The Life Story · life stories and family biographies, Salt Lake City
What were you like at sixteen?
The stories your family tells deserve to outlast the dinner table, in the voice of the person who lived them. Start tonight with our free guide, or let us record the whole story for you.
Call or text Sean · 801-803-3084
Why we do this
A family is the stories it tells.
Photos turn into faces nobody can name. Recipes outlast the cook who knew the trick. The stories are the part of a family that doesn’t fit in a box.
We believe they belong in the words of the person who lived them, written down, so a great-grandchild can hear who they came from.
Conversation, not a questionnaire.
We listen more than we ask. The best stories come from the follow-up.
Their words come first.
We shape the story, but the voice stays theirs. You’ll hear them on every page.
One person answers for it.
Sean does the interviews, shapes every page, and sits down with you to review it.
What you get · intro offer
The stories they tell best, written down.
$999for three interviews, one review session, and the digital download
Three recorded interviews.
About 90 minutes each, at their kitchen table or by video. Relaxed conversations about the stories they actually tell.
One review session.
We sit down with you and the draft. You tell us what to fix, what to add, and what to leave out.
The digital download.
Their finished life story, written in their own voice, ready to read, share with the family, and print at home.
Want it in print?
A printed hardcover book or a private family website is extra. We talk about both on your call, and you can add them any time after.
Every photo is a question
Somebody still knows the story.
Who’s in it, where it was, and what happened that day. Somebody in your family still knows. A few good conversations will keep it.
Free guide
Tonight, ask one question.
Our free guide has twenty questions to ask your mom, your dad, or a grandparent, plus three tips for recording the answers. Print it, pick one, and press record. A phone is enough.
Three from the guide
- Where were you born, and what is the first home you remember?
- What story did our family always tell about where we came from?
- How did you meet the person you married or loved most?
and 17 more in the guide
How it works
Five steps, from a free call to their finished story. The interviews are conversations with Sean. A writing system helps with the draft, and Sean shapes every page himself.
Story Call
Free, 15 minutes. Who you want to capture, the stories that matter, and what you already have.
A plan in writing
The people, the stories to start with, and real dates, agreed before we start.
Three interviews
Recorded conversations at their pace.
Review session
We go through the draft with you.
Your digital download
Their finished story, in their own words, yours to keep.
Free resource library
Start tonight, on your own.
We’d rather you get the story than not, with us or on your own. Plain how-tos for recording a parent, finding the family in the records, and keeping old photos safe. Free, no sign-up.
Sixty questions to ask your parents
Sixty questions grouped by life chapter, from the first home they remember to what they want the great-grandkids to know.
Record their stories with the phone in your pocket
No special gear. The settings, the setup, and the habits that make a recording worth keeping.
How to interview your mom or dad
The habits that turn a polite chat into the stories they never got around to telling.
Why I do this
I’m Sean Ivins, a biographer in Salt Lake City. I studied history, I’ve written many people’s stories over the years, and I love this work.
I started with my own family: a recorder, a lot of questions, and the old records to check the details. Every family has a story that’s been told for fifty years. It deserves to be written down in the teller’s own words.
I’m also a project manager by trade. Your story gets a written plan, real dates, and one person who answers for it.
- BA in History
- MBA
- PMP certified
Sean
Questions families ask
How much does it cost?
The Life Story is $999. That covers three recorded interviews, one review session, and the finished story as a digital download.
Can I get a printed book or a family website?
Yes. Both are extra, and you can add them now or later. We talk through what each one costs on your call, before anything changes.
How long does it take?
We set real dates together in writing before we start, based on your family’s calendar. The three interviews can be weekly or spread out, whatever suits your parent.
Do you use AI?
Yes, as a tool. The interviews are conversations with me. A writing system helps turn the recordings into a draft, and I read and shape every page myself before you see it. The words and the stories stay theirs.
Do you only work in Utah?
I meet in person anywhere from Ogden to Provo. Families anywhere in the United States can do the interviews by video.
Holiday gifts, open through December 15
Give them someone who listens.
Three interviews and their finished story for $999. We send a printed certificate to give.
