I don’t know about you, but I’ve never believed marketing was about metrics (even as the co-founder of the Digital Analytics Association).

Sure, I love a good dashboard. I built a career helping billion-dollar brands turn clicks into conversions. But at the end of the day, what moves people isn’t the metric. It’s the meaning.

And that’s what this SEO Charity webinar was really about.

It wasn’t a lecture on storytelling. It was a mirror.

A reminder that we don’t just market to humans. We are humans. With our own scars, beliefs, detours, and dreams.

Let me take you behind the scenes.

The Real Rescue Story

Anton Shulke kicked us off by talking about his work with animal shelters in Ukraine. Not big budget, blue vest charities. These are backyard warriors saving 150+ cats with nothing but grit and duct tape.

They don’t need a funnel. They need food.

And yet, what struck me most wasn’t just the cause. It was the conviction.

These stories, the woman who rescued one stray cat and never stopped, these are what connect us. This isn’t marketing. It’s meaning.

I shared my own story about Hero, the rescue dog who found me at my lowest. Not metaphorically. Literally on the floor, bloated and burned out, wondering what came next.

Hero didn’t just help me get back on my feet.

He reminded me. We’re not here to scale a business. We’re here to change something. Starting with ourselves.

From Banner Ads to Belief Systems

Twenty-five years ago, my brother Jeffrey and I were playing with WebPosition Gold and figuring out how to show up on AltaVista. The tactics have changed. The truth hasn’t.

People don’t buy products. They buy better versions of themselves.

That’s why I say stories sell. Not because they’re clever. But because they’re core to how we survive.

Once upon a time, the campfire was our Google. We told stories to keep each other alive. “Don’t eat that berry.” “Watch out for that canyon.”

Today, the jaguar is the algorithm. The chaos. The overwhelm of 16 dashboards and a new AI tool every week.

But the question is still the same. How do we find our way forward?

The Delivery Gap, and the One Story That Closes It

We’ve worked with Disney, Dell, Google, and countless others. And here’s what we’ve learned.

Most companies think they’re customer centric. 80% of executives say so.

Only 8% of customers agree.

That’s what we call the delivery gap. And it’s not solved with a new funnel.

It’s solved with a new story.

Because when your customer hears themselves in your words, they don’t just click. They commit.

That’s why we helped Universal Orlando move the needle by shifting from a generic “ticket sales” site to one that told the story of the mom, the kid, the magic moment.

Conversion isn’t about better copy. It’s about better empathy.

The Elephant in the Room

For years, I taught others how to optimize. Meanwhile, I was carrying my own elephant. Burnout, blood sugar, brain fog. Until one day, the data caught up with me.

Three weeks. That’s what I asked my doctor for before going on meds.

In three weeks, I halved my blood sugar. In four months, I reversed every scary marker.

I didn’t swallow the elephant. I faced it. One bite at a time.

That’s when I realized. The same system I’d taught Fortune 100 companies to scale growth could help me scale back to health.

The secret isn’t strategy. It’s story. And the most powerful story is the one we tell ourselves.

So, Why Watch This Webinar?

Because this isn’t just about SEO. Or charity. Or storytelling.

It’s about you.

If you’ve ever felt like your mission got buried in the metrics.

If you’ve ever struggled to explain what makes your work different, and why it matters.

If you’ve ever stared at the ceiling at 3 a.m. wondering if your story is still yours.

Then this conversation is for you.

Not because we had all the answers. But because we’re all asking better questions.

You’ll Learn:

  • How to use storytelling not as a tactic, but as a transformation engine.

  • Why Amazon bans PowerPoint, and how a six-page memo sells better than 60 slides.

  • The “We-We” Syndrome and how it silently kills conversions.

  • Why beliefs, not products, are what people really buy.

And if nothing else…

You’ll see that the most persuasive story isn’t one you make up. It’s the one you own.

Watch the full webinar.

Not because I’m in it. But because it might help you spot your elephant, and finally take the first bite.