By David Boje
The Meaning of S.T.O.R.I.E.S.
Letter |
Meaning |
How
It Helps |
S – Systematic |
A structured way to
explore stories. |
Helps us uncover hidden
narratives. |
T – Transformative |
Creating deep, lasting
change. |
Allows organizations and
individuals to evolve. |
O – Organizational |
Focuses on businesses,
teams, and institutions. |
Helps companies rethink
their culture. |
R – Relational |
Examines how stories
connect us. |
Strengthens relationships
and teamwork. |
I – Innovative |
Pushes the limits of
storytelling. |
Encourages fresh, new
perspectives. |
E – Enthinking |
Finding and breaking
through ‘stuck story’ patterns. |
Helps recognize limiting
beliefs. |
S – Superorganisms |
Thinking beyond
individuals to whole systems. |
Moves past human-centered
thinking to see the bigger picture beyond
language and illusion. |
Here is David Boje's example of finding Stuck Stories in
his subconscious as well as Little Wow Moments where for a
few nanoseconds he was not stuck, then got stuck again and
again. Use your own pre-stories and Little Wow
Moments and explore your S.T.O.R.I.E.S.
David Boje': "I remember the moment I lost my way. I had just been named University Teacher of the Year at Loyola Marymount—again. My storytelling methods were changing lives. Students were standing on their chairs shouting, ‘I feel healthy! I feel happy! I feel terrific!’ But then, I let one critique at an academic conference shake me. They called my work ‘McPostmodernism’—too simple, too accessible. I abandoned my truth and started writing to impress scholars instead of serving people. I lost my way in intellectualism, drowning in critical theory. The more I published, the more disconnected I became from the very people I wanted to help. But something inside me whispered: this isn’t your story."
🔹 How I Was Stuck: I
sought validation from academia instead of trusting my own
truth.
🔹 How I Got Unstuck: I
started questioning: What if my true
work was outside academia? What if I had to restory my
path back to the general audience?
David Boje': "I was raised Catholic, but my first marriage in-laws forbade Catholicism in our home. I searched—Lutheran, Pentecostal, nothing fit. My divorce left me angry at religion. I told myself a story: ‘Religion is a system of control and oppression.’ That belief kept me away from spirituality for years. Then, in 1995, I met Grace Ann. She introduced me to Jainism. I went to India, sat with a real Jain monk, and learned the 7 chakras. This wasn’t about dogma; it was about liberation from karma, from false stories, from attachments that hold us back. It was about truth. But I had to make room for this new path."
🔹 How I Was Stuck: My
anger at religion blocked me from spiritual growth.
🔹 How I Got Unstuck: I
let go of inherited narratives and embraced Jain wisdom.
David Boje': "In the 1980s, before my academic career took off, I started a business. It failed. My partners turned out to be unreliable, and I lost everything. I internalized the story: ‘I am not meant to be in business.’ That story kept me from charging for my work, even when I became an expert in storytelling. I gave everything away for free, hoping people would ‘see the value’—but they didn’t. It wasn’t until recently that I rewrote my story: ‘People value what they invest in.’ That’s when I set a price—$977 for my master class. The moment I owned my worth, things changed."
🔹 How I Was Stuck: I
believed I wasn’t cut out for business.
🔹 How I Got Unstuck: I
bet on my future by valuing my own work.
David Boje': "When I taught at Loyola Marymount, I started every class with students standing on their chairs, shouting ‘I feel healthy! I feel happy! I feel terrific!’ It wasn’t just a gimmick—it built energy, engagement, and belief in their own potential. But when I transitioned into critical theory, that rhythm disappeared. Instead of energizing people, I was dissecting everything, stripping stories of life. When I finally woke up, I realized: storytelling is about embodiment, about energy, about momentum. I had to bring that back."
🔹 How I Was Stuck: I
traded real impact for intellectual critique.
🔹 How I Got Unstuck: I
reclaimed energy and timing in
storytelling.
