STEAM Spark - Think STEAM Careers, Podcast with Dr. Olufade

Ten Principles of Storytelling with Jay Pascua: STEAM Spark Podcast

• Dr. Ayo Olufade • Season 2 • Episode 13

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Explore the transformative power of storytelling with Jay Pascua as he shares insights on the importance of narratives in personal and cultural identity. The episode emphasizes how everyone has a story that can inspire and connect us, highlighting the universal human experience in overcoming adversity through shared tales. 

• The role of storytelling in personal growth 
• Connection through shared human experiences 
• The importance of cultural heritage in narratives 
• Practical writing advice from Jay's experiences 
• The significance of writing in preserving stories 
• Overcoming challenges in the writing process 
• How storytelling fosters empathy and understanding 
• The impact of narratives on community and culture 

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Dr. Olufade:

Good evening everyone. This is Dr Ayolo Fade, the host of STEAM Spark Think STEAM Career Podcast. I'm really honored to have a writer here on this podcast. He is a storytelling, brand building, content creation, employee engagement strategist. I got to know him in one of the common audio room that we used to attend. When I heard his story and what he does, I just had to talk to him and I also know the importance of the A in STEAM right the arts of writing, storytelling very important and it is also important for educators. He has just written a book and more reason why I truly wanted to talk to him. The name of the book is called the Rule of Engagement in Storytelling. I truly want to learn from him.

Dr. Olufade:

As a consultant, jay Pascua combined his passion and expertise in storytelling brand building with more than 20 years of experience in the media industry, contact center operation and customer service. He helps his clients captivate audience and elevate brand identities using his skills in content creation, social networking, data analysis and project management. Jay has a distinguished track record of driving operational excellence and foster strong client relationship, resulting in increased sales retention, satisfaction and efficiency. Jay is also a publisher. He published points visual artist Recognized and he's recognized for his contribution to literature and to arts. Now, as you can see, this is the right person for us to talk to when it comes to the importance of the A in this theme right? He holds a vocational diploma in computer science and has received multiple honors and awards for his work. Jay's commitment to excellence and creative innovation set him apart as a dynamic leader in both business and the arts. Jay Pascua, welcome to STEAM Spark Think. Steam Career Podcast. How have you been, sir?

Jay Pascua:

I'm doing pretty good. I was actually searching the room for the person you were talking about. That's you. I appreciate that, looking at you such a humble, humble young man thank you on both parts. Really I am humbled by the introduction. Really it's been a passion of mine for many years and it years and it really goes all the way back to me wanting to fit in, wanting to learn more about myself, understanding who I, and in that moment and time in my growth as a young man, it just captivated me.

Jay Pascua:

Stories can allow young people to enter into places and groups and communities and become part of that community, and so that's what I long for, and I think that's what young people who are what they call in society the tween ages right, 11, 12, right before they hit 13. They're trying to understand who they are, and that's where I was as a young man and I used storytelling to fit in. And really that's where it started. And then something happened in my life, a pivotal moment in my life. I spent a summer with an aunt and uncle.

Dr. Olufade:

And they had five kids.

Jay Pascua:

They have five and I was just floored by the culture that I was exposed to, my own indigenous culture. That I was exposed to my own indigenous culture. I was just enamored with that lifestyle. That my aunt and uncle lived in a rural little village and some of the simplicity of that living in life, right it just. It was a pivotal time in my life and my growth and I wanted to learn more about that culture my culture and that's what really started my interest in storytelling.

Dr. Olufade:

I think that's very inspiring, that your passion leads to you becoming an author and now you are taken from that experience to teach and to coach people on how to duplicate your success and how to tell their stories, how to write good narratives. I think we all could use that we're being inspired now to write our stories, could use that we're being inspired now to write our stories, and I believe you will agree with me that everybody has a story and everybody needs to find a way to tell their stories, because by telling your stories, by sharing your stories, you can be very impactful, you can affect people in a possible way. You can help them move the mountains. That is really. That is a stumbling blocks right.

Jay Pascua:

That's something that they really struggle with I host live audio events and now live events on linkedin. Really, my engagement with the audience there has taught me that it's the story that you can tell others can be the blueprint for people to overcome adversity, and if you're not going through any adversity, it can just be a blueprint to help you achieve success in your life. Right, you can look at someone's story, read their story, listen to their story and use it to help you move forward in your life. And the more we continue to share stories in these audio events, the more I see that occurring. And the other thing, on a 10,000 foot view of storytelling right, the more we share our stories, the more we're going to be able to see our similarities rather than our differences. I see that happen over and over again. As human beings, we know pain, we know suffering, we know love, we know joy, we know happiness. These commonalities bring us together as human beings and that's why I really have moved into my purpose.

