Healing Power of Music and Emotional Storytelling with Matt Borck
Evaluation and Summary
5.9/10
This is the second half of a conversation between host Jodi Krangle and Matt Borck, Partner and Chief Listening Officer at The One Group Agency, centered on music's emotional and healing power in branding and storytelling. The episode opens with Matt reflecting on a transformative moment listening to Manchester Orchestra—a single C note that moved him to tears despite not consciously hearing the lyrics, illustrating how sound can trigger profound emotional responses independent of rational understanding. He connects this to his work in audio branding, emphasizing that creators can harness this power to move audiences.
The conversation explores several interconnected themes. First, Matt advocates for authenticity in branding, arguing that real human voices should be prioritized over AI in voiceovers because audiences want to connect with the human behind the brand. He positions AI as a last resort, not a first choice. Second, he discusses how music functions as a personal soundtrack to life—a tool for memory, emotional processing, and healing. He shares that sound has been there for him to feel emotions, celebrate with groups, and sit in silence.
A significant portion addresses the tension between social media marketing and genuine audience connection. Matt critiques the current state of social content creation, calling much of it "slop" created with the hope that someone will engage, questioning whether the real intent is authentic connection or just sales. He argues for building trust with listeners, noting that genuine relationships lead to organic advocacy—audiences become your best marketing when they feel the work was worthwhile.
The episode also tackles the practical challenge of reaching diverse demographics across different platforms and age groups. Matt notes that messaging effective for his daughters won't work for someone in their 60s, forcing creators to make difficult choices about which audience to prioritize.
Throughout, Matt emphasizes sound's multifaceted role: emotional processing, memory anchoring, celebration, and healing. He closes with a powerful metaphor about imagining life on mute, underscoring sound's irreplaceable value in human experience. The episode blends personal anecdotes with professional insights about audio branding strategy, authenticity in marketing, and the therapeutic dimensions of music.
Verdict: A thoughtful conversation with genuine insights about audio branding and music's emotional power, but limited by lack of research backing, modest structural tightness, and promotional padding that dilutes the core message.
Education rubric
Clarity of explanation4/520%
Matt uses concrete examples (Manchester Orchestra moment, Bermuda project) and accessible language to explain abstract concepts like emotional resonance and algorithm fatigue; some industry jargon present but generally well-grounded in rela
Accuracy3/520%
Observations about music's emotional impact and social media dynamics are broadly sound and grounded in personal/professional experience, but lack citations or research backing; claims about AI and authenticity are opinion-based rather than
Structure3/515%
Episode follows a loose thematic arc (emotional power → authenticity → connection challenges) with clear section breaks, but transitions between topics feel somewhat organic rather than building systematically toward a conclusion.
Substance3/515%
Contains genuine insights about branding strategy and emotional storytelling with specific examples, but also includes promotional material (links, calls to support the podcast) and some repetition of core themes that pad the runtime.
Delivers on its title4/515%
Title promises healing power of music and emotional storytelling; episode delivers substantively on both, with Matt sharing personal healing experiences and discussing how to create emotionally resonant content, though 'emotional storytelli
Value for time3/515%
35 minutes is reasonable for the content covered, but pacing includes promotional segments and some circular discussion of authenticity vs. algorithm that could be tighter; solid insights don't quite justify the full runtime.
Worth it if you work in audio branding, content creation, or marketing and want practical perspective on authenticity and emotional connection, or if you're interested in music's therapeutic role in storytelling.
Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.
Show notes
“And it’s also a progression, right, that you don’t know why that progression did it for you. Like, there is a moment in this one song by Manchester Orchestra where they hit this C [note], and I, the first time I listened to it, just ugly cried, and I had no idea what they were saying because I wasn’t listening. It’s this one note, and the way they hit it as like, a quote, like just as a unit, as a band, they come in together, and it just does something in me. And I recognize that I then hold the power to be able to do that when I create content.” – Matt Borck
This episode is the second half of my conversation with Partner, Chief Listening Officer, and co-founder of The One Group Agency, Matt Borck, as we discuss Matt’s experience with the healing power of music and his strategies for breaking through social media algorithms to reach listeners.
And if you like what you hear and you want to support this podcast, there are a bunch of ways to do that at audiobrandingpodcast.com , including subscribing to the YouTube channel, the newsletter, writing a review, or buying me a coffee. Because this takes a lot of coffee. Thanks so much.
(00:00) – The Emotional Power of Music
The second half of our conversation starts as Matt shares his thoughts on the connection sound fosters between people, and how AI fits into his branding strategy. “People want to get to know the human behind the brands,” he explains. “They need to feel that moment. That’s why I encourage people [to] get the people that you’re working with to do the voiceover if they’re comfortable, and if they’re not, kind of choose somebody else that’s close to it as best as you can. And at this point in my life, AI would be the last resort.” We discuss his experience with the healing power of sound, and the backdrop it forms to our lives and memories. “People talk about having a soundtrack to their life,” Matt says. “They’re able to look back and go, oh, I remember, right. I remember exactly where I was when that song came on. I’m actually better at that than I am at remembering my own memories.”
(14:30) – Authenticity in Storytelling
Matt shares a clip from a travel tourism project in Bermuda, and we discuss the dangers of letting social media be a substitute for connecting with the audience. “That aspect,” he says, “I really feel is something that is disheartening. I feel like we’re not actually honoring the audiences. What we’re doing is just creating a whack load of slop and hoping that at one point somebody bites. But is our whole intent then of being on social just to sell?” We talk more about the role of social media and the algorithm in marketing, and the value of creating trust with the listener. “Being able to build that trust,” he explains, “what ends up happening is… they’re going to come back and become your greatest marketing, because they’re going to say it’s unbelievable. It was worth every penny.”
(28:25) – Creating Genuine Connections
As our conversation comes to a close, we talk about the challenge of reaching out to different listener demographics, not all of whom are on every social media network. “The way that I talk to my daughters is completely different than the way that I’ll talk to, say, somebody in their 60s,” he explains. “But yet at the same time, we might have a product that might work for both. It’s just going to completely fall flat with one, so which one are you willing to leave?” Matt tells listeners how they can get in touch, and shares his thoughts on the power of sound in our lives. “There are moments where I’ve walked into our living room and a song has come on,” he says, “and what it’s done in that moment has been very healing… It’s been there for me to feel. It’s been there for me to encourage emotions to come out. It’s been there for me with groups to celebrate. It’s been there for me to just sit in the silence of something. Like, there is so much that it has been there. And I think of going back to the movie that you love and putting it on mute, and I can’t imagine my life on mute. I just can’t.”
Episode Summary
We discuss how music helps listeners process their emotions.
The importance of real voices in branding and marketing.
Matt talks about the therapeutic aspects of music and sound.
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