Story Swap is a live storytelling podcast that travels the Midwest, capturing true-life stories told on stage in theaters, back rooms, bars, and community spaces. Each episode brings you real people sharing real experiences — raw, funny, heartbreaking, and deeply human — exactly as they were told live, in front of an audience.
Hosted by Jackie Andrews, Story Swap goes behind the scenes with the producers who create these storytelling stages and features powerful stories from both seasoned tellers and first-time voices. From small towns to major cities across the Rust Belt, Story Swap highlights the communities, moments, and connections that make live storytelling unforgettable.
This is a show about listening, courage, and the stories we carry — and what happens when we finally tell them out loud.
🎙️ Real people. Real stories. Real connection.
🌾 Recorded live across the Midwest.
In this episode of Story Swap, host Jackie Andrews visits Dayton, Ohio, to explore LORE Storytelling, an organization dedicated to teaching people how to craft and share true-life stories on stage. Founder Bridget Flaherty explains how LORE's workshops empower first-time tellers, business leaders, and community members to find their voice—and why education is at the heart of their work.
The episode features two powerful stories shaped through LORE's coaching process. Megan Garrison recounts a terrifying encounter with gunfire and terrorism while teaching students in Somaliland, confronting the reality of living without safety. Anastasia shares a multigenerational story from Ukraine, revealing how famine, war, and resilience shaped her family—and how survival itself becomes a legacy.
Story Swap brings you real people, real stories, and real connection—told live, without notes, straight from the stage.
30 May 2026
Hatred and Healing- Dayton, Ohio
In this episode of Story Swap, we visit Dayton, Ohio and collaborate with LORE Storytelling to explore stories rooted in hatred, vulnerability, and healing. Host Jackie Andrews sits down with LORE founder Bridget Flaherty to discuss how storytelling education helps people reclaim their voices and tell difficult truths from the stage.
The episode features two unforgettable live stories. Scott Ley shares a deeply personal journey of coming out, finding love, and navigating public acts of hate while choosing courage and pride. Dar reflects on her childhood as a Sikh immigrant in post‑9/11 America, tracing the long emotional arc from racism and isolation to activism, burnout, and the creation of healing spaces for others.
Recorded live, these stories put a human face on hatred and remind us why storytelling matters—not only to bear witness, but to heal.
30 May 2026
Beauty and the Beast- Cincinnati, Ohio
In this episode, host Jackie Andrews sits down from Cincinnati with Dave Levy of True Theatre to explore what makes curated storytelling different: story gathering, pitch nights, rehearsals, and the craft of telling from memory without sounding memorized.
Then we share "Beauty and the Beast," two true stories that reveal transformation in very different forms. In "Beauty," Colleen Herman follows a passion for hair, makeup, and stagecraft all the way to Cirque du Soleil in Macau—only to discover that outer beauty can't substitute for inner well-being. Her journey becomes a powerful reminder that healing, balance, and self-care are the real foundation of radiance.
In "Beast," Julie Cole delivers a gripping, funny, and heartbreaking story about adopting a puppy during a messy divorce—only to face a city rule that could take the dog away. What follows is a race against time, a family saved by companionship, and a goodbye that lands straight in the chest.
30 May 2026
Carpe Diam- Columbus, Ohio
In this episode of Story Swap, we head to Columbus, Ohio, for a Storytelling show produced by Heidi Shapiro around the theme Carpe Diem. The stories invite us to consider what happens when we stop waiting for certainty and start saying yes—to curiosity, connection, and change.
Sarah Fulmer shares a sharply observed and funny childhood story that turns fear on its head. Steve recounts a teenage summer transformed by Bruce Springsteen's Thunder Road, a song that taught him the power of seizing opportunity. Chad closes the episode with a thoughtful reflection on marriage, divorce, and the destabilizing experience of realizing you were deeply wrong about someone you loved.
Recorded live, these stories remind us that growth often begins with a leap into the unknown.
30 May 2026
Unexpected Kindness- Columbus, Ohio
Welcome to Story Swap, the program where true-life stories take center stage. In this episode, we travel to Columbus, Ohio, to visit Speak Easy, a live storytelling series known for an open mic that produces spontaneous, unexpected stories.
Host Jackie Andrews is joined by Speak Easy producer Heidi Shapiro, who introduces the evening's theme: Unexpected Kindness. The episode features two moving stories told live on stage. Susan, a longtime storyteller and Ohio State University employee, weaves together science, family, and grief as she reflects on the loss of her father and the small acts of kindness that shaped her experience. Jackie Andrews follows with a deeply personal story that reminds us how compassion often appears when we least expect it.
This episode highlights the power of live storytelling to create connection, meaning, and shared humanity.
30 May 2026
Parents and Kids- Columbus, Ohio
In Episode of Story Swap, host Jackie Andrews heads to Columbus, Ohio, to visit Speak Easy Storytelling, the longest-running storytelling show in the city. Joined by producer Heidi Shapiro, Jackie explores what makes Speak Easy a sacred community space where vulnerability, honesty, and connection thrive.
