Episode Summary

What makes a song easy to learn and remember? The patterns. A structural pattern of verses and chorus, a melodic pattern of distinct tones, a rhythmic pattern with beats you can follow. When information has structure, the brain holds onto it. When it does not, even the most valuable ideas slip away.

In Episode 11 of the Author-ized™ Podcast, Ada applies that same principle to expertise — and makes the case that a framework is the single most powerful thing a coach, consultant, or service-based expert can build into a nonfiction book.

The episode opens with Ada's signature teaching that structure is freedom — the idea that structure does not constrain creativity, it makes it followable and actionable. Drawing on how the brain processes information through sequential and relational memory, Ada explains why humans are hardwired to think in frameworks, and why making a framework explicit, named, and visual is what makes expertise transferable rather than just impressive.

The episode introduces the three elements of a well-built framework — name it, draw it, explain it — and walks through the two most common types: sequential frameworks (roadmaps, processes, ladders, pyramids) and alphabet-based frameworks (acronyms and single-letter patterns like the 3 P's).

The episode closes with the broader argument for why a framework matters beyond the book — as intellectual property that can become the foundation of courses, group coaching, masterminds, and certifications. Ada gave examples to illustrate what happens when a framework is built well enough to spread.

Key Takeaways

• A framework is a named, structured, visual representation of how you think about a problem — organized so that someone who has never met you could follow, apply, and teach it.

• The brain is hardwired for pattern recognition. Sequential memory (following a recipe) and relational memory (categorizing by connected cues) are how we store and retrieve information — and a well-built framework works with both.

• Structure is freedom. Without structure, insights are hard to follow. Without clarity, ideas cannot be acted upon. A framework provides both.

• A well-built framework has three elements: a name (making it ownable and memorable), a visual (making it testable and dual-coded), and an explanation (where the depth lives — which is what the whole book delivers).

• Sequential frameworks organize expertise into steps, phases, or stages. Alphabet frameworks use acronyms or single-letter patterns to group concepts memorably. Both serve the same purpose: making expertise easier to learn, teach, and apply.

• When using acronyms, use a real word — ideally one related to the topic. Random letters create a memory challenge rather than solving one.

• A proprietary framework is intellectual property. It becomes the foundation for courses, programs, masterminds, and certifications — and it makes offers more specific, more distinct, and easier to promote.

Reflection Questions

1. Think about the process you follow most consistently with clients. Can you describe it in steps? Do the steps have a logical order — and can you explain why each one comes when it does?

2. Have you given your methodology a name? If someone wanted to reference your approach in a conversation, what would they call it?

3. Can you draw your framework right now on a piece of paper? If not, what does that tell you about how clearly the structure has been defined?

4. Is your framework sequential (a path from A to B) or categorical (a set of related concepts)? Does the type match the nature of the transformation you deliver?

5. If your framework became widely known in your field — the way the Habit Loop or the Golden Circle became known — what would that mean for your business and your authority?

Prefer to read? The full transcript is below.

Welcome to Authorized, the podcast for experts ready to build authority and thought leadership with their own nonfiction book. I'm your host, Ada Cuaresma. If you're a coach, consultant, or service-based expert looking to build authority in your niche or carrying a book idea but not sure where to begin, well my friend, you're in the right place.

Here we talk about structure, clarity, and authoring the right book so your work can reach more people and make a bigger impact in the process. Enjoy the show and let's get you authorized.

Introduction

Have you ever thought about what makes a song easy to learn and remember? I mean, you can hear a song once and hum the tune right after. Listen on repeat for several minutes, and afterwards, you can sing along, almost to perfection.

The human brain is naturally wired for pattern recognition and retention. And if you think about it, a song is a collection of patterns. It has a structural pattern made of verses and a chorus that gets repeated throughout the song. There's a melodic pattern with tones and pitches that makes a song distinct. And there's a rhythmic pattern with rhyming words and beats that you can easily follow.

In other words, when information has structure, your brain can easily hold on to it. But when it doesn't, even the most valuable ideas tend to slip through.

Now, the same thing is true when it comes to expertise.

Think about the experts whom you admire or have worked with, those who contributed to changing something in your life. And I'm not just talking about tidbits of insight scattered across several content pieces, but rather a systematic approach that helped you get from point A to point B.

If an expert comes to mind, chances are what they gave you was not just information, but a framework.

A framework is a named, structured, repeatable way of presenting a concept, solving a problem, or achieving a goal. It is something that you can learn and then apply in your own situation. When you have a framework that you can follow, you can use it in different circumstances because you understand the logic behind it.

That is what separates insight from transformation.

In this episode, let's talk about frameworks. What they are, why they are used, and how it can elevate your nonfiction book from something that gets read to something that gets used and remembered.

Structure is Freedom

Whenever I teach about messaging, whether in public speaking, in book writing, or in developing intellectual property, I always say the same thing: structure is freedom.

Now, I know that sounds counterintuitive because most people think of structure as a constraint, like being put in a box which prevents your ideas from being fully expressed.

But hear me out.

