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Own Your Impact equips experts and leaders to transform their expertise into meaningful influence. Host Macy Robison reveals how successful thought leaders use deliberate systems—not luck or volume—to amplify their authentic voice and create lasting impact. Through practical frameworks and strategic guidance, you'll discover how to build a self-reinforcing ecosystem of Core Resonance, structured Content, a Central Platform, strategic Connections, and intentional Commercialization. Whether you're just starting to share your expertise or scaling an existing platform, this podcast delivers the roadmap to turn your ideas into purpose-driven influence that resonates far beyond what you might imagine possible.
Visual Thought Architect
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[00:00:00] Welcome back to Own Your Impact. I'm Macy Robison, and if the description I am about to share sounds like you, then this episode is for you. You have the natural ability to think visually, organize ideas spatially. You really excel at translating big complex concepts into clear visuals, whether they're frameworks or flow charts that create immediate comprehension for the people who are listening to you.
[00:00:29] You naturally sketch out ideas when you're explaining concepts, and you often think in terms of how different elements relate to each other in space. Your mind works like a blueprint, but here's what might be frustrating. People keep telling you that in order to succeed, in order to get bigger reach, you've gotta focus on written content or audio format, and it feels like you're fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
[00:00:51] When you try to create content like that, if this sounds like you, but you want confirmation to see if you are what I call a visual [00:01:00] thought architect, I would love to have you take the thought leadership architect quiz@macyrobison.com slash quiz.
[00:01:08] Now, if you already know you're a visual thought architect or some of the things I was just saying. Made your ears perk up. Let me share what I've discovered about this archetype because I think it's one of the more undervalued in our very text heavy, very audio focused thought leadership world. What probably energizes you is creating visuals, whether they're frameworks that make complex ideas immediately understandable, or some kind of roadmap, some kind of.
[00:01:39] Sketch that helps people understand the complex thing you're trying to explain or get across or walk people through. You'll love that moment when someone sees your visual and immediately grasps something that was confusing them before you really excel. At spatial Organization of Concepts, you have this ability to translate abstract thinking [00:02:00] into concrete visuals that people can actually use.
[00:02:03] You probably integrate aesthetic sensibility with analytical thinking in a way that makes your work beautiful and functional. Your communication style really naturally leverages visual processing strengths that most people have, but very few teachers know how to access. I was working with someone recently who. Kept saying, oh, I just need to draw this out just a minute, and was almost apologizing for that during our calls and I finally said, stop apologizing. This is your superpower. This visual thinking like actually expressing your thoughts through your visuals is exactly why people hire you, because that's what's crucial to understand.
[00:02:41] You literally need to draw ideas out to think clearly. Just like wisdom writers need to write and resonant, orators need to speak. Visual processing isn't just how you communicate ideas. It's how you understand your ideas better. It's how your mind works and that's why it's draining when traditional advice [00:03:00] misses your strengths.
[00:03:01] Writing another text, heavy LinkedIn post or. Creating a podcast like this one, but I'm a resident orator. Having abstract discretions without some kind of visual support, all of that really can be exhausting when you have to teach through writing without having a visual component or ability to draw available to you.
[00:03:20] 'cause you're fighting against your natural expression mode and that's a misalignment. I see. That's hiding a visual thought. Architect's genius. Being able to teach through writing or speaking without incorporating your visual strength. Is really difficult.
[00:03:34] It doesn't give you the opportunity to leverage your , natural genius. And, and another mistake is, or what I would consider a mistake, is undervaluing the visual thinking tools that you create. Visual frameworks, visual processes, models, they solve problems people have struggled with for years. And the immediate clarity that you're able to create because of the way that you're wired to think is extremely valuable and should be priced accordingly.[00:04:00]
[00:04:00] So here's where I want you to start. And this might feel like I'm giving you permission slip to do what you already know works. But giving permission slips is one of my favorite things to do. Here's what I want you to start doing. If you're not already create visual representations of your key concepts and frameworks.
[00:04:16] Don't worry about making them perfect. They just need to be understandable.
[00:04:19] But you just need to start. And whether you're drawing on paper, whether you're using an iPad or a remarkable, and sharing ideas on a Zoom call, , I have a couple of clients that have vibe boards, these big digital whiteboards that sit behind them, that they jump up and start drawing on when they have an idea or need to share something that's easier to see than it is to talk about.
[00:04:42] They're able to take these complex concepts and create and draw frameworks for them. So I would love to have you test it. I think you'll find you'll get results really quickly when you can do this. See if they can understand the concept immediately when they see your visual, and notice in yourself how, [00:05:00] how clear and how much more energizing it feels compared to trying to explain the same concept through text alone.
[00:05:06] Now, this is not even a strength of mine, but I rely on visuals as often as I can to help other people understand the things that I'm teaching. When I was trying to explain my own archetype system through writing and talking, it was actually me thinking of something very simple as a visual, like a tree.
[00:05:22] Or a house with a foundation you could see to really explain how my system flowed together. The visual didn't replace the explanation, but it made the explanation work. So this is something that even if this isn't , your archetypal strength, this is something that can be really, really helpful to add to your ability to create impact, because more people will find it accessible.
[00:05:45] When it comes to your foundational priorities, being able to create content, developing visual first, transformational IP makes it accessible. You don't have to have tons and tons of sketches or, visual frameworks [00:06:00] everywhere, but the ability to show them whether through, visuals on your website or.