The episode features two unforgettable stories told live on stage. Karl weaves humor and tenderness into reflections on basements, parenthood, and the vastly different ways his children make sense of the world, revealing how hope and imagination shape family life. Jen delivers a powerful and unflinching story about becoming a teenage mother, navigating stigma, and rejecting harmful narratives by claiming her own voice through storytelling and writing.
Story Swap captures the magic of live storytelling as it happens—raw, intimate, and deeply human—bringing audiences closer to the voices and venues that keep this art form alive.
27 May 2026
Beauty, Columbus, Ohio
In this episode, we travel to Columbus, Ohio, to visit Speak Easy, a monthly open-mic storytelling stage that welcomes storytellers of all experience levels, from first-time tellers to seasoned performers.
This week on Story Swap, host Jackie Andrews sits down with Heidi Shapiro, a producer from Columbus's own Speakeasy storytelling show, who brings two moving stories centered on the theme of beauty. First, Brian takes us on a nostalgic ride through his childhood summers in the cab of his father's semi-truck — a journey that winds from truck stops and loading docks all the way to the Magic Kingdom — and reflects on how the stories we tell ourselves about our parents shift when we become parents ourselves.
Then Justin shares a funny and deeply honest account of navigating college life as a queer kid in a wheelchair, armed with an ambitious plan to know everything and charm everyone. What he finds instead is something better: a wrong turn in the dark, an obscure board game, and the beginning of friendships that actually stick. Two very different stories, one shared truth — beauty often shows up right where you least expect it.
This episode highlights the beauty of live storytelling to create connection, meaning, and shared humanity.
27 May 2026
New Story Coaches- Dayton, Ohio
In this episode of Story Swap, we head to Dayton, Ohio to spend time with LORE Storytelling, one of the Midwest's most dynamic live storytelling communities. Host Jackie Andrews talks with LORE founder Bridget Flaherty about the organization's transition into new leadership, its expanding story coaching program, and how Lore is helping storytellers develop confidence both on and off the stage.
The episode features two live stories from LORE's stage. One storyteller shares a hilarious and heartfelt account of saying "yes" to skydiving — and discovering self-love in the process. Another reflects on a lifelong dream of performing, the steady encouragement of a grandmother, and the courage it takes to keep going even when the spotlight feels out of reach.
Recorded in front of a live audience, this episode captures the power of storytelling to inspire bravery, creativity, and connection.
27 May 2026
Choices- Dayton, Ohio
In this episode of Story Swap, we visit Dayton, Ohio and sit down with LORE Storytelling, an organization dedicated to teaching the craft of personal storytelling. Host Jackie Andrews talks with Lore founder Bridget Flaherty about how coaching and workshops—both in-person and virtual—help people turn lived experience into powerful stories.
The episode features two live stories centered on the theme of choices. One storyteller bravely examines decisions made at nineteen and the long shadow they cast over adulthood. Another reflects on a defining moment as a young Marine, torn between military service and a corporate future, and the friendships, identity, and purpose shaped along the way.
Recorded live on stage, these stories offer an honest look at hindsight, accountability, and the moments that quietly shape the trajectory of our lives.
27 May 2026
Lessons Learned- Pittsburgh
In this Pittsburgh episode of Story Swap, host Jackie Andrews explores the theme Lessons Learned with producer Sarah Rose of BeeTherePGH. Recorded live on stage, the episode features three powerful and entertaining stories that reveal how insight often arrives through unexpected experiences.
Listeners meet a mother who confronts her deepest fear to make her child happy, a young man whose early-adulthood housing nightmare becomes a cautionary—and hilarious—tale, and a storyteller who revisits childhood wonder through a memory shared with her father. Along the way, Jackie and Sarah reflect on what it means to tell meaningful stories without overwhelming an audience—and why humor, honesty, and restraint matter.
27 May 2026
Family Ties- Pittsburgh
In this episode of Story Swap, we travel to Pittsburgh for a live storytelling event exploring family ties and personal history. Host Jackie Andrews talks with Sarah Rose, founder of BeTherePGH, about building meaningful storytelling spaces before sharing two unforgettable stories from the stage. Brian Sudduth uncovers the complex life his father lived before becoming the man he knew, while Tejal Cartwright reflects on her relationship with her mother through the lens of a treasured necklace. Recorded live, these stories capture the vulnerability, honesty, and connection that make storytelling powerful.
27 May 2026
New Ideas- Cincinnati, Ohio
In this Cincinnati episode of Story Swap, host Jackie Andrews talks with Dave Levy, producer of True Theatre, about building an inclusive and accessible storytelling community. Recorded live on stage, the episode features two powerful stories connected by the theme of new ideas.
Listeners hear a moving reflection on friendship, identity, and trust through a college roommate relationship that begins in uncertainty and grows into lifelong connection. The episode also features a joyful and tender story about a father and daughter, where belief, imagination, and shared moments in nature remind us that magic doesn't disappear—it evolves.
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