Two Storytelling Lessons from My Grandfather (527)

From Content Inc. - The Podcast by Joe Pulizzi

December 22, 2025 · 9 min

About this episode

Joe Pulizzi reflects on storytelling lessons learned from his grandfather's funeral home experience.

In this special year-end episode, Joe revisits one of the earliest Content Inc. podcasts, originally recorded in December 2014. It's a deeply personal reflection on growing up around his grandfather's funeral home in Sandusky, Ohio, and the unexpected business and storytelling lessons that came from those years. At the heart of the episode is a simple truth. Great storytelling is not about performance or persuasion. It's about service, empathy, and meaning. Through one powerful story from the Great Depression and a set of foundational content marketing principles, Joe reminds us why helping first and communicating well still matter more than ever. This is a no-video episode, shared intentionally as a reminder of how far the podcast has come and what has remained constant. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why helping others is the foundation of meaningful business How a single story can communicate values better than any strategy deck What great storytelling actually does for trust and connection Why usefulness always beats interruption in marketing The core Content Inc. beliefs that still hold true more than a decade later Key Takeaways Helping people is not separate from…

People in this episode

Host: Joe Pulizzi

Topics covered

storytelling
business lessons
empathy
content marketing
trust
service

Keywords

storytelling
business
empathy
content marketing
trust
Great Depression
service

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Sandusky, Ohio