Griddlecakes Radio

One of my favorite places to find stories is in old newspapers. While my eyes are drawn to sensational headlines like Men Walk on the Moon or Dewey Defeats Truman, the best stories are in the column inches around them… like the one I found on Page 11 of the November 27, 1906 edition of the Long Beach Telegram. It’s a story that I call, “The Dime.”

This is the story of the most travelled dog in US Naval history.

This story picks up where Griddlesode S19-002: The Slow Wheels of Justice left off. It covers the Preliminary Hearing for the man accused of killing Dr. John Cheng.

This story picks up where Griddlesode S17-003: Primary Care left off. It covers two and a half years of court proceedings for the man accused of killing Dr. John Cheng.

Ever had a day that starts badly and just spirals downward? The kind where you should've stayed in bed and hit the snooze button? Now imagine stringing a few of those days together for a bad week. This is a story about one such week that occurred over 40 years ago.

Navy Lieutenant Hugh Shake knew that he had married a strong-willed woman, but he never could have imagined the lengths by which she’d prove it. She had just accomplished a feat that had never been done before, and in all likelihood, would never happen again. What was this amazing accomplishment? Sit back and listen to a true story called, The Miracle of the Coral Sea.

I found three, 125-year-old job offer letters from the Bausch and Lomb Optical Company--all to a Robert Werth. I had many questions. Why three letters? Why were two of them typed and one of them hand-written? And most importantly, did Robert accept the position? If you’d like to know the answers to these and other questions, sit back and listen to a story that I call: “Did Robert Get the Job?”

Have you ever become the villain of a story where you should have been the hero? If so, you'll appreciate this remix of Griddlesode 13: Sometimes Life Isn’t Fair.

It took decades to check this bucket-item off my list, but I finally got to visit Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. It's a story that I call, "Wait. What? No!"

Have you ever started something enthusiastically, only to realize about halfway through that it might not be a good idea? Well, I had such an experience a couple months ago as I started telling a story to Magic Johnson. It’s a story that I call, Do you believe in Magic?

I use storytelling to both immortalize the high points in my life, and to help me process the low points. Today’s story falls into the latter category–to help me process a random event that just doesn’t make sense. It’s a story that I call: "Primary Care."

It all starts with a buyer and a seller. One person has something to sell that another is interested in buying. But how does that transaction happen? How do sellers and buyers arrive at a mutual price? One answer can be found in a new movement that’s changing the way we price creative works. What is this new movement? Well, sit back and listen to a story that I call: "Value is in the Ear of the Beholder."

On May 18th, 2010, someone made a purchase that changed the world. Did this purchase involve a tract of land for a future hospital, library, or regional park? Nope. They bought a pizza. Actually two of 'em. And what made these two pizza pies so special? Well, sit back and listen to a story called, “Tinkerbell’s Light.”

On April 12, 1994, a Phoenix Law firm found a loophole that allowed it to make money without spending any. What was this curious business model and how has it affected everyone listening to this show? Here's a story that we call "Life Needs Friction."

On today’s Griddlesode, I have a story that longtime listeners have heard bits and pieces of, but they’ve never heard them strung together. It’s a story called: "Griddlecakes Radio: The "Birth of a Podcast."

During a recent interview, Dan Moyle of the Storyteller’s Network asked me the following question: “Do you have a life-changing story that you can look back on and say…this is what changed my life when it came to story?” My answer became the inspiration for today’s Griddlesode. It’s a story called: "Finding Uncle Kelsey."

Some stories happen in the matter of seconds. Others take a lifetime. Here's personal story that's almost 50 years in the making--Ron's quest to photograph a comet.

Sometimes you stumble upon one story while researching another.

Ron tells the story of getting scammed and applying the lessons learned.

Ron tells the story of a severe injury that he suffered while...storytelling

Ron tells three little stories to demonstrate the most important storytelling trait.

This is the end to a decades old story that Ron learned through tracing the facts found on a stack of century-old postcards.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the epic poem, Evangeline, in 1847. It's based on a true story that has significance to the Griddlecakes Radio podcast. Listen to find out how.

Battleship USS IOWA was launched on August 27, 1942. Since then, she's served in WWII, Korean War, and in the Cold War. In this Griddlesode, we tell her story through three generations of sailors.

Have you ever stood at the top of a mountain during a sunset? A vantage point that allowed you to see where the curvature of the earth met a multicolored sky? A scene so beautiful that you wanted to share it with your friends through a photograph, but when you did, the colors seemed muted, the earth less curved, and the experience far from how you remembered it? Why? The reason is that you put a frame around it.

In this Griddlesode, Ron records his father's memories.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells the story of life and important lessons.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells the story of a woman who lived over 100 years ago.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells the story of experiencing a trial from the jury box.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells the story of two people and his connections to them through social media: one a re-connection, and the other a new connection.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells the story of two people and his connections to them through social media: one a re-connection, and the other a new connection.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells a story about the random series of events that needed to occur in order to put him into an awkward position.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells a story about the random series of events that needed to occur in order to put him into an awkward position.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells a story about the person who taught him the most about storytelling.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells a Christmas story of love, mistakes, and redemption.

In this Griddlesode, Ron recounts the events of September 11, 2001.

In this Griddlesode, Ron digs deep into his desk drawer to find an interview that he recorded in 1998 with entrepreneur Arthur Nelson, who explains how a chance encounter with one of the most influential entrepreneurs of the 20th century shaped his career.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells a story that questions whether or not the end justifies the mean.

In this Griddlesode, Ron tells two seemingly different stories that come together at the end.

In this Griddlesode, Ron combines three travel pieces into one story.