I say structure is freedom because it is what allows you to strike that balance between creativity and clarity, especially when it comes to your messaging. Without structure, your insights won't be easy to follow because there's no clear pathway available. And without clarity, your ideas won't be understood well enough to be acted upon.

I love watching improv theatre. The creativity, the spontaneity, and the unpredictability make the viewing experience fun and memorable.

The actors have no script, no predetermined plot, and no idea what the other person is about to say. And yet, the best improv performances feel coherent, intentional, and even structured. And that's because the scenes are performed with certain guidelines so that the actors can stay present and serve the story.

The freedom of the performance exists because the structure is internalized, and without it, improv is just chaos with good intentions.

Your messaging works the same way. You have ideas, insights, stories, and case studies that you freely express just like the improv performance. The framework is what makes them coherent, memorable, and easy to follow.

For most coaches, consultants, and service-based experts, the nonfiction book they will write will be one of two things: either a how-to book that guides readers through a process, or a big idea book that presents a new way of thinking about a problem.

Regardless of which one you are writing, the way that I usually teach my clients is to use a framework to capture their expertise in their book.

Developing your framework is part of the CATCH Method™, under T, which stands for Transform.

And in case you don't know it yet, the CATCH Method™ is my proprietary framework for turning your expertise into a structured, authority-building nonfiction book. I discussed that whole framework in another episode.

So with the CATCH Method™™, developing your book's chapter outline is only half of the structuring equation. The other half, which is just as crucial, is putting a structure into the reader's experience by giving them a framework to learn, remember, and apply what your book is teaching.

Frameworks and Why the Brain Loves Them

So what exactly is a framework, and why should you develop one for your expertise?

A framework is a named, structured, visual representation of how you think about a problem, organized in a way that even someone who hasn't met you could follow, apply, and even teach to others.

Your framework is the package that makes your expertise unique and notable.

Now to understand why frameworks are so powerful, it also helps to know how the brain works when it comes to processing information.

So like I mentioned earlier, the brain is naturally wired to recognize patterns, and patterns are what the brain uses to organize information that we need to remember for future use.

At a basic level, there are two ways that the brain organizes information for retrieval.

The first is sequential memory. Examples would be following a recipe, or a map, or an instruction manual. There's a step one, step two, step three – so there's a sequence that you need to follow.

The second is relational memory. This is where we retrieve information based on multiple connected cues. So for example, if you're writing a grocery list, you will write items based on categories like fresh produce, or toiletries, or cleaning items, laundry essentials, etc. Or if I say the word red, you'll be able to think of things that your brain has filed under the category of “red” – like an apple, lipstick, firetruck, and Santa Claus.

What this means practically is that our brains are naturally geared toward categorizing and simplifying information. So we are, in a sense, hardwired to think in frameworks.

Now, how do you apply all of this to your expertise?

There are three elements to a well-built framework.

First, you name it. You coin a word or a phrase that clearly identifies the framework.

Second, you draw it. You make a visual representation of the framework to illustrate the interconnected ideas.

And third, you explain it. You give it depth by expounding on the insights or sharing stories and giving examples. So essentially, your whole book is the explanation of the framework.

With these three elements present in your framework – a name, a visual, and a clear explanation – your expertise becomes something that your reader can carry with them long after they finish reading your book.

The Two Most Common Types of Frameworks

Frameworks come in many forms.

And when I work with clients, I walk them through a total of five types of frameworks. Let me share two of those frameworks with you.

The most common type is the sequence framework.

A sequence could be steps, phases, stages, or even hierarchies. A sequential framework moves the reader through a specific order, where each stage builds on the previous one and prepares for the next. Such frameworks are often called roadmaps, processes, ladders, or pyramids. A sequence framework gives a clear path with a beginning, middle, and end.

I use the sequence framework with my client whose book won an award. I've shared the story in a few other episodes. So in a nutshell, he has mastered his craft and has been training people in his industry for over two decades.

So when we started working on his book, we took everything he knew about building a career in his field and laid it out as a five-step roadmap. A clear sequence with a starting point, a logical progression, and a defined destination.

So the roadmap became the spine of his book. Every chapter was a stage and each stage had a clear goal.

And when the pandemic shut down his in-person training center, the roadmap was already structured well enough to become the curriculum for his virtual school. He was able to scale to hundreds of students from multiple countries because the framework inside the book could be taught in any format, practically anywhere.

The second type of framework that I will share with you is what I call the alphabet framework.

I have been a trainer and a public speaker around the same time that I started ghostwriting and I apply frameworks constantly when I'm creating training or workshop materials.

Alphabet frameworks are my personal favorite because they stretch my creativity in coming up with names that are both memorable and meaningful.

There's two ways that you can use an alphabet framework.

The first one is acronyms.

You can use an acronym to create a framework whether it's a sequence or a group of concepts without a particular order.

I myself have created several acronyms over the years. I use the word CLEAR for a communication workshop, REAL TALK for a training program about giving feedback, and of course, the CATCH Method™ that I use now to help experts develop their authority-building nonfiction book.

