Stories That Stick – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Stories That Stick

Little Stories That Stick

Kids & Family

Education

Leisure

Frequency: 1 episode/34d. Total Eps: 37

Join Laura, resident storyteller, as she shows you how oral stories inspire and captivate minds young and old. Tune in each week to hear a compelling story and join in meaningful conversations. Laura will be digging deep into the heart of storytelling: connection and listening. Come get lost in another world and discover how stories shape our lives.

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Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇬🇧 Great Britain - storiesForKids
22/07/2026
#79
🇬🇧 Great Britain - storiesForKids
28/02/2025
#90
🇬🇧 Great Britain - storiesForKids
27/02/2025
#66

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://laura-shea.mykajabi.com/
10 shares
https://littlestoriesthatstick.com
5 shares
https://www.littlestoriesthatstick.com/storycards
4 shares

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 63%

Publication history

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Seeing Children's Stories Everywhere with Cathy Belgrave

Season 3

Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 46:53

On this episode, I'm joined by educator, workshop facilitator, and founder of The Intentional Educator, Cathy Belgrave, for a thoughtful conversation about expanding the way we think about stories. While many of us associate storytelling with books or oral narratives, Cathy invites us to consider a much broader perspective. Together, we explore how children communicate through play, art, conversation, movement, and everyday interactions and what happens when educators slow down enough to truly notice.

Highlights:

Stories Are Everywhere: Cathy shares why stories aren't limited to books or "once upon a time." From dramatic play and conversations to artwork and loose parts, children are constantly communicating their ideas, identities, questions, and understandings of the world.
Shifting Our Lens as Educators: We discuss the importance of slowing down, observing with curiosity, and looking beyond surface-level behaviors. Rather than asking, "What are they making?" we explore questions like, "What are they trying to understand?" and "What story is unfolding here?"
Art as Communication and Meaning-Making: Cathy explains how children's artwork tells stories long before it resembles recognizable images. Together we unpack process art, mark-making, sensory exploration, and how relationships with materials evolve over time as children develop.
Trusting Children and Ourselves: Throughout our conversation, we return to the importance of trusting children's natural drive to learn while also giving ourselves grace as educators. Cathy shares practical ways to create the time, space, and flow that allow children's stories to emerge authentically.

If you've ever wondered how to better understand what children are communicating through their play, artwork, conversations, or everyday experiences, this episode offers a fresh perspective that will shift the way you observe and support young learners.

Connect with Laura:
Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick
Website: Little Stories That Stick

Connect with Cathy:
Instagram: @theintentionaleducator_yvr
Websites: theintentionaleducator.ca

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Embracing Unschooling and Natural Literacy with Leah McDermott

Season 3

Thursday, December 4, 2025 • Duration 48:07

In this Season 3 opener of "Stories That Stick," Laura is joined by educator, author, and founder of Your Natural Learner and Bridge Academy, Leah McDermott, for a conversation about courage and child-led learning. Leah has spent years helping families and educators break free from rigid, traditional models so children can learn in ways that honor who they are. In this episode, they explore the heart of unschooling, natural literacy development, and what it means to truly trust children’s learning without checklists, timelines, or pressure.

Highlights:

Redefining Learning Beyond School: Leah breaks down the most common misconceptions about unschooling and explains why it isn’t anti-school. You’ll hear how removing children from rigid structures opens the door to deeper curiosity, intrinsic motivation, and authentic engagement with the world.
Natural Literacy as Expression, Not a Timeline: We discuss why pushing reading too early can backfire and how literacy develops through language, connection, and real-world context. Leah explains what natural literacy looks like day-to-day and why trusting a child’s brain development leads to stronger, more confident readers in the long run.
Doing the Adult Work: A major theme in this episode is unlearning. Leah and Laura talk about the internal work adults must do from examining fears, to undoing their own educational conditioning, all while learning to trust the process.
Navigating Fear, Pressure, and the Unknown: What if you let go of timelines? What if your child learns differently than you did? Leah offers grounded, compassionate advice for navigating the fear and societal pressure that often arise when you choose a path outside the norm.