David Boje': "One day, my wife Grace Ann took me to a chiropractor. He tested my muscle strength as I repeated affirmations. When I said, ‘I feel terrific,’ my arm dropped—I couldn’t hold it up. My body refused to lie. That’s when I realized: my subconscious was stuck in a false story. I was telling myself I was thriving, but I wasn’t. My body knew before I did. That moment changed everything. I started paying attention to the stories I lived, not just the ones I told."
🔹 How I Was Stuck: My
mind was saying one thing; my body was telling the truth.
🔹 How I Got Unstuck: I
started listening to embodied wisdom.
David Boje': "I spent years—and over $10,000—training in Core Shamanism. At first, it felt like I was learning something real. But then I saw the cracks. They told me I could practice healing, but never teach others. They claimed secret knowledge, but it was just anthropology repackaged for profit. I realized I had fallen into another trap—this time, spiritual elitism. I was stuck in someone else’s staged reality. When I left, I returned to enthinkment—the practice of thinking for myself, of questioning my own assumptions, of rewriting my own path."
🔹 How I Was Stuck: I
was following someone else’s staged narrative.
🔹 How I Got Unstuck: I
reclaimed my own ability to think critically and restory
my beliefs.
David Boje': "In 2023, I finally walked away from Core Shamanism. No more drumming, no more following a path that wasn’t mine. Jainism doesn’t do drumming. Jainism doesn’t do ‘secret knowledge.’ It is about self-realization, about purifying the karmic layers of false stories, about letting go of illusions. The irony? In shamanism, I was great at ‘seeing’—I could sense what people needed in lower world or upper world journeys. But I never saw that I was betraying my own spiritual truth. Now, I am back. I am practicing Jain meditation. I am teaching storytelling not as an intellectual exercise, but as a path to freedom."
🔹 How I Was Stuck: I
had adopted a mix-and-match spiritual identity that wasn’t
truly mine.
🔹 How I Got Unstuck: I
returned to the spiritual path that resonated with my
deepest truth.
What are the True Storytelling®
Principles? please click to go
to True Storytelling® Institute site.
True Storytelling® Principles"
Before a story fully takes shape, it goes through different stages. These seven processes, identified by David Boje, help us understand how stories shape our lives and organizations. https://antenarrative.com
By understanding these steps, you can break
free from limiting stories and restorying them into
positive, empowering ones.
True Storytelling® Principle | The B-Processes |
How They Work Together |
---|---|---|
"Truth: You must be true and prepare the energy and effort for a sustainable future." | Beneath | Align your story with your true values. |
"Make room: True storytelling makes spaces respecting the stories already there." | Before | Respect past stories and learn from them. |
"Plot: You must create stories with a clear plot creating direction and helping people prioritize." | Bets on the Future | Make bold choices and shape your story. |
"Timing: You must have timing." | Being | Tell the right story at the right time. |
"Help stories along: You must be able to help stories on their way and be open to experiment." | Becoming | Transform challenges into learning moments. |
"Staging: You must consider staging including scenography and artifacts." | Between | Use visuals and settings to make your story real. |
"Reflecting: You must reflect on the stories and how they create value." | Beyond | Think big—how does your story shape the future? |
These steps help you rewrite
old, limiting stories into powerful, positive ones that move
you forward.
That is just one way of connecting the 7 True
Storytelling® Principles with the 7
B-Processes. It's
purpose is to include the Enthinkment
Circles's Enthinking and their collaborative
writing project about Superorganisms. Enthinkment Circle
centers around the work of Professor Louis Ralph Pondy .
The term "enthinkment" was born from a
casual conversation between Pondy and Karl Weick while
walking through the cornfields of Illinois. Pondy
suggested "enthinkment" as a concept for new ways of
thinking, contrasting with Karl Weick's well-known
theory of "enactment," where organizational reality is
shaped through the 5 senses of sensemaking.
