In this episode of the storytelling with data podcast, Simon and Amy tackle common presentation challenges submitted by subscribers to the storytelling with data YouTube channel. They discuss how to turn complex analysis into a clear and engaging story, why storyboarding can help you structure your message before jumping into slides, and how to decide what to include—and what to leave out—when your analysis contains more detail than your audience needs. Simon and Amy also explore practical strat...
May 06, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 98
In this episode of the storytelling with data podcast, Amy talks with Shahar Meir, a data executive with more than 20 years of experience leading data teams at companies including Meta and PayPal. Together, they explore what it really takes for data professionals to move beyond producing dashboards and reports to driving meaningful business outcomes. Shahar shares why technology alone rarely solves an organization’s data challenges and outlines the four areas he sees mattering most: technology, ...
May 06, 2026•55 min•Ep. 97
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...
Feb 09, 2026•46 min•Ep. 95
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, ...
Jan 09, 2026•42 min•Ep. 96
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 LINKS Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the B...
Dec 04, 2025•41 min•Ep. 94
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 Storytelli...
Nov 16, 2025•40 min•Ep. 93
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 ...
Oct 03, 2025•50 min•Ep. 92
Data visualization veteran Andy Cotgreave joins host Mike Cisneros for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about the evolution of dashboards, the craft of data communication, and the future of generative AI in analytics. Andy reflects on his early career building “dashboards” in Excel for a demanding boss, how that experience shaped two bestselling books ( The Big Book of Dashboards and Dashboards That Deliver ), and what he’s learned from more than a decade at Tableau as an evangelist and publi...
Sep 19, 2025•52 min
Asking good questions can help improve our own and others’ work: both when exploring and explaining data. In this rebroadcast of episode 19, Cole covers five smart queries to pose and answer during the analytical process and five more to consider when getting ready to explain that data to others. We’re sharing this popular episode again as we look ahead to what’s next: Before and After , the fifth book from storytelling with data , comes out September 23, 2025 — pre-order now wherever you buy bo...
Aug 19, 2025•41 min•Ep. 90
Data storyteller Alex talks with Nadieh Bremer, an award-winning data visualization practitioner, about her new book, Chart: Designing Creative Data Visualizations from Charts to Art . Nadieh talks about her data visualization journey, from losing passion while creating dashboards to finding joy as she pushed the boundaries of data art. During this journey, she shares her tips for becoming a freelancer, suggestions for adding creativity to your work, and discusses the difference between data viz...
Jun 30, 2025•47 min•Ep. 89
In this founder series edition of the storytelling with data podcast, Randy sits down poolside in Antalya, Turkey with Fares Ksebati —CEO and founder of MySwimPro, YouTube creator, and author of Swim Like a Pro and How Not to Drown . From humble beginnings as a walk-on college swimmer to building one of the world’s most recognized swim coaching platforms, Fares shares the behind-the-scenes journey of scaling a global remote company, navigating the tech startup ecosystem, and staying relentlessly...
May 15, 2025•50 min•Ep. 88
In this second installment of our new podcast series, The Founder’s Journey , we sit down with Odun Odubanjo , CEO and founder of Insight7 , a platform making qualitative data instantly actionable. Odun’s story starts in Lagos, Nigeria, where a chance internship at Google Zurich opened a door that would eventually lead to founding multiple startups, scaling a business across Africa, working at Shopify in Canada, and launching Insight7 in the U.S. Today, Odun helps organizations turn qualitative ...
Apr 10, 2025•55 min
Want to speak in a way that makes others want to listen? In this episode, Cole dives into the art of confident communication—how to eliminate filler words, command attention with your voice and body language, and project confidence even when you don’t feel it. She shares real-world strategies from working with high schoolers, future business leaders, and university students, plus personal lessons learned in her career. Whether you’re preparing for a big presentation, an important meeting, or sim...
Mar 13, 2025•38 min•Ep. 86
NEW SERIES: The Founder’s Journey – Stories of Building, Scaling & Storytelling We’re launching something new on the storytelling with data podcast! In this special series, we’ll sit down with founders who are building something remarkable—diving into their journeys, the lessons they’ve learned, and the storytelling strategies that fuel their success. In this episode, Randy is joined by Doni Priliandi , founder of HappyFive , an employee engagement and performance management platform. Doni’s...
Feb 20, 2025•42 min•Ep. 85
Time is a finite resource, so how do you make the most of it? Cole is joined by her husband, Randy, for a conversation on the art of getting things done, both in business and in life. From balancing busy work schedules to managing a family of five, they share their strategies for prioritization, productivity, and focus. They break down their individual approaches—covering automation, delegation, scheduling, and the power of saying no—to create more space for what truly matters. Packed with pract...
Feb 06, 2025•34 min•Ep. 84
What if a simple pause could transform the way you work? In this episode, Cole delves into the concept of statio—a meditative pause during transitions—and its potential to inspire more thoughtful, impactful decisions in data analysis and communication. From asking the right questions at the start of a project to fine-tuning your slides before a presentation, discover how small, intentional moments of reflection can ignite creativity, sharpen focus, and elevate your work. Ready to pause, breathe,...
Jan 24, 2025•21 min•Ep. 83
What do doors, wrapping paper, and speed bumps have in common? In this episode, Cole uncovers how the design of everyday objects can inspire better graphs and slides. Through relatable stories and practical takeaways, discover how thoughtful design can transform confusion into clarity and create moments of delight for your audience. related links: SWD holiday shop (use code PODCAST10 for 10% off in the shop & on workshops/courses) SWD online community 8-week online course SWD chart guide Boo...