Dr. Olufade:

I love it when you're just sharing those thoughts. A thought came to my mind about the commonality by sharing our stories, then we discover what binds us together, what we have in common with others that we may actually think that are different from us. When I was growing up, there used to be a story that was shared with me by my elders. So I live in a village that is surrounded by mountains. Back in my country Nigeria Now United States is my country now, right, but I am from Africa. But according to the story, my people used to go to on top of a mountain and they speak to the gods that are on the mountains and the gods talk back to them. Right, it's like a two-way communication. Right them? Right, it's like a two-way communication, right? So, interestingly enough, I really never shared this story until today with anyone, but a while ago I was reading some article about a similar experience in Japan.

Dr. Olufade:

Somebody wrote an article about Japanese, at least in this area that people go on top of the mountain and it used to be that the mountain was talked to them, or they talk to the gods that are on the mountains, and I find it very fascinating that here are two different cultures, so divided, but they have something in common. This is really powerful. So imagine if I've never really met a Japanese, someone from Japan, before, and I maybe don't like a Japanese, but that's meeting that person and sharing such a story, and then we sharing something that we have in common. I imagine if you're a Japanese, you're going to say, oh, we have the same type of story right told by our elders. That is a great way to actually start a really nice conversation. That's why I feel like your talk, what you just said right now, is a very powerful one. I love it.

Jay Pascua:

And that's what happens a lot of times in the LinkedIn audio event that I hosted on Saturdays. And I've been to your room many times and I've listened to your cultural stories and they're amazing, partly because some of those stories resonate with me and I'm like I'm a Pacific Islander from tiny island of Guam, out in the middle of the Western Pacific, and here I am listening to stories from an entire continent way, way away from me. I know, and here I'm listening to some of the connections that are resonating. And I'll give you a really simple, quick example.

Jay Pascua:

I did a poem, a memorial to my grandmother, and in that story there was just a subtle nuance of how my grandmother took her coffee, how she made her coffee. And she would make her coffee. She'd take the grounds, right and I mentioned she would stir in not creamer and not powdered creamer. She would use carnation milk in the can Wow, she would use carnation milk in the can Wow. And that little nuance I thought would be just germane to me and the people from Guam and the Mariana Islands but no people in Africa were like, oh, yeah, my grandmother, yeah, she would take carnation milk and use it I still do it.

Jay Pascua:

I still do it till today see, this is what I'm talking about and this is. This is the thing we have experiences as human beings, even in the subtle nuances of what we thought would be only culturally appropriate to us, but really it is a global phenomenon.

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah.

Jay Pascua:

I know.

Dr. Olufade:

I'm glad that you mentioned your grandmother, wow. And one of the things that got me also into storytelling was things used to be shared with us, as when I was growing up, orally. But I look back and I realize that there were no books, but stories used to be shared with us by our elders. It used to be we gather in the night and then around the burn fire roasting corn, and they will be sharing those stories with us. And as a grown person after so many years of being in the United States, I thought to myself that when these older people and many of them have passed away, may their soul rest in peace.

Dr. Olufade:

But a lot of the stories are lost along the way. When things like that are not written down, then they're lost, and that is why someone like you is so important to people like me, people who have wonderful stories to share that can really be of benefit to the world. Talk to someone like Jay, who is a master on storytelling and who has strategies, and that is one of the reasons why I really feel it was important to talk to you and to really talk about your book, because people need to know about your book, especially coming this Christmas. What a great book to buy for your loved ones, maybe interested in writing their stories, so that all those stories are not lost to time, because once those elders are gone, the story goes with them. But if you are able to document those stories, or your stories, then you pass down to many generations.

Dr. Olufade:

Let's continue. I want to ask you a question, though, since you're a writer and a storyteller If you were to sit with someone who is a writer, or maybe a family member who tells good stories who really influenced you, had an impact on your journey to be a storyteller and a writer, who would it be?

Jay Pascua:

Contemplating that this is going to sound a little bit maybe elementary, but my grandmother.

Jay Pascua:

Really, I remember being a young man just sitting and listening to her. She would sit and drink her coffee and a lot of times she would just stare off into the distance, probably thinking about the past or maybe what she was going to do that day, and I would just ask her what are you thinking about? Can you tell me more about World War II? Can you tell me more about what it was like after the war? Because a lot of people don't realize, but Guam is a part of the don't realize, but Guam Is a part of the United States. That's where I'm from.

