This piece is from my upcoming book, now in it’s 3rd draft. It’s part 4 of 5 in the new undefinable life design model (more on this soon). Explore #1 Many Interests, #2 Semi-Professional, #3 Golden Thread & #5 Value Streams
You’ve clarified who you help, how you help them and what you uniquely provide. Now it’s time to turn that clarity into something tangible.
Because even while you live beyond conventional labels, the world will still try to package you into a neat headline. People will reach for monikers, titles, and catchphrases they can hold onto amidst the noise of their own busy lives.
Don’t let them decide for you.
You have an opportunity to shape your own narrative. And you’ve done the hard work already. Now it’s about making visible the invisible that’s being living inside your head, your notes and your conversations already.
That’s where your Signature Expression comes in.
What is a Signature Expression?
Your Signature Expression is a distinct, named contribution that others immediately associate with you.
It’s how your Golden Thread takes form in the world. It might be:
a model
a framework
a phrase or piece of language
a methodology
a creative work
or an offering that could only have come from you.
It’s the bridge between your inner clarity and your outer impact. It’s the intellectual property (IP) on which your future Value Streams will be built. Which when you make it public for the first time, will become a threshold moment where all your reflection meets the big wide world and you get to see what sticks.
The question at the heart of this is simple:
What do you want to be known for?
When you hear Start With Why (Simon Sinek), Atomic Habits (James Clear) or The Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown), you think of both the work and the person. Their Signature Expressions became shorthand for their voice, their values, and their vision.
Yours can do the same.
In this article, we’ll explore how to:
Make it - shape your unique perspective into a tangible form.
Name it - brand it so it’s memorable, repeatable, and recommendable.
Share it - distribute it so people can experience your transformation without you in the room.
This is how you move from being undefinable to being unforgettable.
Make It
The deeper you go into your Golden Thread, the more you’ll see where the world is getting it wrong. Outdated models. Lazy assumptions. Advice without evidence. Experiences that overpromise and underdeliver.
That’s the gold you’re digging for.
Your Signature Expression is forged from these patterns: what you’ve lived, noticed, researched, disagreed with and spoken endlessly about.
What you’re looking for is simple: your perspective on paper.
Start by asking:
What am I tired of seeing done so badly?
Where do I consistently disagree with the dominant narrative?
What do I believe is possible that others overlook?
From your answers, create Design Principles as short, clear statements that guide how you bring your vision to life.
Here are mine:
Live in your overlaps.
Embrace your uniqueness.
Choose intimacy over scale.
Blend self, paired & group reflection.
Make take-home mementos.
Respect everyone’s time.
Give from abundance.
Start, then iterate.
Since your Signature Expression is inseparable from who you are, these principles will shape both your work and your life.
I live in my overlaps as much as I help others do the same. I blend self, paired, and group reflection to make my own decisions as much as I design intimate spaces in my coaching, cohorts, and community to help others find theirs.
Name It
With your principles in hand, translate them into words, symbols, and visuals that others can grasp.
A good name does three things:
Anchors your credibility - it signals that this is a considered, deliberate body of work that will stand the test of time.
Creates language others can borrow - it gives people the words to talk about you when you’re not in the room.
Becomes infectious - it’s so resonant or useful that people can’t help but share it with others they know will benefit.
Infectious work is sticky. It lives in people’s minds and moves naturally through the world. The language, metaphors, or frameworks you create get woven into conversations, meetings and even people’s own thinking. You become an earworm that others can’t stop muttering to themselves no matter how hard they try.
Think of Start With Why, Feel-Good Productivity, or Atomic Habits. They became shorthand for philosophies embedded in how people talk and think.
For me, it’s undefinable life design. Those words had never been placed together in that way before. They contrast the status quo, carry my philosophy inside them, and by tying them to “life design” instead of “career advice,” I’ve placed my work in a spacious arena I can grow into.
To find your own name, explore:
What do I stand in contrast to?
Can I create language that doesn’t exist yet?
What’s my fresh take on the most important outcome I want to help others achieve?
Package it short enough to remember, but rich enough to spark curiosity. And if possible protect it legally, but know that speed and resonance often matter more than paperwork.
Share It
Finally, let your Signature Expression breathe.
This is the threshold moment when internal clarity meets the outside world. It will feel raw and vulnerable. You’ll overthink. You’ll be tempted to wait until you’re “ready.”
But sharing is what makes you ready.
Don’t just throw your work into the algorithm and hope it sticks. Choose evergreen channels that prove origin and keep working for you over time: books, long-form articles, podcasts, talks, or a well-built resource page.
Ask yourself:
Will this still be relevant in years?
Can people find it, link it, and share it?
Is it easy for someone to say “You need to see this”?
The first share isn’t about going viral. It’s about being visible. Planting your flag. Naming your work. And allowing it to exist in the world beyond you.
Because once it’s out there, your Signature Expression doesn’t just belong to you. It belongs to the conversations, the people, and the movement it inspires.
Ready for what’s Next?
Do it well, and your Signature Expression becomes more than a model, a name or a method. It becomes a movement that exists beyond you.
But a movement, on its own, is not enough. Because even the most resonant idea will fade if not sustained. And sustaining it means finding ways for it to create value, both for you and for the people it serves.
That’s where the final stage of the model comes in: Value Streams. This is how you keep your Signature Expression alive in the world, evolving beyond a single launch or moment of attention.
Or if you’re in London come along to the next public workshop on Designing a Life That Doesn't Fit in a Box. Hosted monthly. Rated 9.3/10 so far.