In a world where AI can write, speak and even imagine on our behalf, what does it really mean to understand human stories?

In this episode, Andy Goram is joined by James Warren, founder and CEO of Share More Stories and the team behind SEEQ, a platform that helps organisations read, interpret and quantify the emotional depth inside customer and employee experiences.

James argues that stories aren’t just communication, they’re how we form relationships, build community and create meaning. They’re emotional code. And if leaders can learn to listen properly, stories reveal the truth people often can’t or won’t put in a survey.

Together, Andy and James explore how AI can help leaders understand thousands of stories at scale without replacing or sanitising the human heart behind them. They get into the nuance of emotional data, connection, belonging, trust and the danger of letting machines fabricate “ideal employees” through synthetic responses.

It’s a conversation about preserving humanity in an increasingly machine-shaped world and why the future belongs to leaders who combine technology with vulnerability, deep listening and genuine openness to the stories their people share.

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Key Takeaways

Stories reveal emotional truth leaders can’t get from surveys. Stories contain emotional “code” that shows what people value, fear and hope for.
Connection creates a shared “we”, the foundation of real change. Without connection, organisational change becomes something leaders do to people, not with them.
AI can scale human understanding, but it must not replace humans. SEEQ helps reveal emotion in stories at scale, but synthetic data crosses an ethical line.
Human nuance matters more than ever in an AI-shaped future. Imperfection, emotion and authenticity are trust signals machines can’t replicate.

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Key Moments

The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:26 – Stories in a machine-shaped world
0:03:39 – Meet James Warren
0:05:16 – Why stories explain the “why” behind experiences
0:06:06 – Storytelling as human survival & connection
0:08:14 – Humanity, belonging and collective wisdom
0:11:59 – Navigating change with empathy and clarity
0:18:24 – Connection and the power of “We”
0:19:49 – SEEQ and quantifying emotional data
0:32:59 – The meaning layer: why emotion matters
0:34:24 – Imperfection, realism and trust
0:41:52 – AI, nuance and future guardrails
0:44:15 – Synthetic data and ethical boundaries
0:46:42 – James’s 3 Sticky Notes of advice

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Get the full transcript of the episode here