Dec 09, 2024•28 min•Ep. 82
In this episode, Cole teams up with Jon Orr, co-founder of Make Math Moments, for an inspiring discussion on how to transform math education for young learners. They dive into Cole's new book, Daphne Draws Data, and explore how storytelling and visual data can empower children to approach math with curiosity and confidence. Cole and Jon share personal stories and professional insights on why sparking interest in math early is crucial. They also provide practical advice on integrating data visual...
Nov 07, 2024•25 min
In this special episode, Cole unveils her new children's book, "Daphne Draws Data," a vibrant adventure aimed at making data, numbers and graphs accessible to young minds. Inspired by her own children's curiosity, Cole discusses the importance of introducing data literacy early through storytelling, illustrated by the talented John Skewes. Join Cole as she shares insights into creating the book, its enchanting characters, and how Daphne the dragon helps her friends solve problems using data. Dis...
Sep 04, 2024•15 min
Cole sits down with Steve Glynn in an episode recorded for the Experience Milwaukee podcast that we’ve recast here. Tune in to hear about Cole’s path, books, and…scotch?! The pair dive into Cole’s new children’s book, Daphne Draws Data: A storytelling with data adventure, talk about life in Wisconsin, and more. Listening time 23:45 | related links: Order Cole’s new book ! Experience Milwaukee podcast Book: storytelling with data: a data visualization guide for business professionals Book: storyt...
Aug 14, 2024•24 min
Join Cole as she chats with Nathan Yau, founder of FlowingData and author of Visualize This and Data Points. Nathan shares his journey from grad school at UCLA to becoming a renowned figure in data visualization. They discuss the evolution of his work, the inception of FlowingData, and the impact of his books on the field. Dive deep into the creative process behind visualizing data, the importance of asking questions, and the iterative nature of both data analysis and visualization. Listening ti...
Jun 10, 2024•51 min
Data storyteller Alex talks with information designer Alli Torban about her new book, Chart Spark. Alli believes that creativity isn’t a synonym for art; instead, it’s the ability to generate new ideas or remix existing ideas in a useful way. When you learn to harness that creativity, you can develop new approaches to create more impactful data communications. Tune in to discover helpful prompts and strategies that will help you push past a mental block when you aren’t sure how to visualize your...
May 23, 2024•42 min
In this repost of the Data Viz Today podcast, Information Designer Alli Torban talks with Cole about strategies for delivering data presentations, particularly for introverts. From identifying and managing nervous habits to intentionally adjusting style while maintaining authenticity, they share quick tips and broad strategies to put into practice. Discover how to signal confidence, even before feeling it, and learn about real-time data collection techniques to continually refine your speaking s...
Apr 19, 2024•49 min
Cole talks with New Zealand-based data storyteller, Kat Greenbrook, about her new book, The Data Storyteller’s Handbook: How to create business impact using data storytelling. Kat shares her empathy for anyone who has ever been told to “make your data tell a story” and isn’t sure where to start, and offers guidance for better understanding your audience and arranging insights into a narrative structure. Tune in to learn about frameworks that can help you plot time and character data stories, how...
Feb 13, 2024•52 min
Cole shares low-tech planning strategies that will set you up for success in any important scenario in which you need to communicate. From crafting the Big Idea (plus a super useful worksheet to assist your efforts) to storyboarding to bringing it all into your tools, you’ll learn how a little time up front can streamline the rest of the creative process. Also tune in to hear Cole address questions on feedback, slides that don’t quite fit, filler words, and more. Listening time 49:01 | related l...
Jan 23, 2024•49 min
Consider all of the things you do in the course of your daily work from a seated position: might you benefit from changing it up? In this episode, Cole discusses the power of standing up for different reasons and across a variety of situations. Tune in to understand how standing can boost creativity and keep updates and introductions from being overly lengthy. Learn what kinds of feedback and conversations are best had with your feet on the ground, as well as how standing up to present affords y...
Dec 11, 2023•18 min
Alberto Cairo drops by to talk about his new book "The Art of Insight," which offers a unique take on data visualization. In conversation with data storyteller Mike, Cairo shares his Camus-inspired belief that life's meaning comes from community and work, and how that conviction shapes his own interests and endeavors. They discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism, how seemingly frivolous pursuits can actually be essential, and where to find personal and professional connection...
Nov 27, 2023•49 min
Sending slides before a meeting and asking your audience to do a pre-read has become the norm. Unfortunately, pre-reads never quite lead to the desired outcome of better questions and discussion, instead they create more challenges. Data storyteller Alex shares her thoughts on pre-reads and how she navigates requests to share content outside of a meeting. Tune in to also hear related questions on slide templates, speaker notes and more! Listening time 24:57 | related links: Article: how to creat...
Nov 09, 2023•25 min
Cole walks listeners through her process of preparing for a recent presentation—from turning an idea into slides, to how she readied herself to present powerfully. Tune in to hear how a visual navigation scheme can help you stay on track as you present and create memorable takeaways for your audience, why building buffers into your presentation is key for staying on time, the major benefits of practicing aloud, and more. Plus learn how you can watch the presentation Cole describes preparing! (sp...
Sep 22, 2023•26 min
Whether you’ve asked for it or not, sometimes critique from others simply gets under our skin. From feel-good platitudes that lack actionability to outright requests to manipulate data—Cole covers five categories of common graph and slide feedback that people hate to receive. Tune in to learn strategies and practical tips that will help you turn undesirable feedback into useful and insightful input for better graphs and presentations. related links: Book: storytelling with you: plan, create, &am...
Jul 28, 2023•23 min
