Stephen Tracy, host of Empirical Storytellers Podcast
Empirical Storytellers Podcast
Hear from experts and leaders working in the fields of data and AI.
Hosted by Stephen Tracy
About the show
Empirical Storytellers is a long-form interview show hosted by Stephen Tracy — data scientist, founder, and educator. Each episode sits down with the founders, data and AI leaders, and researchers building the future of data-driven decision-making, and digs past the buzzwords to the real thing: the setbacks, the judgment calls, and the breakthroughs that shaped how they think.
Where to watch?
Episodes
Episode 1: Gary Ang - From Art to AI Science
In the first episode of my new video series, I interview Dr. Gary Ang, who is an artist, AI scientist and former Head, Investment Risk Management & AI at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
Episode 3: Daniel Thomassin - The State of Data & Tech Hiring in 2026
In this episode, I sat down with Daniel Thomassin, co-founder of TekRek, a recruiting firm specializing in tech and data roles. Daniel is on the front lines of hiring, giving him a rare, real-time perspective on what it actually takes to land a role in tech and data in 2026.
Episode 5: David Caplan & Jordan Rossman - Building an AI Mayoral Candidate
IIn this episode, I sit down with David Caplan and Jordan Rossman, the two tech entrepreneurs behind Ori — an AI "mayoral candidate" for the city of Orillia, Ontario. Ori won't actually be on the ballot, but it's trained on nearly 10,000 municipal documents and has sparked a real conversation (and some CBC coverage) about AI's role in government transparency and civic engagement.
Episode 2: Jordan Rossman - Vibe Coding to Product Market Fit
In this episode I interview Jordan Rossman — real-estate agent by day, prolific vibe-coder by night. With no background in tech or product development, Jordan has shipped multiple apps with paying customers, all without ever writing a line of code.
Episode 4: Lisa Shiller - From Math Proofs to Data Science
In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Shiller, a mathematician turned data scientist with over 12 years of experience building data teams and infrastructure at startups and large corporations.
Episode 6: Josh Harris - Building The Semantic Layer For AI-Ready Data Infra
In this episode, I sit down with Josh Harris, a self-taught data scientist and the founder of AnswerLayer, a platform for building generative semantic layers on top of modern data infrastructure.
Want to be a guest on the show? Or know someone who would make a great guest?
Guest Application Form
We’re always on the lookout for interesting people working in the fields of data, AI and leadership. Our guests are experts in their domain with extensive experience, strong opinions and unique perspective.
We generally focus on guests who have experience in any of the following areas:
Data analytics or data science
Data visualization and storytelling
Artificial intelligence / Machine learning
Product development / SaaS
Start-ups and fundraising
Product or customer research methods
Leadership strategies and people management
If you think you would make a great guest, or know someone who would, fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Empirical Storytellers is a long-form, interview-style conversation captured on video. We'll record remotely, so all you need to do is join the link I send on the day. There's no studio, no production crew, and no script.
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Please plan for up to 60 minutes on the day of the recording. That allows time to get set up, settle in, run the interview, and wrap up. The final edited episode will run 20–30 minutes, so don't worry about the length of the raw recording. We want enough material to draw the strongest moments from the conversation.
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No. Every episode is pre-recorded and edited before it goes live. This means we can keep the conversation casual, and if there's an answer you stumble over or don't like, just say so and we can redo it.
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There is no software to install, the podcast recording software we use runs directly in your browser.
On hardware, we recommend that you use headphones and a standalone microphone (e.g. lapel mic, studio mic, etc), or a mic’d headset if you have one. If not, your laptop speakers and mic will do, but we will arrange a time for an A/V test before the podcast.
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A few simple choices make a big difference on video:
Sit somewhere quiet where you won't be interrupted
Face a window or soft light source if possible — natural light is your best friend
Avoid sitting with a bright window behind you, as it will silhouette you on camera
Frame the camera so your eyes are roughly in the upper third of the screen
Use a wired internet connection if it's easy to do, though strong Wi-Fi is usually fine
Don't overthink it. Authenticity matters more than a studio-grade setup.
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The full episode will be published on YouTube and LinkedIn. We will also create 2–3 short "teaser" clips from the recording to help promote the full interview across social channels.
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Yes. Once we have cut and edited the episode, we’ll share a draft with you. We’re always open to hear your feedback, but we retain full creative control over the final edit.
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We typically aim to have a draft edit ready within 1-2 weeks. Once shared, the episode usually goes live within a week.
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You are welcome, and encouraged, to share and re-upload / republish the clips we provide to your own social channels. You can also create new clips of the episode and post them on your own social (so long as they are less than 5 minutes in length). However, you may not republish or re-upload the full episode to another channel.