The exploration of "enthinkment," a term coined by David
Boje's mentor, Louis Ralph Pondy. only once The
Enthinkment Circle serves as a hub for understanding and
expanding upon the enthinking concept, which has been
largely overlooked in traditional management and
organization literature.
Superorganisms are interconnected
systems where
individuals work together as a whole. These exist in nature,
society, and even technology.
Superorganisms are defined as
systems of interconnected individuals functioning
collectively as a unified entity. These entities are found
in nature, humanity, and technology, shaping and influencing
the world through their intricate networks of
interdependence. From ant colonies and coral reefs to global
corporations and AI networks, superorganisms provide a
framework to explore both ecological stability and
disruption.
This exploration is inspired by the works of Lynn Margulis
and Myra J. Hird, who have extensively studied
superorganisms as foundational components of Earth's
ecological systems. Margulis, co-developer of the Gaia
theory, conceptualized the Earth as a self-regulating,
living superorganism, with microbial communities playing a
critical role in maintaining planetary balance (Margulis,
1998). Hird further emphasizes the interconnectedness of
microbial life and challenges anthropocentric views,
highlighting the role of superorganisms in shaping
ecological and social systems (Hird, 2009). Please see
References at the end of the book for sources.
While superorganisms can stabilize
ecosystems and foster resilience, the disruptive influence
of human activity, including corporate and governmental
behaviors, threatens this harmony. This chapter categorizes
and examines the diverse types of superorganisms and their
current challenges.
Examples include:
🌱 Nature – Bee colonies,
coral reefs, forests.
🦠 Microbes – The bacteria in
your gut that keep you healthy.
🏙️ Human
Societies –
Cities, companies, and global movements.
🤖 Technology – AI networks,
the internet, and blockchain systems.
The idea comes from scientists like Lynn Margulis, who saw Earth itself as a living system where everything is connected. In meditation, you learn to see yourself as part of a larger story, flowing with the world instead of fighting against it.
S.T.O.R.I.E.S. Concept | Jainism | Buddhism | Hinduism | Western Psychology |
---|---|---|---|---|
Source (Truth & Beneath) | Overcoming fear, detaching from survival worries. | Samsara keeps the mind trapped; meditation brings peace. | Stability, security, purpose. | Early childhood patterns, safety needs. |
Tradition (Before & Make Room) | Breaking free from attachments to pleasure & habits. | Desire leads to suffering; letting go brings freedom. | Creativity, sensuality, flow. | Emotional growth, overcoming past wounds. |
Opportunity (Plot & Bets on the Future) | Finding balance between ego and self-purification. | Right effort and action lead to enlightenment. | Confidence, personal power, ambition. | Self-esteem, personal identity. |
Rhythm (Timing & Being) | Compassion leads to detachment from ego. | Love and kindness dissolve attachment. | Devotion, deep connection, love. | Emotional intelligence, self-acceptance. |
Innovation (Help Stories Along & Becoming) | Speaking truth dissolves karma. | Right speech and storytelling bring wisdom. | Authentic self-expression. | Communication, speaking up for yourself. |
Enthinking (Staging & Awareness) | Seeing beyond illusion. | Gaining insight into the nature of reality. | Wisdom, intuition, deep awareness. | Intuition, decision-making. |
Superorganisms (Reflecting & Beyond) | Reaching Moksha—freedom from karma. | Nirvana—freedom from suffering. | Cosmic unity, enlightenment. | Self-actualization, reaching full potential. |
Each acronym presents a unique way to understand how True Storytelling® and B-Processes interweave, reinforcing their role in fostering sustainable, impactful, and transformative narratives. Which of these stands out to you most? Or would you like a variation with a specific focus?
Comparison of CSI an TSI principles; comparison of C's,
S's, P's, W's to the B's.
🚀 Start rewriting your future today!
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What changed my life:
We all have small, powerful moments in our past—times when we overcame challenges, changed our thinking, or saw things differently. These moments hold the key to rewriting our future.