If you’ve ever wondered what learning might look like without the pressure, the power struggles, or the constant comparison, this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air. Leah’s insights offer a vision of education rooted in connection, curiosity, and trust—one that prepares children for a rapidly changing world by honoring who they are today.

Empowering Children Through Storytelling and Play with Dr. Ben Mardell

Season 2

Tuesday, July 16, 2024 • Duration 34:11

In this episode, Laura welcomes Dr. Ben Mardell, a mentor who has profoundly influenced her understanding of storytelling and story acting. Dr. Mardell, the Atelierista and Pedagogista at the Newtown School, shares his extensive experience in early childhood education. Together they talk about the excitement and learning that storytelling brings to young children.

Highlights:

Power Dynamics: Laura and Ben discuss the importance of shifting the power dynamics when learning alongside children. Ben explains how empowering children enhances the overall power and capability of a classroom or family, rather than diminishing adult authority.
Storytelling as Play: Laura and Ben met through their work with Storytelling and Storyacting. They chat about how storytelling is inherently playful, allowing children to express agency and creativity.
Being a Storytelling: Ben shares a memorable storytelling experience from year ago, where he discovered the power of storytelling in engaging children. Laura and Ben discuss the importance of being present and engaged while telling stories.

Storytelling is essential in early childhood education. You need to incorporate it into your daily rhythms. You can start small and embrace all the imperfections of storytelling, practice leads to improvement and deeper connections with children! If you’re looking for some practical advice on embracing being a storyteller, or how to bring storytelling to life in your classroom, listen up!

Connect with Laura: @little.stories.that.stick & website

Learn more about Storytelling and Storyacting with this free handout

Download a PDF of the book “A Pedagogy of Play: Supporting playful learning in classrooms and schools” by Ben Mardell, Jen Ryan, Mara Krechevsky, Megina Baker, Savhannah Schulz, and Yvonne Liu Constant

Storytelling Time - "Race Car Driver"

Season 2

Thursday, May 23, 2024 • Duration 06:26

This story is for one of "Stories That Stick" biggest fans. Enjoy Manu, thanks for all your support.

If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story prompts here to help!

Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick

Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick

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Storytelling Through Discomfort with Kisa Marx

Season 2

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 • Duration 41:26

In this heartfelt and deeply personal episode, Laura is joined by Kisa Marks, founder of The Play Lab Foundation. Together, they explore how stories support humans through trauma. Kisa shares her commitment to addressing the needs of underserved children, offering them the opportunities they need to flourish. When Kisa first came across Laura’s storytelling style, she realized she has always been a storyteller and began to fully embrace it.

Highlights:

Personal Stories of Growth and Support: Kisa gives a glimpse into her childhood and Laura discusses her current struggles as a mother. Both women share how trauma has impacted them and children in their lives.
Understanding Trauma and Healing: Laura and Kisa share their understanding of trauma and describe it as unresolved experiences that can manifest physically and emotionally over time. They discuss the importance of addressing trauma and providing children with safe spaces to process their experiences.
Healing and Connection Through Storytelling: Kisa and Laura highlight the power of storytelling in helping children understand and process challenging events. They share personal anecdotes about using stories to explain and cope with grief, such as the death of a pet.

Have children experienced challenging things and you’re not sure how to support them through? Have you ever wondered if you should talk about the pet that died or why you were crying at lunch? If so, this episode will give you just enough courage to embrace telling stories, or listening to stories from children, that capture uncomfortable experiences.

Connect with Laura: @little.stories.that.stick & website

Connect with Kisa Marx: iam_still_learning

Storytelling Time - "Seaunicorns"

Season 2

Thursday, May 2, 2024 • Duration 04:20

Imagine seahorses that live in the sky amongst the clouds and rainbows. There you'll find a family of seaunicorns. But one day, one of the seaunicorns wakes up to a problem. Her horn is gone! Tune in to find out what happened to it.

