Podcast Episodes
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The Blue Plastic Bag | Paper, Plastic, and Control
In this episode of 7 Minute Stories, Aaron Calafato takes a simple grocery store choice—paper or plastic—and spins it into a meditation on control, r…
10 months ago
Soledad O’Brien: From Covering Katrina to Shaping Stories for Netflix
Award-winning journalist and producer Soledad O’Brien — known from CNN, NBC, and HBO, and now the CEO of Soledad O’Brien Productions — joins Aaron to…
10 months, 1 week ago
Learning Left from Right at a Funeral
At a funeral, Aaron froze in the aisle, unsure whether to go right or left. That moment carried him back to first grade, when Mrs. Brown—his teacher …
10 months, 1 week ago
When You Know It’s Too Much: A Warheads Story
A childhood without candy turned into an all-out Warheads binge — and a tongue injury Aaron Calafato kept secret just to eat them again. In this swee…
10 months, 2 weeks ago
The Last Blockbuster and the Death of Movie Night
Aaron reflects on his growing inability to choose and enjoy movies in the age of endless streaming—and the unexpected documentary that finally broke …
10 months, 3 weeks ago
The Missing Person, Mozzarella Sticks & an Ending You Won’t Believe
When a missing person case hit Aaron’s community, he didn’t expect to get involved—until mozzarella sticks at Arby’s made it personal. In this story,…
11 months ago
The Prayer: What I Heard in the Hospital Changed Me Forever
While sitting beside his grandmother before heart surgery, Aaron witnesses a moment of prayer that transforms his understanding of vulnerability, fai…
11 months, 1 week ago
Angus Fletcher (Story Scientist, OSU): Why Storytelling Is More Powerful Than Data, AI, or Logic
What if storytelling isn’t just communication—but the original form of intelligence?
Angus Fletcher, story scientist and Ohio State professor (featu…
11 months, 2 weeks ago
They Called Me “America” — But They Were the Dream
After college, Aaron spent a quiet summer in rural Ohio, preparing for a new life in New York. But one Saturday on a sunbaked soccer field, he joined…
11 months, 2 weeks ago
I Raced Shamu at SeaWorld—and Missed the Real Story Unfolding
In 1993, a 10-year-old Aaron Calafato got the opportunity of a lifetime: to race a killer whale named Shamu at SeaWorld in front of a roaring crowd. …
11 months, 3 weeks ago