From Paper Shields to Stages

I don’t usually send newsletters out on Sunday night, it’s not what the “pros” recommend…

But oh well, I feel like sharing what I wrote about today with those of you who would like read. To set the stage, let’s take us back 4 years ago, and a few minutes before my first “official” public speaking engagement.

I looked up from behind my notecards to a room of 35 people.

“Don’t make eye contact. They’ll know you’re nervous.”

My heart was beating through my throat. I glanced back down to hide behind my paper shield (notecards).

“My face feels red, what am I doing up here?”

Imposter syndrome was taking over, yet again.

That was how every speech started for me 4 years ago. Fast forward to now, 100+ public speeches later - and I can confidently say this:

I am still an introvert.

But I am not the same scared speaker, or unsure creator.

So how can someone like me stand in front of dozens of people and convince them to improve themselves?

Well, it came down to simple ingredients:

1. Reps

2. Stories

The first one is obvious. Do the work. Show up, and keep showing up.

Nothing else needs to be said here.

But stories? That deserves some unpacking.

Here’s what changed everything.

For my first 10 speeches, I absolutely dreaded the days leading up to the talk. My hands would shake, my voice would tremble, and I clutched my notes like the paper shield they were.

Because of this, I usually lost my audience within the first 3 minutes of me getting my first word out.

Then, around speech 15, something happened:

I realized this wasn’t about me (obvious right).

It wasn’t about my nerves, my clever tips and tricks, or the infographics I included in the presentation.

It was about them, my audience. The transformation they could go through if I guided them with a compelling story.

So I burned my paper shield, not really but it sounds better than throwing them away. What happened next was small but game changing for me.

I completely shifted my identity, from nervous speaker, to story-driven guide.

I started saying this to myself before stepping on stage:

“Been on many stages, held many mics.” Thanks Jesse Itzler.

What does this have to with creating content?

Everything.

If there’s one thing 100+ speeches taught me about creating, it’s this:

Craft your story in a way that makes your audience feel like the main character, then leave them on a cliffhanger.

Draw them in with subtle dopamine hits.

Build emotion. Relate your journey to theirs. Make them feel it. Because once they feel it, they’ll come back. As you know, everyone loves a good story.

Now here’s the part most people miss building their online brand.

Let’s say you have an offer that you’re excited about. You post about it, you talk about it. You build a funnel and shout it from the rooftops.

But no one listens, and no one cares.

The reason is you skipped the journey that lead up to you creating the solution. Bring the reader or listener into the painful feeling of facing the problem you overcame in the past, then give the transformational insight.

Your journey holds every piece of content you’ll ever need to build your brand, yes, even if you are just starting out.

So here’s what you do:

Work backwards.

Reverse-engineer the transformation.

Make the audience crave what you’ve already been through, they should feel like the main character becoming stronger at the end.

While everyone else is busy copying frameworks and pumping out robotic AI posts…

You’ll be creating content like a movie unfolding in real time.

And for my fellow 9-5 creators (yes, I’m still in it too):

Start by making a simple list:

What are 3 skills you’ve picked up from the long hours?

Then write about the journey of acquiring each one. This isn’t busywork, it’s the foundation of your online brand. The foundation of your eventual freedom from the system.

If you want feedback on your list, just reply to this with your list, I read every reply and would love to help you get a head start.

Thanks for reading, and have a great Sunday.

Dom

P.S. Click below to join the FreedomOS community we have on Substack, this is the easiest way to speak with me. Thank you!