Jay Pascua:

And when Pearl Harbor was hit In Hawaii In World War II, that fateful day In December 7th, at the same time, on December 8th Our time, we were also hit by the same Japanese Imperial forces. The difference is they left Pearl Harbor on Guam. They stayed Wow. They invaded and they had concentration camps Wow. And by the grace of God and the faith of the people, my ancestors and my elders, I'm here. They survived. And so that was just fascinating to me, and sometimes through tears. She would tell me some stories, and it chokes me up right now, but I would like to hear those again. And if I could have a second person. It would be my grandfather, that's my grandmother on my mom's side, okay, but my grandfather on my mom's side, but my grandfather on my father's side.

Jay Pascua:

I didn't know his story until later in life and really when my grandfather was in the hospice at home and it was a difficult moment, but I tried to make it to visit him and I pressed him a couple of times to hear his story.

Jay Pascua:

I did not know again World War two fascinating time. He's actually from the Philippines and he was in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked and he felt it was his duty to help the country that embraced him and he tried to join the military. Of course he was a person of color, so at the time he was not able to join the military. Of course he was a person of color, so at the time he was not able to join as a soldier or a sailor, my grandfather.

Jay Pascua:

He was in a few squirmishes, some battles. One in particular stood out to me. He said he was out in Okinawa and he was dredging the bay to allow for Allied forces and the United States military to enter into the bay, to be able to take over Okinawa.

Jay Pascua:

Able to take over Okinawa, and he had to actually duck down in the cab of this crane as fighter pilots were continuing to strafe and bomb the forces that were trying to take over Okinawa, and he said he could hear the planes and then that would be his cue to duck down and take cover. And then, once the planes left, he was back at it again. I can't even imagine these two people would be the people I would really. Would love to hear more stories.

Dr. Olufade:

Excellent, excellent. Thank you so much for sharing. I hope I didn't put you in a bad spot, because I know your grandparents were very dear to you. It appears to me that you were very close with your grandparents.

Jay Pascua:

It was important to me to who they were. It was important to me to who they were and I'm still learning. I'm still learning some facts about my grandparents. I did not know. My grandfather had a journal. He had several diaries that he wrote in and to go back and to see some of his words as a younger man I was just I was amazed.

Dr. Olufade:

So, jay, your extensive background in media customer service and creative endeavor, particularly your expertise in storytelling and brand building. To be honest with you, as I've said, it's truly impressive. Now let's discuss the consultancy work. Could you enlighten us? I know you have also the name of your consultancy. It's called Narrative Navigator. What inspires creation and how has it aid your client in crafting compelling stories?

Jay Pascua:

Narrative Navigator actually started as a tool and it continues to be a tool. It's a newsletter now and that newsletter is a resource for people to be able to help tell their story, is a resource for people to be able to help tell their story. It's a lot of the things that I did encounter with businesses and with business leaders. What are some of the things that they need to understand and what are some of the questions that have come up. So all of those things allowed me to put together this newsletter and so biweekly it comes out and it's just all these nuggets of my interactions with entrepreneurs, founders, business leaders, executives, and even at that high level they still need some help.

Jay Pascua:

They still need tips, they still need ways of engaging people. And then, once I got into that, starting to see that people from all walks of life and in all stratas still need help telling their story. That then led to me putting together the rules of engagement and storytelling the book.

Dr. Olufade:

There you go, congratulations. By the way, I can see the book. Wow, how long did it take you?

Jay Pascua:

to write the book by the way, several months actually. Let me just know that there's going to be some adversity and you have to be ready for it. One of the things that happened was the first iteration of this book actually disappeared.

Dr. Olufade:

It disappeared 200, 200 pages. To where what happened?

Jay Pascua:

you mean the computer glitched, oh my god yes, so I had the bright idea of purging some documents. Oh and for whatever reason, that file was included, of course. It was so pink, oh my God.

Dr. Olufade:

And then you have to start all over again. So that means there's a moral to this story.

Jay Pascua:

Back everything up everywhere you can Put a file here, put a file, make sure that your files are backed up. And yes, that was that was I.

Dr. Olufade:

Oh my God, I, I, I'm, I'm, I am happy that the human computer you know the the the bright side to that story.

Jay Pascua:

I was able to write more succinctly the second time. Okay, okay and yes, I, I nearly broke down a wall.

Jay Pascua:

I can imagine I was just floored by it. I didn't know what I was going to do next and I said you know what, if I feel that it's important enough to share, then I've got to. I was going to do next and I said you know what, if I feel that it's important enough to share, then I've got to. I've got to do it again. I've got to get back in, yeah. And at that point I was giving advice to people just start, if you haven't written a book, just write something, yeah. And then the continuation of that, the habit of doing that every day, would allow you to create a book. So I sat there going really, I gotta listen to my own advice. Okay, I have to listen to my own advice. Start, sit down, write, and the continuation of that, the habit of doing that. At the end of it, you're going to have a book. What I didn't know I'm going to show the first iteration of the book. This was what I got the first time around Notice, wow, notice.

