Unlocking the Power of Your Origin Story: Strategic Storytelling for Insight, Inspiration, & Impact

1. INTRODUCTION: Have you ever considered that the key to your future success is a great story? Your origin story isn't just a memory. It's a powerful tool. Hi, I'm Carrie Clan, a storytelling strategist, a stage director, and author of the book Origin Story. For over 30 years, I've studied how stories shape our lives, not just the ones we see on stage, but the ones we tell ourselves. Because the truth is the right story can change everything. I teach master level personal branding classes and coach business leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives, helping to rewrite the narratives that hold them back and to find within them the stories that will change their lives because when you own your story, you own your power. And now I'm here to help you. I'll guide you step by step to uncover, shape, and connect with your story. You'll learn how to dig deep into your origins. Gather evidence from your own life and transform your journey into a compelling, authentic story. This is an opportunity to reframe your past. Overcome impostor syndrome, conquer limiting beliefs, and rediscover your why, whether you're a business leader, a creative, or simply someone who wants to tell their story with impact. This course is for you. Your story is waiting to be told. Let's craft it together. 2. COURSE PROJECT: This course has been designed around one clear goal. By the end, you will craft and share your own dynamic origin story, whether it's a written narrative, a short video, a recorded voice memo, or even an outline for future research. Your origin story is the final product of this course. It's your chance to show who you are, how you got here, and where you're going next. You'll follow a step by step process to create a powerful story that reflects your voice, values, and vision. Your final project can take one of several forms. Examples of your final project include a written version of your story, video or audio recording featuring public speaking or podcast content, a social media post or a future action plan with research and a storytelling strategy. Step one is to choose a story structure from one of the three I'll be giving you details about. Step two is to gather your seven essential elements. Using our storytelling checklist to ensure your story includes all of the key building blocks that make it engaging and emotionally resonant. Step three is to determine your audience and purpose. Who is this story for? Why am I telling it? And what action or insight do I want my audience to take away? Step four, write your story by combining all of your story elements together, making sure that you have an authentic, creative and dynamic personal origin story. Arrange your seven essential elements together, take advantage of all the exercises offered in the course and brainstorm and write freely. You can always edit your content later. Following one of the three structures highlighted in the course will ensure that you can connect the dots and offer smooth transitions between your story's key moments. As you weave all of the elements together in your chosen format, be intentional with your tone, pacing, and message. Before you submit, ask yourself, does my story have a clear, beginning, middle, and end? Have I shown where I came from, where I am now, and where I'm headed? Is there a key moment of recognition, change or insight? And does my mood come through clearly? Are my examples and language consistent with that tone? Submit your completed story in the format that best expresses your vision. If you're submitting a plan instead of a final piece, be sure to include a clear outline or script for your origin story, including your plans for research and implementation. No matter the format of the project you choose, I hope you will be inspired to share a story with heart, purpose, and clarity. After you have completed the course, it's time to upload your project to Skillshare. Go to the project gallery at the bottom of the class page. Click on the Create Project button in the Projects and Resources section. Add a project title and a creative cover image. Then add your project content. In the text editor, describe your process. What inspired you and what do you hope to achieve by sharing your story? Add images, links or files, whatever helps to bring your project to life. Once everything looks good, scroll down and click Publish to make your project go live. You can always go back and edit it later if you need to update it. I have already included a couple of examples to kickstart your process. Uploading your work is a great way to practice sharing your story while inspiring others. So definitely don't skip this opportunity to put your voice out into the world. It's time you told the world what makes you truly original. I can't wait to hear your stories. 3. What's an Origin Story?: Imagine standing in a dimly lit alleyway. It's late. Shadows stretch across the pavement. A young boy watches as his parents are taken from him in an instant. He's left alone, scared. But that moment, the tragedy will shape him into one of the most legendary figures of all time. That's Batman's origin story. Now, maybe your story doesn't involve a mass vigilante, radioactive spiders or cosmic rays. But I promise you, you have an origin story, a story that explains why you are, who you are. And it's more powerful than you think. Hello, I'm Karri Kleuin. In this lesson, we are going to answer the questions, What's an origin story? And why do origin stories matter? We've been telling origin stories since the beginning of time, the Bible, big bang, the story of how the Tiger got its stripes. They all exist to explain the unexplainable. Most importantly, they connect us to something bigger than ourselves. Think about some of the greatest stories we know Oprah's legendary Rise to celebrity status, Steve Jobs starting Apple in a garage, changing the world forever, and a multitude of TedTs. You know the ones where speakers take us through that one moment that changed everything. But here's the secret. Origin stories aren't just for superheroes and billionaires. They're for all of us. You, me, every one of us has an origin story. Think for a moment about a defining moment in your life. Maybe it was the day you left home. The first time you failed, big, a detour, whether planned or unplanned, a career shift, retirement, or maybe it was something quieter, a conversation, a book, a realization that shifted everything. Dana Roe, a composer, had one of those moments. As a child, he struggled with public speaking. His voice would break, his confidence would crumble until one day a teacher suggested something radical. Sing your speech instead. That moment, the realization that music could give him a voice shaped his entire future. Today, Dana writes music that gives others a voice. His origin story wasn't about pain. It was about transformation and recognizing the voice within. We all have defining moments, but are we paying attention to them? I want you to take 10 seconds right now to think about a moment that changed you that inciting incident. It's part of your origin story, and we will be exploring that moment and others like it when we take a closer look at your inciting incidents. In a basic sense, an origin story asks you to consider three questions. Where did I come from? Where am I today because of it? And where am I going? Where did I come from? What's a moment that shaped me? Where am I today because of it? How did it change me? And where am I going? How does my past guide my future? These three questions unlock something incredible. Clarity. Your past holds clues to your future because when you know your story, really know it, you can use it in your career, in your relationships, even in those moments when you feel lost. Because if you've ever felt stuck, lost, like, you don't know your next move, your origin story holds the answer. Your origin story can be your Northstar. A guide for your future decision and the actions you will take to get there. If you take away one thing today, let it be this. Your origin story is your power. Your origin story has the power to inspire and impact people. In leadership and marketing, whether you are operating in a corporate entrepreneur or creative environment, what will make you stand out is your ability to tell a great story. Your origin story will give you the ability to connect, lend insight, motivate yourself and your team. You can change your life and the lives of others. The question is, what will you do with that power? Batman put on a cape, Zorro took up a sword and Dana found music. What will you do with your origin story? Now that we have had a look at what an origin story is, join me in our next session where I will share with you my very own origin story. 4. What Makes You Truly Original?: In the summer of 2021, amid the chaos of moving from Maryland to California, my mother handed me two small dusty boxes of elementary school memorabilia. She was thrilled to get rid of them. I wasn't so thrilled. I barely had time for packing, homeschooling paperwork, and surviving a biblical level cicath invasion. I almost threw them away. Almost. A few days later, curiosity got the best of me. I opened the box. Among the finger paintings and elementary school crafts, I found an old play script. A play I wrote at 10-years-old. Little Red Riding Hood says no to smoking a meta theatrical social justice piece with a sassy narrator and classic characters. I had written a play at ten. I had been a playwright, a storyteller, a director. And yet, for years, I had told my career story differently. And in that moment of realization, everything shifted. See, for decades, I told people my directing career just happened to me. I was in college, selected by my peers, trained, and given opportunities. I never pursued directing. It found me, or so I thought. Why? Because I had been conditioned to believe theater wasn't a real career. So I did the responsible thing. I majored in marketing and public relations, took a job at a chemical company. Yeah, a chemical company making titanium dioxide, the stuff that makes white paint white. I felt lost. I strayed so far from my dreams, even though I spent every spare moment working in the theater, behind the scenes or skipping class to paint sets. Listening to the outside voices and feeling the pressure of achieving a practical and dependable career, the life of an artist seemed indulgent and irresponsible. Feeling torn, I began to live a double life soup by day, artist by night, and the tension continued to build. One day after multiple PhD program rejections, I reviewed my resume, and there it was Clear as Day. Director, director, director. The evidence had always been there. I just hadn't been listening. I had told myself a false story that my career was accidental, but the truth the truth was in that playscript In my resume, and every choice I had made since childhood. I stopped applying to PhD programs and went straight for MFA programs because I didn't want to study theater. I wanted to do theater. And wouldn't you know it, I got accepted into my first choice MFA program. I was finally really listening to the voice that had been guiding me all along. Rediscovering that dusty play script was the evidence I needed to complete my story. It became my North Star and set me on a new path, whereas a storytelling strategist, I get to help others celebrate what makes them truly original. So let me ask you, when did you first show signs of your true calling? My friend Heather, a painter, can trace it back to childhood, drawing pictures under the kitchen table while listening to classical music. So many of us already know our Tue North, but we get lost in societal expectations in practicality, in the shods and must. Your origin story already exists. You just have to identify it. What evidence do you need to change the trajectory of your own journey? If you're at a crossroads, starting a new business, changing careers, or redefining your personal brand, Start by looking back. What early signs did you ignore? What dreams have been patiently waiting for you to listen? What's in that dusty box in your mother's basement waiting to be rediscovered? Because when you finally embrace your true story, everything changes. So, what makes you truly original? I hope that my own origin story will serve as a source of inspiration to you as you consider how to get started in the next lesson. 5. How to Get Started: Let's start with a paradox. Life doesn't have real beginnings, but our stories, they always do. Think about it. When you tell a story, you decide where it starts, but how do you choose? For some, it's easy. For others, starting a story feels like standing at the edge of a cliff, exciting, terrifying, full of possibility. Here's the good news. There is no wrong place to start. You can always revise, reframe, and reinvent. But before we talk about where exactly to begin, let's ask a more important question. Think about why you're here. What's your purpose? Are you crafting a pitch for a company, shaping your personal brand, or are you finally acting on a long held dream? Or maybe you're here to rewrite a story you've been carrying for way too long. Whatever your reason, your why will shape your how. The first step to crafting a compelling story is understanding your own purpose. Where you start your story matters because it sets the tone. It builds connection. It makes people lean in. But there's no single right place to start. A beginning is a choice. So how do you choose? You can start where things changed or start where the question began, or start where the journey became inevitable. Your beginning isn't just a moment in time. It's the spark that ignites everything. The process of story crafting is more than just putting words on a page. You can curate pieces of your story, reframe how you see past experiences, and shape your narrative in a way that feels authentic to you. You already have the story. You just need to decide how to tell it. This process is also about gaining perspective. What happens when you change the lens through which you view your story? A past failure could become a turning point. A random encounter could be the catalyst for transformation. A struggle could be the foundation of your greatest strength. Beginnings can feel overwhelming. We hesitate, we overthink, we doubt. But here's a secret. Beginnings aren't permanent. You can start in one place and pivot, you can rewrite, reshape, and redefine. You can own your story before someone else does it for you. The key is to start somewhere. Trust your instincts and intuition. Your story is already unfolding right now in this moment. And if you don't tell it, someone else will. So let me ask you, where will you begin? In the next lesson, we'll be looking at three powerful storytelling structures to get you on your way. 6. Three Powerful Storytelling STRUCTURES: Think back to the last time you were completely hooked on a story. Maybe a gripping movie, a compelling speech, or even a book that you couldn't put down. What kept you engaged? What made you care about the outcome? The answer lies in structure. Whether we realize it or not, we are naturally drawn to the stories that follow patterns. In this lesson, I'm going to introduce you to three powerful storytelling structures, Frey teg'sPyramid, the Hero's Journey, and Dan Harmon's Story Circle. And then I'm going to show you how they will help to shape your personal narrative in a way that resonates, connects, and leaves a lasting impact on your audience. As you are introduced to each of the three structures, I encourage you to take notes and think about how each applies to your own story. While there are similarities between these structures, each has a slightly different focus and objective when it comes to connecting with your preferred audience. You will want to choose one of the three structures as a foundation for crafting your own personal story. In the following lessons, I will give more detailed elements and examples of each structure. Start with Freytag's Pyramid, one of the most time tested storytelling structures. It dates back to ancient Greek tragedies and Shakespearean drama. But you also see it everywhere today from Hollywood blockbusters to