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Katie Clarke
What Katie Clarke Taught Me About Building Something New
What I learned:
I recently watched a video by Katie Clarke that completely challenged the way I think about growth. This isn't my framework, it's hers—but one idea has been stuck in my head ever since.
When most of us decide to build something new, whether that's a business, a career shift, a personal brand, or just a different path in life, we assume the goal is simple. Get from Point A to Point B as fast as humanly possible.
Katie made a point that stopped me in my tracks. She broke growth down into three distinct stages.
Phase 1: The Victim Stage This is where life feels like it's happening to you. You're blaming your job, your age, the economy, or a lack of opportunity. It's almost impossible to build anything here because you don't actually believe you have the power to change your situation.
Phase 2: Self-Development This is where the real journey starts for a lot of us. You start reading the books, listening to podcasts, learning new skills, and realizing change is actually on the table.
You realize you can launch a business, pivot your career, learn AI, or build a personal brand. It's exciting. But there's a trap here too. It's really easy to get obsessed with the outcome. We start chasing the money, the followers, or the title because we think those achievements will finally make us feel like we made it.
There's nothing wrong with this stage. It builds your confidence and helps you figure out who you are. But it shouldn't be the end game.
Phase 3: Self-Transcendence Eventually, the core question changes.
Instead of asking "How do I get what I want?" you start asking "How can I help other people build what's next?"
Your work stops being about proving yourself and starts being about serving others. It made me wonder if our greatest impact comes when our attention shifts from ourselves to serving others.
My biggest takeaway? You can't skip Phase 2.
If you're in the middle of building something new right now, don't feel guilty for experimenting, making mistakes, or working hard to improve your own life. That hustle is a required part of the process.
Just don't get stuck there forever.
Eventually, the focus has to shift from just building a better life for yourself to building something that genuinely helps the people coming up behind you.
As I reflected on Katie's message, I realized that's the direction I want Build Something New to move toward. Less about chasing followers or personal success, and more about helping people discover ideas, experts, and stories that genuinely make a difference.
That's why I wanted to share her work here.
If this framework challenged you the way it challenged me, I highly recommend watching Katie's full video. And don't stop there—browse through some of her other videos. I have a feeling you'll find more than one idea that sticks with you.
Watch Katie Clarke explain this concept in her own words: