Episode 170 - Manuscripts Experiences with Eric Koester
By the time you’re reading this, I should be in Florence, Italy, visiting my daughter while she studies abroad. I’ve never been to Italy—and certainly never to Florence—so I’m expecting plenty of memorable experiences and, hopefully, a few good stories to bring home.
But having stories to tell is not the same as knowing how to tell them.
Storytelling is an art. A good story doesn’t just entertain—it engages, teaches, and resonates. It’s one of the most powerful ways to share knowledge in a way that feels human and meaningful. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through this podcast is that everyone has something worth sharing. Often, people just need a little help finding the right way to tell it.
That help can be as simple as conversational prompts during an interview—or as involved as longer-term mentoring to turn ideas into writing. This challenge is especially familiar to me as an academic. I’ve always been interested in public scholarship, but academic writing isn’t exactly known for its accessibility or engagement. Translating expertise into something broader audiences actually want to read or hear? That takes work.
Which is why I partnered with Eric Koester and his company, Manuscripts—and why I’m thrilled to have Eric as a guest on this episode of EXD.
Eric’s journey started with an experiment while teaching a college class: every student had to write a book by the end of the semester. That bold idea grew into Manuscripts, an organization that has now supported 3,500+ published authors, helped produce 350+ award-winning books, and boasts a 90% manuscript completion rate. Manuscripts is also a Certified B Corp, reflecting its mission to empower underheard voices.
In our conversation, we cover a lot of ground:
The limits of modern education
Designing learning experiences that truly matter
Why career inflection points often come from big, collaborative projects
And why it’s more effective to commit to complete, well-scoped work—like a 200-page book or a full podcast season—than to dabble in smaller outputs
Eric also shares insights on the importance of systems in achieving ambitious goals and explains how books can fuel knowledge movements and thought leadership. The most powerful books, he argues, do one of two things well: they inspire readers to become a new kind of person or to take a new kind of action—all rooted in simplicity and intrigue.
On a personal note, working with Eric and Manuscripts has helped me finally tell stories I’ve been carrying for a long time. I think this episode will resonate with anyone who has ideas, experiences, or expertise they want to share—but hasn’t quite found the right way yet.
I hope you enjoy the conversation.
Learn more:
Eric Koester: https://erickoester.com
Eric Koestler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickoester/
Manuscripts: https://manuscripts.com
Super Mentors: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Mentors-Ordinary-Persons-Extraordinary/dp/B0B5Q6V6BB
Episode Intro Music - The Tall Pines - “The Key”
Episode Ending Music - Ketsa - ”Dreaming Days”
