storytelling with data podcast

How do you ensure your data visuals are consistently effective—and on brand? In this episode, SWD data storyteller, Simon Rowe chats with Maxine Graze, Senior Data Visualization Engineer at King, about the process of building data visualization style guides. They explore why “structure liberates,” how to balance aesthetics with usability, and why stakeholder feedback is critical. Whether you're designing for dashboards or decks, you'll walk away with ideas on how to bring clarity and consistency to your data storytelling.Related Links:datavizstyleguide.com – Explore open-source data visualization guidelinesBetter Data Visualizations by Jonathan Schwabish – The book that sparked Maxine’s journeyStorytelling with Data Resources – Tools, tips, and templates from the SWD team

What if the numbers you work with every day weren’t as neutral as you thought?In this episode, Mike is joined by Heather Krause, founder of We All Count and longtime quantitative researcher, to unpack a powerful concept: data equity. Together, they explore how every step of a data project—from survey design to chart choices—involves hidden decisions that impact what gets measured, who is represented, and what conclusions are drawn.Heather shares the seven stages of the data equity framework, explains why choosing a denominator isn’t as simple as it seems, and offers practical ways to apply an equity lens to dashboards, visualizations, and more. Whether you're building a data product, making policy decisions, or designing a business presentation, this conversation will help you become more accurate, efficient, and intentional in how you generate and communicate evidence.RELATED LINKSLearn more at weallcount.comExplore the Before & After audiobook → Listen here

Chris Dalla Riva is a musician, data analyst, and the author of Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. In this episode, he joins data storyteller Mike Cisneros to talk about musical myths, hidden industry incentives, chart data, and underappreciated hits, as well as the thorny questions about authenticity, categorization, and what it really means to tell an honest story with numbers.RELATED LINKSUncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves | Chris Dalla Riva’s book Can’t Get Much Higher | Chris’s newsletterAudiomack | Music streaming service where Chris works on analytics and personalizationMax Martin Knows How to Create a #1 Hit | Chris’s The Economist article on song introsSuno AI | Generative AI tool for music creation discussed in the authenticity segmentFollow Chris at @cdallarivamSONGS AND ARTISTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE“Want Ads” by Honey Cone“House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals“Hey Jude” by The Beatles“Blinded by the Light” (written by Bruce Springsteen, recorded by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band)“Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen“When Doves Cry” by Prince“Believe” by Cher“Golden” by HUNTR/X

In this special episode of the *storytelling with data* podcast, Cole celebrates the 10-year anniversary of her best-selling book, *storytelling with data: a data visualization guide for business professionals*. She shares exciting updates about the newly released 10th Anniversary Edition—including refreshed visuals, updated examples, and new bonus content—along with an invitation to a live virtual event on December 2, 2025.To mark the occasion, Cole reads aloud Chapter 7: *Lessons in Storytelling*—a fan-favorite chapter that explores how story structure can be used to create more compelling data communications. From Red Riding Hood to Aristotle to Robert McKee, this episode blends timeless storytelling wisdom with practical techniques for structuring business presentations, building narrative flow, and engaging your audience through conflict, clarity, and repetition.Whether you're crafting a dashboard, pitching a recommendation, or designing a presentation, this episode is packed with strategies to help you move beyond showing data to telling *a story with data*.🔗 Get the 10th anniversary book: storytellingwithdata.com/SWD10🔗 Join Cole's live virtual mini-workshop (Dec 2): storytellingwithdata.com/swd10register🔗 Listen to the Before & After audiobook: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/9781663755681/

In this episode of the storytelling with data podcast, Simon chats with Allison Horst—developer advocate at Observable, educator, and beloved data illustrator—to explore the difference between dashboards that get used and those that don’t.They dig into why so many data products go to waste, the importance of co-creating with your audience, and the overlooked power of early feedback. Allison reflects on her experiences helping people go from "I built this thing" to "This actually gets used"—and how teams can better collaborate to avoid dashboard graveyards.Along the way, they talk about environmental storytelling, visual metaphors, teaching the “gray areas” of data viz, and why curiosity (not perfection) is the key to lasting impact.Related Links:Check out Allison's work at: https://allisonhorst.com/Connect with and follow her on LNKD: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-horst/Order SWD's latest book, Before & After https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/books