The Story Maker
Insights from the Affection Economy:
where values are lived, not told.
Values-led leadership, cultural change, and human connection.
Welcome to The Story Maker — Jet Swain’s blog exploring how we live, lead, and belong through the lens of The Affection Economy.
Here you’ll find reflections, case studies, and practical strategies for leaders, teams, and communities ready to build trust, lead with kindness, and create meaningful change.
When values are declared — and how we help people actually live them
What happens when values are beautifully articulated — but not fully felt?
I came across an agency culture page that stopped me in my tracks. Its values were simple, human and quietly ambitious: Imagine. Grow. Respect. Perform. Enjoy.
And yet, I’ve spent years listening to people who want to live values like these — without always being given the conditions to do so.
This piece explores the quiet gap between stated values and lived experience, and why values aren’t slogans at all — they’re creative infrastructure.
Quiet Quitting or Conscious Recalibration?
A reflection on the growing conversation around women “quietly quitting” their marriages — not as resignation, but as recalibration. Through the lens of The Affection Economy, this piece explores midlife agency, emotional labour and the quiet courage of choosing yourself.
The Little Right-Hand Turns That Lead Us Back to Ourselves
A return to therapy this week led me back to a simple truth: every small decision nudges us closer to, or further from, our values. When my therapist handed me a novel — one I never would’ve chosen myself — it opened a deeper reflection on bias, trust, lineage, and the women whose names history forgot. This piece is about those tiny right-hand turns that guide us home.
The Affection Advantage: Why This Work Is Told in Five Acts
Affection isn’t a process; it’s a rhythm. The Affection Advantage unfolds across five Acts — Clarity, Care, Courage, Consistency, and Contribution — each mirroring the natural rhythm of transformation. This isn’t a framework to follow but a way of living and leading with heart, turning values into systems and systems back into story.
When Everything Aligns: Finding My Way Back Through Values
Three very different platforms — a national magazine, a podcast, a live stage — found me telling the same story. In each moment, I returned to a single truth: when we align with our deepest values, everything else begins to fall into place. This is what The Affection Economy looks like when it’s lived, not just written about.
Courage Is a Compass
Courage doesn’t always roar. In this story, Jet Swain explores how small acts of bravery guide us toward a values-led life — even when no one’s watching.
Micro-Moments That Build Trust and Meaning
Trust isn’t built in grand gestures — it’s shaped in the micro-moments. These quiet glimmers of presence, care, and consistency are what truly define values-led leadership.
What We Really Mean by Affection
Affection isn’t romantic or weak — it’s a leadership choice. In this post, Jet Swain unpacks why affection is the bold foundation of a values-first future.
Wise Warriors: The Rise of Matriarchal Leadership
Matriarchs don’t retire—they rise.
From menopause to management, from orcas to org charts—this post explores why the world needs the wisdom of older women now more than ever.
Tiny Revolutions of Integrity
Integrity isn’t loud. It begins with small, deliberate choices — the kind that rarely make headlines but quietly shape how we lead, work, and show up in the world. Inspired by the beautiful comic by Grant Snider, this piece explores how tiny acts of alignment can ripple outward to spark real, lasting change.
Image credit: Grant Snider, “Tiny Revolutions” – www.incidentalcomics.com
The Affection Economy Manifesto
We believe affection is not soft — it’s a strategy.
Introducing The Story Maker
This is the beginning. A soft launch. A quiet spark.
Each week, I’ll share a story, a value, a truth.
Not just as a storyteller, but as a story maker—
