For months, I polished my Founder’s Story. Refined every beat. Made sure it hit all the "right" notes. Origin story? Check. Struggle narrative? Check. Transformation moment? Check.
It was perfectly crafted. Professionally sound. And completely lifeless.
Yesterday, sitting with a client who couldn't articulate their vision, I heard myself say: "What story are you trying to close with this business?"
That's when it hit me.
My Founders Story had become one of those protective patterns I teach about. I'd revised it so many times, it no longer carried any truth.
Just strategy dressed up as authenticity.
Here's what I realized: I wasn't telling my story. I was performing it.
The real story? Messier. Less linear. More human.
It's not just about walking 800km across Spain or changing my name to get a film made.
It's about spending 20 years as a screenwriter learning that every open loop creates tension, then discovering most people live with hundreds of them spinning in their minds.
It's about my own Open Loop Fatigue™ hitting so hard I had to create a system just to think clearly again.
That's not a Founders Story. That's a recognition story. The moment you see yourself in someone else's struggle and think: "I can help with that."
So I scrapped the performance. Started over. Asked myself: "What loop am I really trying to close?"
The answer was simpler than I expected: I'm helping people close the stories that keep them stuck, so they can create the ones that set them free.
No hero's journey required.
Sometimes the most powerful story isn't the one you've perfected. It's the one you're brave enough to live.
Your Founders Story doesn't need another edit. It needs more truth.
What story are you performing that needs to become real?
#NarrativeIntelligence #FoundersStory #OpenLoopMastery #AuthenticLeadership #StoryTelling