Dr. Olufade:

Wow, wow, there's some differences.

Jay Pascua:

Yeah, there's some differences. So you're going to realize that sometimes in the editing process you're going to want people to connect with what you're putting out okay, and if you are rambling on, nobody's gonna connect with. Okay, it's gotta be succinct, it's got to be able to be digested easily. But the reason it was so lengthy, really, it was my passion for wanting to share. So what I'm going to say about this is there's going to be another book and I'm already working on the second part of this.

Jay Pascua:

It's going to be a workbook and a diary all in one so you could actually write your story. So I'm writing a second book and, just like I did early on when I lost my initial files, I had to take my own advice. I had to take my own advice. So the more I read my book during the editing process, the more I said I need to get it down so that it's easily digested.

Jay Pascua:

Something that's not going to be hard to swallow, and so I just went over the rules of engagement. There are 10 rules of engagement, okay, in storytelling, and those 10 rules I really had to live by myself when writing the book, and the last iteration is this thing as compared to the other.

Dr. Olufade:

Wow. So how were you able to go from that tick size and to a more smaller size on your second iteration?

Jay Pascua:

So one of the things is an accountability partner and I had a really good accountability partner to help me along the way, and Paulette. Halam. She's great, a really wonderful person, and so she helped me through it. She's an author herself. She authored her series of books Jack and Walter.

Jay Pascua:

And it's to help kids children going through adversity and anxiety issues and other issues like that. It's also a great book for parents Trying to help them understand what their kids are going through. So, yes, having an accountability partner is going to help you do that, and also having an editor somebody who's going to edit your book.

Jay Pascua:

Yeah, and those two people are going to be able to allow you to really get to the heart of the matter and the reason you put the book together. No matter who you are, one piece of advice is always have somebody else review your work. Okay, because we are so immersed in it that we can't see, sometimes, the forest for the truth. We're going to say, no, everything needs to be in this book.

Jay Pascua:

That's true everything I'm guilty and see, this is the thing sometimes the toothpaste you use in the morning isn't exactly what you need to put in the book. You may think, no, if I don't use the right toothpaste, I'm not going to be able to take the coffee and that's not going to be able to allow me to stay up all night and do the details. Yes, we know the devil is in the details and sometimes you know what the devil can do. So really, that was the way that I think everybody should approach the book.

Dr. Olufade:

So you mentioned 10 rules in your book. Yes, do you mind sharing some of the 10? Or are you going to leave us I don't know if I can use the word sylvated until we get the book. I guess can you tease us a little bit please.

Jay Pascua:

Yeah, sure, I'll go down the list. So every chapter is a rule. So if we go to the table of contents, really the first rule of engagement is something we've all known, even in elementary school, and really it's know the audience. Okay, that's the first rule. If we don't know who we're writing to or for, then how do we know that our book is going to resonate with them? It's, I'm going to write a book about gardening and what I'm going to do is tell this story to construction workers. Oh dear.

Dr. Olufade:

I got you.

Jay Pascua:

You see already.

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah.

Jay Pascua:

The problem. Yeah, I love gardening, but I'm thinking, let me talk to some construction, because that's the target audience I want to see. Now, unless there's a correlation, you really are not going to hit the mark. So you really have to know who your audience is. But I'm going to go down the list. Second rule of engagement start with a hook. It's that moment where you know who your audience is and you want to grab their attention. So you have to start with a hook.

Jay Pascua:

And I'm all about starting with a hook because I'm a Pacific Islander and I used to fish. Yeah, if I tell that story to my wife, she'll say stop lying, you never fished a day in your life. Third rule of engagement establish a connection. Now that you know your audience, you've got the hook. How are you going to connect with that audience? You've got their attention. Now what are you going to do in this moment to connect with them? Chapter four, the fourth rule of engagement do not fear adversity. That's the one people get stuck on. Well, why is that important? When it comes to struggle right, when it comes to adversity, we, as human beings the world over, know what that is. It may be in varying degrees, degrees, it may be in a different circumstance or setting, but we know it, we all know it. We know struggle right. That's the real beauty, and I'll give you a real pop culture reference okay, the.

Jay Pascua:

The movie the Matrix.

Dr. Olufade:

Oh yeah, beautiful movie.

Jay Pascua:

Absolutely. I thought it was great, and for a lot of technical reasons, but also the storytelling. And here's why the computer, the system, the computer, the system that created the matrix, in order to enslave human beings, had to make the world imperfect, with struggle, with adversity, otherwise it kept crashing, because human beings, by nature, are looking for the other shoe to draw. Oh wait, this is too perfect. No, I can't do this. This something's wrong and really it. It really does speak to the core of our humanists, our humanity. Right, because and let's go to science there's negative and positive. Yes, for every action there's an equal, not positive reaction. Negative, positive rule of engagement.