bestselling novels and even TedTalks. It follows a five act progression. First, exposition, which includes the inciting incident, the setup where we meet the main character, learn about their world, and establish what's at stake. The inciting incident is the moment that disrupts the status quo and propels the story forward. Next is rising action where the tension builds as obstacles and challenges emerge. Next, we have the climax or the turning point. Recognition and reversal happens here at the high point of the story where everything changes. The protagonist has a moment of recognition, understanding something critical often too late, followed by a reversal, a dramatic shift in their situation. And next is falling action, which is the aftermath. And we see how the character deals with the consequences of their actions. Think about movies like Titanic, the Princess Bride, the Devil Wears Prada, and pretty much any Disney film. These stories hook us because they follow the perfect dramatic arc. We meet the character in their ordinary world, tension builds as they face obstacles and tough choices, a turning point changes everything, forcing them to grow, and then the story falls into place, leading to a satisfying or heartbreaking, in some cases, resolution. Fretek'sPyramid is fantastic for crafting a powerful, suspense driven story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. If your personal journey has one major transformative event, this structure helps heighten the drama and keeps your audience engaged. Think of it like a TedTalk leading up to a moment of revelation. Next, we have the hero's journey, a storytelling structure made famous by Joseph Campbell. This framework follows a circular path where a character is called to adventure, ventures into the unknown, faces challenges, undergoes a transformation, and then returns forever changed. It's one of the most recognizable and inspiring story arcs because it mirrors real life. We all experience struggles, breakthroughs and personal growth, whether it's in bestselling novels, blockbuster films like Star Wars, Hunger Games, the Matrix, or even the Lion King. And also our own personal narratives. This structure keeps audiences engaged by taking them on an emotional and transformative journey. If your story involves overcoming adversity, maybe a career pivot or personal reinvention, or beating impostor syndrome, this structure is for you. It resonates because we all see ourselves as the hero in our own lives. Finally, we have Dan Harmon story Circle, a streamlined, modern take on the hero's journey. This structure breaks storytelling down into eight key steps, making it simple yet incredibly effective. It's the backbone of iconic stories like the Breakfast Club, the Wizard of Oz, and the pursuit of happiness, because it mirrors the natural cycle of change we all experience. Starting in a familiar world, stepping into the unknown, facing struggles, transforming, and returning home forever changed. Unlike traditional linear narratives, the story circle keeps momentum high and emotions strong. That's why it's widely used in everything from Hollywood films to hit TV shows, ensuring stories stay fast paced, engaging, and deeply relatable. This structure works incredibly well for short, engaging personal stories, perfect for social media, networking events, or even interviews. If you want your audience to feel like they're taking a very relatable journey with you, the story circle is the structure to use. As we've seen, each of these three storytelling structures, Freytag's Pyramid, the hero's journey, and Dan Harmon Story Circle offers a unique way to shape your narrative. The key is to choose the one that best fits your journey and the impact you want to make. So how do you choose the right structure for your personal story? If you have one defining moment that changed everything, Fretank'sPyramid will give it drama and impact. If your journey involved a major transformation, the hero's journey will make your audience feel inspired. If you need a quick, relatable and engaging story, Dan Harmon's story circle keeps it simple and effective. No matter which structure you use, the goal is the same to connect with your audience, inspire them, and leave them with something valuable. Now that you have an overview, it's time to dive deeper. In the next three lessons, we'll explore each structure in more detail, breaking them down step by step, analyzing more real world examples, and guiding you through exercises to apply them to your own story. Grab your notes, think about which structure resonates the most with your story and get ready because in the next lesson, we'll start with a deep dive into Freytag's Pyramid and how to use it to create a suspense driven, high impact story. 7. STRUCTURE - Freytag's Pyramid: Why do some stories grip us while others fall flat? The secret lies in one of the oldest, most powerful storytelling structures, Freytag's Pyramid. And today, you'll see exactly how it works. In this lesson, I'll detail the standard elements of Freytag's structure, and then give you three examples for you to use if you choose to use Freytag as the model for your own story. You might not recognize the name, but you've definitely seen it in action. Fretag'sPyramid dates back to Ancient Greek tragedies and Shakespeare, but it's also alive in some of our most popular movies like The Princess Bride, Titanic, and the Devil Wears Prada. Let's break it down. First, we have exposition, including the inciting incident. This is where we meet the main character, learn about their world, and witness the event that disrupts their life. Next, rising action, where tension builds, obstacles arise, and the stakes climb. After that, climax or the turning point, where we see recognition and reversal. This is the peak moment. A key realization changes everything, followed by a dramatic shift. Then we come to falling action where the consequences of that pivotal moment unfold. And then resolution, AKA denen. The story finds closure for better or worse. In other words, the critical turning points are first, the inciting incident because it disrupts the status quo and propels the story forward. Also, a recognition moment where the character realizes a crucial truth often too late, but not always. And third, reversal, where a dramatic shift in the situation follows recognition. Of course, storytelling is not an exact science. You will notice that each of these examples uses these elements in a slightly different way. So when should you use Fretag structure? Well, it's good for single transformation stories, strong dramatic arcs, character driven narratives, and traditional drama. It's actually very versatile. Let's see this in action. If we use the movie Titanic as an example, we'll see in the exposition, Rose steps onto the Titanic knowingly beginning a life changing journey. The inciting incident is when she meets Dad. The rising action, she falls in love and questions her privilege, but suffocating life. Then we see in the climax Rose's recognition that her old life means nothing without freedom and the reversal, when the Titanic sinks, she loses Jack but gains independence. Then the falling action and resolution come where she survives and lives life on her own terms, finally letting go of the past. A woman chooses love and freedom over societal expectations at a heartbreaking cost. The message of Titanic revolves around love, class, sacrifice, and the fragility of life. The film explores the theme that true love transcends social boundaries and how fleeting moments of happiness are often interrupted by uncontrollable forces. It also conveys the message about the impact of tragedy where personal sacrifice can lead to profound emotional transformation. By following Freytag's Pyramid, Titanic illustrates the message that true love transcends social boundaries. And while life can be tragically fleeting, love can be an enduring legacy that shapes a person's life forever. The structure supports the narrative arc, emphasizing love's power, sacrifice, and how personal transformation can emerge from hardship. Taking a look at the DbelwarsPrada as an example, we'll see that in the exposition, Andy, a young aspiring journalist, lands a job as an assistant to the ruthless fashion editor Miranda Priestley. In the rising action, we'll find Andy struggling to keep up, but transforming into a polished professional, excelling at her job. However, losing sight of who she really is. In the climax, Miranda chooses Andy over another assistant, showing her approval, but Andy realizes she doesn't really want this life. Andy quits in the falling action, walking away from the fashion world to follow her true dreams. The content of the film demonstrates Andy's journey of self discovery and empowerment through the examples of her career and personal relationships, reinforcing the message that professional success is only meaningful when it aligns with one's true self and values. The free tag pyramid structure supports this message by highlighting main character Andy's transformation from a naive, eager to please assistant to someone who understands the costs of ambition and makes choices that align with her personal values. Next, we have one of my favorites, the Princess Bride. In it, we find in the exposition Butter Cup's true love Wesley, leaving to seek his fortune and being reported dead. She is forced to marry Prince Humperdink whom she doesn't love. In the rising action, Buttercup is kidnapped by three criminals. Wesley, disguised as the dread pirate Roberts, saves her. Then we come to the climax where Wesley defeats the criminals, Inigo avenges his father, and they thwart Prince Humperdink's evil plan. Next, the following action, Wesley is revived and they escaped from Prince Humperdik and Buttercup and Wesley are happily reunited. In a story focused on true love, conquering all, we see the journey and obstacles mirroring the struggles inherent in love, doubt, separation, betrayal, and ultimately the vindication of true love when all obstacles are overcome. The use of humor and self awareness throughout the plot prevents the film from being overly sentimental while still reinforcing the idea that love, though difficult, is worth it. And finally, the heroic quest, whether for revenge or love, show that courage and perseverance are key components in any genuine relationship. By structuring the story with Frei tag's pyramid, the narrative emphasizes how true love requires action, bravery, and sacrifice, and how loyalty and perseverance eventually lead to the rewarding union of the lovers. The clear beginning, middle, and end gives us a sense of closure and satisfaction that mirrors the ultimate victory of love in the end. You will also find that Free tags Pyramid is extremely popular for documentaries because it provides a clear, effective framework for organizing real life stories, allowing writers to present information in a way that maintains audience engagement and emotional investment. While documentaries are typically focused on factual content, using a narrative structure like Free tag's Pyramid can help transform the material into a compelling coherent story. By applying Frei tag's Pyramid, one can turn raw facts into a narrative journey that captures the audience's attention, evokes emotions and provides a satisfying conclusion. The structure not only organizes information but also highlights the human element of the story, making it more relatable and impactful for viewers. This is why Freytag's structure is so effective in documentary filmmaking, as it combines factual storytelling with emotional resonance. This structure can help provide meaningful conclusions to complex topics. So why does this structure work? Well, the inciting incident hooks us. We meet the character and learn about their conflict. The climax delivers an emotional punch that one moment that changes everything. And the resolution leaves us satisfied or shattered. It brings meaning to the journey. Why do these stories resonate? Because we see ourselves in them. We all face struggles, reach turning points, and come out changed. That's what makes Freytag's Pyramid so powerful. So, when should you use Freytag's structure? Well, it's good for single transformation stories, strong dramatic arcs, character driven narratives, and traditional drama. It's actually very versatile. So let's see this in action. If we use the movie Titanic as an example, we'll see in the exposition, Rose steps onto the Titanic knowingly beginning a life changing journey. The inciting incident is when she meets Jack. The rising action, she falls in love and questions her privilege, but suffocating life. Then we see in the climax Rose's recognition that her old life means nothing without freedom and the reversal, when the Titanic sinks, she loses Jack but gains independence. Then the falling action and resolution come where she survives and lives life on her own terms, finally letting go of the past. A woman chooses love and freedom over societal expectations at a heartbreaking cost. The message of Titanic revolves around love, class, sacrifice, and the fragility of life. The film explores the theme that true love transcends social boundaries and how fleeting moments of happiness are often interrupted by uncontrollable forces. It also conveys the message about the impact of tragedy where personal sacrifice can lead to profound emotional transformation. By following Freytag's Pyramid, Titanic illustrates the message that true love transcends social boundaries. And while life can be tragically fleeting, love can be an enduring legacy that shapes a person's life forever. The structure supports the narrative arc, emphasizing love's power, sacrifice, and how personal transformation can emerge from hardship. Taking a look at the DbelwarsPrada as an example, we'll see that in the exposition, Andy, a young aspiring journalist, lands a job as an assistant to the ruthless fashion editor Miranda Priestley. In the rising action, we'll find Andy struggling to keep up, but transforming into a polished professional, excelling at her job. However, losing sight of who she really is. In the climax, Miranda chooses Andy over another assistant, showing her approval, but Andy realizes she doesn't really want this life. Andy quits in the falling action, walking away from the fashion world to follow her true dreams. The content of the film demonstrates Andy's journey of self discovery and empowerment through the examples of her career and personal relationships, reinforcing the message that professional success is only meaningful when it aligns with one's true self and values. The free tag pyramid structure supports this message by highlighting main character Andy's transformation from a naive, eager to please assistant to someone who understands the costs of ambition and makes choices that align with her personal values. Next, we have one of my favorites, the Princess Bride. In it, we find in the exposition Butter Cup's true love Wesley, leaving to seek his fortune and being reported dead. She is forced to marry Prince Humperdink whom she doesn't love. In the rising action, Buttercup is kidnapped by three criminals. Wesley, disguised as the dread pirate Roberts, saves her. Then we come to the climax, where Wesley defeats the criminals, Inigo avenges his father, and they thwart Prince Humperdink's evil plan. Next, the following action, Wesley is revived and they escaped from Prince Humperdik and Buttercup and Wesley are happily reunited. In a story focused on true love, conquering all, we see the journey and obstacles mirroring the struggles inherent in love, doubt, separation, betrayal, and ultimately the vindication of true love when all obstacles are overcome. The use of humor and self awareness throughout the plot prevents the film from being overly sentimental while still reinforcing the idea that love, though difficult, is worth it. And finally, the heroic quest, whether for revenge or love, show that courage and perseverance are key components in any genuine relationship. By structuring the story with Frei tag's pyramid, the narrative emphasizes how true love requires action, bravery, and sacrifice, and how loyalty and perseverance eventually lead to the rewarding union of the lovers. The clear beginning, middle, and end gives us a sense of closure and satisfaction that mirrors the ultimate victory of love in the end. You will also find that Freytag's Pyramid is also extremely popular for documentaries, because it provides a clear, effective framework for organizing real life stories, allowing writers to present information in a way that maintains audience engagement and emotional investment. While documentaries are typically focused on factual content, using a narrative structure like Fretag'sPyramid can help transform the material into a compelling coherent story. By applying Frei tag's Pyramid, one can turn raw facts into a narrative journey that captures the audience's attention, evokes emotions and provides a satisfying conclusion. The structure not only organizes information but also highlights the human element of the story, making it more relatable and impactful for viewers. This is why Freytag's structure is so effective in documentary filmmaking, as it combines factual storytelling with emotional resonance. This structure can help provide meaningful conclusions to complex topics. So why does this structure work? Well, the inciting incident hooks us. We meet the character and learn about their conflict. The climax delivers an emotional punch that one moment that changes everything. And the resolution leaves us satisfied or shattered. It brings meaning to the journey. Why do these stories resonate? Because we see ourselves in them. We all face struggles, reach turning points, and come out changed. That's what makes free tag's Pyramids so powerful. But what if your story isn't about one single dramatic shift, but an entire journey of transformation? That's where our next structure comes in the hero's journey. And, trust me, you've seen this one before. 