomfortable narratives about AI, change, and the future of work. What stood out most is Neal's belief that storytelling is not a moment; it is a continuous presence. From the way you prepare a room to the follow-up message you send afterward, every detail contributes to the story people tell themselves about you. And in a world shaped by automation and digital interactions, that human layer has never been more valuable. So as you think about your next presentation, your next pitch, or even your next internal conversation, ask yourself this: What story are you really telling when no one is listening to your words?","meta_description":"How do you tell a story that people actually believe, trust, and remember long after the meeting ends? In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2322,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/innovation-storytellers-3701797/episodes/252-how-authenticity-elevates-leadership-storytelling/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797/252-how-authenticity-elevates-leadership-storytelling.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}