The Nutshell True Story Hour

Keith Staten learned to fight with words

Keith Staten is a Sacramento lawyer turned storyteller. But before he ever got on stage (or presented a convincing case to a jury), he spent his days “sigging.” As a kid in Vallejo, he and his friends would sling insults back and forth, supposedly in fun, though it could also be mean and hurtful. If you wanted to keep hanging with this crew, you had to develop a thick skin and hone a sharp tongue. Which is exactly what Keith did, and it served him well as a lawyer years later. But not everyone took to sigging. Rita, Keith’s sibling, stayed at Keith’s family home for a while. Because she had to walk home with Keith and his friends, she soon became deeply enmeshed in the game of sigging, whether she wanted to or not. And when his friends piled on Rita with insults about her weight, Keith felt it was in his best interest to join in. Keith told this story at the In a Nutshell Storytelling “All You Can Eat” show. It was a powerful and blunt performance, and at times the audience was asked to confront their own biases and consider whether it’s good or bad to be toughened up by insults. After the story, we talked to Keith at his lawyer’s office. We had a fascinating conversation, and he explained the context and shared some pieces of the story that had been intentionally left out. The Nutshell Three: Amy Bee [https://open.substack.com/users/8598354-amy-bee?utm_source=mentions] Keith Lowell Jensen [https://open.substack.com/users/2339998-keith-lowell-jensen?utm_source=mentions] Aaron Carnes [https://open.substack.com/users/8716380-aaron-carnes?utm_source=mentions] Sound Engineer: Chris Reeves Thank you to: DJ Yuma Tripp [https://www.trippdj.com/] for allowing us to use his song “Lazy Skank” for our episodes and our live show. Hyperpixel [https://www.hyperlive.events/] for audio and video services. Sofia Theatre [https://bstreettheatre.org/] for a beautiful stage to gather around. Our photographer, Antonio Lovig [http://www.agl.photography]. Babalou and Suzon Lucore for watching over our event table and engaging with people in the best way possible. We believe stories deserve to be heard and storytellers deserve to be paid, including the ones who make this podcast possible. If The Nutshell True Story Hour has ever made you laugh, cry, or feel a little less alone, consider becoming a paid subscriber. It's the most direct way to keep this going. And we are so grateful for every single person who does. xoxo, Amy Get full access to In a Nutshell Storytelling at www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe [https://www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Becky Lynn thought she found the perfect man

One day, Becky Lynn found herself on the other side of a long-term relationship, finally with enough distance and a healthy headspace to get back out there. It’d been a long time since she’d been on the dating scene, and much had changed. How does one even find “Mr. Right” nowadays? And did she even want a Mr. Right, something serious? She wasn’t totally sure. But then she DID meet Mr. Right, the perfect man, someone she might be able to build a fulfilling life with. So Becky jumped in, heart first. Soon, something happened that made it clear Mr. Right was living a double life. Faced with the crushing reality that the man she loved had been lying to her, she weighed her options and came up with three solutions. At our live show, Becky tells the audience her three solutions, lets them choose which one she should’ve acted on, and ends her harrowing, emotional story without saying what she ultimately decided. Fortunately, when we interviewed Becky for this podcast episode, she dishes on all the details, including her choices for dealing with a lying fool and why she handled it the way she did. It’s a fantastic conversation! We also get updates on her love life. Spoiler alert: Things have gotten much better. Becky has her feet firmly planted in the storytelling scene and the comedy world. For more info, go here [https://www.ohthatsbecky.com/].  The Nutshell Three: Amy Bee [https://open.substack.com/users/8598354-amy-bee?utm_source=mentions] Keith Lowell Jensen [https://open.substack.com/users/2339998-keith-lowell-jensen?utm_source=mentions] Aaron Carnes [https://open.substack.com/users/8716380-aaron-carnes?utm_source=mentions] Sound Engineer: Chris Reeves Thank you to: DJ Yuma Tripp [https://www.trippdj.com/] for allowing us to use his song “Lazy Skank” for our episodes and our live show. Hyperpixel [https://www.hyperlive.events/] for audio and video services. Sofia Theatre [https://bstreettheatre.org/] for a beautiful stage to gather around. Our photographer, Antonio Lovig [http://www.agl.photography]. Babalou and Suzon Lucore for watching over our event table and engaging with people in the best way possible. We believe stories deserve to be heard and storytellers deserve to be paid, including the ones who make this podcast possible. If The Nutshell True Story Hour has ever made you laugh, cry, or feel a little less alone, consider becoming a paid subscriber. It's the most direct way to keep this going. And we are so grateful for every single person who does. xoxo, Amy Get full access to In a Nutshell Storytelling at www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe [https://www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Joe Klocek's parents institutionalized him

