In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Dr. John Countryman, a theater director, life‑story coach, and personal historian behind Writing Your Journey. Countryman shares a personal anecdote about a double‑exposed roll of film taken on the day his daughter was born, illustrating his belief in finding value in unexpected outcomes. He stresses the urgency of recording family stories before it’s too late, urging listeners to capture the memories of parents, grandparents, and themselves for future generations. His core business advice centers on mastering one’s craft, avoiding shiny‑object distractions, and, above all, listening to what people truly need. Countryman highlights the transformative power of improv theater, recommending early improv training and proposing an "Improv for Caregivers" program to help elder‑care professionals develop presence and responsiveness. He defines happiness as a state independent of external circumstances, rooted instead in one’s thoughts, which he likens to fleeting phantoms. Regarding reading, he cites Sydney Banks’s The Missing Link for its simple view of the mind and Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried for its meditation on memory and storytelling. His favorite quote, also from Banks, is that if people only learned not to fear their experience, the world would change. Finally, he provides his contact channels—Facebook, LinkedIn, and email—inviting listeners to connect.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
¡Hola!
¿Cómo estás?
All right, everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Dr. John Countryman from Richmond, Virginia with us. He is a theater director, life story coach, and personal historian at Writing Your Journey who helps people share the stories from their lives in expressive writing and performance. So welcome to the show, man.
Thanks, Tyler Wagner. Great to be here.
Of course. Great to have you on. We'll dive into the first one, John. The first one I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Well, I would say relish what's best about the unexpected, especially what may seem like a disaster at the time. My story: on the day that my daughter was born, I took an entire roll of film of her arrival. This was well before capturing photos on our phones. The next day, I accidentally reloaded the same roll of film and took another 24 shots. When the photos came back from the developer and I saw the double exposures, I was heartbroken. But today I treasure those photos, two for the price of one, beautifully juxtaposed. Since I've used photos to prompt memories for my own memoir and encourage clients to do so as well, it's, it's a good example, I think.
Yes, I love it, man. Thanks for sharing that with us. The next one I have for you is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Definitely, I would say don't put off gathering the stories of your parents or grandparents or preserving your own story as a legacy for subsequent generations. So many people regret that they didn't sit down and record their elders' reminiscences or their own until it was too late. In fact, a friend said that to me just yesterday. We like to say there are people not yet born who are waiting to hear from you.
I like that. And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
I would say focus on being very good at what you do and don't stress working out all the bells and whistles, especially early on. It's easy to get distracted by the next shiny object and lose sight of why you do what you do and, and who it is you're meant to serve. And you can waste a lot of time and money on things that don't have much to do with who you are or the why behind your business. And Listen. Always remember to listen. People will tell you what they need.
And if you can give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
It would be to take classes in improv theater sooner and recognize the relevance of improv to every aspect of your personal and professional life sooner. Related to that, because improvisers need to be outstanding listeners, is become a rockstar listener because it will mean you'll be fully present and responsive to what shows up in the moment. In fact, I'm thinking about starting a program called Improv for Caregivers because I work with older people and caregivers who, you know, who work with struggling elders, you know, they need to have the skills that improv artists have.
Yeah, I actually, I took an improv class, I think it was like 2 years ago down here in Miami, and it was one of the best things I ever did. So I agree, man, it's an awesome thing.
I'm telling you.
The next one I have for you is, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
It would be recognizing that circumstances, whether they're good or bad, are not responsible for your happiness. But your own thoughts about them can be. And thoughts are phantoms, they come and go, but your well-being is innate and untouched.
And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
That's a tough one because I read all the time and I've read a lot of good ones. I would have to say The Missing Link by Sydney Banks. He shows that there's a kind of simplicity beneath the seemingly complex workings of the mind and shares some fundamental principles behind the creation of life experience. A runner-up would have to be The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, which is a memoir of his Vietnam experience, my era. And it has been described as a meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. Take out the war part of it, that's what I do for a living.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Again, it would be a quote from Sydney Banks. The quote is, if the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their experience, that alone would change the world.
I love that, dude. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find and connect with you online?
Well, this is a new business for me, so it's best to find me on Facebook or LinkedIn, or you can email me @johncountryman@writingyourjourney.com.
Perfect. Thanks again for jumping on, man.
Hey, I appreciate it. Have a good one, Tyler.
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