Jay Pascua:

Show, don't tell, how do you do that when you're writing stuff? Yeah, the description of something. That's how you show, getting down and describing the scene. Why is the scene important? The scene can be just as much the character in the story as the actual human characters as well. And I'll give you a prime example. Another pop reference right, if we're talking about a movie that was in space, right? Are we going to do it by describing what the Earth is like, or are we going to do it by describing what the earth is like, are we?

Jay Pascua:

going to do it by describing what space is like you have to show. So I know it's a little tongue in cheek, because you still have to tell it as you're writing the story, absolutely so is that the same thing as context?

Dr. Olufade:

put it in the context, so context is key.

Jay Pascua:

Absolutely, context is always key, especially when you're trying to set the setting, and that's the importance of that. But you have to paint the picture of where this is at, why this is occurring, and so you have to show them that it's important. If we're talking about slavery in America and the history of that, sometimes we got to go to the southern states Alabama, mississippi right? If we're not telling it from those states, then it's going to be difficult. So that's chapter five.

Jay Pascua:

Chapter six is the sixth rule of engagement Create an air of expectation. I like to refer to it as the music in a horror movie, because if you know the music and the crescendo, there's a killer around the corner, the monster is going to come out, that there's something bad about to happen Because of the music in the book. Is this description of how this is all unfolding, how the story is coming to fruition, how it's getting to the point of that climax, maybe right, but you have to set the stage, setting the air of expectation. That's important. So that's number six. The seventh rule of engagement is use emotion. Emotion is key. If we're not tapping into the emotions of the characters, then there's not that impetus or that real feeling of connection by the audience. They're not going to connect with the story because there's no emotion in it.

Jay Pascua:

It's not going to resonate with somebody because they don't feel like they're part of that story. The best way you can get somebody to feel that they're part of the story is through the emotion, and so chapter eight is the eighth rule of engagement. That's surprise and delight.

Jay Pascua:

Which one is that so the eighth rule of engagement is surprise and delight. See a lot of people, they may call it different things, but for me it's that pivot to a different part of the story. It can be so life-changing. Okay, if you're looking at an issue that's talking about in civil war, right, that, my friend, is the surprise that you're going to get. The delight is the emotion and the feeling of happiness and joy in the midst of telling this story. That's so dark, yeah, that a love's so dark, yeah, that a love blossoms.

Dr. Olufade:

Wow, wow. Do you think that this is part of human psyche that we just love? I don't know Something about contrast, something that I don't know. Oh, I wasn't expecting that the thing about surprise and delight.

Jay Pascua:

You're not expecting something. Imagine this. It takes the mundane out of a person looking to escape that drudgery and they can find it in a book. It's like wow, wow I never thought about it like that, I never experienced it, and I'm doing it vicariously through the characters in this book. It's amazing I get the feeling of being in another country in another time, in another space, it feels different Surprise and delight.

Jay Pascua:

so that's number eight. Number nine is you have to have a strong ending, otherwise you ever been to a movie and at the end of the movie you're saying that's all that we're going to get the best movies, I, I think, is the one that leaves the cliffhangers.

Dr. Olufade:

Oh yeah, especially if you're doing a series.

Jay Pascua:

Yeah, that's also part of it. It's how do you want to end your book, and it's got to end with something in mind that's going to be impactful to the audience. It's got to have some sort of impact. Sometimes, especially if it's a book about social issues, you want to hit them with a call to action Right At the end of this book.

Jay Pascua:

I would like you to tell a story about your adolescence and what that means to you and how it can help people grow and become better. That's my call to action at the end of this book. I want people to resonate with the information. That's my call to action at the end of this book. I want people to resonate with the information that's in there and use it actively. Use it to be able to tell their story, right? So that's number nine. There is a chapter after that and that is practice.

Dr. Olufade:

Wow, nine, there is a chapter after that and that is practice and refine. What a great way of showing that. Yeah, that is a major Folks. As you can see, we're taking lessons from the best. I could really use those practices too much. What do you say to someone like me who are in the middle of writing their book? But hearing you that, I'm now feeling a little bit dejected. Maybe that's not the right word.

Jay Pascua:

Let me just say that it takes a lot of gumption to just start to write a book. So I'm going to say that you're along further than a lot of people and you've actually published several books.

Dr. Olufade:

As you can see, children's book in the back.

