In this episode of Definitely Not Famous, host Rebecca Hogue interviews Janet Lee, co‑author of Always Ask for Help, a memoir about Arnie Stewart, an adult who lived most of his life unable to read or write. The conversation traces Arnie’s extraordinary journey from a childhood marked by poverty, hunger, and shame in Cobalt, Ontario, to adulthood where he survived through ingenuity, bluffing, and resilience.

Janet first encountered Arnie when he spoke to her high‑school literacy students. His honesty and vulnerability captivated the room — and inspired one student living in a car to finally ask for help. That moment led Janet to promise Arnie she would help him tell his story.

Together, they spoke to 72 audiences, teaching students the power of vulnerability and the importance of literacy. Janet developed a structured “before, during, and after” approach for schools, helping students engage deeply with Arnie’s message. She also created the Arnie Card, a tool that allows people to silently signal when they need help — now used not only in schools but in local businesses.

Janet describes the emotional and technical challenges of writing the book with Arnie, capturing his voice, and editing hours of imperfect audio. She also shares her own struggle with asking for help, including a painful experience with a writers’ group that nearly derailed the project.

Now, more than 22 years after she first met Arnie, Janet is expanding the project into a documentary film, using animations based on drawings created by students who heard Arnie speak. She sees this as the medium that will finally reach the people Arnie most wanted to help — those with low literacy.

The episode closes with Janet’s advice for memoir writers: choose a topic you’re passionate about, allow others to help you, and keep going even when the journey feels impossible.