Today's Forecast

Every Tuesday, The Productive Disruptive delivers storytelling science, message makeovers, cultural commentary, and a little rebellious hope for anyone still stubborn enough to believe communication can change the world.

Author

Dorian Johnson
February 24, 2026

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So… I got 29 inches of snow.

My backyard. What kind of foolishness is this?

Quite rude, actually.

There was a travel ban from 9 PM the night before to 9 AM, then it got pushed to 12 PM or something, I don’t even know anymore. Also, an actual NYDOT snowplow flipped over on a major highway.

WHAT??

All this to say, in my small corner of Long Island, NY, it was as if the world hit pause.

Snow muffles noise. Time slows, and even though there’s literally nowhere I’d want to go, Cabin Fever just brings a sense of restlessness because I can’t go anywhere.

And in my weird ass brain, I immediately thought of Macbeth.

Now I don’t know if I’m gonna spoil anything for you, and if I do, I’m truly sorry, but I don’t know the spoiling statute of limitations for it being 2026, and that tragedy came out in 1623.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth been doing some low down dirty thangs(one more than the other, but they both responsible and acted together).

There was an insatiable need for power. Backstabbing. Truly, morally bankrupt stuff.

What the hell does this have to do with weather?

A key theme in Macbeth is Nature’s Reaction to Man’s Action.

The Macbeths been corruptin’, the environment started taking note, and very atypical things ensued. Like, horses eating each other. Not your average Tuesday.

The idea of when leadership gets reckless…
when power gets greedy…

Wild, abnormal things start happening.

Is this nearly three stories worth of snowfall and overturned snow plows one of those life-imitates-art situations?
Where reprehensible things have been going on federally… and the weather acts out?

Who’s to say?

But in Macbeth, it wasn’t just horses losing their minds.

There were violent storms and daytime darkness where it’s as if the sun itself forgot to clock in for its shift.

Weather is a powerful storytelling tool.

Which brings me to Do the Right Thing.

The heat wasn’t just weather.

The heat was tension.
The heat was aggression.
The heat was impatience.

I’m not saying the heat caused everything in that movie (I’m a Public Health Homie, I know better. This is the classic ice cream sales and murder rates scenario).

But the extreme heat was a mechanism for depicting what was shown.

So let me ask you:

What’s the emotional weather in your stories?

🧠 Story Science Side Note: Our brains love symbols because they compress complex ideas into simple images. Instead of explaining “stress, conflict, and instability,” a heat wave or storm can carry all of that at once. Symbolism works like mental shorthand, making stories easier to process and remember.

I mean, we even say “practice blue sky thinking”. Why might that be?

📝 Message Makeover:

Before:
“Frequent leadership changes and shifting priorities have created a sense of instability and uncertainty across the organization.”

After:
“Work feels like a new windstorm. Nothing stays standing for long.”

What other weather condition can you use? Drought, fog, rain, thunder, mudslide? Honestly, build up a bank of examples for different situations.

🛠️ The PHacilitator’s Corner:

Build a weather bank!

Set a 10-minute timer.

During that time, notice how the spaces, conversations, or situations around you feel.

Then translate a few of your reflections into weather patterns. That’s your weather bank.

Could you use a weather condition in a story that connects to your work?

Stay Classy, San Diego

How’d I do?