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.
Week Six — Reverence (The Sacred)
Week Five of 365 Acts of Affection invites us to widen the lens — to remember that nothing begins with us. Reverence is not about ritual. It’s about attention. Week 6 of 365 Acts of Affection invites us to pause, breathe, and treat the ordinary as meaningful.
Week Five — Continuity (The Lineage)
Week Five of 365 Acts of Affection invites us to widen the lens — to remember that nothing begins with us. Continuity is about recognising what shaped us, honouring whose work we build on, and acting with care for what comes next. It’s not about nostalgia, but responsibility. Not urgency, but lineage.
Week Four — Courage (The Flame)
Courage doesn’t arrive as force or volume.
This week, it showed up as honesty, alignment, and the quiet act of standing with what’s true.
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.
365 Acts of Affection: A Practice, Not a Performance
365 Acts of Affection is a daily practice — one small act each day — designed to be lived rather than performed. Grounded in the Affection Economy, these acts translate values into behaviour through presence, care, and attention. Not a challenge or a checklist, but a rhythm to return to. One moment. One act. One day at a time.
