How to Share Reporting

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“Good people bring out the good in people.” – unknown

A few years ago I took my kids to a gathering where they met a lot of grown-ups. They did a few minutes of chit chat with them all and then we went off to play.

After a few minutes, my son, Mr. D, who was three years old said to me, “Where’s the New Guy?”

It took some back and forth but I figured out he was talking about one of the many grown-ups he’d met, Steve Rubenstein. As a long-time reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and a substitute kindergarten teacher, Steve had captured Mr. D’s interest. No surprise, Steve is full of great stories and delight for all ages.

Steve heartily embraced the new moniker. My daughter, Miss O, who was seven at the time, memorialized it by making a New Guy friendship bracelet for him.

I recently had the privilege of podcasting with Steve Rubenstein and I’m sure you’ll agree – Steve has an incredible knack for sharing stories.

In this episode of the How To Share podcast, we talk about the art of storytelling that resonates with all ages. Steve shares insights from his 50-year journalism career, including his unique experiences interviewing notable figures and the therapeutic journey of writing. Learn why 13 miles per hour is the perfect speed to encounter life and how to leave a lasting impact through the stories we tell.

Takeaways:

The Art of Storytelling: Steve emphasizes the importance of knowing what to leave out in storytelling, highlighting that most of writing is about omission rather than inclusion.

Interviewing Insights: Steve shares his approach to interviewing, focusing on asking questions that resonate with both the interviewer and the audience, and getting subjects off their prepared remarks.

Therapeutic Writing: Writing can be therapeutic, as Steve experienced when he wrote about personal moments, like dropping his son off at college, which helped him process emotions.

Life at 13 MPH: Steve’s cross-country bike trip taught him that 13 miles per hour is the perfect speed to encounter life, allowing for meaningful interactions and observations.

Human Connection: Despite the contentious times, Steve’s journey across America revealed that the country is full of wonderful people, emphasizing the power of human connection beyond politics.

This is a great episode filled with how to share stories. Steve’s storytelling will leave you charmed and ready to tell your own. I know you’ll love it.

Here’s a short clip to give you a taste of the great conversation with the witty and wise Steve Rubenstein:

Here are some ways you can listen and watch to the full episode:

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

How to Celebrate the Try – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

When should we celebrate progress—only at the finish line, or all along the way?In this episode of The Life of Try, Wynne Leon explores the power of small wins, tiny habits, and incremental progress. Drawing from a personal story about preparing her home for an Airbnb experiment during the World Cup in Seattle, Wynne reflects on what it means to keep going when growth is messy, nonlinear, and full of setbacks.Along the way, she connects insights from BJ Fogg, creator of Tiny Habits and director of Stanford’s Behavior Design Lab, with the long-term philosophy of Toyota’s Kaizen culture, where small daily improvements add up over time, and the practical courage found in the checklist mindset associated with Captain Sullenberger. This episode is about personal growth, habit formation, celebrating small victories, and learning to recognize that progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to matter.In this episode, we discuss: → Why celebrating small wins can help you stay motivated even when progress feels slow or messy → How BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits approach shows that tiny celebrations can reinforce lasting behavior change → What Toyota’s Kaizen philosophy teaches about the long-term power of small, consistent improvements → How checklists and small-step courage can help you keep going when you feel overwhelmed or stuck → Why growth often looks nonlinear, and how to recognize progress before the final result arrives → How honoring effort along the way can help you build resilience, confidence, and momentum If you’ve ever felt stuck, overlooked your own progress, or wondered whether the little steps count, this conversation will remind you that they do. Small wins matter. Tiny steps matter. And trying counts, even before the big outcome arrives.🌍 Show notes and more inspiration: https://wynneleon.com🔔 Subscribe for more: Subscribe to The Life of Try for more conversations on: personal growth, creativity, reinvention, resilience, writing, and mindset.ABOUT ME: Hi, I’m Wynne Leon — host of The Life of Try, a personal growth and self-improvement podcast exploring resilience, reinvention, uncertainty, and the courage to keep trying. Through thoughtful interviews, reflective conversations, and real-life stories, I share insights to help you navigate change, get unstuck, and move forward with more intention.🌍 Website: https://wynneleon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎥 Watch Next➡️ Letting Go Of Outcomes: The Mindset That Keeps You Moving➡️ 48: How to Get Unstuck: Michael Yang on Saying Yes, Resilience and Coming Alive➡️ How to Reclaim Fun in Adult Life | Mike Rucker, PhD, on Joy, Burnout and the Fun Habit🔗 CONNECT WITH ME:• Website:→ https://wynneleon.com/• Instagram:→ https://www.instagram.com/wynneleon/• Facebook:→ https://www.facebook.com/wynne.leon/
  1. How to Celebrate the Try
  2. How to Reclaim Fun in Adult Life; Michael Rucker, PhD on Joy, Burnout, and The Fun Habit
  3. Reinvention, Resilience and The Courage to Try| Lindsey Goldstein on Gap Year
  4. 51: Letting Go of Outcomes: The Mindset That Keeps You Moving
  5. 50: How to Write the Book You've Been Meaning to Write | Dr. Victoria Atkinson (Slivers)

Links for this post:

As student gains bearings, father loses his by Steve Rubenstein (ping pong story mentioned in the podcast)

Steve Rubenstein, San Francisco Chronicle

(featured photo is Miss O with Steve and the New Guy bracelet)

50 thoughts on “How to Share Reporting”

  2. 13 mph sounds like a wonderful title for a book or memoir. Love the idea that this is right pace to experience life and the insight that biking is a great leveler and allows us to meet people and not seeing a specific political side.

    Had quite the chuckle at the jibe at your fearless leader and comparing him to kindergarten kids. Let’s not insult our kindergarteners now! 😝

    Good journalism is as much about the editing as it is about capturing the resonant details. Loved this conversation!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oh, 13 mph as a title — that’s brilliant, Ab! The way you summed it up as a leveler – that’s a great observation.

      I’m still laughing about that comparison as well. One thing is clear – our fearless leader hasn’t changed much in 27 years. 🙂

      Thanks for tuning in, my friend!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Wow his comment about how to connect with readers… It’s interesting that he really only responded once so as not to skew his perception. That not something I’ve ever thought about. As for your kiddo… I’m not surprised he has as many stories as you do 😅

    Liked by 3 people

  4. So good! I like the company you’re keeping in your “How to Share” platform, Wynne! I look forward to listening later…so nice to meet the new guy! 🥰

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Wow, his view of readers! I never thought to look at things that way, but he’s quite right. I need to remember his pointers for when I go in for rewriting my second draft.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I totally agree, Jen! And maybe even more important for blogging since we don’t have an editor to please or column inch limitations! Thanks for tuning in!

      Like

  18. 13 mph may be the perfect speed to encounter life, but I’d rather be going a little faster if I encounter wildlife. Especially if said wildlife has razor-sharp claws and teeth. The bigger those are, the faster I want to be going.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. I enjoyed this clip, Wynne, and I love the 13 mph takeaway, along with the “human connections beyond politics.” It’s so cute that Miss O made him a bracelet and he wore it. I’ll listen to the full podcast later tonight. Thanks for sharing! ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad you liked it. I hope you enjoy the podcast. I would think it likely that you read some of his bylines in the paper over the years given that you both have SF roots!

      Like

  21. This was such a lovely read, Wynne. What a title to earn from a three-year-old. Steve sounds like one of those rare people who carry stories like lanterns, lighting the way for others.

    Like

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