If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story cards here to help!

Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick

Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick

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Play-Based Learning in Public School Settings with Melysa Mei

Season 2

Tuesday, April 30, 2024 • Duration 39:37

Laura chats with Melysa Mei, of PreK Spot, to discuss the challenges and rewards of implementing play-based learning in public schools with box curricula. Melysa has administrative and family support to follow the children’s lead in her NYC Pre-K classroom. With this she adapts her teaching to foster play and storytelling in her classroom.

Highlights:

Boxed Curricula: Laura and Melysa both have used Creative Curriculum. They share the pros and cons and ways they’ve adapted it to meet the needs of their play-based classrooms.
“Justifying” Play-Based Teaching Methods: Laura and Melysa share about the importance of documenting to show learning that is taking place. By capturing small moments of play, you can help others see all that is unfolding while children engage in their own play.
Fantasy Play: Melysa and Laura give examples of imaginative play that they recently saw unfold. In both instances, children were using materials unconventionally and instead of intervening, they allowed the play to unfold.

Listen in to get insights into Melysa’s experiences as a New York City public school Pre-K teacher and how play is a vital part of children’s learning and development. If you’re ready to take some small steps towards implementing play-based learning in an environment that has a mandated curriculum, this episode is for you!

Connect with Laura: @little.stories.that.stick & littlestoriesthatstick.com

Connect with Melysa Mei: @prek.spot & www.pre-kspot.com

Storytelling Time - "ABC Dino"

Season 2

Thursday, April 25, 2024 • Duration 04:16

Have you ever heard of an Ankylosaurus who's favorite food is letters of the alphabet? When you have children that are interested in letters and LOVE dinosaurs, why not mix the two into a simple, short story? Remember stories don't have to be elaborate, you can tell them in 1 or 2 minutes.

If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story prompts here to help!

Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick

Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick

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Singing Stories: Integrating Music into Storytelling with Jocelyn Manzanarez

Season 2

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 • Duration 28:42

Laura chats with Jocelyn Manzanarez, founder of Circle Time Success and incredible singer. Through her Seattle based early childhood music education program and online resources, Jocelyn is bringing the fun back to teaching and learning with music and movement. Laura found Jocelyn a few years ago and has since been incorporating her music into her stories. Together they discuss the impactful blend of storytelling and music.

Highlights:

Benefits: Laura and Jocelyn discuss how incorporating music and stories in educational settings can engage children, foster creativity, and build foundational skills
Practical Tips: They share practical tips for educators and caregivers on embracing their creative side, using music and stories to capture children's attention, and utilizing resources like books and instruments to make learning dynamic and inclusive.
Personal Reflections: Laura and Jocelyn share about how they found storytelling and its role in their lives as they grew. This conversation emphasizes storytelling’s power in creating lasting memories and inspiring imaginative thinking.

Tune in to hear a rundown of the importance of storytelling and music in education and ways to blend them together. Grab some insights and encouragement to incorporate these elements into your teaching or caregiving practices.

Connect with Laura: @little.stories.that.stick & website

Connect with Jocelyn Manzanarez: @Circle_Time_Success_Kids & circletimesuccess.com; musicallyminded.net

Books referenced:

Storytelling Time - "Tea & Honey"

Season 2

Thursday, March 28, 2024 • Duration 10:36

Tune in and listen as Laura shares a story from her life that's happening right now! She's following the journey of a family of robins from outside her kitchen window. Find out what happened when they tried to build their nest.

If you’re ready to start telling stories of your own, but need a little nudge, you can grab some story cards here to help!

Follow Laura on Instagram: @little.stories.that.stick https://www.instagram.com/little.stories.that.stick/

Check out her stories on YouTube: Little Stories That Stick

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Stories That Stick – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Stories That Stick – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other55

Instagram14

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other55

Instagram14

Youtube5