Essays
Short explorations of individual concepts inside the doctrine.
The Story That Built You
Long before you tell stories to anyone else, one story has already been telling you. We rarely notice it. We just call it “who I am.”
May 12, 2026
Story vs. Messaging
Most of what gets called “brand storytelling” is messaging wearing a story’s clothes. The difference is not stylistic. It’s structural — and it’s why so little of it lands.
April 28, 2026
Meaning Before Influence
The storytelling industry sells influence. But influence is a byproduct, not a purpose. When you optimize for it directly, you usually lose both.
April 10, 2026
On the Roadmap
Essays in progress, grouped by the order they’re likely to arrive.
Phase One
Why Most “Our Story” Pages Aren’t Stories
They have a beginning, a middle, and an end. They still aren’t stories. What’s missing is the one thing a story can’t do without.
The Four Elements of a Genuine Story
A working definition: what has to be present before a sequence of events becomes a story at all.
Phase Two
Why Humans Need Narrative Identity
Identity is not a fixed fact we report. It is a story we maintain — and the maintenance is the point.
The Ethics of Narrative Persuasion
If stories can move people past their defenses, what do we owe the people we tell them to?
Storytelling and Leadership
Leaders do not mainly give orders. They install the story inside which the orders make sense.
Phase Three
What Story Are You Living Inside?
A practical attempt to surface the narrative you did not choose — and ask whether it still fits.
Storytelling in an AI World
When machines can generate infinite narrative, what becomes scarce — and what becomes sacred?