Life story magic!

I've been waiting a long time to share this one.

Instead of Free for ALL Friday this week, I have something I’m very excited to share—something I’ve worked on for a long time, and that I’m proud to release into the world. I hope you’ll check it out!

Let’s start with two sisters

Long ago, two sisters in Rhode Island had a big falling out. They didn’t talk for years. Eventually they reconciled.

Later, one of the sisters had friends visiting from Montreal, who brought their teenage daughters.

“Cute girls,” she thought. “Same age as my nephew.”

So, she took them to her sister’s house—and, that’s how my parents met.

Imagine if those sisters (my future grandmother and my future great-aunt) hadn’t reconciled, and hadn’t literally brought my Canadian future mom to my American future dad’s doorstep.

I might not exist! You wouldn’t be reading this right now!

Got any good stories?

I learned most of this story last year, when I started doing a series of interviews with my dad about his life—his childhood, what he knows about his family and ancestors, his career, his faith, my mom, my siblings, and more.

It’s been a great experience. It also reminded me, for about the 12 billionth time, that most of us are walking around with amazing stories to share—but no time to tell them.

Or else, sometimes we do tell them, but rarely in a format or a way that makes them easy for others to remember later.

I wonder whether there are similar stories in your family.

Life Story Magic!

I’m sharing this today because I’m launching something I’ve wanted to build for years: a simple way to capture our life stories before they’re lost.

It’s called Life Story Magic. Here’s how it works:

1. I will personally interview someone whose story matters to you—your mom, your dad, your grandmother, a loved one, whoever—even you, yourself—via remote video for 60 minutes at a time (or a bit more if the stories are flowing).

2. I’ll ask the questions that get the stories flowing. (I’ve spent a professional lifetime figuring out how to ask the right questions). We’ll have a fun conversation.

3. Within 5 business days afterward, you’ll get a recording, a short summary, and a full transcript to keep forever.

I’ve done extensive family history projects for families in the past, but frankly at a price point well above what most people can afford. Now, technology has caught up, and I think this should be available to every family.

‘This is that’

Here are the fine details:

• You’re probably wondering about cost. The regular price will eventually be $499 for one interview, with discounts for multi-interview packages. But, I really wanted to start with a bang, and to include a great special offer for my newsletter readers who want to give it a try.

• So, I’m offering a founding customer / newsletter-reader discount: $149 per interview. I’ll probably have to cap this at around the first 10 customers or so, as I expect them to go fast.

• Also, I’ll eventually bring in other interviewers. But for now, I promise to do all of the interviews myself.

If you’ve ever thought that you should sit down and record your parent’s stories, or your grandparent’s, or your own—this is that. Just simpler than you probably imagined.

Wouldn’t this make a great gift?

Wow, I never thought of that! :) Yes, it would make a great gift! Especially if there might be any holidays coming up …

Grab the founding customer rate now, let me know it’s a gift, and I’ll send you a nice gift card so that your loved one can schedule the interview whenever works for them.

What kinds of stories?

Whatever matters to you. Some examples:

• How did your parents (or grandparents) meet?

• What stories did they hear growing up that you’ve never heard?

• Who had the biggest influence on their life—and why?

• What challenges did they overcome that shaped who they are?

• What do they want their grandchildren to know about them?

• What’s the recipe for that amazing thing they make that everyone loves?

• What’s the story they’ve told before, but they really want to make sure is recorded well for posterity?

A one hour interview captures meaningful stories, with a transcript that usually runs roughly the length of a magazine article. Some families may want to book multiple interviews—to go deeper with one person, or to interview several family members.

The stories won’t wait

I’m capping this founding customer offer at about 10 people. I’m telling you first because many of you have been here supporting me for years, and I wanted to thank you and make sure you didn’t miss out.

The stories won’t wait. The people who lived them won’t be here forever—none of us will. Most of us keep thinking “someday I should record this …”

Today is Friday. But, it’s also someday.

Questions? Just reply to this email. I’ll answer personally!

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7 other things worth knowing

• Amazon is planning to end its partnership with the U.S. Postal Service by the end of 2026 and expand its own nationwide delivery network according to a report by the Washington Post. The e-commerce giant has been the Postal Service’s largest customer, generating more than $6 billion in annual revenue in 2025, which represents approximately 7.5% of the agency’s yearly revenue. (Yahoo Finance)

• Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Va., was arrested Thursday morning and charged with planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican National Committees on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot started building the deadly devices in 2019, federal investigators say. The FBI didn’t provide many details or suggest a motive; a neighbor described him as “very antisocial. Very.” (The New York Post)

• Say Goodbye to the Billable Hour, Thanks to AI: With AI taking over their grunt work, lawyers and other professionals may have to charge for outcomes rather than time spent. (WSJ)

• The AI boom is heralding a new gold rush in the American west. Once home to gold and prospectors, the Nevada desert is now the site of a new kind of expansion: tech datacenters. (The Guardian)

• Why One Man Is Fighting for Our Right to Control Our Garage Door Openers: If companies can modify internet-connected products and charge subscriptions after people have already purchased them, what does it mean to own anything anymore? (NYT)

• Walmart says it sold out of its entire inventory of giant-sized Kraft Mac & Cheese in a 65-inch box the size of a flatscreen TV in in minutes on Black Friday—advertising them at 12:01 a.m. and running out within an hour. Walmart apparently wouldn’t say just how many they sold, but they’d given samples to social media influencers beforehand. (USA Today)

• Travelers wore pajamas to airports in protest of a federal government request for them to dress more nicely when they fly. (The Washington Post)

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Thanks for reading. See you in the comments—or maybe at Life Story Magic?