Jay Pascua:

It takes a lot to do that Sometimes. We're not always going to hit the mark on all of these, but as long as we can stay as close as possible, it's going to be beneficial to the people that have read them, and that's important, I think. And I've listened to your audio events and, like I said, that some some of the stories I'm sitting there going how is this relating to me? And I'm just amazed by it. Right, the fact that you're from a completely different part of the world than I am, and yet I understand this. I understand the theme and the sentiment and maybe even the moral of the story. Right, these are the things that show our humanity. So, as long as you're staying true to your story and your tone, I think that's great. Now I will pose this, though, as a little piece of advice. The antagonist doesn't always have to be a human being. Okay, it can be the problem.

Dr. Olufade:

That is a different shift for me. I wasn't expecting that, literally, I was not expecting that I always thought about, when you talk about the antagonist and protagonist, I'm always thinking about good and bad and human beings. There's a bad guy, there's a good guy, things like that. But you're saying that the antagonist can be a problem that you're trying to solve.

Jay Pascua:

Wow, absolutely, it doesn't necessarily have to manifest as a character a physical character.

Jay Pascua:

It could be an issue, a personal issue that the protagonist is experiencing, personal issue that the protagonist is experiencing, right, and having to deal with those emotions. Imagine a one-man play. How does one sit through a one-man play if there isn't an antagonist? Hmm, there is always an antagonist, even if it's an issue, a problem, right, a bit of adversity. So these are the things that can manifest in how you write the story. Some people get caught up in creating the actual physical character. People get caught up in creating the actual physical character. Yeah, what if it's you dealing with your own thoughts? I could have gone to my mother's funeral, but I didn't because she abused me. Should I have gone? I'm heartbroken in this moment. Should I go? She loved me, she just didn't know. She didn't know how to show it. Just in that conversation with myself, do you see the antagonist?

Dr. Olufade:

yes. Well, jay, this is why you are a storytelling strategist, and now you've written a book the rule of engagement in storytelling. I think your book will help a lot of us who are trying to be writers, these great writers like you. But while you're even talking about the antagonist, I was thinking about the A in how we, as STEM teachers, can actually bring writing into our classroom, actually bring writing into our classroom, because you mentioned something that the antagonist does not really have to be a physical being. But in STEM, we're always emphasizing problem solving. So this is why it's so important to talk to diverse minds, because a lot of times we can be caught in our own silo ways, just looking at things from one perspective. But now I'm talking with you. But I gained something out of our conversation being a STEM educator, because if our job is to teach students how to problem solve, if our job is to teach students how to problem solve right, I see, because you mentioned the antagonist doesn't have to be a physical. It can be about problem that you're trying to solve. But imagine if you have that student in the classroom.

Dr. Olufade:

My imagination is going, my thought process is going, the juices are really going right, the machine is working, the wheels are moving. I'm just saying what a great way to reach that child who probably is good in writing, right, or in English class, to get that student engaged in problem solving in terms of writing, in trying to connect by saying that the problem, trying to make it a little exciting. I don't know how it will look like, but I'm just thinking with a little thought. I think if we all start thinking in that direction as STEM teachers, we can make it a little bit more interesting by trying to make the problem at least appear like the antagonist. That is one thing that you're trying to solve, right. Maybe you can get the students engaged. Am I thinking too much? Oh no.

Jay Pascua:

Oh my gosh, I love it. So, at the same time that the antagonist doesn't necessarily have to be a character, it may be a problem, you can actually do the reverse. The problem then becomes the antagonist, if you want it to. So let's say, the issue is you want your students to engage and become more involved in science? Yes, right. So here's how you could do that right now in Hollywood, pop culture Once again. This is how we can connect with kids, kids. Marvel and DC these are traditional comic book corporations that existed for a long time. Create a supervillain. This is something that you can do with your class. I want you to create a supervillain that's going to use science to disrupt the world. Okay, so you have a problem. They're going to create a problem based on science, but now I want you to create a superhero who's also going to use science to combat the supervillain. So I want you to create a problem from the supervillain, but I want you to also create the solution from a superhero standpoint.

Dr. Olufade:

And I want you to put this together in the story. I love it. Wow, you're a genius. Yeah, you're a genius. We need to maybe, along the way I don't know we need to collaborate on something I don't know. We need to collaborate on something I don't know. So, how involved are you when it comes to STEAM in your area? Are you based on what we just talked about? You see yourself really reaching out to one of the science teachers, or have you done that? Have you thought about doing something similar?

Jay Pascua:

The short answer is no.

Dr. Olufade:

Okay.

Jay Pascua:

I'd like to, and unless someone like yourself reaches out to me then.

