SHAPE YOUR STORY

‍THE OPENING FRAME

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Bryan Johnson spent $2 million last year trying to reverse aging.

Blood transfusions from his 17-year-old son. 111 daily supplements. Bedtime at 8:30 PM. A team of 30 doctors constantly monitors his every biomarker.

The internet calls him crazy. The media calls him obsessed. His critics call him a narcissist.

But here's what they're missing: Johnson isn't selling longevity. He's selling a story. And that story is worth $400 million.

Watch how he architects it:

Act I: Tech founder burns out building companies, realizes he's dying slowly
Act II: Radical experiment to become "the most measured human in history"
Act III: Offering others the blueprint to "not die"

Same three-act structure that every Hollywood blockbuster uses. Same emotional progression that makes audiences care.

Johnson didn't accidentally stumble into this narrative. He shaped it. With precision.

Raw truth without structure is chaos. Structure without truth is performance.

Your story needs both. The fire and the form.

Let’s jump into it. 

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THE MAIN FEATURE

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Most creative founders are walking around with unarchitected brilliance.

Last month, I watched a founder pitch to twelve investors. Brilliant product. Solid traction. Clear market opportunity. She walked out with zero interest.

The pitch was perfect, but her story was invisible.

Later, over coffee, she mentioned something in passing. Her grandmother in rural Kenya walking three hours daily for clean water. And how that image haunted her through MIT, through her engineering career, through every sleepless night building water purification technology.

"That's your opening line," I said.

"What is?"

"The three-hour walk."

She stared at me. "But that's not professional."

Here's what she didn't understand: Professional is forgettable. Personal is unforgettable.

Bryan Johnson could have positioned himself as "biohacker" or "longevity researcher." Instead, he chose "man who refuses to die." One is a category. The other is a crusade.

But raw emotion without architecture becomes chaos. Let me show you how to channel this emotion. 

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This is the 3-Step Method That Built Everything:

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For years, I've used the same framework with every client. From burned-out founders to brilliant creators who felt invisible.

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FIND. SHAPE. SHARE.

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PART I: FIND YOUR STORY

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The Archetype Selection Framework

Every powerful founder story operates from one of eight core archetypes. Johnson is clearly The Alchemist - turning his pain (burnout, aging) into power (Blueprint protocol).

The Rebel - Bold, unapologetic voice. Breaks systems, defies norms. Shadow risk: May burn bridges too fast

The Seeker - Curious, reflective voice. Discovers truth and deeper meaning. Shadow risk: May stay in doubt or indecision

The Architect - Clear, structured voice. Builds systems with integrity. Shadow risk: May become rigid or controlling

The Underdog - Raw, resilient voice. Proves worth through action. Shadow risk: May rely too much on struggle

The Alchemist - Poetic, transformative voice. Turns pain into power. Shadow risk: May mystify instead of clarify

The Guide - Grounded, wise voice. Serves others from experience. Shadow risk: May hide behind clients' stories

The Outsider - Distant, visionary voice. Stays free, independent. Shadow risk: May disconnect from audience

The Artist - Sensitive, intuitive voice. Expresses deep internal truths. Shadow risk: May fear visibility or rejection

Exercise 1: Archetype Identification Read each description. Which one makes you think "That's me"? Which one makes you uncomfortable?

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The Origin Story Canvas

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Johnson's origin follows this exact structure:

1. Foundational Beliefs: "I was raised to believe that success meant building companies and making money."

2. The Tension: "But I kept bumping up against the reality that I was destroying my health for wealth."

3. The Rebellion: "That's when I realized I had to choose: die rich or live optimized."

4. Present Lens: "This story still lives in how I approach every protocol, every measurement, every decision."

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Your turn:

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1. Foundational Beliefs "I was raised to believe that..." "Back then, success looked like..." "What I thought mattered most was..."

2. The Tension "But I kept bumping up against..." "It didn't make sense to me that..." "I found myself hiding parts of me like..."

3. The Rebellion/Realignment "That's when I realized I had to..." "I stopped waiting for permission to..." "It became clear that my voice was for..."

4. Your Present Lens "This story still lives in how I..." "I show up today with a lens shaped by..." "The reason I do it this way is..."

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PART II: SHAPE YOUR STORY

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The Hollywood Grid Framework

Here's how Johnson architected his transformation:

Act I: The Spark (25%)

• Normal world: Successful tech entrepreneur
• Inciting incident: Burnout, health crisis, existential dread
• The moment everything changed: "I was dying slowly"

Act II: The Descent (50%)

• Journey into the unknown: Radical self-experimentation
• Obstacles: Social ridicule, family tension, extreme protocols
• Deepest challenge: Choosing optimization over normal life

Act III: The Offering (25%)

• Transformation complete: "Most measured human in history"
• What he carries for others: Blueprint for not dying
• New normal: Living as proof of concept

The Director's Cut Exercise

Johnson masters this principle: He doesn't rely on one signature scene. He creates a series of cinematic moments that keep people talking. Blood transfusions. Extreme sleep protocols. Controversial treatments. Each one is designed to be memorable, shareable, and impossible to ignore.

The key isn't finding the "most" controversial moment. It's architecting moments that reveal your transformation in action.

Your turn. Take your most powerful origin moment. Write it like a movie scene:

1. Setting: Where are you? What's the atmosphere?
2. Conflict: What decision are you facing?
3. Action: What choice do you make?
4. Cost: What does it cost you?
5. Signature Line: The emotion that sticks

The Antagonist Lens

Johnson's villain isn't aging. It's acceptance. "Why do we accept death as inevitable?"

What you're building is only half the story. The other half is what you're building against.

Exercise: Name Your Villains

List 3-5 forces you're pushing against:

• Industry norms that make you angry
• Societal beliefs you reject
• Personal patterns you've overcome

The Brand Message

Johnson's message: "In a world that accepts aging as inevitable, I prove optimization is possible."

Shape your stance into clarity: "In a world that [insert antagonist], I [insert your belief/action]."

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PART III: SHARE YOUR STORY

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The Three-Tier Narrative System

Johnson has mastered this:

Tier 1: Elevator Version - "I'm trying not to die"
Tier 2: Coffee Version - His full transformation arc
Tier 3: Keynote Version - Complete Blueprint methodology

The Monologue Exercise

Johnson's version might sound like: "Look, I didn't wake up wanting to be a biohacker. I woke up tired of watching brilliant people destroy themselves for success. I saw that we treat our phones better than our bodies. So I became the experiment. This is why I do what I do. Not for attention. But because someone has to prove it's possible."

Your turn. Write your "why I wake up every morning" speech. One page. No structure. Just the truth.

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THE CLOSE

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Bryan Johnson could have been just another rich guy trying to live forever. Instead, he became the face of human optimization. Not through better technology. Through better storytelling.

Belief is contagious. But only when it's architected.

The window is closing.

In six months, AI will generate "authentic" founder stories that test better than real ones. When that flood hits, your lived experience becomes your only currency.

But only if you shape it now.

This week's assignment: Complete all exercises above. Don't edit as you shape. Let the structure emerge from your truth.

Remember: Story or be forgotten.

Your truth, architected with precision, becomes your empire.

—T

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