{"podcast":{"title":"The Backstory Podcast","slug":"the-backstory-podcast-7733603","podcast_index_feed_id":7733603,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/thebackstory/feed.xml","website_url":"https://thebackstory.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22018169/The_Understory_Podcast91ebe.png","author":"Future of Faith","episode_count":10,"summary":"The Backstory Podcast Join hosts Josh Packard (Future of Faith), Shannon Hopkins (Rooted Good), and Elizabeth Coffee (Lake Institute) for a candid look at the messy, beautiful work of narrative change. Created specifically for the community of Lilly Endowment Storytelling grantees, The Backstory pulls back the curtain on our own projects—wins, struggles, and all. Each episode, we sit down as friends to swap insights, interview fellow grantees from the field, and explore how we can ethically and effectively tell stories that shape the future of faith. It’s less about polished presentations and more about \"how the sausage is made.\" Come listen, learn, and let’s figure this out together.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-28T00:20:21.852162+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backstory-podcast-7733603"},"episode":{"title":"The Backstory-S01E09-Melissa Spas","slug":"the-backstory-s01e09-melissa-spas","published_at":"2026-07-27T12:21:34+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backstory-podcast-7733603/the-backstory-s01e09-melissa-spas","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backstory-podcast-7733603","url":"https://thebackstory.podbean.com/e/behind-the-backstory-inside-the-national-storytelling-initiative/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/que5em9r7h55trjs/The_Backstory-S01E09-Melissa_Spas77g6c.mp3","summary":"Hosts Elizabeth, Josh, and Shannon share project updates—recent hires, RFPs, and the start of paid production—as they push the National Storytelling Initiative from planning into action. Shannon and Josh discuss fresh audience research showing many active Christians on the edge of church life and the need for more compelling, relevant stories. They also preview upcoming storytelling tests, campaigns, and gatherings. Guest Melissa Spas, Belmont’s new managing director for the coordination program, explains goals to listen, convene, and build shared resources so grantees can learn from one another and scale narrative work across diverse Christian communities. Find more about the coordination efforts at: https://www.belmont.edu/storytelling-coordination-program/","meta_description":"Hosts Elizabeth, Josh, and Shannon share project updates—recent hires, RFPs, and the start of paid production—as they push the National Storytelling Initi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4032,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-backstory-podcast-7733603/episodes/the-backstory-s01e09-melissa-spas/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-backstory-podcast-7733603/the-backstory-s01e09-melissa-spas.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}