8. STRUCTURE - Hero's Journey: What do the lion king, the hunger games and the Matrix all have in common. They follow the same storytelling blueprint, the hero's journey. This structure is so compelling because we all have challenges, moments of doubt and have breakthroughs that change us. It's a universal experience, which is why audiences connect with it so deeply. Let's break it down. This structure works because it's a mirror of life, has universal appeal, and there's deep emotional impact. Key stages of the hero's journey include a call to action, also known as the Inciting Incident. The hero's normal life is disrupted in some way. Then the road of trials, we find the rising action of challenges forcing growth. Next, the transformation where the climax, the recognition and reversal happen, a pivotal moment that ships everything. And then the return where we see the resolution, the hero comes back changed forever. If your story is about transformation, whether in business, personal growth or overcoming adversity, this structure can be your secret weapon. Let's look at a couple of familiar examples. Starting with the lion king, we see first, the call to adventure. Simba's life is turned upside down when Mufasa dies. Scar tricks him into running away, setting him on an unexpected path. Next, the road of trials. He grows up in exile, avoiding his past, but makes allies of Timon and Pumba. In the transformation, we see Mufas' spirit as he recognizes his duty, and the reversal is when he returns to fight for his place as the rightful king, Simba defeats Scar and restores Pride Rock, fully stepping into his destiny. From exile to leader, his journey is one of self discovery and courage. In the hunger games, we see first, the call to adventure where Catans volunteers as tribute to save her sister Prim, thrusting herself into the deadly hunger games. Next, the Road of Trials, where she trains, forms alliances, and learns to navigate the brutal arena while facing both external enemies and internal moral dilemmas. In the transformation, Katnis realizes the Capital's game can be beaten on her own terms. Reversal, she and Pita threaten a double suicide, forcing the gamekeepers to declare them both winners. And finally, the return, catnis emerges as a symbol of defiance against the capital, but her troubles are far from over. The seeds of rebellion have been sown. From survivor to symbol, her journey is one of defiance and resilience. If you are familiar with the matrix, you will note the hero's journey in this way. We first see the call to adventure where Neo senses something is off in his world, Morpheus offers him the red pill and a choice to see reality. In the road of trials, he faces intense training, self doubt, and dangerous enemies. With the transformation, Neo finally realizes he is the one. And the reversal, he stops bullets mid air, fully embracing his power. Finally, the return. He now controls the matrix, seeing and shaping reality itself. From self doubt to ultimate power, Neo's journey is about awakening to his true potential. Audiences love this structure because we've all been on our own hero's journey. Audiences can see themselves. There's emotional investment. There's hope and inspiration, and also a cathartic release. Your call to adventure may be a bold career move or a life changing decision. The road of trials could be your struggles, failures and self doubt. Your transformation might be that one moment when everything shifts and your return, sharing your lessons and moving forward with newfound wisdom. When you tell your story using this structure, your audience will see themselves in your journey. They will feel connected, inspired, and emotionally invested. How do you apply this to your own story? Well, ask yourself, what was my call to adventure? What obstacles tested me along the way? Was there a moment that changed everything? And how have I returned stronger? But what if your story doesn't fit this classic arc? What if it is non linear, messy, or constantly evolving? That's where our next structure comes in, Dan Harmon Story Circle. 9. STRUCTURE - Story Circle: What if I told you there was a simple storytelling framework that makes stories instantly engaging. While the hero's journey often tells grand mythical transformations, this structure is fast, reliable, and works for personal business and pop culture stories alike. Let's talk about Dan Harmon Story Circle, a storytelling tool that keeps your audiences hooked. We love stories because they reflect our own lives. Constant change, lessons learned and personal growth. The story circle is not just for Hollywood. It's a powerful tool for social media networking, interviews, and business storytelling. This structure works because it captures how we experience life, not as a single transformation, but as a continuous cycle of growth. Let's break it down. The story circle follows eight key steps, forming a complete cycle of transformation. You need, go, search, find, take, return, and change. Step one, you the comfort zone. Every story begins in a place of familiarity. You have a routine, a normal way of doing things. This is your status quo. Think of your favorite TV show. Where does the protagonist start? More importantly, where are you starting? This stage is comfortable, but something is missing. Step two, need a desire for more. Suddenly, there's a longing, a problem that needs solving, a challenge that arises or an opportunity too big to ignore. Maybe it's a career change, a creative idea, or even a personal revelation. The character and you realize that staying the same isn't an option anymore, but wanting something isn't enough. You have to act. Step three, go stepping into the unknown. This is where the story gets exciting. The character leaves their comfort zone, stepping into an unfamiliar world. Think of Harry Potter leaving for Hogwarts or Frodo leaving the Shire. Their world changes forever. In real life, this could be starting a new job, moving to a new place, or taking on a challenge you've never faced before. It's thrilling, but also terrifying. Now, the real test begins. Step four search. The character must adapt, learning new skills, facing unexpected setbacks and struggling to stay afloat. Maybe it's learning a new role, adjusting to a major life change or dealing with failure. This is the hardest part. Many people give up here, but the ones who push forward reach the next phase. Step five, find the moment of success. Finally, the character gets what they were searching for. A milestone is reached, a goal is achieved, a lesson learned. But is it the end of the story? Not quite. Every great achievement comes with a cost, and that brings us to the most important step. Step six, take the price of success. Nothing in life is free. The hero doesn't just win, they must sacrifice. Maybe it's time, effort, or even letting go of old beliefs. Think about your biggest accomplishments. Did they come to you easily or did you have to pay a price? In Step seven, we return back to where you started. The character heads home, but home doesn't feel the same anymore. The external world might look the same, but it has changed. People see things differently. Their perspective is transformed. This is where we realize we're never truly back where we started, which brings us to step eight. Change the new version of you. The final step. The character is now transformed by the journey. They now know things they didn't before, and the cycle is ready to start again. This is why storytelling and life itself is circular, an upward cycle of renewal. Let's see how the Wizard of Oz follows the story circle. You. Dorothy lives on a Kansas farm but feels unfulfilled. Need. She dreams of going somewhere over the rainbow. Go. A tornado transports her to the magical and of Oz. Search. She travels to the emerald city, makes allies and faces obstacles, including the wicked witch. Fine, she defeats the witch and gets the wizard's help, but learns he is a fraud. Take, she realizes she had the power to go home all along. Return. She clicks her heels and returns to Kansas. Change. Dorothy now appreciates her home and family, no longer yearning to escape. Dorothy's journey isn't just about finding Oz. It's about learning to value what she had all along. Now let's take a look at the very popular Star Wars. You, Luke's Sky Walker is a farm boy longing for adventure. Need he wants to leave and become something greater. Go. He meets Obi Wan Konob and learns about the force. Search, he joins the rebellion, rescues Leah and faces danger. Fine, he learns about the force and successfully destroys the Death Star, but loses Obi Wan. Take, he realizes his potential and commits to the rebellion. Return. He returns a hero, no longer just a farm boy. Change. Luke has grown. He is ready for the greater challenges ahead. Notice how this cycle keeps Luke's story moving while also setting up potential for future transformations. Next, we will examine the pursuit of happiness. You, Chris Gardner is a struggling salesman trying to provide for his family. Need, he dreams of a better life for himself and his son. Go. He takes a risky unpaid internship at a prestigious brokerage firm. Search, facing homelessness, financial hardship, and constant obstacles, he perseveres. Fine, he completes the internship against all odds, but at great personal sacrifice. Take, he provides his worth and secures a full time position. Return. He is still the same man, but now with the means to provide for his son change. Chris has achieved stability, proving that persistence and belief in oneself can lead to success. Chris's journey is one of resilience, showing that happiness is earned through struggle and perseverance. Why does this structure work so well? It's fast and works perfectly for short stories, business pitches, and personal branding. It's relatable. Unlike the hero's journey, it reflects everyday transformation, career shifts, relationships, and mindset changes, and it's realistic. Growth isn't a straight line. It's a series of cycles making this structure feel real. Think about your own life. Have you ever wanted something, struggled to get it, and come out changed? That's why the story circle resonates. Now, let's make this personal. If you want to tell your own transformation story, ask yourself, where was I before my transformation? What did I want that pushed me into the unknown? What struggles did I face? And how did I change? Whether you're telling a business story, crafting a personal brand or engaging on social media, the story circle keeps your audience invested. Now that we've explored three powerful storytelling structures, Freytag's Pyramid, the hero's journey, and the story Circle, you have the tools to make your stories unforgettable. Want a structured rise and fall, use Freytag's Pyramid. Want to tell an epic transformation story. Use the hero's journey. Want a flexible, relatable cycle of growth. Use Dan Harmon's story circle. Master these, and your stories will captivate any audience. Now that we have learned about each structure, it's time for you to select one of the three to use as you gather the essential elements needed for your story. Remember, this process is all about starting somewhere. You can always change your mind later. 10. 7 Essential ELEMENTS - Detailed Overview: Before any great tale can be told, it must be discovered. The crafting process is all about mining your truth, shaping your experiences, and creating a story that resonates with clarity, emotion, and purpose. Every compelling origin story starts with a spark, but crafting one that resonates, reveals, and inspires requires more than just recounting events. It's about discovering the moments of truth, the internal shifts, and the external challenges that shape who you are. The Essential Elements framework gives you a step by step checklist to gather the seven essential elements of your transformational origin story. Let's get started. Number one, the inciting incident, discovering the spark and core memories. Every personal origin story starts with a spark, a moment of disruption that changed the course of your life, the catalyst that set everything into motion. This moment doesn't have to be dramatic. It just has to be defining. It's the event that broke your routine, challenged your beliefs or opened a door that you didn't expect to walk through. Ask yourself, what moment pulled you out of the familiar and shattered your routine? What event jolted you into a new awareness or path? When did you first realize that something had to change or that it already had? What experience cracked the surface of normal and demanded transformation? Choosing your inciting incident is about finding that emotional ignition, the scene where your story truly begins. Number two, context is everything. Investing circumstances and exposition. Who were you before everything shifted? What environment shaped your world view? We are going to explore setting, culture, relationships, and mindset before the inciting incident. We'll use your exposition with intention, giving your audience what they need to understand your shift. With your context, we'll be taking a look at time, place, tone, and your internal and external worlds to set the scene. Number three is character. You as the protagonist. You are not just the narrator. You are the protagonist, the main character. So, who are you really? We will dive into your values, flaws, contradictions, and driving needs. Along the way, we will identify the antagonists, which are people, systems, and other external forces that shaped your arc. There will also be internal obstacles, self doubt, limiting beliefs, and potentially fear of failure. The key elements here are desire, fear, motivation, and resistance. Number four, stormy weather, AKA, rising action, that inner voice and damage control. This is where the pressure builds with mistakes, confrontation, and broth. What did you learn the hard way? This is where you can show your internal monologue, the fear, resilience, humor, and denial, highlighting the coping, the messiness, and the beauty in the struggle. Key concepts here are tension building, stakes, inner conflict, and momentum. Number five is detours, owning your obstacles, surviving and thriving. Sometimes the journey zigs when you expect it to zag, we will explore unexpected shifts, reroutes and lessons in disguise. These moments often lead to reinvention. How did you adapt? Te skills here are framing setbacks as necessary turns in the road, such as hidden opportunities, growth through adversity, and those beautiful detours. Number six is the