Jay Pascua:

I would love to collaborate with somebody. Okay, storytelling is at the core of everything that we do. It's about communication, it's about sharing data, it's about sharing information. Yeah, storytelling is in all of the letters, in steam and stem. Right, because how is it that we're going to share the information that we engage in? Right? And so that's the important part. For me, even in my professional career at a contact center, storytelling is key. It's not the type of storytelling people are thinking in their brains.

Dr. Olufade:

It's all about engagement, right? That is the reason why you do it.

Jay Pascua:

That's right. So part of the reason I titled the book the title is one in America, right? We know the rules of engagement from the military. When the military engages the enemy, there are rules. So I'm going to go back to the antagonist part.

Jay Pascua:

Back to the antagonist part, the antagonist doesn't necessarily have to be other people or other things. It can actually be an actual physical person. But a lot of times it is a problem, yes, and the problem is how do I engage my audience? The problem is myself. The problem is me getting over myself to be able to tell people the story that they need to know, and that's the enemy myself how do?

Dr. Olufade:

I get over that the enemy right now is writing a book. What are the rules?

Jay Pascua:

and here you go, antagonist yeah the enemy right now is writing a book. What Are the Rules? And here you go, antagonist. There you go, you're the antagonist. No, I'm just. But seriously, though, that's the reason I named it, that and we know the phrase, but it's never been used when it comes to storytelling. And the other part of that is we talk about our audiences and how are we going to engage them? Yeah, right, it's one thing to grab their attention. Yes, how do we keep that? That's the other part. How do we keep that? That's the other part. How do we keep them engaged? Yeah, and if we're trying to create an students, people, humanity from this framework, right then we're definitely going to need to be, able to tell a really good, impactful story.

Jay Pascua:

That's how we do it.

Dr. Olufade:

Thank you for the encouragement and that's why I'm connecting with people like you and I'm really happy that I did connect. I know I've taken a lot of your time. There are a couple of more questions, but I think we can do another session and focus on those. But one question though I want to relate your professional to your personal resilient, your professional approach on storytelling. It's really inspiring. But there's also another aspect of you that I've heard in the audio room on LinkedIn, but I think that it's maybe that's part of also your personal journey.

Dr. Olufade:

But I understand you're a survivor of life-altering tornado experience. Will you be willing to share that with us and how has it shaped your personal and professional perspective? And this story actually resonated a little bit with me because I used to live in in Iowa and in Iowa there is always a fear of tornado, especially when during those stormy seasons. And we all know that tornado has ripped through south-central America, especially during the tornado seasons, and we've seen that those storms have become more severe and it's not relenting. And I as a scientist, as a STEM educator, I know there is something called climate change. It is a real thing and I feel like this is the reason why because the temperature is rising. Our habit is leading to the increase in temperature and that has a major impact on our climate. But that's not really. I'm just sharing that part that this is one of the reasons why your story resonates with me. Apart from you reliving some of those experiences, I also, if you can share, how has this shaped your personal and professional growth and perspective, if you don't mind.

Jay Pascua:

Oh sure, let's talk a little science though first. Okay, sure. So I come from an island, a Pacific island, and as islanders, we know that climate change is real. From a very practical perspective, we're no longer seeing the shorelines that we saw as children.

Dr. Olufade:

Wow.

Jay Pascua:

My elders are no longer seeing the shoreline like they saw as children. We're seeing the erosion happening at an escalated level that scientists have been talking about for years. We have migrations happening, people leaving their islands for other, bigger islands, like guam, to be able to get off, atolls that are no longer existing. Wow, that's not falsehoods, that's not false flags, that's not conjecture. It's happening and so I know it. I've experienced super typhoons, with winds in excess of 130 miles an hour for more than 24 hours.

Jay Pascua:

Wow, we had 24 hours of winds coming from the West and then, because it shifted and moved away, it came from the East. So we were battered and beaten from both directions.

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah.

Jay Pascua:

This is not conjecture. This is not me being Chicken Little little. The sky is falling, this is yeah because we experience it daily.

Jay Pascua:

Wow, seasonally. El nino and el nina, that's not just spanish words that don't mean anything, not to us. So here, living in Alabama, I was prepared for storms, but in a different way. I was not prepared for the tornado to change my life, and it did. I lost my house, I lost a car, I lost a lot of belongings. I literally only had the clothes on my back. Oh, my God, and by the grace of God, I'm here having this discussion with you, because the tornado could have killed my family.

Jay Pascua:

That was traumatic, but the days that followed were just as the aftermath. What I was going to do to get back on my feet, replace my house, replace my car, how do I ensure I have a job going forward? These were all things that were swirling around in my head. All things that were swirling around in my head. But the inspiration was in looking into the eyes of my kids children, listening to some of their questions. Dad, where are we going to go? Dad, what are we going to do about a new house? Dad, are we only going to have one car? I had a duty and a responsibility, and to help my kids get back to a sense of normalcy was the ultimate responsibility for me as a parent, not just a husband a guy right?

