Podcast

SPOS #981 – Donald Miller On Building A Story Brand

Welcome to episode #981 of Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast.

Donald Miller is one of the most influential voices in modern marketing – a bestselling author, business strategist, and the creative force behind StoryBrand (a framework that has reshaped how leaders and organizations communicate). In our conversation, Donald breaks down the timeless power of story and why clarity – not cleverness – is the most underrated competitive advantage in business today. His new book, Building a StoryBrand 2.0 – Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen, expands on his original seven-part storytelling framework with sharper tools and practical applications for the modern marketer. Donald is also the author of several bestselling books, including the spiritual memoir Blue Like Jazz, the personal development reflection Scary Close, and A Million Miles In A Thousand Years (loved that one!), alongside business classics like Marketing Made Simple, Business Made Simple, Coach Builder, How to Grow Your Small Business, which have collectively shaped how individuals and organizations think about story, purpose, and growth. We explore why curiosity is the secret starting point in every great customer journey, how AI is accelerating both efficiency and confusion in marketing, and why simple messages are often the hardest to write. Donald also opens up about the creative process behind writing, how to chase ideas worth finishing, and why businesses fail not from a lack of creativity – but from poor communication. Whether you’re leading a brand, launching a product, or refining your personal pitch, this conversation is a masterclass in messaging. Enjoy the conversation…

Running time: 55:49.
Hello from beautiful Montreal.
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or you can connect on LinkedIn.
…or on X.
Here is my conversation with Donald Miller.
Building a StoryBrand 2.0 – Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen.
StoryBrand.
Marketing Made Simple.
Business Made Simple.
Coach Builder.
How to Grow Your Small Business.
Blue Like Jazz.
Scary Close.
A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.
Follow Donald on X.
Follow Donald on Instagram.
Follow Donald on LinkedIn.

Chapters:

(00:00) – The Power of Storytelling in Branding.
(12:46) – Understanding Consumer Relationships with Brands.
(26:02) – The Art and Science of Effective Marketing.
(29:00) – The Ineffectiveness of Modern Advertising.
(32:42) – The Importance of Clarity in Messaging.
(36:46) – The Role of Creativity in Marketing.
(41:15) – The Impact of AI on Marketing.
(46:24) – The Future of Marketing and Strategy.
(49:45) – The Creative Process and Writing Books.

Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation – The ThinkersOne Podcast – Episode #981.

Before you go… ThinkersOne is a new way for organizations to buy bite-sized and personalized thought leadership video content (live and recorded) from the best Thinkers in the world. If you’re looking to add excitement and big smarts to your meetings, corporate events, company off-sites, “lunch & learns” and beyond, check it out.

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.