Slow Stories

Stephanie Danler — ”Compassion depends on being able to pay attention and feel.”

Novelist, memoirist, screenwriter, reader, mother, daughter: Stephanie Danler’s title isn’t singular, and perhaps that is what makes her such a compelling storyteller.

If you’ve read Stephanie’s work, you might already be aware of her gift for writing about the human experience in a way that captures your heart—and sometimes breaks it. Her breakout novel-turned-television show, Sweetbitter, is the embodiment of this. Although it was a runaway success, Stephanie eventually slowed down and looked inward when she realized that another prominent piece of writing she had been working on needed to be told, too. It wasn’t just any story; it was her story, and it recently came to life in her new memoir, Stray.

In this interview, Stephanie spoke more about the impetus for writing Stray, how her relationship with pace has changed, and her thoughts on slow content in our age of digital creativity. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Alessandra Angelini of The Workshop.

Nichole Powell — ”There is tremendous power in the pause.”

What does it mean to build a better tomorrow? Nichole Powell of Kinfield has been crafting the answer to this question throughout her entire career. In this interview, Nichole unpacked the importance of reinvigorating Kinfield's product category, how sustainability drives everything she does both on and off duty, and why slow content is a critical component in the modern storyteller's playbook. This episode also opens with a story contributed by writer Adeline Hocine.

Brandy Pham — ”We don’t need more of more.”

From jewelry design to content creation, Brandy Pham's elevated eye for design and passion for storytelling have both played an immense role in the success of her career. The culmination of her creative passions ultimately led to the inception of PLANOLY, the premier visual management and planning tool for modern marketers.

With a growing suite of products, PLANOLY has quickly risen to prominence as an industry-leading resource for its 2m+ community of businesses and content creators. In this interview, Brandy shared more about balancing parenthood and PLANOLY and the importance of leading with passion and empathy. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Jeanette Getrost.

Fran Hauser — ”When we slow down, we can be kinder to ourselves.”

The business world is changing for the better thanks to visionaries like Fran Hauser. The long-time media executive has seen the storytelling landscape evolve drastically throughout her career and in her roles at iconic digital media businesses, including Time Inc. and AOL. But as she transitioned into investing and advising mostly women-led startups, while taking into account her past experiences at work, Fran identified a singular problem that most modern professional women face: How do you own your niceness in the workplace? Enter her new book, The Myth of the Nice Girl. 

In this interview, Fran spoke about her writing experience and process, the importance of building sustainable connections, and why slowing down our relationship to content ultimately makes us nicer all around. The episode also opens with a story contributed by Isadora Sales.