Remember when…

You’re at a family dinner, and some old stories from “back in the day” are being shared. There’s one you’ve never heard before, so you make a mental note to write it down when you get home.

Then you forget to do it. And the story risks being lost or diluted.

I hear this often, and I’m guilty of this myself too.

So… I encourage you to make a promise to yourself to start saving family stories in 2026!

If you’re the family storykeeper (as I know many of you are) then it’s likely this task is going to fall to you. And if you don’t do it, it probably won’t happen.

3 Simple Steps

Follow these 3 simple steps – you’ll be surprised how easy it is to make a start.

🌟Step 1: Decide on the themes or timeline of events you’ll include
🌟Step 2: Dig out favourite photos related to themes or events of Step 1
🌟Step 3: Make notes about each photo and begin recording your story!

Here’s more details on each step.

STEP 1:

Your life story doesn’t need to include EVERY part of your life – that’s an overwhelming task and would end up being too long for most people to be willing to watch. You want to keep the whole thing under an hour if you can.

So using themes is a great way to put your life into manageable chunks or chapters. Themes may include milestones, such as Becoming a Parent or Buying My First House. You could use decades as themes too – whatever works for you – it’s your story after all.

STEP 2:

Choose photos that you want to include in your story, based on the themes you’ve identified in step 1. These could be from childhood through to current times. Each photo will most likely have a deeper meaning for you than it might for others. You may find that a single photo can tell an entire story on it’s own!

STEP 3:

Make notes about each photo – WHERE it was taken, WHO is in it, WHAT is the occasion, and HOW it makes you feel. Once you have those notes, you can then refer to them as you start recording your story.

It really is as easy as following these 3 steps!

What’s stopping you? Start today.

Make 2026 the year you commit to doing this for yourself and your future generations.

You won’t regret doing this, but you may regret not doing it.

Get more tips, ideas and inspiration on saving life memories here:
www.movingmemories.nz

How to Film a Life Story – the complete guide!

If you’d like learn step by step how to plan, interview, record and edit your loved one’s life story with video, I recommend my DIY guide (with bonus video masterclass that takes you through the ebook and includes video editing demos). The guide is filled with tips and tricks, and is aimed at beginner level. It contains all you need to get started.

Buy the How to Film a Life Story guide via the link below for $37 NZD:

https://www.movingmemories.nz/downloads/how-to-film-your-life-story-e-book/

Review from a recent purchaser:

“Love the e-book and Masterclass. Beautifully delivered, great pace to understand, incredibly thorough, detailed and well thought out. This ebook and masterclass reignited my passion for collecting life stories and gave me the confidence to do it on my own. It is everything you will need complete your project from start to finish. Great introduction and really allows you to realise the true need to record these videos.

Thank you so much for making the process far simpler by setting out the pathway for others to follow and create a keepsake to cherish for generations to come.

The video is wonderful in giving you all the content in a very easy to digest format. It takes you through the chapters at a comfortable speed with many tips and hints to help you along the way. It’s like she is in the room with you talking you through every step!

Brilliant balance of professional tips alongside the more softer empathetic skills to use when working with people.

Lovely demo for editing the video too, which I have found the hardest part with my project.”

– Hina, UK

Book a free call with me

If you need help with getting started, I do offer a free 30 minute call to help you identify key areas of your life to focus on and tips to help get your life story underway. Here’s a link to book a time:

https://bookwithnicola.as.me

Resources & Links

⚒️The DIY Ebook: How to Film a Life Story:

Buy the DIY step-by-step How to Film a Life Story ebook for just $37 NZD and get started on your life story project today! Includes practical exercises plus BONUS masterclass video.

https://www.movingmemories.nz/downloads/how-to-film-your-life-story-e-book/

Free list of 30 life story interview questions:

https://www.movingmemories.nz/30-life-story-questions/

10 Tips for Video Confidence (Free E-book)

https://www.movingmemories.nz/top-10-tips-for-video-confidence/

YouTube channel – Saving Family Memories:

https://www.youtube.com/@savingfamilymemories