pop, where we find recognition, reversal, and flipping the script. Then comes the breakthrough the aha, the pivot, the pop. When did you finally see things clearly? We'll be exploring a moment of reversal when what once held you back became the very thing that propelled you forward. The key tools here are irony, surprise, and where we find the emotional highlight and the climax of the story. And finally, number seven, resolution onwards and upwards and forging future pathways. Every good origin story leaves us looking ahead. How have you changed? What truths did you earn? This is where we inspire others to start crafting their own story from where they stand. At this point, we'll be looking to wrap things up with intention, resolving the story emotionally, narratively, and symbolically. Using a checklist while writing a story can be a powerful tool to stay focused, structured, and intentional. This checklist will help you ensure you're hitting the emotional and structural beats that will keep your audience engaged. You will start to see the path from your inciting incident to your resolution, like signposts guiding you through your journey. As you explore each of the seven elements, spend some dedicated time with each item and jot down notes, core memories, moments, or even questions that come to mind. Don't think too much time editing during the gathering process. You will have plenty of opportunities to do that later. Don't try to tackle everything at once. Let the checklist guide you through one section at a time, starting with the inciting incident, then moving on to context, character, et cetera. This will prevent you from being overwhelmed and help you to focus on building depth and clarity in each section. Next, you will want to check your art. Once you've written a draft, go back through the checklist as an editing tool and ask yourself, did I clearly show the Spark, the inciting incident? Have I painted the world before the change? Does the resolution reflect meaningful transformation? This will help you to spot missing elements and strengthen your transitions. Next, use it to keep focus. A checklist keeps you connected to why you're telling the story and holds you accountable to the emotional truth and your objective, not just the events. For example, should I include this moment or event because it happened or because it matters to the story's core? Finally, feel free to customize this process and adapt your checklist as you go. If something feels forced or irrelevant to your story's shape, skip it. If something feels particularly relevant, spend some additional time investigating that element. The checklist serves you, not the other way around. Start with where you are with feelings, fragments or fuzzy ideas and let the following exercises guide you towards something powerful. In the next lesson, you'll find a quick reference checklist to use as a guide as you work your way through the seven essential elements. 11. 7 Essential ELEMENTS - Checklist: This is a quick reference checklist to assist you as you gather materials and evidence for your origin story so that you don't get lost along the way. The seven elements checklist includes the Spark, context, character, stormy weather, detours, the pop, and resolution. Listed here, you can also see the vocabulary that was introduced during the lessons on story structures. We'll be using all of these terms, so you might want to keep them handy as you progress. The inciting incident. Every origin story begins with a disruption. This is the emotional ignition, the moment that changed everything. Questions here include, what broke your routine or shifted your world view? What experience demanded transformation. And when did you realize something had to change or already had? Number two, context, AKA exposition, setting the stage. Who were you before the Spark? What shaped your reality? Time, place, culture, mindset. What was your normal? What does your audience need to know to understand this shift? Number three, character, you the protagonist. You are not just telling the story. You are the story. What are your values, flaws and contradictions? What fears and resistance are you dealing with? Who or what stood in your way externally and internally? Number four, stormy weather, the rising action, tension builds, lessons hit hard, and your inner voice speaks up. How did you cope, grow, stumble, or resist? What was messy, beautiful, or transformative about the process? Number five, detours, those challenges and obstacles. Because life rarely follows a straight line, what unexpected events reshaped your path? How did you adapt, pivot, or find strength in the reroute? Number six, the pop, the emotional climax, the twist, the clarity, the shift, the breakthrough moment. What changed in you? What flipped the script? When did the thing that held you back become your power? Number seven, resolution. Looking ahead, the aftermath, the transformation, and the invitation. How are you different now? What did you learn or earn? And what's next? And how can others begin their own journey after listening to yours? Keep these seven elements handy as you work through each section and the additional exercises. Once you have gathered all seven elements, you can return to the story structures and see which structure fits your story the best as you consider your audience and why you want to connect with them. 12. ELEMENT ONE - The Inciting Incident (Spark): Think of a moment that changed everything, the spark, the catalyst, the beginning of everything that followed. That moment has a name. The inciting incident. What is an inciting incident? To incite means to stir up, ignite, provoke, and motivate. In story structure, the inciting incident is the moment that sets the action in motion, the genesis of your journey. Why does it matter? Well, this isn't just a storytelling tool. It's a lens. Finding your inciting incident lets you reframe your narrative, rediscover your path, and recognize your own agency. It's about taking control of your story, whether you're in the middle of it, reworking it, or just beginning to understand it. Because specificity equals power. Many of us say things like, I always wanted to be an actor, or I loved performing as a kid. But what if instead you said, the day I held my first camera and stepped into a dark room, I felt something click. That's specificity. That's a core memory. That's a hook. An inciting incident helps you to reframe the story. Think about this. Was my directing career sparked by being picked to lead a project in college, or was it the play I wrote at 10-years-old that I just recently rediscovered? Discovering your inciting incident helps you to reframe the story and consider things like trauma, destiny and chance. According to psychologist Robin Rosenberg, origin stories, whether real or fictional, often emerge from three forces. Trauma, like Batman's destiny, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Chance, like Spider Man. Think about your own story. Where does it begin? And what force was at play? According to psychologist Robin Rosenberg, origin stories, whether real or fictional, often emerge from three forces. Trauma like Batman story. Destiny, for example, Buffy the Vampires layer or Chance, like the infamous Spider Man. Think about your own story. Where does it begin? And what force was at play? I think about it this way. Was my directing career sparked by being picked to lead a project in college? Or was it the play I wrote at 10-years-old that I just recently discovered? The first version implies chance, and the second reveals destiny. Which version I choose to tell depends on my audience and my purpose? Take Rachel Dreckenmiller, for example. She listed Singer as only sixth on her dream job list as a teenager. Now, two decades later, she's released her first single. The evidence of her inciting incident was always there. It just needed the right moment to resurface. In freetech Pyramid, you will find the inciting incident somewhere along the lines with exposition before the rising action, definitely followed by the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. You can use this structure to help you shape your story. Knowing your inciting incident gives you a starting point and helps you to shape everything else around it. When we share personal stories, we create catharsis, a powerful emotional release that creates connection. Your story does not have to be traumatic to be cathartic. It just needs to be honest. That emotional connection, that's what hooks an audience, builds trust and forms community. Understanding your inciting incident gives you the power to own your story, reframe your past, clarify your present, and shape your future. It's not about making something up. It's about uncovering what was always there. Recognize the spark, identify the desire, gather evidence, define your character, follow the trail, construct a case, and share your story. Because your inciting incident didn't just start a story. It started you. In the next lesson, we will explore an exercise called Three favorites to help you identify your own inciting incident. 13. *Exercise - Three Favorites: You have access to an unlimited number of origin stories. Think of your life like a library, dozens of stories, thousands of scenes all available. But where do you begin with this one? Let's start with an exercise I call three favorites. When it comes to telling our origin stories, especially ones for branding, creative projects or interviews, we can feel totally overwhelmed by the possibilities. So many versions, so many starting points. This exercise helps cut through the noise. To uncover starting points from your lived experiences and what you've loved most over time, we're going to follow joy, fascination, and curiosity because those are great clues for crafting an origin story that feels personal, meaningful, and true to you. As we proceed with the exercise, feel free to pause when you need to to take notes, brainstorm, or reflect. There's no pressure. Don't overthink it. Step one, name your top three favorite activities. There's no pressure here. Don't overthink it. These can be from any point of your life, things you loved and maybe still love, things that you haven't done in a while or maybe you haven't done, but you really want to in the future. Step two, zoom in on one core memory. Pick one of your three favorites and dig into a core memory tied to it. Just one moment, one scene, one sensory rich memory and take some notes on it. Where were you? What could you see, smell or hear? Who was with you? What emotions were you feeling? And was there a challenge or turning point in the experience? Take a moment to take some notes here. Number three, go treasure hunting. Let's mind this memory for details and connections. What evidence do you have? Perhaps photos, awards, journal entries. What organizations or schools were tied to this activity? Who else was part of this moment or season of your life? Think of this step like you're building a character profile or being a detective, except the character is you. Step four, ask someone else. Sometimes we learn the most about ourselves by hearing what others remember. Ask someone related to that activity. What do you remember about me doing that activity? Do you have any pictures or memories of specific events? Can you describe me at the time or who you thought I might become? Number five, trace it forward. Why does this moment matter? Why is it popping up for you as a core memory? Is this activity or its core values still part of your life today? See if you can make any connections. Has it shaped your career, hobbies, relationships, or world view? And can you connect this particular memory to your present day self? Origin stories don't need to start with drama. They can begin with joy, with curiosity and a sense of play. Your top activities often reflect your core values. You can return to these stories again and again for inspiration and direction. And exploring the past can help you reveal what's important to you now, those messages in a bottle from your past self to your present self. And what could come next. The stories that we tell ourselves are often the ones that we need to hear again with a new perspective. So get curious, dig in, be a detective and reconnect with the version of yourself who lit the spark that you're still carrying today. 14. ELEMENT TWO - Context (Exposition): Picture this. I'm in the car windows down, kids in the back seat, and we're on our way to gymnastics. A playlist starts coming through the car's speakers. The first few notes hit. It's a vibe. We are jamming. Hands in the air, everyone's in it. And then the lyrics really hit. Context is everything. Mid dance party, I freeze, not because I forgot the moves, but because I just heard the words I've been singing for years. Like, just realized what I was saying. And, I mean, really heard them for the first time with my daughters in the back seat. And I panicked. I dove at the controls like total chaos. That song that was always one of my favorites. Suddenly, I didn't recognize it anymore. I heard it in a totally new way. That's Vuja De. It's the opposite of deja Vu. It's when something familiar suddenly looks unfamiliar. You've seen it 1,000 times, but now it hits different. It means something different. Adam Grant talks about it in originals. George Carlin of All People coined the term. Robert Sutton describes it as a shift in focus from the foreground to the background. It's the light bulb moment that asks, Is this still true for me? Am I still who I was when I wrote this part of my story? We live so much of our lives on autopilot. We have habits, routines, playlists and default settings, but Voga De snaps us out of it. It asks us to reconsider, to reevaluate. Sometimes you discover your favorite song is toxic. Sometimes you realize the job, the relationship, the dream. It's not yours anymore. Or maybe it never was. Storytelling needs context. This is where the storytelling gets powerful, not just the what but the why, the when, the who were you then. Storytelling isn't about sharing everything. It's about choosing the right things to share with the right context. That's where exposition comes in. Exposition gives your audience the information they need to understand the stakes, the setting, the characters. Without it, the inciting incident falls flat. We don't just need what happened. We need the context surrounding it, that you were 16-years-old or that you were at your dad's house post divorce, or that it was your first day back at school after a trauma. That's the stuff that lets the audience feel. We're not static beings. We are a timeline. The person who lived that moment, that's not you anymore. That's a version of you then. To tell your story well, you need to reconcile past you with present you and future you. And sometimes the stories you were told about yourself aren't actually true or they weren't complete. It can be disorienting. Sometimes you were told to chase someone else's dream. And one day, you realize you were the one that was right all along. When the truth shifts, we can feel betrayed. But by whom? Sometimes it's others, and sometimes it's ourselves. And honestly, which one is worse? We can begin to rebuild through our story, through reflection and gathering the evidence. Journals, photos, awards, memories, we become investigators of our own lives. So here's where we get practical. In the previous lesson, I asked you to pick three things you love to do and to choose one and recall details about that memory. Now, ask yourself, what does that memory mean to you today? Has its value shifted? This is the start of your origin story. Not from the first thing that happened, but from the first thing that meant something. And with Vujade, we're not just gathering memories, we're layering in truth, emotion, and a new perspective. Every good story asks why? Why does this matter to you? And why are you telling it now? Why should your audience care? And you'll ask that again and again as your story evolves because the context depends on your purpose, and the details you include will be a result of that. You are the curator of your own narrative. Your job is not to document everything. It's to craft meaning. That song in the car, it reminded me that stories like songs, can mean one thing in one moment and something entirely different than next. Context really is everything. So next time you feel disoriented or unsure, lean in. That's Vuja Day at work. That's not weakness. That's power. That's growth. That's where your real story starts. And that is why we tell stories. Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. Kierkegard nailed it. Looking back isn't about rewriting the past. It's about re seeing it with new questions, new clarity, and a new lens. When we look at our lives through Vujah Day, we don't imagine things that weren't there, we reveal the meaning that was always there waiting for us to catch up. It's not about regret. It's about recalibration, because every detour, every off track moment, might be the exact thing that made you strong enough for where you are now. In the next lesson, I'm going to lead you through an exercise to gather evidence to use in your exposition, as you continue to think about the purpose of your story. 15. *Exercise - Gathering Evidence: To better understand how I got here, as a storytelling strategist, a theater artist, and a director, I went on kind of an origin story treasure hunt, and now I'm going to share that exercise with you. For this exercise, I wrote down any moments I could recall, including core memories, creative activities, and anything that felt like a clue about my main passions and career interests. Here's what emerged. I was always writing plays, books and newspaper articles, for example, I was always performing on stage, cheerleading, and even as a mime. I was always chasing ways to communicate stories through theater, video, design, and even debate. At first, it was easy to spot patterns that pointed to theater artist and storyteller. But the director part, that one took me longer to find. Why did the director frame take so long to claim? Well, it's kind of simple, really. Kits aren't directors, at least not officially. There were no school plays I could lead, no job descriptions that match the skills I was developing. But looking back with a different lens, I see it clearly now. I loved creative writing and analyzing scripts. I was fascinated by costume and design choices. I paid obsessive attention to how performers transformed before stepping on stage. I lit up when working behind the scenes, organizing, shaping and guiding. And most of all, I was never in it for the spotlight. I was in it for the meaning. According to Berkeley, the director is the primary visionary, shaping every aspect of the final performance. They unify the message, and they answer the hardest question. Why does this performance matter? That hit home because my why has always been about community and social change. I don't make theater just to entertain. I make it to move people, to shift perspectives and change hearts and minds and to ask better questions. For a long time, I told myself the same story as many artists do. I always wanted to be an actor, but that wasn't the full truth. Acting was just the most visible role. It was the only door open to me at the time. What I really loved was what happened around the performance. What I really loved was shaping the whole picture. What I really was was a director in disguise. Now, I'm going to walk you through a ten step process to gather the exposition through your own life frames, just as I did. First, you're going to choose your frames. You're going to pick two or three roles or identities that you are currently exploring or feel drawn to, such as artist, storyteller, entrepreneur, even gardener. These will guide your reflection. Next, you are going to make a memory list. You're going to write down ten significant activities, core memories or experiences from your life, especially those that felt particularly joyful, formative, or creatively fulfilling. Don't overthink it. Just capture the raw data of these significant activities from your past. Next, you are going to zoom out and look for patterns. Look at your list and start noticing themes. Are you drawn to performance, writing, teamwork? Sales, public speaking. Highlight anything that repeats itself or stands out to you. Now take a look at each memory and assign it to one or more of your chosen frames. Which experiences feel like in my case, artist moments? Which ones would i with my storyteller or director energy? Take some time to sort out these significant core memories and identify which frames you think they belong with. After you have finished sorting out the frames and activities, you're going to investigate the gaps. Are some of these frames easier to fill than others? Are some of the roles difficult to trace? Notice which identities or activities feel underrepresented. Not because they weren't there, but because they might have been in disguise. For example, my work on the yearbook as a high schooler can be seen as visual storytelling or even marketing if I change my perspective. Next, you're getting to ask yourself the kid test. What weren't you allowed or able to do as a kid that reflects a current identity? For example, kids aren't often given the opportunity to direct plays. Look for behaviors or interests that hinted at these activities early on that you were not able to pursue at the time. Then you're going to dig for overlaps. Where did your frames intersect? What moments belong to all three? These might be especially rich with insight into your natural strengths and passions. And then you're going to revisit job descriptions. Looking a modern descriptions and definitions of each of your frames. For example, what does a director do today? Compare them to your memories. What skills were you unknowingly developing all along? Next, take a look at connecting the dots backward. Start outlining how your past experiences, successes, failures, and detours secretly prepared you for what you are doing now. See how you can fit the puzzle pieces together. Finally, refine your story. Use what you've uncovered to write or speak a more honest and nuanced origin story, one that reflects the truth, not just the myth, one that honors how your path unfolded, even when you didn't know where it was going. When we take the time to look back, really look with fresh eyes, patterns start to emerge. And when we use multiple frames like storyteller or director, we uncover connections we might have missed the first time around. It's not about predicting the future. It's about finally understanding the past and what we've been preparing to do all along and deciding if it's still the story, you want to tell. 16. ELEMENT THREE - Character (You, the Protagonist): Imagine watching a movie where there's no central character. The plot drags, the stakes are unclear, and you're left wondering, why should you care? That's exactly what happens in life. If you don't recognize yourself as the central character in your own story. The character is what drives the narrative forward. Your story has no tension, purpose, or heart without a well defined character. Your story begins with you. What makes you unique and truly original? Imagine a show like Zorro without its hero. It would just be a history lesson lacking the conflict and drive of a central character. Character is more than just who you are. It's also the qualities that make up your persona. If you were cast in a movie, for example, what role would you play? Are you the funny side kick, the determined protagonist, or the misunderstood antihero? These roles help you to define how you present yourself to the world. But here's the catch. Some of the stories you tell about yourself about who you are may not be true anymore. It's time to reflect and update your narrative to align with who you are today. Character is the essence of who you are. Your qualities, values, and how you respond to life. Like, I'm the quiet one or I'm the creative type. I'm athletic. But what if those stories aren't true anymore? Maybe you've changed or maybe those stories were never really yours to begin with. It's time to update your origin story, to reframe who you are in the present, not the past. Consider your own values. What are the principles that define how you live? Is it justice, creativity, adventure? These values can shape not just your actions, but your relationships and the way that you influence others. Knowing your values allows you to create a personal story that is consistent, compelling, and true to who you really are. Character doesn't just show up in how you describe yourself. It's revealed in your actions. Think about this. Oprah didn't become the global powerhouse she is by simply telling you I grew up poor. Her actions, her decisions, and how she overcame challenges, how she connects with her audience, tells the story of a woman who overcame adversity. Her origin story shows how her character developed through hardship, and that's what made her relatable and powerful. Likewise, consider the genre of your story. Every story has a genre. Is yours an inspiring comeback story, a dramatic transformation, a journey to self discovery? Your genre sets the tone of your narrative and how others perceive you. For example, Warren Buffett's origin story starts with a kid buying his first stock at 11. That's a classic underdog story with a financial twist. But it speaks to his character, ambition, curiosity, and drive. You, too, are the hero of your own story. And as you face challenges and obstacles, your genre becomes clearer. What impact do you want to make? Who are you trying to connect with? The answers to these questions help to shape your story and determine the content and the way that you describe yourself in your stories. As you face your kryptonite, you will discover that every hero has a weakness. What's yours? What's the one thing that can knock you off course? For me, it was the corporate job I had when I couldn't stand the toxic environment. It was a company that valued conformity over individuality, and I quickly realized it wasn't a place where I could thrive. That was an example of my kryptonite. Kryptonite is something that hinders you. Your kryptonite is a deal breaker, something that undermines your potential brings you to your knees. Identifying this vulnerability is key to understanding yourself better. It's not about avoiding challenges, but learning how to manage them to stay on your path. As you identify what makes you truly original, you might start to feel like you are standing out from the crowd. And that can feel uncomfortable. Here's the thing. Embracing your flaws is a superpower. Lydia Yuknovich in her viral video, the beauty of being a misfit, encourages us to celebrate the misfit within us all. She says, even in the middle of your failure, you are beautiful. Your so called failures, your mistakes, your struggles, don't diminish your value. They define who you are. Embracing the idea of being a misfit is part of your uniqueness. Even in moments of failure, we are capable of reinvention. By acknowledging where you faltered, you can gain insight into what makes you who you are. Your missteps can lead to beautiful growth. When you understand your character, you can confidently pursue your dreams. What passions drive you? What's your Kryptonite, and how can you navigate it? Your self awareness paired with your core values, shapes the way you move through the world. You are the hero of your own story. Your character, your choices, and your experiences are what define you. As you navigate life, reflect on your narrative. What do you want to say? What genre is your story? What lessons can others learn from you? Remember, your origin story is a living breathing part of your identity. So your story should reflect your kryptonite, your values, and your moments as you embrace your unique character. When you do this, you won't just tell a better story. You'll live a better one. Truly know yourself is to be very clear on your character. The story you tell about yourself shapes not just how you see the world, but also how the world sees you. Reflect on your character, face your vulnerabilities, and embrace your unique journey. By doing so, you'll gain the confidence, clarity, and perspective to pursue your dreams. And as you share your story, you'll connect with others who resonate with your truth. In order to gather the evidence of who you really are today, in the next couple of lessons, we'll explore your Kryptonite and your values so that you can prepare to share your story with the world. 17. *Exercise - Three Adjectives: How do you want to be described when you're not in the room? Picture someone who knows you well. What three words would they use to describe you? Now, ask yourself, are those the same three words you would choose? Your adjectives, discovering who you are and who you are becoming. In this section, we'll use something simple. Adjectives as a lens to examine your origin story. Not the full story yet, just the essential qualities that keep showing up in your memories, your goals, and your sense of self. Your origin story reflects your values. Adjectives give shape to your personal brand and narrative voice. They are emotional, descriptive shortcuts to help others connect with you quickly and authentically. Let's start by listing ten adjectives that describe your character. These might come from past compliments, performance reviews, feedback from loved ones, or your own inner monologue. They don't have to be all flattering or even current. Some might be aspirational. Take a moment to make that list now. Circle or highlight the three most essential adjectives that draw your attention. Now, pick one of those three adjectives and travel back to a moment when you really embodied and experienced that word. Ask yourself, where were you? Who else was there? What challenge were you facing in the moment? What emotion stands out? And what evidence exists that backs up your story, like photos, trophies, text messages, scars or other people's perspectives. Has the meaning of that adjective shifted over time? Take a moment to consider if that adjective has shifted meaning over time, something that you never liked being described as maybe you're embracing now or the reverse. Every good story includes tension. So let's explore. Ask yourself, who or what worked against you in these memories? An antagonist, a system or perhaps a fear. And how did your adjective show up or fail to show up in those struggles? Have your three adjectives changed over the course of time? And what does it mean when you don't act like yourself in opposition to these adjectives? What causes that? And how do you recover when you find yourself in those situations? Do your adjectives align with the life you're building now? Can you see your adjectives reflected in your work, your creative projects, or your relationships? Which ones of your adjectives are leading your current story, and which ones need more airtime and focus? You just created three powerful story seeds. Each one has a memory, a challenge, a character arc, and a clue about what kind of future you're building. Before you continue, take a moment to explore each of your top three adjectives in the same way using the same set of questions and then move forward. Your adjectives are more than descriptions. They can be anchors. They can tether you to your values, your stories, and your future growth. So return to them time and again, ask others about them, and use them as a source of inspiration. Let them guide you towards what's coming next. Return to this exercise anytime you want to feel grounded or gain some clarity on what the next steps are in your story. 