Just a word of caution when using acronyms. As much as possible, use an actual word and ideally, a word that is related to the topic.

As you can see in my own examples, I'm very intentional about the words that I use. CLEAR connects to communication, REAL connects to authenticity and giving feedback, and CATCH connects to the idea of capturing expertise.

I remember taking a course years ago where the coach used acronyms like T-C-S-O, P-S-S-T-D-K. Those were not the actual acronyms in her course, but similar to that.

And while the intention of helping the students remember the concepts is there, using random letters just made remembering even more difficult. So you would have to exert effort just to remember the letters themselves on top of remembering what they stood for. And that just defeats the entire purpose of using an acronym.

The second way to use alphabets is by single-letter patterns.

So you can call your framework like the 3Ps or the 5As. So instead of using a word, you group concepts under a repeated letter.

For example, I wrote an ebook for one of my clients and we created the 3M framework for her topic, which stands for mindset, motivation, and method.

This works particularly well for categorical frameworks where the concepts do not follow a strict order but they belong together as a set. The repetition of the letter creates a memory hook and the pattern tells the reader immediately how many elements to hold in mind.

Both sequence and alphabet frameworks have the same intent: to make the concepts easier to remember, to teach, and to apply.

Beyond the Book

I always say that when you use a framework in your nonfiction book, you're hitting two birds with one stone.

First, you build thought leadership through your book. And second, the framework itself becomes your intellectual property.

And beyond the book, your intellectual property could work for you in ways that you might have not thought possible in your business.

The same framework that structures your book can become the curriculum for your course, the spine of your coaching program, the content of your mastermind, or the foundation of your certification.

When your framework is clearly named, visually represented, and logically explained, it can be delivered in any format, even by others who have been trained to use it.

Plus, it's also easier to promote and sell when you have a proprietary framework. It gives your offer more specificity. So you're not just selling a coaching program or a leadership training or a mastermind. You're teaching a proprietary method. So the framework makes your offer concrete, memorable, and distinct.

Consider what frameworks have done for some of the most well-known thought leaders in the last few decades.

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” developed this framework called the Cash Flow Quadrant. This framework shows the four primary methods that people use to generate income: employee, self-employed, business owner, and investor.

This framework became the foundation of an entire lineup of books that he called the Rich Dad Series. He even built the Cashflow Game to create a fun experience of learning the framework.

James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits,” created the framework he called the Habit Loop: cue, craving, response, reward.

It provided a simple yet profound illustration of the age-old problem of building good habits and breaking bad ones. That framework helped Atomic Habits sell over 25 million copies in less than six years.

Simon Sinek, author of “Start With Why,” used a framework he called the Golden Circle – why, how, what – which shows how successful leaders and businesses communicate.

It became the foundation of one of the most-watched TED Talks in history, like in the tens of millions of views, and led to his book becoming an international bestseller. His Golden Circle is a diagram that anyone can draw in 30 seconds, and yet, it reframed how millions of leaders think about communication, purpose, and organizational culture.

Their book is the vehicle for teaching, but the framework is what made it spread.

Get a Head Start

After listening to this episode, here's how you can start building your own framework for your expertise.

Think about the process that you follow when you work with clients. What are the steps that you take them through from start to finish? What are the concepts that you tend to repeat? And how do you present the solutions to your clients' problems?

Write all of those insights down and then distill them into a framework.

Can you put it in a sequence? Like, draw it as a roadmap, or a pyramid, a ladder, or even a simple linear diagram with stages?

Or can you name it with an acronym? Use a real word that is related to your topic. Or group your concepts under a repeating letter pattern.

Write it down and draw it out on paper. The first version doesn't need to be perfect. It really just needs to exist in a form that you can look at, review, and refine.

Join the Author-ized™ Accelerator

If you feel stuck or need help, building your framework is one of the core things that we work through together inside the Author-ized™ Accelerator – my group coaching program that guides coaches, consultants, and service-based experts through the CATCH Method™, from the CLARIFY stage all the way to a completed first draft.

If you are ready to uncover the framework inside your expertise and build your book around it, visit gogetauthorized.com to learn more and get in touch.

Conclusion

The books that make the most impact are rarely the ones with the most information.

But rather, they are the ones with the clearest structure.

Keep in mind that your framework is not just the spine of your book. It is the most transferable form your expertise will ever take.

The thing that outlasts any session, extends beyond the conversations, and keeps working for your business long after you have written it.

Thanks for listening! If this episode resonated, it's because your work deserves authority and the kind of impact that lasts. And if the show helped you in any way, feel free to subscribe, leave a review, or share this with someone who has a book idea but doesn't quite know where to start.

You can connect with me by emailing [email protected]. Framework first, book second, authority that lasts. I'll see you in the next episode.

Join The Author-ized™ Accelerator

The Author-ized™ Accelerator is a group coaching program that guides coaches, consultants, and service-based experts through the CATCH Method™ — from the Clarify stage all the way to a completed first draft. Building your framework is one of the core things we work through together.

If you are ready to uncover the framework inside your expertise and build your book around it, visit gogetauthorized.com to learn more and get in touch.