The Expanders Framework

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Last year, my sister sent me a Verge podcast on how Kat Norton, an Excel TikToker known as Miss Excel, manifested her way to making six figures a day.

To say that I was intrigued would be an understatement. I had been interested in manifestation for quite some time, but I’d never heard of it applied in such a way.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the concept of manifestation, it basically refers to the act of utilizing one’s subconscious to make one’s goals come to fruition.

Wikipedia defines manifestation in the following way:

In the podcast, Kat Norton explains how she had previously taken the course, To Be Magnetic, created by Lacy Phillips to learn how to use manifestation and energetics to succeed in her role as a creator and entrepreneur.

Interested in delving deeper into how Kat got to where she was, I signed up for To Be Magnetic and completed the “How To Manifest” course within the next few days.

The Expanders Concept

While the course may not be for everyone, one thing that did stand out to me in it was Lacy’s concept of Expanders, which basically refers to people that you come across in real life, on social media, or in the public eye that may be similar to you in some ways and that you aspire to be like in some shape or form.

These people may resemble you or have a similar upbringing or background, but they are currently in a position in life that you aspire to achieve. Perhaps they are an ex-colleague from your first job who has made a name for themselves as a writer and creator. Maybe they are the founder of a company you admire, or you simply stumbled upon them on Twitter or YouTube. They could also be a popular figure in the media or someone who built something incredible many years ago and shared their learnings through an autobiography.

You may know them personally, or you may just admire them from afar—this part doesn’t matter so much. What does matter is that they’re people that have accomplished things similar to what you wish to accomplish. You don’t necessarily want to be like them exactly, but you admire a certain aspect of their life that you’d like to replicate in yours. Maybe it’s their lifestyle or their job, or their impact on others' lives.

There were definitely some people around me that I admired and other, more public figures, I had long looked up to in my life.

But how could I take the Expanders concept to the next level? How could I, instead of simply jotting down a list of Expanders, build this into a framework that I could come back to time and time again?

To expand upon the expanders concept (pun intended!), I quickly put together a Notion table with a list of Expanders I looked up to, and over time developed it into the Expanders Framework that it is today.

In this framework, I listed all 30 people on my Expanders list, and added the following:

• Their title

• What they do

• Their focus/sector

• What content platforms do they use (if any)

• Whether they’re a personal connection or not

• Whether they have an advanced degree

• Their website

• Any links to their socials, including newsletters, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube

After gathering all this information, I went one step further and did a deep dive into each person’s history and background, consuming any and all content I could find about them and organizing it into the following format to capture the information I had gathered:

1. What’s their superpower?

2. What do they do today?

3. What does their past trajectory look like?

4. What can I learn from them?

While I did my research on my Expanders, I tried to source any and all information I could find about them. For the more public and decorated figures, I had a never-ending supply of information on them–autobiographies, documentaries, countless interviews, podcasts, and articles.

When researching entrepreneurs and creators I admired, I utilized any online content they had produced or sourced interviews and articles written about them. For personal connections, I combined my knowledge of them with a thorough investigation of their social media profiles.

What I learned by doing this

While doing this exercise for all 30-something expanders on my list was a time-intensive effort (It took me about 12 hours in total, spread out across several days), I believe it may be best to start out with the top 5 or 10 expanders on your list, and slowly add more people as you come across them in your day-to-day life.

By doing this exercise, I intentionally set aside time in my day to delve deeper into the backgrounds of people I admired, rather than simply interacting with them on a surface level. So often, I come across individuals whom I admire and think, "Oh, cool - love what they're doing!" Then, I follow them on social media or keep an eye out for their news. However, this exercise pushed me to sit down and analyze their paths on a more granular level.

The individuals on my expanders list varied from college friends and ex-colleagues to content creators and founders who have built companies that excited me. Despite their diverse ages, ethnicities, nationalities, and backgrounds, they shared one thing in common: they had all started something of their own that was unique and intriguing to me.

As I examined the Expanders framework, I discovered that many of them shared similar characteristics or used comparable strategies to achieve success. After tallying the numbers, I was amazed at how often my expanders had a content platform or were entrepreneurs. By studying their work and career paths, I compiled a list of collective lessons learned from them.

I became increasingly interested in their stories and inspired by their achievements. Witnessing what they had accomplished made me believe that I, too, could achieve great things. After all, seeing is believing.

One of the expanders on my list, Alex Banayan, is the author of The Third Door, an all-time favorite book of mine. In it, he recounts his mission during college to interview all the greatest living visionaries and leaders to figure out their key to success. During this time, he interviewed everyone from Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg to Lady Gaga and Maya Angelou. Despite not being well-connected, uber-wealthy, or connected to any of these people prior to this endeavor, he utilized grit and creativity to ultimately get in front of all of them.

Alex continues to share his learnings with the world through public speaking and social media. I’ve learned so much from him since reading his book, but one of the most important lessons I learned from him is the power of perseverance and originality. He never let "no" stop him from achieving his goals. If something didn't work out, he simply tried another method until something finally came about.

The same is true for many of the expanders on my list, including Nancy Twine, Whitney Wolf Herd, Sahil Bloom, Sara Blakely, and Gary Vaynerchuk. They all utilized the Third Door to get to where they are today.

Although I don't condone idolizing anyone on an expanders list, as we only see a fraction of their lives and never know what happens behind closed doors, I do believe it's healthy to draw inspiration from different aspects of their lives that you can revisit over time. Creating an expanders list is one way to be mindful of the people you look up to. It's a great way to curate a list of individuals you admire and can revisit as you grow and evolve.

Developing an expanders framework was an invaluable experience, as it helped me to take the simple concept of writing down who I looked up to and organize it into a tangible framework. Doing this exercise has made me consider who I admire and why I look up to them, and it has allowed me to look for similarities and commonalities among those on my list that I may be able to emulate in my own life.

So if you’re interested in creating a list of your own, I encourage you to take the time to look closely at the paths of those you admire, take note of what they’ve done, and discover the many things they have in common. Who knows? Maybe you’re already inspiring others and already hold a place on someone else’s Expanders list.

Until next time,

Sabrina

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🌊 Dive Deeper

1. If you're interested in using the Expanders Framework, you can find a Notion copy of it here. You can easily duplicate it and make it your own.

2. Check out To Be Magnetic by Lacy Phillips if you’re interested in learning more about the Expanders concept and the process of manifesting.

3. Recently, I have been using Penzu as my online journal, and I love it. Although I first started using it in 2018, I have been relying on it more to explore different ideas and process new developments in my life.