18. *Exercise - Core Values & Kryptonite: Your core values, those non negotiables that have always guided you, even when the world tried to tell you otherwise, those are your compass. When you re center there, you lead differently with conviction, with clarity, and with alignment. In business, leadership, and even daily life, we're constantly told how to succeed. Follow the trends. Read what the experts say. Here's the secret to scaling, selling, optimizing all valuable advice until it drowns out your own voice. Today's session isn't about chasing more tactics. It's about reconnecting to what's already true inside you because you don't need more noise. You need a compass. Values evolve, yes, but they also ground us. When you understand what really matters to you, decision making becomes simpler. Who you partner with, what you build, and what you walk away from. Think of your origin story as a map and your values as the coordinates that point you back to your true direction. In a world full of influence, it's easy to move the line. Maybe I'll bend just this once, or it's just business. How about I'll revisit this when things settle down. But the truth, if you don't draw the line, someone else will do it for you based on their values as the leader, you set the culture. And that starts with clarity around what you will and will not tolerate. What would you quit a job over or end a partnership for? What would make you walk away, even if it looked like a win on paper? That's not drama. That's integrity. When we talk about core values, we also need to talk about Kryptonite. Kryptonite isn't about weakness. It's about awareness because these are the environments, dynamics, mindsets or personalities that constantly drain your energy and disconnect you from your purpose. Is it a culture of urgency and chaos, perhaps a boss who continuously disrespects your boundaries? Or a role that people think is successful, but is actually soul sucking. Kryptonite kills momentum slowly until you forget what inspired you in the first place. Knowing your triggers allows you to design environments and teams that energize, not deplete you. You're a better teammate and leader when you're centered in your cell. Let's take an opportunity to do that now. What are your three to five core values right now that you can think of? And what experiences or turning points cemented those core values for you? What are you willing to say no to, even if it looks like success on paper? And if all of your needs were met, what kind of work would still light you up? What's your kryptonite? What patterns keep pulling you off course? And what experiences have you had that provide clarity around your Kryptonite? Take a moment to consider where your core values potentially clash with your team, community, or work environment. This isn't just theoretical. Let's take a moment to see if we can apply it to your vision ande miission statements. Let's start with your vision statement. Five years from now, what are you going to be doing? What are you creating? And who are you serving? For example, my goal is to lead a consultancy that helps overlooked founders find their voice and scale with their values at the core. Next, your mission statement. What actions can you take today that align with that future and your vision? For example, I help purpose driven entrepreneurs clarify their origin stories to build magnetic brands. The mission statement supports the vision statement, which is the long term plan. Clarifying these two statements really brings your core values into perspective. Your business, your brand, and your leadership, it all begins at the intersection of what matters to you and what the world needs from you. This is how you attract align teams and clients, lead and participate without burnout, and make decisions that you can stand behind 100%. So take a breath, turn down the volume of the outside world. Clarify those values so they can be a compass and listen to the only voice that truly knows the way forward. Yours. Values are ever changing and evolving. What might be a priority for you right now might not have been for you earlier in your life. Your origin story orients your affiliations and your associations. The more clearly you understand what your values are and where your limits are, the easier it will be to articulate your goals for the future and attract like minded individuals into that conversation. It will also be easier to avoid situations full of kryptonite. When you know your values and live by them, you gain clarity, direction, and integrity. You become someone who belongs, not because you fit in, but because you stand firm, someone others can trust. Your origin story is not complete without knowing what you stand for. 19. ELEMENT FOUR - Stormy Weather (Rising Action): Have you ever watched a storm brewing in the distance? Everything is fine until it's not. What if the same thing was happening inside of you? That's the core idea of rising action. Just like a storm doesn't come from nowhere. Personal crises build slowly. They start with a whisper, an uneasiness you can't quite name. Can you turn up the volume of your inner voice before it becomes a full fledged storm? We often ignore the first signs discontentment, disengagement, feeling like your job or daily routine is draining your energy. That's your inner voice, whispering. This isn't it. We scroll endlessly, disassociate, and try to force it. But underneath a storm is gathering. Your values might be out of sync with your life. Maybe you're chasing someone else's version of success led by parents, teachers, or even society. And the cost is your own fulfillment. The inner voice isn't just noise. It's your internal compass. It's calling you, not away from something, but toward something, alignment, meaning and purpose. The call is coming from inside the house. And what does it want? Not just for you to be happy, but to be whole. The voice gets louder when we ignore it. And when the storm hits, whether that's burnout, a breakup, or a breakdown, it can destroy everything in its path unless we learn to listen early. You don't need a five step plan. You need an investigation. Ask yourself, what feels off? What values are you honoring that you don't believe in? What values do you hold that you're betraying? Sometimes the answer is buried under bad advice from society, parents, mentors, or well meaning friends. We're told to fit in, play it safe, chase money or perhaps titles. But what if standing out is your calling? For example, I ended up as a theater professor at a bakery. That's not a job you find on LinkedIn. It found me because I followed my curiosities and honored my contradictions and my uniqueness. And sometimes the storm has to hit. You quit, you get fired, you walk away. I can feel like chaos. But the storm can also clear a path. It shows you what wasn't working. And if you're lucky, it opens a door to your true potential. We often confuse potential with pressure to do more and be more, but real potential is about alignment. Gifts, plus passions, plus values equals purpose. This leads to your true potential. Your calling isn't a one time lightning strike. It's a slow build process of becoming. You try, you fail, and you learn. And sometimes your desire outpaces your opportunity, and that's okay. You don't need all of the answers right now, but you do need to keep asking the right questions. Is this mine or someone else's dream? What does success mean to me? And where do I stand out, and how can I lean into that? So can you elude the store? Not always, but you can prepare for it. You can listen to the wind before it howls. You can answer the internal call before the lightning strikes. You can define your own success, follow your own Northstar, and let your potential pull you forward, not by using someone else's map, because the goal isn't to fully avoid the storm. It's to be able to be strong enough to walk through it, clear eyed, confident, and fully you. 20. *Exercise - Energy Zones: What's your energy level right now in this moment. One word. No overthinking. Now, imagine if your energy in this moment determined your ability to thrive, not just survive in your work and your life. In today's lesson, we're going to explore a tool called the Energy Zones Chart, a self awareness map that helps you to check in with your current state of being, understand your performance potential, and make conscious decisions to recharge, refocus, or realign. Energy, not time is your most precious resource. You perform differently based on how you feel, not just what's on your calendar. Long term potential isn't about hustle. It's about rhythm, performance, renewal, and repeat. The four energy zones are survival, performance, burnout, and renewal. In survival, we find anxious, reactive, barely holding it together. It's a storm zone. Performance, we find energized, connected, and optimistic flow zone. Burnout indicates dreamed, numb, hopeless, and a shutdown. While renewal indicates peaceful, rested, and open as a recovery zone. Survival might feel like Monday morning before coffee with 62 unread emails. Performance might feel like the moment you hit Send on a big project, clear and motivated. Well, burnout could be when even deciding what to eat feels like an impossible task. Renwal is that slow Sunday morning with nothing on the calendar. Which zone are you most comfortable in, and which one do you crave? This will help you to distinguish patterns and aspirational states. Here's another way to look at these zones so that you can identify which zone you are mostly in right now over the past two weeks. Which zone you are most comfortable in, and which one do you crave to be in? Take a moment to pause and reflect. While you're here, consider the following questions. What are the clues that tell you you're in your current state? Are there certain behaviors, feelings or thoughts that go along? How does this zone affect your creativity, your relationships, and your future goals? What habits or boundaries contribute to staying in this zone, and do you want to stay there, or do you need to break habits in order to move into a different zone? What is one small action that could move you towards a more desirable zone? As you consider your strategies, think about the small actions that contribute to or could possibly enhance each of these different zones. When I'm in survival, I doom scroll. I cancel plans, and my body feels tight versus when I'm in performance, I write more, I reach out to people, I say yes to opportunities. Or to move from burnout to renewal, I need to start sleeping without my phone in my bed. Energy is a cycle. You're not meant to live solely in performance. You're meant to visit it often by balancing it with intentional renewal. Consider the zone you want to live in more frequently, and then think about a plan to get there. You may want to track your energy zones. Build rituals that restore energy, movement, play, nature, creativity, and sleep are all benefits here. Identify your patterns that lead to survival or burnout and shift them early when you see them coming. In the end, it's all about tuning in to where you are and honoring what you need. The energy zones aren't about judgment. They are a way to better understand your own rhythm. If you notice you're in survival or burnout, that's not a failure. It's a signal, a reminder to pause, to breathe, to care for yourself enough to shift towards renewal. And when you give yourself that space to recover, you'll find your way back to performance, feeling clear, strong, and connected to what matters most. The Energy Zones chart is a simple yet powerful tool for evaluating our well being, particularly in the context of work life balance. It connects our energy levels to performance potential, helping us to understand how to optimize our energy. Finding balance between effort and rest isn't a luxury. It's the foundation of your true potential. 21. *Exercise - Target Potential: Think of a time when life forced you off course. Maybe you quit, got fired, or a personal crisis hit. It felt like a storm. But what if the storm was a signal? Not a failure, but a redirection towards something more you. Today, we're exploring what it really means to realize your potential, not in the hustle culture way, in the uniquely you way. Today's exercise is target potential for when the storm sends you searching. Sometimes life hits hard job loss, burnout, rejection, or a bold decision to walk away. What if that disruption was a compass? We might call it failure or misfortune, but maybe it's not. Maybe it's your soul yelling wrong direction. Today, we're not chasing success. We're chasing alignment. We're exploring the push and pull of your personal trajectory. What pulls you towards your potential, and what pushes you away from it? Picture your potential like a target. The center, the red hot bull's eye is where your core values, superpowers, purpose, and joy all converge. That's full target potential. But life pulls at you. As you drift to the outer rings because of fear, people pleasing, doubt, distractions, you still function, but you're off course. And here's the thing. The further you drift, the louder the internal alarm gets. Now it's time to draw your own target. Draw a target with a center and several rings around it. In the center, write your core values and the kind of outcomes or impact that would truly fulfill you. Think legacy, creativity, connection, service, balance, perhaps. In the outer rings, write down the forces or choices that pull you away from your core, your Kryptonite, your antagonist, challenges and detours. Consider what pulls you towards the center of your potential? Are there habits, people, places or states of mind that energize you? And what pushes you away? These might be things you're good at but hate, roles that impress others but drain you or things that distract you from your desired future. Here's a truth we don't hear enough. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you should build your life around it. Talent without joy and satisfaction is a trap. You could end up successful but miserable, respected, but lost. Core values can guide your yeses and nos. They can be the compass to your true potential. Now, shift to the future and describe your desired outcomes. Not what others expect, but what success really means to you as you move towards your potential. Use these reflection questions as a guide. What kind of life do I want to wake up to? What do I want to feel proud of five years from now? And what kind of relationships work and self respect do I want to build? Take some time to write down your honest answers. They can be your North Star. Do you ever feel off but can't explain why? That's your internal guidance system, speaking. When you're moving toward your potential, it sings. And when you're off course, it shouts. Learn the sound of that voice and the signals. It's not weakness. It's wisdom. Name one tiny, powerful shift you can make right now that pulls you closer to your bull's eye. It could be letting go of an expectation, taking a risk aligned with your values or simply saying no. Take a step back and look at the big picture of your potential built on your individual needs. Ultimately, those needs should be the only guiding factors to your personalized evaluation of success and your target potential. Whatever the shift is, do it. Return to center. Who besides yourself can identify when your target potential has been achieved. 