Anne Hamby: Dreadmills, Tater Tubes, and the Stories We Tell

A great story doesn’t just entertain, it changes what we believe is possible. I sit down with Boise State marketing professor Dr. Anne Hamby to unpack why storytelling is so powerful, how it works in marketing and education, and why the most persuasive narratives often sound less like a sales pitch and more like a real human confession.

We start somewhere unexpected: ultra running. Anne explains the “exercise in extremes” behind 50Ks and 50-milers, the mental trick of moving from mile 10 to the next aid station instead of panicking about the miles ahead, and the strange joy of fueling with gummy worms, cookies, and whatever your body suddenly demands. That endurance mindset becomes a bridge to the bigger theme: stories help us persist through discomfort, uncertainty, and change.

From there, Anne shares the career pivot that shaped her scholarship, quitting graduate school and then managing a youth development program in South Africa. Watching a narrative-based curriculum outperform traditional lecturing led her to study storytelling, narrative persuasion, and social marketing focused on consumer well-being. We also dig into imposter syndrome as an internal story, research with STEM students using Story Collider training, and why authenticity and “narrative transportation” can open people up to new ideas while inauthentic messaging triggers resistance.

If you’re a teacher, parent, leader, student, or anyone trying to influence change without lecturing, you’ll leave with concrete ways to use storytelling more intentionally. Subscribe and share this with a friend who loves a good narrative.