[00:06:06] If you are on social media and you're borrowing that as part of your content sharing,
[00:06:11] using some of the formats that are. Actually really great for growth on social right now. Like a carousel, , could be a really great way to display your content as well as connect with other people more quickly and having that space to showcase your visual work prominently. If you can, even , on your website, have a section that shows your different visual frameworks.
[00:06:35] If you have visuals that can even be interactive. One of my friends, Ernesto, has this really cool visual of his framework on his website that makes the, the recipes that he walks people through to.
[00:06:49] Improve their operations immediately. Understandable. It's really, really cool and you could adopt something like that as you figure out , which pieces of content are [00:07:00] your proprietary frameworks and have them displayed on your site case studies showing how your visual helps approach solving real problems could be a great thing to put on your site, or even having a portfolio style presentation of your visual thinking tools.
[00:07:13] Live visual facilitation at events where people can watch you create clarity in real time is a really great way to connect to your right audience. Taki Moore does this when he's on calls. , He has a lot of YouTube videos where he walks through. Some of the concepts that he teaches coaches and he's always drawing and it's really, really helpful to see how that live visual being drawn, it almost like brings you along for the ride as you're trying to understand what he's saying
[00:07:43] and if you, you're really good at like visual notes. That is game changing for people. They marvel at your ability to take something complex in a conversation in a keynote. Not only break it down to the [00:08:00] notes that need to be remembered, but creating visuals around them. I love seeing stuff like that. If there's something like that that you can do that is a really, really great tool to have in your arsenal, but a critical mistake that might be costing you impact.
[00:08:14] Is hiding your visual abilities or your visual work or treating it as secondary to written content. The visual frameworks you create should be the star of the platform, not the supporting actors. And don't give away visual tools without demonstrating their value first, actually show them at work. One thing that's interesting too, it could be a very simple visual tool that helps people understand.
[00:08:37] Their thought processes help people understand the things they're learning. I was talking to someone the other day and we were talking about, , the model that Brooke Castillo uses with Life Coach School. She uses it in her own coaching, but she teaches it to her coaches. She's a very simple, just with the letters of you moving through, , the thought process from, you know, what are your [00:09:00] feelings to what, what do you need to do differently?
[00:09:02] And those letters. Create a visual, the way that they're stacked. They help you walk through a process, even if it's something simple like that. That visual helps people transform, and that is what you're able to do. Not only come up with tools, come up with illustrations, come up with ways to share concepts so people can understand it more clearly in a visual format, but those formats that you create, those visuals that you create.
[00:09:30] Have the potential to guide people through transformation, which is so important. Now, when it comes to your revenue strategy framework, licensing organizations will pay to use your visual models if you've got them trademarked. , Doing visual facilitation for strategic planning, problem solving sessions, coming in and using your visuals on a whiteboard, especially when it's combined with some of your other top strengths on your archetype quiz.
[00:09:54] , Methodology training where you teach other people your visual thinking approaches. Alex Osterwalder, [00:10:00] you know, when they walk people through business, , business model. Business model canvas. Yeah. Business model canvas and some of the other tools that they have that are visual, their consulting is fully built around you.
[00:10:13] Walking through that visual.
[00:10:16] You could also do organizational consulting that leverages your visual problem solving abilities, and you can price for immediate clarity and comprehension that you create when you're able to help someone get an aha that quickly and understand a concept that has been so complex or so elusive for them instantly through your visual approach that is wildly valuable.
[00:10:38] Worth thousands, tens of thousands of dollars to organizations that are struggling with complexity.
[00:10:43] Like I shared Alex Osterwalder business Model Canvas. That framework has helped entrepreneurs around the world, business leaders around the world understand how their businesses work and can shift and grow. In ways that just reading about abstract business theory never [00:11:00] could. That visual clarity that they were able to create
[00:11:03] it's the foundation of a multimillion dollar business, not just the consulting that they go to, massive organizations that they're able to do, but they teach workshops, they certify people. There is so much that has grown from that visual model that they created that is the foundation of their business.
[00:11:24] So don't downplay this. Visuals capture attention quickly. They convey understanding really clearly, and if this is the way you think, and sometime it might take a little practice to, you know, to get that flowing. But man, if this is the way that you think and you're able to then take ideas that people have and help them see their ideas in a new way, that is extraordinarily valuable.
[00:11:51] So I want you to start trying it. If you're not already this week, take action. Take one complex concept that you teach and create a [00:12:00] visual for it. It doesn't have to be a full blown framework, just a simple visual. Test it with someone. See if they can understand the concept immediately when they see your visual, and pay attention to how much clearer and how much more energizing this feels compared to trying to explain the same concept through just text alone.
[00:12:16] That energy difference is a compass that points you towards your zone of genius. And how you're already wired. Now, if you're a visual thought architect, but you also scored high in other analytical or creative archetypes, your understanding of how those combinations work together can really help transform your approach and your business model.
[00:12:33] In my live workshop, beyond your primary archetype, I help you go through and analyze these unique combinations. In ways that are only available to my clients and to people who attend these workshops, and the workshops are free. So register@macyrobison.com slash workshop to help understand how this deeper visual strategy analysis can help grow your business, grow your reach, help you grow your impact that you're trying to make in the world.[00:13:00]
[00:13:00] And remember this, your ability to make a complexity visual isn't just a nice to have. It's not just a nice skill. It is a superpower in our increasingly complex world.