22. ELEMENT FIVE - Detours (Challenges & Obstacles): Detours derailments, deviations, distractions, directives. Be good. Be quiet. Be a lady, smile, get a real job. Incidents, accidents, bad advice. Detours are the twists that make your story relatable. Have you ever considered how you got detoured? A detour is a long or roundabout route, taken either by choice or by force. For many of us, the story we're living isn't the one we set out to write. There are two kinds of detours detours we choose and detours that choose us. The ones we willingly take because of family, survival, or love, and the ones that happen to us, life events, pandemics, cultural expectations, either way, they're really only clear and fin sight. What was your plan? When did it shift? And whose voice or voices got louder than your own. External voices often guide us away from our instincts. Be quiet. Don't quit. Don't fail. Don't be too much. Glennon Doyle in her book Untamed calls these voices dirty pink bunnies, soft sounding, but distracting and suffocating. They tell us who not to be until our box gets so small, we forget what it felt like to run in the wild. Is your box of possibilities starting to feel claustrophobic? It's time to turn up the volume on your inner voice. That voice reconnects to your origin story, your instincts, and your truth. But it takes courage because antagonists are real. They could be other people, yourself, or even systems like education, government or your culture. If you let them dictate your story, you'll spend decades on a detour. You didn't even choose. The truth is great stories need conflict, and detours are full of conflict. Who's your antagonist? What voice told you No? And what well intentioned bad advice derailed your dream? Maybe you should even thank your antagonist, because they gave you the resilience that revealed your strength. Not all detours are disasters. In fact, they may actually benefit us. Getting laid off, failing a business, climbing the wrong ladder, passing on a big opportunity, those are just a few that can push us towards who we are meant to be. Sometimes a detour saves you from a life that wasn't ever really going to fit you anyway. The truth is, by definition, a detour still gets you to your destination just differently than you expected, maybe even better. So the question isn't I mess up? It's what did I learn? Because maybe the straight path wouldn't have made you this strong, this interesting or this ready. And let's be honest, without all of the twists and turns and scenic roots, wouldn't the of life be kind of boring? If you are aware that a detour was caused intentionally, it may be time to thank your arch nemesis. An antagonist is essential for a great story. There must be something for the protagonist, you, the main character, to work against. Identifying your antagonist is a key to unpacking and understanding your detours. Turning up the volume on your inner voice gives you better access to your origin story and a way to silence the outside influences, a powerful connection that creates confidence in making future choices. The inner voice needs permission to thrive and reignite to overcome obstacles and detours. It's the only way to not forget your wild. 23. *Exercise - Reframing Detours: Every story has plot twists, moments that didn't go as planned. Some were painful or confusing, and some were just straight up annoying. But here's the big idea for today. What if your greatest detour was actually your most scenic route and a key to understanding your story? We're not here to slap a smiley face on a struggle. We're here to explore honestly and vulnerably how what looked like a setback may have actually redirected your life in a powerful way. Let's start by listing ten detours from your life. These could be anything that got in the way of your plans, failures, bad advice, missteps, regrets, sacrifices, or even just life doing what it does. Something someone said that stuck with you, good or bad. A job or a path that you left or changed your mind about, a dream that didn't happen, a responsibility that you did or didn't choose, a value you didn't know you had until it was challenged. Take a moment to pause and make your list of ten detours. Next, you are going to pick one story that stands out to you in this moment and track it back. When did that detour start? Who was involved? What did it feel like? And try to remember the context, not just the headline. Ask yourself, what did I think this moment meant at the time? And looking back, what are the dots that connect that moment to me now? Now you're going to take a moment to reflect on what this detour produced. You're going to create three lists. Number one, positives that came from this detour. Number two, negatives that perhaps you're still dealing with to this day. And these can be ways that you think about that detour and the effects that it has had or actual life changes that came as a result. And third, unclear outcomes. You're not sure how to categorize. They could be positive, negative, or maybe even neutral. Try to be specific, not just that you learned a lot, but what specifically did you learn? Not just that it sucked, but why? Keep it real and honest. These notes are just for you. Now, imagine for a moment, if that detour had never happened, what might your life look like? Follow the road from that fork to where you are today. What would you have missed? What wouldn't you know about yourself? And what would you still believe about your goals, your limits, or your worth? Now let's zoom out. To really see the power of your detour, we need contrast between what we thought success looked like and what growth actually looked like. Write down three positive moments in your life. What made them powerful? Were they perfect, or did they come with pain, risk, or even surprise? Now, think of three antagonists, obstacles or detours in your journey. What did these experiences train in you? Perhaps resilience, clarity, boundaries, and probably empathy. The point here isn't to say every hard thing is secretly good. It's to say, you get to choose what it means to you. You get to author your own turning point. When you tell your origin story, whether in a pitch, a talk, or a conversation, don't just share your highlight reel. Share your scenic detours. That's where your audience connects with the real you. For further exploration, consider the following questions. What surprised you as you reflected on your detours? Was it hard to find the positives? Consider why or why not? And which of the detours you have listed are relevant to the story that you want to tell today? While it might seem cliche to think about turning negatives into positive, controlling your narrative is just that. Your perspective is everything. So be honest and vulnerable in your exploration. Be open to what negative and positive could be. It's not the same for everyone. 24. *Exercise - Unpacking: Have you ever had a quiet voice whispering that something's wrong, but you couldn't quite put a finger on it? Maybe you felt like you were following a path that wasn't really yours. You're checking the boxes, climbing the mountain, and then bam. You look around and you realize you're in a storm, cold, uncertain, and carrying way too much weight. Here's the thing. A lot of what we carry, our beliefs, our goals, our definitions of success, they were all handed to us, crafted by a society, a family, a culture, and generations before us, not designed for us in today's society. So today, we're going to unpack, literally, figuratively and emotionally. Let's take stock of what's in our metaphorical backpack, because you deserve to choose what you carry forward and what you leave behind. Start by taking a moment to picture your life as a backpack. What fills your time, your energy, and your thoughts? What are you carrying around right now? Don't edit your list. Just write everything down. Now, using Richard Leader's framework, we're going to group what you've written into three core categories value, well being, and meaning. What brings you financial or practical security? What protects your health mentally and physically? And what gives your life direction or emotional fulfillment? You might find some items fit really easily. Others might feel awkward, like they really don't belong at all. So next, ask yourself, what am I carrying Because someone else told me I should? Whose expectations are weighing me down, and are their voices louder than my own? Circle anything on your list that doesn't align with your current needs or identity. These are the extra rocks that are weighing you down in your backpack. If you could repack your backpack today, knowing where you are in life right now, what would you choose to keep and what would you leave behind? Make a new list. Just put the essentials that reflect your current needs, values, and immediate goals. As we move forward, I want you to remember your life is allowed to evolve. The version of you that made choices five or ten years ago was working with the tools they had at the time. You are not bound to stay on a path that no longer fits you. Repacking your backpack does not mean starting over. It means moving forward with intention. So the next time that inner voice speaks up, don't dismiss it. That voice is you, the real you. Trust it. You'll know what to drop and what the next steps are for you to take. Take some time to evaluate your current situation and consider the decisions that you have made along the way. It's time to unpack the bags and see what you've been carrying. It's time to turn down the volume on anyone's voice but your own. 25. ELEMENT SIX - The Pop (Climax): Have you ever had a moment a flash where everything clicked, where the story you've been telling yourself for years unraveled in a second. That moment is the pop. It's the climax of your story, the mountaintop, the mirror, boom. It's the moment of recognition and reversal. And once it happens, nothing is ever the same. I had mine unexpectedly. While cleaning out a box of childhood treasures, I found an old play I'd written as a kid. Little Red Riding Hood says no to smoking. In my version, Reed didn't wait around to be rescued. She saved herself. And I thought, Wait. That was me. That is me. Somehow, in all my adult striving, I'd wandered off my original path, the one that made me feel most alive. I had the degree, the acting studio, the ambition. I applied to PhD programs in theater, thinking that was the next step. And I was rejected by every single one. I spiraled. For years, I wondered, what did I do wrong? Why didn't they want me? What was I missing? Then one day, I did something a bit radical. I read my resume as if I were a stranger. And suddenly, there it was as if I had never seen it before. How had I missed it? I wasn't meant to study about theater. I was meant to be in a theater, doing it as a director. Let's zoom out for a moment. What is this moment, the pop? In classic storytelling, it's the climax. It's the peak. The second when the protagonist sees the truth. Here's how you recognize it in your own life. You realize the story you've been telling yourself no longer fits. You see the mismatch between your values and your actions. Perhaps a belief you've held for years collapses in a single breath. Steve Jobs once said, You can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backward. The pop is that moment of looking back with clarity. Every climax involves an antagonist. In my case, me, myself, and I were my antagonist. Me, with the impostor syndrome, myself with unclear goals, and I chasing what I should do instead of what I wanted or knew I needed to do. But the pop doesn't just reveal what's wrong. It illuminates what's right. So how do you find your own climactic moment? Well, start investigating. You're the main character. Be the detective and look for clues. What childhood dreams or roles keep resurfacing? Where do you feel most aligned and most authentic? What patterns keep repeating in your life and your work? Often, your origin story holds the spark and the key. Your pop is buried somewhere in there under layers of other people's expectations and definitions of success. Burnout, the failed job, a big no. Those are often the setup for the twist, your turning point. The pop is not always loud. Sometimes it's even a whisper, but when it comes, your job is to listen and act. Recognition is only half the pop. Reversal is the other. You have to change course, rewrite the scene, say no to the wolf or quit the job or launch the dream. And listen, this doesn't mean blowing up your life. It means evolving. Considering your next steps, it means aligning your actions with who you really are, not reinvention and starting from zero. Evolution rooted in your truth. How do you know if you've reached a turning point in your own story? Has the internal storm reached a breaking point? Have you hit your limit in a particular direction? Has a new opportunity or interest presented itself as a type of resolution? Has a new core value been revealed? Well, it's time to get out the pin and pop. 26. *Exercise - Vuja de: Have you ever been on autopilot, wake up, emails, deadlines, commute, collapse, repeat. You move through your days out of habit. It works until it does it. One morning, you feel it, a glitch in the Matrix, a gut whisper. This isn't it. What if you have been asleep with your eyes wide open? What if the rhythm of your daily life, your habits, your hustle, even your dreams aren't yours anymore? Vogade is the feeling that somehow none of this has ever happened before. Deja vu is when something new feels familiar. Vujade is the opposite. When something familiar suddenly feels unfamiliar and strange and full of new possibility. That moment can change everything. It's new seeing. And sometimes that is the first step in rewriting your story. It flips your frame. It cracks your world just enough to let the light in. Adam Grant says, We face something familiar, but see it with fresh perspective. George Carlin, who coined the term Vogade states, somehow, none of this has ever happened before. Romi states, how do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? What's something in your life that deserves a new lens and a new perspective? Disruption is not always dramatic. Sometimes it's as simple as going to a museum or baking a childhood recipe. These are sparks, tiny fires that can grow into wild transformations. Take a minute and ask yourself, what parts of your day do you complete without even thinking? What roles are you playing that no longer fit? Consider one area of your life currently running on autopilot. What have you outgrown but are still doing out of habit? And what dream or idea keeps tapping you on the shoulder? How can you break up your daily routine, disrupt it and cause some Vujade? What excites you or scares you about this idea? What might Vuja Day wake up in you? And how could this become a new part of your origin story? Do you remember when you were a kid you told stories out loud. You made up characters. You jumped first and figured it out mid air. You were limitless. Then somewhere along the way, we traded bravery for belonging. But what if bravery is the only way to belong to yourself again? What limit are you ready to unlearn? Where are you craving freedom to explore? Think about how you might start to write the story of your next chapter. It might begin with everything look the same, but suddenly, or I realized I was more than perhaps the moment that changed the way I entrepreneurs aren't just builders. They're breakers. They break patterns, rules, and even expectations of themselves. And that takes play and open mind and curiosity. It takes imagination, the kind we tend to forget as adults. Children do it naturally. Role play, make believe, reinvention. You did it once. You still can. So how do you jump start your own Voja day? Well, first, start by choosing a spark to provoke curiosity and change. For example, revisit a childhood hobby, cook a nostalgic meal, perhaps explore a totally unfamiliar neighborhood. Take a different route home, or take a class you don't feel you normally have the time for, maybe attend a live event you'd never normally go to or don't usually make the time for. Then take some time to reflect upon your experience. What did this show me or illuminate about what I want next? This is not about flipping your entire life overnight. It's about seeing with new eyes. Vujade shows up when you're ready to stop living someone else's narrative. When you're ready to wake up to your own, once you see a part of your life differently with new eyes, you can't unsee it. That's the gift of Vujade a new origin story. Well, it starts today. 