Having kids does something strange to you.

I've aged 20 years in a decade.
I have permanent eye bags.
And I’ve been accidentally kicked in the balls so often by rogue toddler legs that I bought protective gear (yes, really.)

But one thing it definitely improves?
Storytelling.

Parenting is persuasion under extreme conditions.

You learn fast that facts don’t work.

“60% of kids who don’t brush their teeth get cavities” = ignored.
“I knew a boy whose teeth turned brown, and everyone called him Stinky-Mouth” = toothbrush deployed.
(Disclaimer: fictional child. No lawsuits.)

Stories stick because they do what facts can’t:

Which is why Steve Jobs moved rooms…

…and Bill Gates moved spreadsheets.

And as we all drown in AI slop, guess what companies are paying top rates for?

People who can tell a story.

Here’s a simple framework to make yours pop:

No hero’s journey. No epic adventure. No dragon slaying required.

The best stories?
You live them every day.

Now excuse me — I need to craft a gripping cautionary tale about wet towels on the floor…

💡 PRO TIP: Keep a note on your phone for funny, weird, or challenging things you experience. Don't, and you will forget (we all do.)

🚫 DON'T SAY: "Sorry, I prefer facts." (Your Excel sheet is waiting.)

AI won’t take your job, but a person using AI might. That’s why 2,000,000+ professionals read The Rundown AI – the free newsletter that keeps you updated on the latest AI news and teaches you how to use it in just 5 minutes a day.

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Turn headlines into talking points

I have a love/hate relationship with ads.

On one hand?
Peak storytelling. Thirty seconds to make you part with money for something you absolutely don’t need.

On the other?
Most are garbage.
(Especially in Japan, where “possible seizure” seems to be the creative brief.)

But occasionally? One lands.

“Adore-a… Kia-Ora.”
Singing crows.
Still in my head 40 years later (although I don’t remember it being so…racist?)

Apple’s 1984.
Old Spice Guy.
These went beyond selling products — they entered culture.

Then there’s Jaguar (yes, the car.)
Conceptual. Catastrophic. Crap.

But, the real problem?

Volume.
Ads are everywhere.

Your phone.
Your laptop.
This newsletter 👆🏻 (clicks much appreciated 😉)
Buses. Trains. Taxis. Buildings.
Mailboxes. Radio. Telly. Netflix. Prime. YouTube. Sports. Podcasts.
The Moon (coming soon).

Even while you sleep.

In Tokyo, you see around 10,000 a day.
(9,999 politely ignored.)

And now? Ads in your AI.

ChatGPT just rolled them out (so AdGPT?)
Nothing says “trusted assistant” like a mid-sentence sales pitch (that gets the date wrong.)

But the global pinnacle of commercial capitalism?

The Super Bowl.
$8 million for 30 seconds.

Cheap, really — when the product is you.

Check them out here.
(Dunkin’ Doughnuts looks…weird.)

“One of the greatest dangers of advertising is not that of misleading people, but that of boring them to death.”
(Leo Burnett, American advertising Exec, 1891-1971)

👇 Answer at the end.

China’s Unitree robots now operate in -47.4°C.

Translation: the Arctic is no longer a safe space.
Your “escape the bot uprising” plan?
Cancelled (sorry).

Right now, it’s writing Winter Olympics messages in the snow.
In a tiny red parka.

Adorable.

Until the parka comes off…

💬 FOLLOW-UP: If robots can survive -47°C, where would you try to hide?

Speaking of the Winter Olympics, growing up in Britain, I never watched it.

No mountains. No snow.
Just fields. And rain.

But in Japan? (mostly mountains)
Huge.

The 2026 Winter Olympics just kicked off in Milan–Cortina.
2900 athletes.
116 events across ice and snow.
90 countries
17 days.

Peak human performance in environments specifically designed to kill you.
(But those bots will be fine).

The mascots.
Meet Tina and Milo. And The Flo?
Two stoats and… things that look like rejects from a Nintendo focus group.

Designed by committee (and it shows.)

Are ski jumpers injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises to increase size?
(Yes, read that again).

The reason?
Ski suits are measured from the lowest point of an athlete’s genitals.

Bigger package = looser crotch.
Looser crotch = more fabric.
More fabric = better airflow.
(Think a mast. Bigger sail.)

A 2 cm increase can add nearly six metres to a jump.
So keep an eye out for new world records.
(But maybe don’t look too closely.)

Ski jumping – where every inch counts.

💡 PRO TIP: Absurd details are conversation gold.
Skip medal counts — lead with the weird.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: What’s the worst cheating you’ve ever seen in sport?

🚫 DON'T SAY: "What was the acid called again?" (Conversation stopper)

Ad man Don Draper sells cigarettes, creates identities, and destroys marriages — all before lunch.

🌎 Cultural Impact: Made drinking at work look sophisticated instead of problematic.

🧠 Deep Dive: The "Carousel" pitch in Season 1 is still taught in advertising courses as the gold standard of emotional storytelling.

💬 YOUR TURN: What’s the best ad campaign you've ever seen?

A) 🧠 Genius — innovations outweigh the drama - 6%
B) ⚖️ Both — brilliant but deeply flawed - 38%
C) 🚩 Menace — the damage outweighs the breakthroughs - 56%

💬 Your Two Cents

B.A: “Vile man”

That's it for #57.

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