As 2025 winds down, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the stories that stayed with us long after the lights came up. In a year when we also marked 15 years of Story Collider, our stages and podcast were home to hundreds of voices—funny, raw, brilliant, brave—making it nearly impossible for us to choose our favourites.
From unexpected scientific revelations to intimate personal reckonings, from fieldwork fiascos to moments of quiet, astonishing resilience, these stories captured the full spectrum of what it means to be human in a world shaped by science. They made us laugh, made us think, and sometimes made us sit in stunned silence.
Here are the stories from 2025 that moved us, surprised us, and reminded us why we do what we do.
Stories we can’t stop thinking about in 2025
“I will be your father figure” by Paul Davis
“Paul is a master, and sharing such a heavy topic with such levity is something few can pull off.”
— Bryan Kett, LA Senior Producer
“This might be one of my favorite Story Collider stories of all time. Maybe it's partially because I've had my own "fertility journey" and I really relate to so much of what Paul and his wife are going through. But I think it really comes down to the way Paul tells this story, with so much incredible humor and warmth and vulnerability and, most of all, joy.”
— Erin Barker, Co-founder and Executive Director of The Story Collider
“This story is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and I’m here for every second of it.”
— Misha Gajewski, Host and Managing Producer of The Story Collider
“Never, ever will I be a victim” by Scott Imbrie
“I’ve never been as impacted working with a storyteller as I was working with Scott. In the face of more adversity than I could ever imagine myself, Scott had the most amazing and upbeat attitude towards life. I learned so much from this man as he shared his story of losing vast amounts of motor function in his body after a car accident. Scott helped me to realize how much I have to be grateful for - how much we all have to be grateful for, and how looking at life through a lens of gratitude is so much better than only seeing the things that we don’t have.”
— Meisa Salaita, Atlanta Senior Producer
“the oldest of ten” by Josh Barber
“It's so hard to choose but I feel like letting a bit of my bias take over meant I just *had* to go with Josh's -- this was the first story I produced for Story Collider, and I just can't imagine a better story to show how science can intertwine so closely with our everyday lives! Low key, I love when a story destroys me emotionally, and Josh did just that. But he also provided the space to heal and recover, and I am left feeling grateful and inspired by what he's shared. I just think his story is incredible.
I also came into this story very unimpressed by freshwater fish (because I just love saltwater invertebrates too much), but now, even though I won't be getting any home aquaria anytime soon, I have a new appreciation of fish because of what they meant for Josh.”
— Diana Li, New York Producer
“Pseudoscience” by Lydia Greene and Sarah Ott
“I’m cheating by nominating two tellers, but both Lydia and Sarah’s stories hit me hard. They are such a clear reminder of how easily we can get tangled in our own biases — and, at the same time, how powerful it is to recognize that we don’t have to stay there. Their journey is both humbling and empowering, and I feel genuinely honoured to have worked with them in shaping their stories.”
— Misha Gajewski, Host and Managing Producer of The Story Collider
“Science has given me my voice” by Garrett Glinka
“Garrett’s story is such a beautiful and vulnerable example of how hard it can be to know and accept ourselves. I felt every moment of this story, and hearing him find his voice - and seeing him really own who he is on stage - was a true joy.”
— Paula Croxson, New York Senior Producer and The Story Collider Board President
STORIES THAT MADE US LAUGH OUT LOUD IN 2025
“What Garden?” by Kofi Thomas
“I found him to be incredbily charming and funny while telling us about his boots-to-the-streets effort to fix something for the community, with the help of the community. All of the above plus the fact that Kofi is one of the best kept secrets in the NYC standup comedy scene today. Loved seeing him show that off while sharing this story about this place that really matters to him.”
— Gastor Almonte, New York Senior Producer
“Joe Rogan” by Andrew McGill
“I had a couple of people ask me whether this was really a “science” story as it doesn’t have any explanations of how the drugs work, but to me this is the ultimate science story, because it’s a deeply personal, very weird account of someone’s interaction with science, and I found myself laughing through every twist and turn. And I never thought I’d find the words “Joe Rogan” so funny!”
— Paula Croxson, New York Senior Producer and The Story Collider Board President
“Cause of Death: Oozing” By Ron Hart
“Ron has this uncanny ability to not only recognize the absurd, but also walk the audience through that experience with such authenticity and introspection. That line about him and his friends playing Risk being enough evidence to not be on hard drugs was one of the biggest laughs of the year.”
— Bryan Kett, LA Senior Producer
“Dude has the worst luck EVER, but hilarious story. My favorite line is: ‘One good thing that happened is my leg hair came in.’ Dead.”
— Misha Gajewski, Host and Managing Producer of The Story Collider
“Al Gore” By Rollie Williams
“This is a story about one man's bold and unrelenting quest to impersonate Al Gore to his face. What more do you need to know?”
— Erin Barker, Co-founder and Executive Director of The Story Collider
“Iggy, wake up!” by Rodolpho Moran
“Ro's depiction of his dad cracks me up and the thought of giving an iguana CPR is beyond funny to me.”
— Misha Gajewski, Host and Managing Producer of The Story Collider
Stories that pulled at our heart strings in 2025
“How lucky was I?” by Anonymous
“Like so many others, I remain devastated by the drastic cuts to funding for scientific work that have taken place in the United States this year. When I worked with this storyteller on her story, it was clear she had been so passionate about her literally life-saving work with the CDC. It's heartbreaking to know that we no longer have folks like her fulfilling these important roles.”
– Erin Barker, Co-founder and Executive Director of The Story Collider
“When I was done listening to this story, I completely broke down. It's told in such a calm, clear way, and I felt so strongly how I - how so many of us in science - have been holding it together this year, trying to stay strong, keep fighting, not letting ourselves imagine the lost years of work, the potential lives lost, the studies shelved and left unfinished, the careers devastated... This story made me realise just what the impact of the cuts and RIFs and layoffs and disruption to science funding could be, and how it's important not only to fight, but to grieve.”
— Paula Croxson, New York Senior Producer and The Story Collider Board President
“Nipples for Christmas” by Jenna Dioguardi
“I've seen a few portions of this as Jenna has been working on her one-person show. This rendition really moved me. I felt the struggle in her potential loss in identity was really well conveyed.”
– Gastor Almonte, New York Senior Producer
“Thank you, i’m dying” By David Crabb
“David takes us on such a ride here. It's funny. It's heartbreaking. It's everything a story can — and should — be. He's one of the best to do it for a reason.”
— Bryan Kett, LA Senior Producer
“I don’t know” by Christel Bartelse
“In a year when it felt like nearly all of my friends were either pregnant or welcoming a baby, Christel’s story arrived in my life at exactly the right moment. It was funny, honest, and raw—and very relatable for anyone who isn’t sure if they want to have a kid. I heard from so many others who felt the same way, who saw themselves in her experience and were grateful she shared it. There’s immense pressure on women to have children, and Christel’s story was a powerful reminder that life can still be rich, meaningful, and deeply fulfilling without them.”
— Misha Gajewski, Host and Managing Producer of The Story Collider
