The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. Positive stories help us achieve great things, while negative stories — AKA negative self-talk — can be paralyzing. That’s because they shape our self-narrative or identity. My friend and mentor Amy Colbert explores this in her Substack, Who Am I Now?, about figuring out who we are amid life’s changes.
I’ve run consistently for 32 years but never really thought of myself as a Runner (capital R, the real deal). Track and cross country in my youth, plus 3 miles most days, occasional 5Ks, and a few half marathons as an adult. You might think, “he sounds like a runner.” While I ran a lot, I wasn’t mindful, had no goals, and never claimed the identity of Runner. Running helped me burn off stress and focus my thoughts — until it didn’t.
On December 28, 2023, I fell on an icy street and heard my ankle snap like a celery stalk. I wouldn’t run for six months. Surgery, casts, crutches, and painful first steps later, I finally got back out there. This time, each painful step made me want the identity of Runner more than ever. I’ve since worked on conditioning — ironically using AI as a sort of personal trainer — ran some races, and started reading the history of my sport. That’s when I kept running into Bill Bowerman.
Coach, Cobbler, Waffle-Iron Thief
Most know Bowerman as the legendary University of Oregon track coach and Nike co-founder. Those titles are impressive, but it’s how he approached them that’s remarkable. He didn’t just coach athletes — he taught himself cobbling, experimenting with deer hide, snakeskin, even fish skin to make lighter, faster shoes.
When his former athlete Phil Knight had the idea to import Onitsuka Tigers, Bowerman partnered with him, but his presence pushed the company beyond just importing. Driven by relentless curiosity, he continued tinkering and prototyping, helping Nike manufacture its own shoes. And yes, that includes the waffle-iron sole that became sneaker legend.
Bowerman also used stories — often crude barnyard tales — to lead 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champions, and 16 sub-4-minute milers. Along the way, he brought jogging to America, literally wrote the book on it, pioneered rest in exercise, innovated track surfaces, and even tried to invent Gatorade (firsthand accounts called his electrolyte paste “horse piss”).
Cobbling More Than Just Shoes
I feel kinship with Bowerman. In my work as a teacher of story, I cobble together exercises, tools, and frameworks like Bowerman cobbled shoes — sometimes messy, sometimes imperfect, but always aimed at helping others step into their own narrative.
Bowerman never confined himself to a singular narrative — coaches don’t make shoes, start companies, or almost poison themselves mixing asphalt at home (yep, that happened). Be like Bill: challenge the stories you tell yourself and your team about who you are and what you can do.
To celebrate the renewed story of me as a Runner, I picked up a new pair of Nike Cortez — literally stepping into Bowerman’s innovations while I step more fully into my own story.
Story Strategy: Tinker with Your Narrative
The stories you tell yourself shape what’s possible. Challenge the narratives that limit you and experiment with new ones — just like Bill Bowerman did with shoes, athletes, and ideas. Keep tinkering until you find what works.
Apply it: Revisit the origin stories of your work, your team, or your brand. What still fits? What needs re-soled? What can you prototype or remix to make it stronger, more relevant, or more meaningful today?
A version of this first appeared in Story Strategies—my monthly email newsletter designed to help you connect with your audience through the power of story. Get the next issue delivered to your inbox.
