What’s Your Origin Story?

Ever wonder how some people seem to have an endless well of content, sharing effortlessly across platforms without missing a beat? The secret isn’t superhuman creativity—it’s a powerful tool we call “origin bodies of work.”

Let’s talk about what it is and why you need one.

What’s an Origin Body of Work?

Think of an origin body of work as the mothership of your brand. It’s a set of foundational documents that capture the essence of who you are, what you believe, and how you approach your work. It can come in multiple forms—articles, blogs, books, newsletters, profiles, and so on—and compound over the years, or you can generate it all at once. Regardless, This isn’t just any old content—it’s the distilled wisdom of your experiences, the bedrock of your expertise, and ultimately, a powerful force that can shape industries and change lives.

Think I’m being over the top?? You’re not the only one (my older sister’s been telling me since birth), but I hope you’ll put that aside for a second and think about why an origin body of work is so important:

1. Consistency is King—and Your Origin Body of Work Is the Throne: With a solid origin body of work, that bottomless well of content is real—you’re never scrambling for content, because it already exists somewhere. You’ve just got to shape it.

2. Exponential Opportunities for Iteration: When you know what you’re made of—and where you want to go—you’ve got a springboard for endless content variation.

3. Thought Leadership Made Easier:  When you’ve done the deep work up front, sharing valuable insights becomes second nature. You’ll know what insights to store and share with your audience and where to look for additional inspiration. As such, you’re not just participating in the conversation; you’re leading it.

4. Pivot with Purpose: Markets change, but your core doesn’t have to. A well-crafted origin body of work allows you to adapt to trends while staying true to your brand’s essence.

From Long-Form to Bite-Sized: The Magic of Repurposing

So, what do you do once you’ve built your body? Let’s look at how the pros do it:

Tony Schwartz is the founder and CEO of The Energy Project, a bestselling author, and a journalist. While you may not have found him on LinkedIn yet (until now, that is), you’ve probably encountered his work in the New York Times,Newsweek, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review, among other prestigious publications.

This post? It’s not a random thought. It’s a distillation of Tony’s HBR article “Why We Glorify Overwork and Refuse to Rest.” He’s taken a core theme and served it up in a format perfect for LinkedIn scrollers looking to digest invaluable insights on the fly.

Then, there’s this post:

Here, Tony’s tapping into his article, “What to Do When You’re Stuck in the Survival Zone.” Same depth of thought, different packaging.

What can you do to be more like Tony?

Start by building your origin body of work.

Building Your Origin Body of Work: Where to Start

1. Define Your Core: What’s the one thing you want to be known for? Start there. If you’ve put out a lot of content, look for threads that tie it all together. That may come in the form of the existing piece, or a new one that has yet to be written (or recorded, or filmed).

Should we link the define you brand article in this??

2. Tell Your Story: Your journey matters. Everyone wants to know how you got where you did—including where you stumbled or succeeded or yelled “Eureka” along the way. How did you arrive at your insights? If you haven’t shared it yet, find a format that speaks to you and put it out there.

3. Outline Your Approach: What’s your unique methodology or perspective? Why might others want to take it on? Tell them, and don’t hold back. Note: lots of thought leaders I talk to worry about giving too much away—their secret sauce is sacred, they think. But here’s the thing: there’s so much value in the act of sharing. For many highly, highly paid speakers, their secrets are already out in the world in multiple forms. And yet, people keep bringing them back time and time again. If you know anyone who’s ever considered flying in a big-name speaker for an hour-long chat at a six-figure rate, you know what I’m talking about. Be generous when you’re putting it all out there. Plus, if it feels like too much, you can always delete (and the internet has a very, very short memory).

4. Capture Key Insights: What are the fundamental truths you’ve discovered in your work? Chances are, they’re not limited to your industry—in many cases, they’re really insights about the way we humans tick.

Keep in mind, this isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating a living, breathing foundation for your brand. As you grow, your origin body of work grows with you.

Your Next Steps

Ready to start building your origin body of work? Here’s a simple exercise to kick things off:

1. Set a timer for 15 minutes.

2. Write down the three most important lessons you’ve learned in your career.

3. For each lesson, jot down a brief story that illustrates it (this is how we’ve been communicating our value since the beginning of time).

Congratulations—you’ve just taken the first step toward creating your origin body of work—and sharing your value with others.

Want to dive deeper? Let’s chat. At Arcbound, we specialize in helping thought leaders like you develop the kind of foundational content that builds empires. Drop me a line, and let’s explore how we can amplify your voice and impact.

PS – Click here to register for Arcbound’s next virtual event happening Monday, September 9th, at 11 am PST / 2 pm EST. Speaker, author, founder and president, Mark Green, will share “How to Accelerate Your Economic Success and Impact as a Solo Practitioner.”