Every Story Matters: A Conversation with Dave Isay, Founder of StoryCorps

Photographed by Harvey Wang

There's a moment that happens in almost every interview I conduct with a single mother. The conversation pauses, and the formal answers fade away. She pauses, takes a breath, and starts telling me the part of her story she never planned on sharing.

Initially, I thought those moments came from asking the right questions. After doing several of these interviews – both with single mothers and supporting organizations - I don't think that anymore. Today, I know those moments come from listening better.

Most of the single moms I've talked to share the same sentiment. No one ever really asked them to tell their story. And if someone did ask, they didn't stick around long enough to really hear it. That's the whole reason For Her, By Us exists. Before we can change how society treats single mothers, we have to make sure their voices are heard, recognized, and celebrated.

As I sat down with Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, this concept hit really close to home. Dave started StoryCorps back in 2003. Since then, he and his team have recorded more than 700,000 people talking about their lives and sharing their stories. These stories now live in the Library of Congress as the single largest collection of human voices ever assembled. They are distributed through a variety of mediums - Podcasts, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, books. All based on one simple idea: everyone has a story worth telling, and every story matters. That’s powerful.

Our audiences aren't really the same. StoryCorps is about everyday people. For Her, By Us is about single mothers. But when you get down to it, we are both going after the same thing.

I asked Dave what made him think of starting StoryCorps. His answer wasn't about archives, preserving history, or legacy. Instead, he said: "The stories of everyday people are the most interesting stories there are."

That comment resonated deeply with me. The women I interview aren't celebrities or storytellers. They represent a part of our community that faces unique hurdles. They're often working multiple jobs, rebuilding life after a divorce or a loss (like my mom), figuring out how to support their families, showing up for their kids while juggling multiple responsibilities. None of those stories might be newsworthy, but the truth is, with more than 7 million single moms in the U.S and more than 40% of them living below the poverty line, we have to listen more intently so we can act with urgency.

Then Dave said something I haven't stopped thinking about: "Honoring someone by listening to them tells them how much you love them."

I've watched women visibly relax mid-interview - like a wall coming down. It starts as a formal conversation. But as we talk, they open up. They share fears they've been carrying alone, sacrifices that go unnoticed, dreams they still hold on to for their kids and their future. While they take pride in sharing their story, I have also realized they're not just handing me a story to write. They want someone to actually listen, embody their struggles, and celebrate what they have been through. In a way, their stories are a way to share their legacy and fight for single mothers who may not have a voice.

Dave articulated this perfectly: "It's much less about storytelling. It's much more about listening."

We tend to make a big deal out of storytellers. But we also know there’s no story without someone choosing to listen first. That's what makes a person feel seen - not the telling, but the listening part. It also sends a clear message: your life matters, what you've been through matters, you matter.

That idea runs through everything StoryCorps does. They help families hold onto the voices of people they've lost. Their One Small Step project gets people who don't agree politically to actually sit down and talk, one on one. It’s not meant to influence or change anyone's perspective; rather it’s a way to just to see the person on the other side. Every part of their mission comes back to the same belief: listening comes first. StoryCorps doesn't exist to speak on behalf of anyone. Instead, they are focused on making room for people to speak for themselves.

Before we wrapped up our interview, I asked Dave what advice he'd give me as I keep building For Her, By Us. He said: "If you really believe in something and you set your mind to it, you cannot be stopped." Then he added, "Tell your mom I said she did a great job."

That last comment landed harder than I expected. My mom is the reason my organization - For Her, By Us - exists. Her story as a single mother and a widow is what inspired me to start this work. Every single mother I've talked to since has only made me more certain that these stories need to be shared on a bigger platform.

Dave and StoryCorps have now spent more than twenty years building a powerful movement out of listening. If For Her, By Us can do even a fraction of that for single mothers, I'll consider that a huge win. But for now, the focus is simple: one conversation, one voice, and one story at a time.