When Joe Klocek was a teenager, he realized he felt more strongly than others, especially lows. When he felt lows, they were really low. So low, he finally attempted suicide. His parents were well-meaning, but they didn’t know what to do, and decided to have him committed. Maybe the instinct was right, but the mental institution provided very little actual care, and Joe felt like he was being held in prison, wasting his days watching Three’s Company reruns. Since Joe was a minor, he didn’t have any agency to decide whether or not he had to be institutionalized and eventually went to court to get released. The problem? His parents went to court too—to fight to keep him committed. What ensued was a battle for Joe’s freedom and sanity, possibly at the cost of his family. Joe told this story at our February 2026 show, The People Who Made Us. He’d been wanting to tell this tale for years, but as a comedian, felt uncomfortable doing so. But he finally faced this piece of his past on our stage, and wow, was it moving. Our interview with him, a week later (At JP Frary’s house), was also a compelling emotional ride for Joe. We’re honored and appreciative he decided to share his story with us and our audience. And now we get to share it with you, too. Joe is an iconic SF comedian, and you can check him out here [https://stagejoe.com/]. The Nutshell Three: Amy Bee [https://open.substack.com/users/8598354-amy-bee?utm_source=mentions] Keith Lowell Jensen [https://open.substack.com/users/2339998-keith-lowell-jensen?utm_source=mentions] Aaron Carnes [https://open.substack.com/users/8716380-aaron-carnes?utm_source=mentions] Sound Engineer: Chris Reeves Thank you to: DJ Yuma Tripp [https://www.trippdj.com/] for allowing us to use his song “Lazy Skank” for our episodes and our live show. Hyperpixel [https://www.hyperlive.events/] for audio and video services. Sofia Theatre [https://bstreettheatre.org/] for a beautiful stage to gather around. Our photographer, Antonio Lovig. Babalou and Suzon Lucore for watching over our event table and engaging with people in the best way possible. Get full access to In a Nutshell Storytelling at www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe [https://www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

JP Frary secretly watched other families living normal lives

When JP Frary was sexually assaulted in his youth, no one in his family knew how to talk to him about it. They would get this look in their eyes that JP couldn’t quite identify. Was it worry? Pity? Accusation? With no one—including himself—having the words or the ability to process what had happened, JP began to spend long stretches alone, haunting the woods on the outskirts of his small hometown in Northern California. It seemed a reasonable outcome, or perhaps a foregone conclusion, he decided, that he had become a ghost. During his time as a ghost, JP watched. He saw how the weather moved slowly, then suddenly, in the backwoods of his home. He saw the creek burble with motion and then puddle up like wannabe tide pools. He watched the trees. He watched the wildlife. And when his wanderings led him to the backyards and the manicured lawns and the sliding glass doors of families with mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers, well, he watched them, too. Because JP was a ghost, and that’s what ghosts do. We’re honored JP shared this story with us and on our stage. Listen to the story first, then hear JP talk with us about how difficult it was to put this particular story together. The Nutshell Three: Amy Bee [https://substack.com/profile/8598354-amy-bee] Keith Lowell Jensen [https://substack.com/profile/2339998-keith-lowell-jensen] Aaron Carnes [https://substack.com/profile/8716380-aaron-carnes] Sound Engineer: Chris Reeves Thank you to: DJ Yuma Tripp [https://www.trippdj.com/] for allowing us to use his song “Lazy Skank” for our episodes and our live show. Hyperpixel [https://www.hyperlive.events/] for audio and video services. Sofia Theatre [https://bstreettheatre.org/] for a beautiful stage to gather around. Our photographer, Antonio Lovig. Babalou and Suzon Lucore for watching over our event table and engaging with people in the best way possible. Get full access to In a Nutshell Storytelling at www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe [https://www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The military sent Kathleen Taylor to London

When Kathleen Taylor enlisted in the military as a young woman, she’d already lived a full life. Or so she believed. When they sent her to London, she saw herself as knowledgeable and worldly, someone who could adapt to any situation she was dropped into. But not only did her rigid ideas on style and “how to experience London” rub her colleagues the wrong way, but the only other woman in the military unit (Sue Ellen)—a very unworldly, uncultured person—was the one everyone wanted to hang out with. As Kathleen found herself in unpretentious punk clubs surrounded by folks with no sense of shame, she learned a valuable lesson about herself. She may know a lot from books and a big brain, but she has no chill. We sat down with Kathleen in her beautiful Sacramento home. She was a delight to talk with about her story; it was abundantly clear how different she is now from the person she was back then. Aside from being a fantastic writer and storyteller, Kathleen is a professor, an Air Force veteran, and the founder of Veteran Women’s Voices [https://veteranwomensvoices.org/vwv-facilitators/], which supports women military veterans in California in developing the writing skills and confidence to express their unique experiences. The Nutshell Three: Amy Bee Keith Lowell Jensen Aaron Carnes Sound Engineer: Chris Reeves Thank you to: DJ Yuma Tripp [https://www.trippdj.com/] for allowing us to use his song “Lazy Skank” for our episodes and our live show. Hyperpixel [https://www.hyperlive.events/] for audio and video services. Sofia Theatre [https://bstreettheatre.org/] for a beautiful stage to gather around. Our photographer, Antonio Lovig. Babalou and Suzon Lucore for watching over our event table and engaging with people in the best way possible. Get full access to In a Nutshell Storytelling at www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe [https://www.inanutshellstorytelling.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]