27. *Exercise - Personalized Success: What does success look like to you? A fancy title, a peaceful mourning, a passport full of stamps. And what does success feel like? Security, freedom, joy, the world will hand you many definitions of success. But today, we are going to make our own. Because true success isn't a trophy. It means knowing what actually matters to you. In this lesson, we will consider what your personalized measures of success are and understanding what having it all means in your life. Let's begin by looking at the full picture of your life. We will look beyond traditional definitions, focusing on your feelings and not just those what we think are tangible outcomes. We're going to make this personal and relative to our own lives. And question inherited metrics. Those things that we've been told matters by other people. Take a moment to write down the main categories that matter most to you in your life. You see a few pictured here, but I'm going to give you a more complete list to consider, such as career, partner relationships, family, parenting or caregiving, health and wellness, mental health, friendships, social life, hobbies and creativity, spirituality or reflection, home or pets, finances, personal development, travel and adventure. This is not an exhaustive list, and you may have many more things to add to the different categories of your life. Now, for each category, you're going to list five personalized measures of success for that category. These are not society's metrics. They are yours, things that you consider important to be successful in each of the categories that you have listed. Think about the behaviors, rituals or outcomes that bring you peace, joy, pride, or a sense of satisfaction in each category. Examples may be health, which means walking my dog every day, going to therapy, and drinking more water. Career could be mentoring someone new, launching a project that I love, and taking Fridays off. Family might be game night every Sunday, texting my mom once a week, attending recitals. As you can see, these are very personal and related specifically to your needs and your life. Now, take a moment to step back and look at each category and list of personalized measures. Ask yourself these questions. Where are these measures coming from? Which of them were handed to me? And which feel like mine, and which feel like something I should do because other people told me to? Are there measures here that you want to release yourself from? And are there any that you want to reclaim or redefine in your own way? What is one of these traditional measures of success that you're ready to let go of that has been handed to you by someone else? Success at the cost of your health, joy, or relationships is not real success. So let's look at each life category and honestly rate where your energy falls. Mark burnout or flow for each category and circle the categories where you're struggling. Start the ones that are giving you life and seem to come rather easily. What is pulling you out of alignment? And what small change could bring you back to balance? How can you get rid of measures of success that you feel like don't belong to you and have been handed to you because someone else told you so? And what can you celebrate that is your own individual idea and pathway to success? If someone told you today, Are you successful, what would your answer be? How would you define that answer without comparison or apology? For example, my definition of success is or in this season of my life, balance looks like or perhaps I will know I'm on the right track when you are not behind and you are not too late. Deciding to stop living someone else's timeline only brings you closer to your own goals. Your personalized measures of success celebrate your originality and align the reality of your life with your purpose. When chasing success, we are taught to follow the leader, like Simon says, there is an endless game of numbers. How many followers does one need to be successful or likes on a given post? Which degrees and awards do you have to get and just how large of a bonus communicates that you are worthy? All of these things only matter if they match your own personalized measures of success and how you want to live your life in order to achieve the goals that you have set for yourself. Balance is not static. It's a dance every day. And success is not something you need to chase. It's something you can define for yourself because the most important number is one. By clarifying your own personalized measures of success, you can change your mindset from being number one to being the only one, and that is a secret weapon for success. 28. ELEMENT SEVEN - Resolution (What's Next?): What happens when our dreams do come true? Andre Breton famously said, I believe in the future resolution of these two states dream and reality into a kind of absolute reality, a SR reality. We begin our origin story with sparks, inciting incidents that push us into action. But what do we do after the climax, the pop when we've overcome the obstacle, when the big dream is actually realized? What happens after the pop? A resolution isn't an end. It's a revelation. In classical storytelling, resolution follows the climax. The problem is solved, the question is answered, and the character has been changed. The audience can exhale. But in your story, it's not just about what happens after. It's about what happens next. Like Pauline, my friend who retired from a life and performance, her dream roles came true. And now she's finding herself asking, What now? What next? Her answer didn't come as a plan. It came as clarity. She realized she can't predict the future, but she can prepare for it. And preparation looks like this, understanding your character, yourself. We romanticize the future, but it's not out there. It's here, wrapped in the quiet details of your past. Pauline didn't manifest by closing her eyes and just wishing. She did it by knowing herself so well that she recognized the moment when her imagined future came knocking and opened the door. Manifestation isn't magic. It's specificity. It's awareness. It's asking, When did I start showing these values to the world? And when did my passions take root? What am I still doing today that reflects who I've always been? Resolution is clarity earned. Imagine reaching the top of a mountain. You stop, catch your breath, and for the first time, you can see how far you've come. That's resolution. The view backwards that points you forwards. Amy Claire Tasker says it best. You can't draw a straight line from where you are to where you're going, but you can draw one from where you've been to where you are. That helps you make sense of your life. So what does that clarity give you? Well, a new normal, a new compass, and not an endpoint, but an insight. After the pop, there's an exhale, a sense of relief and release that might feel kind of like falling. But that sensation isn't the mark of an end. It's more like taking flight and soaring to a new destination. Resolution is your red bow, but not to close up the box, to present it, to say, Here's who I am now. Here's how I show up now. Resolution requires reinvention, because the world has changed. And frankly, so have you. If you're still acting on the same assumptions you made 20 years ago, you might be playing an outdated role in a new story. This is your chance to rewrite the rules, to name the changes, and to honor the journey of what comes next in your story. But all of this excitement does not come without a cost. You might already be feeling it. The fatigue of change. Donna Brighton calls it a change hangover, the exhaustion of reinvention and evolution. But she also gives us some tools. Name it to tame it, to say out loud what you're feeling and to acknowledge it, to focus on a goal, to get specific and give it shape, and then to celebrate your success, not just the big wins, but also the tiny moments of forward motion along the way, because evolution isn't easy, but it is yours and you've earned it. Resolution isn't just an answer. It's a new question. Now that I know what I know, what do I want next? Dan Harmon Story Circle tells us that resolution leads back to a new beginning. You are not at the end. You are at the next origin, onward and upwards. Origin stories are not one and done. They are living, breathing documents of your life story. They are invitations for what's to come and conversations that are yet to happen. As your resolution is the final of seven essential elements to your story, I want you to consider that your resolution is not a conclusion. It's a consolidation and a gathering of strength. You are a work in progress. Your story continues to evolve. You have climbed hills, probably mountains. So take a moment to consider the view of where you've been. Finally, where are you going next? What new inciting incidents are waiting for you? And what dream are you finally ready to go after? No blindly but boldly, with full awareness of who you are, onwards and upwards. There is a moment in every story, the inciting incident, the spark, a click, a sliding door where possibility begins. A multitude of options is presented. Where dreams and reality align and desires have the potential to be realized. But you have to go for it. Only hard work paired with deep listening will instigate the real and imagined becoming fused. Onwards and upwards, you are a work in progress. The story continues. 29. Your Audience (Your Why): A story is not complete until it connects. Your origin story may begin with you, but it doesn't actually live until it's received by somebody else. There is no story without a storyteller, and there is no storyteller without an audience. Whether you're crafting a story for a job interview, a pitch meeting, social media, a creative project, audiences of one or thousands, you must consider who's listening, what they value, and why your story matters to them. Doctor Bern Brown reminds us that connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued. Before you hit Share, ask yourself these questions. Who do I want to reach? How do I want them to feel? And how do I want them to respond? Because connection isn't accidental. It's intentional. It's created with clarity, emotion, and purpose. Your audience is the reason that you tell the story in the way that you do. Your origin story is a bridge, not a billboard. A powerful story invites people in and helps them to see a shared experience, a similar struggle, or perhaps a mutual goal. Dean Ornish said it best. The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water and food. And here's the thing stories scale connection. One authentic story can turn into a community of like minded people, a project team, or even a movement. Origin stories help people recognize themselves in your journey, and in doing so, they build trust, spark empathy, and generate momentum. They say, You're not alone. They ask, Do you see yourself here? And they offer, Let's go further together. And in this exchange, your story becomes part of something even bigger than you. Stories don't just explain the past. They also point toward the future. When people hear your origin story, they begin to imagine what's next. So invite them in, make your future visible, share your goals, frame your current chapter, and let them know what you're building. As Diana Turks put it, it's okay if it's not a straight path. It's the little things that shape the big ones. Your story isn't a perfect arc. It's a mosaic, a cobblestone path of lived moments. So let your audience pick up one of these stones and carry it with them. Commiserate, collaborate, and celebrate. Give them something to believe in, not just about you, but also about themselves. And if you're not sure where you're going yet, that's okay, too. Honesty is a powerful tool. So let your resolution be this. I'm on the path. Who wants to walk it with me? Whether you like it or not, you already have a brand, a voice, a vibe, and a lens on the world. The question is, are you being intentional with it? You've probably already heard the idea that we are CEOs of Me Incorporated, head marketers for the brand called you. So here's an opportunity to take control of your narrative, not to box yourself in, but to build a foundation you can stand on and grow from. Let your brand and your story, as a representative of it, be an ellipsis, not an exclamation point, a conversation starter, an opening to a new beginning, because in a world of fleeting impressions, the ones who tell the clearest, most connected, most compelling story that's the one who's remembered. And that's why you share your story, not just to be seen, but to be understood, to be followed, and to be joined by connecting with your audience. So, ask yourself, what kind of impact do I want to have with my audience? Who do I want to reach? And what future am I inviting them to be part of? You've done the work. You've collected your seven elements. You've explored your growth, your turning point, your beautiful crooked path. But your story isn't finished the moment you write it down because no story lives in isolation. It lives when it is shared. And more than that, it lives when it is heard. The final piece of your origin story is your audience. Your story is not just a memoir. It's a signal for gathering like minded individuals to form a community. It's your why and the reason for your story. 30. Your Origin Story as a Secret Weapon: Have you ever looked up at the night sky and tried to find a constellation? At first, you see just a scattering of stars. Random, overwhelming. But then you find an anchor, your North star. From there, the rest starts to form a pattern, the sword of Oon, the tail of a bear, the arm of a twin. That's what your origin story is like. At first, it might feel like a chaotic collection of memories, missteps and moments. But once you find that one point of clarity, everything else begins to connect. A picture emerges, a personal constellation that tells your story. And once you see it, you can't unsee it. You will want to share it. You will want to live it boldly out loud. But once you create your story, you may start to feel doubtful. You might start comparing your story to someone else's and wonder if it's good enough. You may start to think that maybe you just got lucky and hard work didn't get you to where you are today. That's impostor syndrome talking. It feeds on silence, forgetting, and invisibility. It's what Alexandra Benset calls the imposter cycle. You either over prepare or procrastinate and then succeed only to question yourself all over again. And the cycle repeats and repeats. But I have an antidote because you can't be an impostor if you are being yourself. It's impossible because your origin story is the ultimate expression of what makes you truly original. And your origin story grounds you in truth. When Imposter Syndrome lies, your story tells the truth and reminds you that you didn't end up here by accident. You earned it, and you lived it, and you created it. It replaces comparison of others with clarity about yourself because no one else has lived your exact life. No one else has your unique voice. Your difference is not a deficit. It's a distinction. It replaces comparison with others with clarity about yourself because no one else has lived your exact life. No one has your unique voice. Your origin story interrupts the impostor cycle because instead of reacting to self doubt, you reflect on your progress and become aware of your patterns and better yet your power. It reclaims the narrative because you stop letting fear tell your story and you take the pin back. You get to define what success means to you because when life feels random, your story reveals the through line, the pattern in the stars that was always there waiting to be recognized. So what makes you original? Not just your experiences and not just your wins, but the way you make meaning out of them. Your story, your origin story is your compass, your constellation. It's not something that separates you from others. It's what connects you, guides you, and lights your path forward. We can't predict the future, but with your origin story in your hand, you are prepared for it. Your own story is a sky full of stars, a history full of dots waiting to be connected that leads your journey to this very moment. Right now, everyone is searching for meaning, but you you've found your North Star. You've collected your essential elements, and you are drawing your constellation. And now you're ready to show the world how it shines. And that's what makes you truly original. And that is your secret weapon. 31. Thank You!: Oh. Thank you for joining me for this course. I hope that you have been truly inspired to write your own dynamic origin story and share it with the world. If you're looking for more resources and ways to dig even further into these topics, I invite you to take a look at Origin Story, the book that I wrote that inspired this course. In it, you will find detailed descriptions of all the structures and the seven elements and a whole section of exercises for discovering. That will give you even more context and inspiration for your story. In addition, there is an origin story journal that I created to help you to work through some of those exercises both here in this course and in the book. You can find your own copy of origin story or the journal wherever books are commonly sold. Thank you again for joining me on this storytelling journey. If you have any comments or feedback, I'd love to hear from you and be sure to check out my other course offerings. Until the next time, what's your origin story?