The only storytelling framework worth learning

Here’s what still works

Author

Stephen Stanberry
October 2nd, 2025

AI content is everywhere, friend!

It’s on LinkedIn.
It’s in your feed.
It’s in the 47th carousel post about “7 ways to 10x your growth.”

And since December 2024, when I started this newsletter, I’ve been preaching the same damn sermon.

Storytelling is the only way you stand out.

Not hacks.
Not hacks dressed up as “strategies.”
Not yet another Canva graphic.

Story.

Because here’s the thing:

When you tell a story, people see themselves.
When you don’t, they scroll.

But most creators?
They screw this up.

They make themselves the hero.
They talk about their journey like it’s a Marvel movie.
Meanwhile, the reader is sitting there thinking… “Cool, bro, but what about me?”

And that’s the mistake.

You’re not the hero.
Your audience is.

Always.

And if you want a framework that makes your stories connect?
You don’t need another shiny acronym.

You need the one storytellers have been using for thousands of years.

The Hero’s Journey.

Here’s how it works (and yeah, I’ll give you examples so this isn’t theory fluff):

Stage 1: Departure

This is the ordinary world.
The life your reader lives right now.

Same doubts.
Same fears.
Same “WTF am I doing with my content?” energy.

Example: a founder with 500 followers, posting every damn day, wondering if anyone besides their cousin is even seeing it.

That’s where you start.
Because if they don’t nod their head in the first three lines, you’ve already lost them.

Stage 2: Initiation

This is the hard part.
The middle.
The blood, sweat, tears, and 47 drafts nobody liked.

Most people skip it.
They rush from “life sucked” to “now I win.”

Don’t.

The messy middle is what makes people feel it.

When I got fired over Google Meet, I didn’t bounce back like some motivational meme.

I sat there thinking, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
I posted. Nobody cared.
I second-guessed every idea.
The silence felt like proof I wasn’t good enough.

That’s the initiation.
It’s raw. It’s human.
And it’s where readers think, “Damn, I’ve been there.”

Stage 3: Return

This is the transformation.
The part where the hero comes back with the lesson.

For me, the shift was realizing storytelling wasn’t about perfect writing.
It wasn’t about fancy hooks or corporate jargon.
It was about structure.

WHO → FLIP → THREAD.

I rewrote my firing story using that.
And for the first time, people replied.
One story pulled more responses than months of “polished” posts.
That story led to clients.

And here’s the kicker: it wasn’t the story itself.
It was the way it mirrored the reader’s own journey.

They didn’t care that I got fired.
They cared that they’d been there too.
And they wanted to know how I turned it into something useful.

That’s the Return.
You hand your audience the map.

So here’s the play:

Next time you sit down to write, take your own moment and run it through this.

  1. Show the ordinary world (Departure).

  2. Show the struggle (Initiation).

  3. Share the shift (Return).

That’s it.

But and this is where most people drop the ball
be specific.

Don’t say: “I lacked confidence.”
Say: “My boss asked for input. I had the answer. I stared at the floor instead.”

Don’t say: “I failed for months.”
Say: “I posted 47 times. Got 2 likes. Both from my cousin.”

That’s what makes it real.
That’s what makes it stick.

So yeah, the Hero’s Journey isn’t some guru trick.
It’s not new.
It’s not sexy.

But it works.

Because your readers don’t need another lecture.
They need to see themselves in your story.

And if they do, they’ll lean in.
They’ll trust you.
And when trust is there, sales happen.

Talk soon,
Stephen

If you’re done winging it and want your story dialed in…
The Story Clarity Coaching Intensive is where we do it.

8 weeks.
Your real founder story.
2–3 signature stories that sell softly.
A system you’ll use long after the calls end.

Spots are limited. Start this month.

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