Structure: The Secret Spine of Every Winning Story

Without it, even the best moment gets lost.

At What’s Your Story Slam, I’ve seen brilliant stories flop because they lacked one thing: a skeleton.

Take our WYSS winner who wanted nothing more than to play a princess onstage. She set the scene perfectly: the longing for a tiara, the auditions, the build-up. Then came the middle — disappointment after disappointment as she kept losing the roles she craved.

The payoff? A plot twist. She didn’t become a princess at all. She became Jesus Christ.

The audience erupted because they’d been carried on a journey: expectation → setback → revelation.

Another winner told the story of a K-pop fan call. The setup? Buying 20 DVDs just to get a shot. The middle? Days of waiting, despair as the deadline passed, refreshing the phone obsessively. The end? At 2:09 p.m., against all odds, her idol called and said her name.

The story landed because the structure built tension and then released it.

Why Structure Wins

Every WYSS winning story follows an invisible spine:

• Set the stage. Who were you at the start?

• Show the turn. What happened that forced change?

• Reveal the shift. Who are you now?

Without this skeleton, stories wander. With it, they land.

How You Can Use This

At work, most people give “trip reports”:

That’s not a story. It’s the itinerary version — all detail, no meaning.

Instead, structure it:

• Before: “We thought this project might fail.”

• Middle: “Here’s what we struggled with.”

• After: “Now the client trusts us more than ever.”

Even at home, your family won’t remember “we left at 8am.” They’ll remember, “Grandma proved grit isn’t about speed — it’s about finishing.”

Quick Tip: The 3-Line Spine

Next time you share a story, test it against this:

1. I was…

2. Then…

3. Now I am…

If you can’t fill in those three lines, you don’t yet have a story. You just have events.

Your Story Prompt

Think of a time you wanted something badly but got something completely different. What did you learn about yourself? That’s your spine waiting to be built.

This is Part 2 of The Anatomy of a Winning Story.
Coming next month: Part 3 – Likeability: Why We Root for You (Even When You Mess Up).

You’re not boring — you’re just leaving your stories unstructured. Add a spine, and suddenly people can follow you anywhere.

🎟️ Choose Your Next Step

👉 Want the full breakthrough?

Seed to Stage Intensive (Nov 8–9, 2025). 12 seats only. Super Early Bird Ends 30 September. Includes free access to Seed to Stage Online (Sep 6–Oct 25).

👉 Prefer to start online?

Seed to Stage Online (Sep 6–Oct 25, 2025). Join from anywhere.

👉 Just want to watch structure in action?

What’s Your Story Slam: The Great Escape (Sep 9, 2025). Put WYSS at the promocode for a discount.

👉 Want to discover your own superpower?

I’ll be speaking at the Find Your Superpower Summit (Oct 31, 2025). Click here to grab your ticket and use promocode WYSH60 for 60% off the public price.

Upcoming Events

• What’s Your Story Slam: The Great Escape – Sep 9, 2025 (8 days away — last tickets!)

• Seed to Stage Online – Sep 6–Oct 25, 2025 (join from anywhere)

• Grace Under Fire Workshop – Oct 25, 2025 (12 spots)

• Seed to Stage Intensive – Nov 8–9, 2025 (12 seats only, includes online)

✨ Forward-to-a-Friend Nudge
Know someone whose stories wander? Send this their way.