The Unfolding Thought Podcast asks a provocative question: Why do we—and the groups we form—think and act the way we do? Although we may feel we understand ourselves and others, much of what drives our thoughts, choices, and behaviors remains hidden or overlooked. Through candid discussions and multi-disciplinary explorations, we reveal those unseen forces—biases, contexts, and patterns—and show how they influence individual and collective dynamics.
If you’re a leader or an intellectually curious mind looking for deep, high-value conversations, join us. We’ll challenge common assumptions, illuminate new perspectives, and spark meaningful change—helping you navigate relationships with greater clarity, innovate with confidence, and connect more authentically with those around you.
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The Unfolding Thought Podcast asks a provocative question: Why do we—and the groups we form—think and act the way we do? Although we may feel we understand ourselves and others, much of what drives our thoughts, choices, and behaviors remains hidden or overlooked. Through candid discussions and multi-disciplinary explorations, we reveal those unseen forces—biases, contexts, and patterns—and show how they influence individual and collective dynamics.
If you’re a leader or an intellectually curious mind looking for deep, high-value conversations, join us. We’ll challenge common assumptions, illuminate new perspectives, and spark meaningful change—helping you navigate relationships with greater clarity, innovate with confidence, and connect more authentically with those around you.
In this episode, Eric talks with Ken Boynton—storyteller, communication consultant, former actor and voiceover artist, and co-founder of Message Glue. Ken has spent decades helping leaders, teams, and organizations communicate more clearly and more humanly across stages, screens, meetings, and moments that matter.
The conversation explores what "storytelling" actually means in real organizational life, why most communication fails before it ever reaches the slide deck or script, and how performance anxiety, rigid frameworks, and over-engineered systems often get in the way of genuine connection.
Ken shares stories from his career in theater, voice acting, corporate events, and executive coaching, including how near-death illness reshaped his sense of meaning and led to the creation of Message Glue. Together, he and Eric unpack why being thoughtful matters more than being polished, why listening is harder than speaking, and how effective communication starts with allowing people to be themselves.
They cover:
* Why storytelling is less about structure and more about perspective
* The difference between performing and communicating
* How over-reliance on slides, scripts, and systems breaks human connection
* Why "being yourself" is not vague advice but a practical discipline
* What theater, improv, and acting teach us about leadership communication
* How virtual and live events have changed attention and expectations
* Why good communication often means removing friction, not adding tools
* How fear, self-consciousness, and power dynamics distort messages
* What it means to swing the camera and see from another point of view
This is a thoughtful, grounded conversation for leaders, communicators, marketers, facilitators, and anyone who spends time trying to help ideas land with other humans.
Episode Links
* Connect with Ken on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenboyntonmessageglue/
* Message Glue: https://www.messageglue.com [https://www.messageglue.com/]
* Message Glue storytelling video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml03wwZ1LFA
* Ken's book Blip: https://amzn.to/4oMO3wv
* Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up special I'm Telling You for the Last Time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Telling_You_for_the_Last_Time
For more episodes: https://unfoldingthought.com [https://unfoldingthought.com/]
Questions or guest ideas: eric@inboundandagile.com
The Unfolding Thought Podcast
The Unfolding Thought Podcast asks a provocative question: Why do we—and the groups we form—think and act the way we do? Although we may feel we understand ourselves and others, much of what drives our thoughts, choices, and behaviors remains hidden or overlooked. Through candid discussions and multi-disciplinary explorations, we reveal those unseen forces—biases, contexts, and patterns—and show how they influence individual and collective dynamics.
If you’re a leader or an intellectually curious mind looking for deep, high-value conversations, join us. We’ll challenge common assumptions, illuminate new perspectives, and spark meaningful change—helping you navigate relationships with greater clarity, innovate with confidence, and connect more authentically with those around you.
