Bellwether

For guests

An hour, on the record, in your words.

You have been asked to sit down with Bellwether. Here is everything that happens, from the first email to publication, so you know exactly what you are saying yes to.

An anvil on a tree-stump base
Anvil · The Met

What happens

From hello to published.

  1. Before

    A short note and a time

    We send a calendar invitation for a one-hour video call. There is nothing to prepare, and no questions to review in advance. If you would like a photograph taken, or would rather send your own, tell us then.

  2. The hour

    The conversation

    Bonnie Le Page asks the questions and Amanda Nagle produces. The call is recorded and transcribed so we can quote you exactly. Tangents are welcome; they are usually the best part.

  3. After

    The lay-awake rule

    If you lie awake that night wishing you had said something differently, or had not said it at all, send us a note. We will add it, cut it or change it. That promise holds until the piece is published.

  4. Review

    You read it first

    We edit the hour into a long read and send it to you before it runs. You check the facts, the quotes and the photograph. Nothing is published until you have seen it.

  5. Published

    Your story, free to read

    The piece runs on Bellwether with your photograph and in your words. It is free to read and yours to share.

  6. Afterwards

    Introductions

    When you should meet another guest, we introduce you, with a note on why. And if you know someone whose story should be told next, we would love the introduction.

The shape of the hour

Where the conversation goes.

No two conversations run the same way, but most move through the same ground. We follow you where it gets interesting.

  1. 01The sixty-second version. Who you are and what you do, the way you would say it to a stranger.
  2. 02The early years. Where you started, and what you learned there.
  3. 03The leap. What made you move, and what was happening in your life at the time.
  4. 04What it cost. Money, time, family, and what you would tell someone about to do the same.
  5. 05What changed. How your idea of success has moved since you began.
  6. 06Where it comes from. The drive underneath the work. Usually the question nobody has asked you before.
An ancient model of a man plowing with oxen
Model of a man plowing · The Met

07 · The last question

“Freedom, to me, looks like .”

One word or a whole sentence. There is no wrong answer, and it is often the line people remember.

Questions

Good to know.

Does it cost anything?
No. No one pays to be featured, and we never ask.
Can I talk about hard things?
Yes, and you can take them back afterwards. Share what you are comfortable having in print; the lay-awake rule covers the rest.
Who reads Bellwether?
Owners, founders, investors, lenders, executives and civic leaders, starting in Iowa and the Midwest.
Can I suggest someone else?
Please do. Our best conversations come by introduction. Send a name and a sentence on why their story matters.
What if my plans change after it runs?
Tell us. We correct errors with a note on the piece, and we will talk through anything else that has changed.
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