Shawn Callahan

Award-winning author of Putting Stories to Work. Founder of Anecdote. We help leaders & sellers find and tell great business stories.

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

Check out the latest article in my newsletter: Sammy J @sammyjcomedian, storyteller extraordinaire https://t.co/gDO7LIvBLn

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@evernote I want to be able to easily send a note via my email rather than send a link.

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

Disappointed in @Smartless for giving Luis Elizondo a platform to share unsubstantiated UFO claims without any pushback. When someone says, “Top scientists are reporting these findings too,” you need to ask, “Which scientists? Where’s the evidence?” @arnettwill, as the most well-read host, I expected more critical thinking from you. 👎

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

Just uploaded my talk The Untold Story of Gray Smith in Australian Modern Art to YouTube: https://t.co/FFFxCmwOal

Gray Smith was a key figure in Australia’s modern art movement but has largely been forgotten. In this talk, I explore how he rose to prominence, why he faded from the art world’s memory, and why it’s time to reconsider his place in the Australian art canon.

If you’re curious about Australian art history or how artistic reputations are made and lost, check it out. Would love to hear your thoughts!

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

🚀 I’m on Bluesky! 🌟

I’ve recently joined Bluesky and will be posting there moving forward as I transition away from X.

On Bluesky, I’ll continue to share insights about business storytelling, strategy, communication, and leadership. It’s also where I’ll explore ideas and engage with a growing, thoughtful community.

If you’re on Bluesky or planning to join, I’d love to connect! Let’s keep the conversation going.

👉 Find me at https://t.co/1HNeOfrE7F.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@MarcFennell I was in the Brooklyn Museum recently and saw some amazing Assyrian reliefs. Could be a good extension of your show. The stuff the US bought from the British who stole it. Here is their explanation. Do you buy it?

[Fox News @FoxNews]

Opinion | Tim Walz served his country honorably for 24 years. JD Vance, Trump need to respect that. He earned it https://t.co/GMJVSjWYZt

[Cass Sunstein @CassSunstein]

Important paper: People remember stories a lot better than they remember statistics. @PowerUSAID @PiperPerabo
https://t.co/Ofe3oz3aPl

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@tom_peters I would add to that story listening. The art of getting others to share their stories with you. There is no better way to get a true insight into what makes them tick.

[Rev. Benjamin Cremer @Brcremer]

As a Christian, I want to share a lament with you.

What we Christians get outraged about and what we don’t says a lot about our Christian reputation in the world.

This last week was a prime example.🧵

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@typesfaster @erikbryn That’s not what your data says. For example, in 2023, for murder and manslaughter, it was 391 and 15 years before, it was 471. Am I missing something?

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@PatsKarvelas I was listening to your interview with @billshortenmp and wondered how many Labor MPs had crossed the floor before and what happened to them. This context would help understand @SenatorPayman’s situation. @GeraldineDoogue & @hamishnews discussed this curiosity today

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@romanvassilenko That’s amazing Roman. What was the major factor driving the growth?

[Hopi Sen @hopisen]

We’ve convicted two former heads of state in England. The sentencing guidelines are clear, the first had his head chopped off, The second was already dead, so we dug him up, chopped off his head and displayed it on a spike above the legislature for 25 years. Your move, America.

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@canva Hi there. I’m trying to contact the Canva Support Team and I can’t find a link to it anywhere. Can you please help out. Ta

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@JonHaidt I’m totally on board with your analysis Jon. I was wondering if there is a type of social media use that’s less harmful? For example, I use lists extensively in X. That way I choose who I want to hear from. Does this reduce harm? Any thoughts on this?

[Andrew Leigh @ALeighMP]

Since 2007, the mental health of Aussie teens has worsened. Might smartphones & social media be to blame? I've made a short video to look at the evidence. #auspol @jonhaidt @jean_twenge @SocialDilemma_ @tristanharris @humanetech_ @letgroworg

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

About to give a talk at noon to https://t.co/ZTM1FSf8sz on strategy stories. Our first was in 2014. Done hundreds since. I will sharing some of the lessons learned.

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

@romanvassilenko @cocizeqiri My thoughts are with you and your country-folk Roman. We know floods well here in Australia, and while the immediate response is vital, the long recovery is where your people will need you most.

[Shawn Callahan @ShawnCallahan]

Tim employs a straightforward storytelling technique of contrasting a negative beginning and a positive outcome. This structure is compelling as it plays on our natural inclination towards enjoying stark differences and contrasts.

[Tim Urban @waitbutwhy]

In 2017, I did something dumb. There was a total solar eclipse passing through the US, but I was in NY, far from the path. Was I really gonna get on a plane to see a cool thing for two minutes? Nah. I had shit to do.

The day came. I put my stupid glasses on and saw the sun become a little less big and then back to being full size again. It was mildly interesting.