Jay Pascua:

No, as a human being, a man trying to raise his children, get them back into a sense of normalcy so they don't have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from, where the roof is that they're going to sleep under? What type of clothes are they going to be wearing?

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah.

Jay Pascua:

So the lessons I learned from that afternoon allowed me to understand what I needed to do going forward in life, looking at resources, turning to family and friends, not just shouldering the burden myself, but allowing others to help me in my time of need. Put my ego aside all of these things I learned. So from this. I also learned to look at the stories of my ancestors and my elders man. They lived through so much adversity.

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah.

Jay Pascua:

So much sacrifice World adversity? Yeah, so much sacrifice World wars.

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah.

Jay Pascua:

Conquest by conquistadors Colonialists.

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah.

Jay Pascua:

Plagues, natural disasters. Yeah, it really put things into perspective. What am I thinking? Why am I just feeling stuck? If they could do it, then I could too.

Dr. Olufade:

Yeah, amen Wow.

Jay Pascua:

So through that, my mantra was still is by my faith and my DNA, I got this, so the resilience and the tenacity comes from their stories, combined with my own in that experience.

Dr. Olufade:

Thank you so much, jay. It's been incredible and wonderful conversation talking with you today. Your insight into storytelling, your resilience in the face of adversity and creativity truly inspiring. But before we wrap up, is there essential or maybe critical advice I'd like to leave with our listeners as they navigate their journey in storytelling and writing their own first story, first book, or, if they're interested in branding, I could use your help. Is there any nuggets, or a few nuggets that you want to drop, please? That could help.

Jay Pascua:

Sure, absolutely. So a little bit of advice for you personally, I think, would be you really had something with that LinkedIn audio event. With culture, you are who you are as a result of all those stories that were poured into you throughout your life. Your culture has allowed you to become the person you are. Your culture has allowed you to become the person you are, and so your brand are all those stories put together, and all those stories are going to help you, help others, and they have and they will continue to do that, and that's your brand. That's who you are to me, that's what I see immediately. All of those stories Wow.

Jay Pascua:

It's why you do what you do. It's the reason you're working and you're agonizing over this children's book, Even to the point where you're feeling dejected. You're doing that because you have a passion for sharing that knowledge, and that knowledge really is you and your culture, who you are, and maybe, at the end of it, humanity will benefit. I believe it will. It's not a maybe. It will. The more we share our stories and this is what I want people to really understand the more we share our stories, the more we're going to see the similarities in our humanity, and that will have a positive impact across the globe. That may be pie in the sky, thinking, it may be considered woo by some people. Right, but really, if we continue to share these stories of positivity and the humanity in all of us, we are going to change society in such a way that it's going to be positive.

Jay Pascua:

And we're going to focus on the things that are going to be impactful to all of us, like STEAM or STEM. Right, that's my hope. The other part is, when you share your story, you may think your story is insignificant, but it's not. No story is insignificant. No story is insignificant. A story can help others. Your story can help others realize that there's hope out there, there's something else that they can achieve or attain. Your story can be that blueprint to help them out of the adversity that they're in. Story can be that blueprint to help them out of the adversity that they're in or achieve success based on your thoughts, ideas, perspective. This is the power of storytelling.

Dr. Olufade:

Thank you so much, jay Pasqua, really appreciate you. I can't wait to buy your book. I would like to encourage everybody to go out to buy the rule of engagement in storytelling. That would be a nice Christmas gift to your loved ones. Please do go ahead and buy this book. I want to thank you very much, jay. Jay, as you, as I've told you before, he is the storytelling, brand building, content creation, employee engagement strategist. Please reach out to him. By the way, jay, if somebody wants to reach out to you, how can they contact you?

Jay Pascua:

The best way to do it is look me up on LinkedIn. Contact you. The best way to do it is look me up on LinkedIn. Okay, absolutely, my information's there. You can contact me at any time, set up an appointment. I'd be willing to chat with you and share my thoughts, my ideas with you. Okay, we'd love to. I'd just love to help you. Tell your story.

Dr. Olufade:

Thank you so much. Thank you so much, jay. I appreciate you. Thank you and audience, you are listening to STEAM's Spot Today. We are honored to be to this station, to this channel on YouTube, and also to support us so that we can continue to bring Jay back and many Jays like him, and also, if you like, our conversation on Steam. Please continue to subscribe and support us Until next time. Everyone, have a wonderful night, thank you.

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Dr. Ayo Olufade, Ph.D

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