Record the stories of someone you love, and keep them for generations.
Molly Fagundes-Johnston sits down with your loved one for a guided conversation. Your family keeps the recording, a full transcript and, if you choose, a bound book of their life story.
Serving the Central Valley since 2026
The stories you’ll wish you had asked about
How they met. What the world looked like when they were young. The move, the job, the hard year that shaped everything after.
Those stories live with the people who were there. A recording keeps more than the facts: it keeps their voice, their laugh and the way they tell it. In Their Own Voice makes it easy to sit down together and capture them now.
What’s included
The interview
An unhurried, guided conversation with Molly, recorded from start to finish.
A private audio archive
The full recording, delivered by private link, so you can always hear their voice.
A full transcript
Every word written out, so the stories are easy to read and pass along.
A podcast summary
A 20- to 40-minute podcast-style episode in which two hosts talk through their life story.
The heirloom book
With the Complete Legacy package, their life story is written and designed as a bound book, illustrated with family photographs.
How it works
1
Call or email Molly
Tell her who you’d like to honor. She’ll explain both packages and answer your questions.
2
Plan the conversation
A one-page pre-interview guide walks through the questions ahead of time and lets you mark any topics to leave out.
3
The interview
Molly leads the conversation and records it, following the guide and wherever the stories go.
4
Receive your keepsakes
Your family receives the recording, transcript and podcast summary. With Complete Legacy, the book follows.
Two ways to keep their story
Standard
$1,000
Their voice and their stories, recorded and written down.
- Guided interview with Molly
- Private audio archive of the full recording
- Full written transcript
- Podcast summary
Complete Legacy
$1,500–$3,500
Everything in Standard, plus their life story as a bound heirloom book.
- Everything in the Standard package
- A full biography, written from the interview
- Designed and printed as a bound book
- Family photographs throughout
- One printed copy, with extra copies available
Your price depends on the length and scope of the book.
Half is due when we begin and the balance on completion. Work beyond the package scope is billed at $100 an hour. Not sure which fits? Call Molly at 559-313-2541.
Why we do this
Most families mean to record their grandparents’ stories someday. Dominico Johnston actually did it: two days of conversation in 2005 with his grandfather, Joseph Plagenza, a WWII veteran and Central Valley dairyman who raised seven children with his wife, Rose.
Years later, those recordings became No Work, No Eat, a heirloom book his whole family now shares. In Their Own Voice offers families the same thing, while there’s still time to ask.
Meet Molly
Molly Fagundes-Johnston has spent more than twenty years in donor relations, including major-gift roles at Valley Children’s Hospital and California State University, Fresno. Her work has always started with listening, and a good life-story interview depends on exactly that.
She holds an MBA and a BA from California State University, Fresno and is the mother of four boys.
Questions families ask
How long does it take?
Most projects take three to eight weeks. That covers editing, drafting, your review and final production, and the timing depends on the scope of the project.
Where does the interview happen?
In person, wherever your loved one feels most comfortable.
How long is the interview?
Most interviews last two to three hours. We can adjust the length and pace to fit your loved one’s needs.
Can family members sit in?
Yes. We do recommend a setting where your loved one can talk about their life comfortably and without interruption, since that is when the best stories come out.
What if my parent has memory loss, has trouble hearing or tires easily?
We can adjust the interview setting and timeline to fit. Tell us about any special circumstances in our first conversation, and we’ll plan around them.
What if there are topics they would rather not discuss?
The pre-interview guide lets you mark any topics to leave out, and we won’t raise them.
Who owns the recordings, transcript and book?
Your family does. You receive the recordings, transcript and book in full, and In Their Own Voice never markets them.
How do we receive the recordings and files?
Through a private link to all of the electronic content.
What is the podcast summary?
A 20- to 40-minute conversation between two hosts about your loved one’s life. It sounds like an episode of a podcast show, built from their own life story.
How many copies of the book are included?
The Complete Legacy package includes one printed copy. You can order extra copies at the same time.
How does payment work?
Half is due when the project begins. The balance, plus any work beyond the original scope, is due on completion.
Do you work with families outside the Central Valley?
Yes. We’re based in California’s Central Valley and also work with families outside the region. Get in touch and we’ll work out the details with you.
Start with a conversation
Tell Molly about the person whose story you’d like to keep. She’ll walk you through what to expect.