Then the reports started coming in from the people who had seen it from the totality zone. People were like "it was an indescribably profound, perspective-shifting, life-altering experience." They were like "I'm a different person now, someone who can only be understood by other people who saw the total solar eclipse." It was massively fomo-y and upsetting.

Solar eclipses happen when the moon passes directly through the invisible line connecting the sun and Earth, something that doesn't happen very often because space is big and the invisible line is skinny. Earthlings are very lucky, eclipse-wise. Most planets don't have a big enough moon to create a total solar eclipse. Not only is our moon big enough, it's about exactly the size of the sun in our night sky because, by sheer coincidence, the sun is about 400 times farther from us than the moon and also about 400 times bigger than the moon in diameter—making our eclipses especially breathtaking.

There are about 70 total solar eclipses every century, each resulting in a thin path of total sun blockage. For most of history, there was no way to know when or where they would happen. Only the very lucky few who happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right weather, got to experience a total solar eclipse. Today you can ensure that you see one—and I had passed up the opportunity. I would not make the mistake again.

I went online and learned that there would be another total solar eclipse passing through the US in 2024, and then that would be it until 2045. It went on my calendar that day.

As fortune would have it, the 2024 eclipse's path of magical totality would be passing right over my new hometown of Austin, Texas. It was perfect.

Then came the weather reports. Austin was going to be cloudy on eclipse day.

Nope. Not okay. It wasn't an option to not see this eclipse. My friend @Liv_Boeree was equally psychotic about this, so we decided on Sunday night that Monday morning we'd get on a flight to somewhere in the eclipse's path that was forecast to have clear skies. We settled on Arkansas.

Early the next morning we flew to Little Rock, got in a car, and drove northwest to get to the dead center of the totality path, where the total eclipse would last for more than three minutes. We ended up in a big open rural field that may or may not have been part of someone's farm. It was us and some cows. The sky was perfectly clear.

30 minutes until totality. I looked through my glasses at a crescent sun. It seemed a little dimmer out than usual, but only a little.

20 minutes. Thinner crescent, a tad dim, maybe a tad cooler than it was before?

10 minutes. Razor thin crescent now, definitely weird lighting. Because all of the light is coming from one small area, shadows are very sharp. You can see the shadow of individual hairs on your head.

1 minute. It's very dim, like early evening, but still feels like daytime generally. Waves of light and dark ripple across the ground, like the way light moves at the bottom of a swimming pool.

5 seconds. Diamond ring! I take off my glasses and the diamond ring looks strikingly beautiful and strange (google "eclipse diamond ring" to see what I'm talking about).

4 seconds to 1 second. The Earth's dimmer switch suddenly goes downnnnn as dim daylight drops into night. Totality.

Imagine a world where there was always cloud cover, and one day every few years, in certain places, the sky cleared at night, and you could see stars for the first time in your life. It would be a totally surreal experience, something that reminded you that you don't live in a big world but on the edge of a tiny rock in vast outer space. It would show you the truth about reality.

We see stars all the time, so we're well-acquainted with our reality living in outer space (even if it's easy to forget during the day). But when I looked up at the sky during the total eclipse, it was the first time I had experienced another, totally different way to see with my eyes that I lived in outer space. I saw one sphere positioned in front of another sphere, with two other spheres—Venus and Jupiter—floating nearby. More than ever before, it felt obvious that I was standing on the edge of a fifth sphere. For the first time in my life, I was looking at the Solar System.

I looked around. There was a dim 360° sunset along the entire horizon—another first. It was dark. At 2pm. By a minute in, there was a chorus of chirping crickets that hadn't been there before. Birds were flying around overhead that hadn't been there before. The cows continued being cows but I assume they were super confused.

I looked back up at the Solar System and noticed a little imperfection on the edge of the black moon circle, which I realized must be a solar flare. A solar flare I could see with my naked eye.

Only half of my brain was focused on the eclipse because the other half was frantically trying to figure out how to best use the precious three minutes. I told myself I wouldn't spend more than 30 seconds of the three minutes doing stuff with my camera, but I was not gonna not take pics. I got things all focused and snapped this gem:
Just kidding that's @AJamesMcCarthy's photo. But mine was pretty good too.
Okay fine that one was taken by @NASA. Here's mine.
Whatever. Anyway, eventually it ended. The glorious diamond ring reappeared, followed by me being blinded before remembering to not look at the sun anymore. Earth's dimmer switch swooped back up, as night turned to day in a few surreal seconds. It was over.

Thoughts were processed. Emotions were felt.
It was very very VERY worth the last second trip. For any of you who pulled a 2017 Tim and decided not to see this one, I hope I've sufficiently fomo'd you into making sure you see this for yourself, sometime soon, in some part of the world. 🌻