🚀 Restorying
= Changing the Past to Create a New Future
The past isn’t fixed. Every new experience changes
the way we see what came before. By shifting how
you tell your own story, you can transform your life and
career.
💡 Example: A Business Owner Learning to Delegate
Restorying isn’t just about changing the past—it’s about building the future you want.
✅ Revisit
Your 7 W's: Who, What, When, Why, While, Where,
& Wow –
Always align your 7 W's with your core values.
✅ Celebrate
Little Wow Moments – Small wins
lead to big breakthroughs.
✅ Collaborate – Learn from
others and invite new perspectives.
✅ Reflect – Look for
patterns in your past that affect your present.
✅ Stay
Flexible –
Be willing to rewrite your story as you grow.
Restorying isn’t just about telling a better story—it’s about living a better life.
By understanding your past, shaping your present, and betting on your future, you can create a powerful, meaningful story that guides you toward success.
Your story is still being written—make it bold, true, and inspiring! 🚀
📌 Get
Certified in True Storytelling®: TrueStorytelling.org
📌 Explore
B-Processes: Antenarrative.com
📌 Learn
About Enthinking: Enthinkment.com
📌 Take
a Master Class: CSIstroy.com
📌 Practice
Spiritual Meditation: Qshamanism.com
Watch short YouTube video the 7 seeds of
storytelling
What Does CSI Do?
We offer Basic Certification module in Basics of doing CSI
for personal relationships at home and at work. There are
four sessions, covering Horsesense, Assertiveness, and
Blended Rivers. We do not include hands on work with horses,
that is extraa. For this ertificate you
complete basic course modules training youfor CSI
one-and-one and CSI group and CSI team training. You
can use this certificate for having better relationships at
home and at work. It does not certify you to teach or train
our CSI relationship program. Online course at https://truestorytelling.org
If you are interested in enrolling in the Advanced
Certificates for Organizational Development and Change
(ODC), please
click here to review the options.
More Depth on 7 B's Seeds of Pre-Stories?please
click to go to ANTEnarrative site.
"Antenarrative is defined as
‘the fragmented, non-linear, incoherent, collective,
unplotted, and pre-narrative speculation, a bet, a proper
narrative can be constituted’" (Boje, 2001: 1).
Antenarrative is the space
before a coherent narrative emerges. It's the realm of
possibility, where stories are fluid and open to
interpretation. Here, we explore the potential of tales
yet to be told. The theory posits seven
"antenarrative-storytelling-processes" (ASPs): Beneath,
Before, Bets, Between, Becoming, Beyond, and Being. The
AS"s are associated to the 'FORE' (what is not yet such as
fore-structuring and in advance of, such as foresight).
This chart is from Boje & Saylors (2023).
By understanding these steps, you can break
free from limiting stories and restoryingn them into
positive, empowering ones.
See over 70
Antenarrative Publicaions
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rewriting your future today!
✅ Entrepreneur Storytelling
Master Class – Learn
storytelling for
business leaders ($977 per person,7 sessions, limit
7 persons).
✅ Organizational
Transformation –
Apply Triple Loop change
methods ($977
per person, 7 sessions, limit 7 persons).
✅ Conversational
Assertiveness Training –
Practice assertive
communication ($977
per person, 7 sessions, limit 7 persons).
🎉 Bring a
friend and both of you receive 20% off your
enrollment fee!
How It Works 1️⃣ Sign up for the Master
Class 2️⃣ Refer a friend or
colleague 3️⃣ Both of you get an
exclusive 20% discount!
🚀 The more referrals, the bigger your savings!
Stack your discounts and learn alongside your
network.
📢 Act Now – Limited Seats Available!
Emphasizes dialogue and interactive exchange between
cascading D-PIE groups
Uses storytelling as a primary tool for understanding human potential & organizational change
Employs systematic Socio-Economic investigation through
cooperative-coordination-consultative action