A Word. A Pause. A Life Transformed.

Most business owners struggle to explain what they do in a way that actually connects.

They’ve got the credentials. The passion. The results.

But when it comes to telling their story? It falls flat. Feels off.

Or worse, their story sounds just like everyone else's.

Because the story you think you’re supposed to tell—polished, professional, profound—isn’t the one your audience needs to hear.

And finding it isn’t about clever messaging tricks, it's knowing the moment that matters to focus on.

I was on a mastermind call earlier this week, chatting about copywriting in the age of AI.

Spend more than five minutes online (especially on LinkedIn) and you’d be forgiven for thinking the writing world’s in the doldrums.

Post after post by “Thought Leaders” regurgitating the profound wisdom of their favourite LLM, cheered on in the comments more than likely written by bots too.

But if you want to cut through the noise with something that actually lands, you can’t rely on trite repetition.

You’ve got to dig for something true. Something real.

During our call, someone mentioned an interview between Tim Ferriss and journalist Cal Fussman and called it a must-listen.

Well, I’m only halfway through it (it’s three hours long 🫠 thank goodness for 1.5x speed), and it doesn’t disappoint.

One moment literally stopped me in my tracks this morning while I was out running to make a note of the timestamp.

Ferriss was talking about a trip he’d arranged for his mum to see the northern lights to fullfill a lifelong dream of hers.

Now, most people hearing that story would ask:

“Did she enjoy it?”

Or: “What did she say when she saw them? I bet she loved it.”

All normal. All expected.

But Fussman asked something different.

“What did her face look like?”

Ferris: “Like nothing else existed in the world at that moment.”

And just like that, we’re transported to a cold, quiet night in Iceland, sharing in the wonder.

It reminded me of a moment from an interview I did with my client Steffany, who runs an adoption agency.

During our call, Steffany told me about the moment she was asked to adopt her daughter.

“She desperately needs a home. Would you and Don consider adopting Shayla?” she asked.

We’d been blessed with four incredible kiddos, and my husband felt our family was complete (a fun note: he thought we were done at three…!)

“Oh no, Don is done,” I told her, but I promised I’d talk to him anyway.

I was driving home from an out-of-town wedding when I called Don to tell him all about her.

“Ohhh?” he said, curious, thoughtful.

I paused… and thought to myself:

“Ohhhhhhh” (Yep, she’s ours.)

And just like that, we knew. She had found her home with us.

One word. A pause. And a life transformed in the space between syllables.

I just knew it would end up in the finished version.

It doesn’t follow any copywriting formula or template and it sure as hell wouldn’t come out of AI.

But it was real, and the kind of line that transports any hopeful adoptive parent to the moment they realise their family is about to become complete.

Later in the interview, Fussman shared his biggest tip for finding those moments:

“Aim for the heart, not the head.

Once you’ve got the heart, you can go to the head.

And when you’ve got both, you’ve got a path to the soul.”

Personally?

I’d change it just a little:

When you’ve got the heart and the head… you’ve got a path to sold.

Because when your audience feels it, really feels it.

The decision to work with you becomes easy.

And that’s exactly what I help my clients do.

Because behind every brand that truly connects is a real story that needs telling.

A story that isn’t just polished and pretty, but honest, emotional, and human.

The kind of story your audience doesn’t just read but they feel.

And by the time they reach the Buy Now button, they already know they’re going to work with you.

If you know your story matters but you’re not sure how to tell it in a way that sells, then click here to schedule your Customer Journey Origin Story.

Just like Steffany did.

I can’t wait to meet you and hear the story of how your business got started.