Unboxing You
Removing Ambiguity
The other day, a good friend said something to me that stopped me cold.
He listened as I described what I do, how I work with executives, leaders, and creators, and he smiled and said,
“I see what you do, you unbox people.”
At first, I laughed. But the more I thought about it, the truer it felt.
Because every ShiftStory™ begins like that: in a box.
Something sealed.
Something someone’s carried for years.
A life packaged neatly for others to understand - titles, roles, credentials, the visible parts.
But underneath?
There’s the texture, the scent, the shape of who you really are.
And the joy of unboxing is rediscovering what’s been inside you all along.
NOW: The Box You’ve Built
Most of us live inside well-made boxes.
They keep us safe. Predictable. Presentable.
They’re labeled “executive,” “founder,” “parent,” “partner,” “provider.”
But over time, the box gets heavier. The corners fray. The story that once defined you begins to limit you.
The work I do, and the work I ask of myself, is to pause long enough to notice when the packaging no longer fits. To listen intently. To probe.
Unboxing begins with curiosity.
What have you sealed away because you thought it wouldn’t be understood?
Which parts of your life have been bubble-wrapped for protection instead of connection?
What truth inside of you is whispering, “Let me out”?
To unbox yourself is to risk the mess that comes with discovery.
But it’s also to feel that spark of recognition: Oh. There you are.
NEW: The Joy of Discovery
The best part of unboxing isn’t what’s inside, it’s the moment before you see it.
That small rush of anticipation. The sound of the tape peeling back.
The feeling that something new is about to reveal itself.
That’s the same feeling I get when I work with someone on their ShiftStory.
There’s always that moment when a sentence lands, a truth clicks, or a hidden fragment finally sees light.
You can’t script it.
You can only create the conditions for it to happen: presence, curiosity, safety, and a willingness to be surprised.
That’s the beauty of unboxing: it’s never the same twice.
Each person’s contents are different. Each discovery carries its own shape of wonder.
Ask yourself:
~ When was the last time I felt the excitement of rediscovery?
~ What could I open, an idea, a habit, a relationship, to see with fresh eyes?
~ What’s waiting to surprise me, if I’d only lift the lid?
NEXT: Keeping the Unboxing Alive
Here’s the paradox of “Now, New, Next”: once you open something, it begins to change. And chances are it will not go back into the box from which it came.
Unboxing isn’t a one-time event. It’s a practice. A rhythm. A way of staying awake to what’s becoming.
To keep unboxing alive, you have to fall in love with renewal.
With the courage to keep looking inside, even after you think you’ve found yourself.
That’s what the best leaders do. They unbox themselves so they can unbox others. They make discovery contagious.
Because in a world obsessed with optimization, curiosity is the real innovation.
Ask yourself:
~ How can I stay curious about myself as I evolve?
~ Who in my orbit could I help “unbox”?
~ What new season is already arriving inside me, waiting to be opened?
THE PAYOFF: The Gift Is You
In the Now, you recognize the box you’ve been living in.
In the New, you rediscover the joy of opening it.
In the Next, you practice keeping curiosity alive, because unboxing is how you stay true to yourself.
We spend our lives seeking what’s next, forgetting that the real wonder is in what’s already here, waiting to be unpacked.
I have a proposition for you:
Find one part of yourself that’s been boxed away, an idea, a gift, a truth, and open it. Listen to what is inside.
Hold it in your hands.
See it for what it is: familiar, but changed.
Because the greatest unboxing of all isn’t about what you find.
It’s about what you remember, how it makes you feel.
“Our packaging is designed to enhance the anticipation and excitement of using your new Apple product.” — Apple
Call to Action: Unboxed Yourself
Remember back to the last time you unboxed something and felt that electricity of anticipation for what you were about to open.
Now imagine that you were the thing being unboxed.
How does that strike you?
What if you were the unboxing event?
What would you find inside?
Let your own ShiftStory™ be unboxed. You may be surprised by what you find.
It’s just 24 minutes away.
I’m Tobin Trevarthen. I am a Narratologist. I am a fusion of coach, mentor, and practitioner. My purpose is to enable you to shift your story from who you are to who you are becoming. Welcome to ShiftStory™.
ShiftStory™ is my evolved idea for building narrative agency in a rapidly changing world, where yesterday’s containers and approaches are no longer valid. I fundamentally believe we are entering a new Renaissance, and owning your story will become more paramount than ever before.
My ShiftStory™ is an intentional evolution: I am building a company and a life where relationships are consciously cultivated through reciprocity. Every connection is formed with purpose, and every decision is guided by mutual support and shared value.
My narrative is not just for those I serve; it is the story I am choosing to live, moving away from the pursuit of scale and toward a future defined by meaningful, reciprocal relationships.
Follow me on LinkedIn. DM at tobin@spatialshift.com or sign up for the ShiftStory™ here: https://shiftstory.co/