Stories That Stay is a podcast where healing happens at the intersection of art, science, and storytelling. Hosted by therapist and strategist Shamm Petros and educator and artist Dwight Dunston, the show blends personal storytelling with mindfulness practices and over 35 years of racial literacy research from Lion’s Story.

Each episode begins with the question: What is your earliest memory of race or difference? Guests—artists, educators, leaders, and everyday people—share moments that shaped their lives. Together, we explore how these stories of identity reveal paths toward resilience, growth, and transformation.

Whether you’re an educator, organizer, or simply curious about how stories shape us, Stories That Stay offers tools to help you navigate identity and difference with courage, competence, and compassion.

Stories That Stay is a project of Lion’s Story, a nonprofit dedicated to building racial literacy through storytelling, mindfulness, and healing. Rooted in over 35 years of research by Dr. Howard C. Stevenson at the University of Pennsylvania, our work guides individuals and institutions to reclaim their stories, reduce identity-based stress, and step into authentic inclusion—not as a checklist, but as a way of being.

Produced and edited by Peterson Toscano.
Mindful moment music by Dwight Dunston.
Music by Epidemic Sound.

Podcast site: StoriesThatStay.net

Hosts: Shamm Petros and Dwight Dunston