Issue #6: I'm Reinventing Again (And Using My Own Frameworks to Do It)

I need to tell you something.

For the past five weeks, I've been teaching you frameworks for reinvention. The ESR Loop, the Reinvention Path, the Energy-Evidence Matrix.

But here's what I haven't been transparent about.

I'm in the middle of my own reinvention right now. Not a hypothetical one. Not a past one I'm analyzing with the benefit of hindsight. A real one. Happening right now. With all the uncertainty, the false starts, the tests that don't work, and the 2am questions about whether I'm on the right path.

This issue is different. I'm not going to teach you a new framework. I'm going to show you one being used in real-time, on me, by me, with all the messy unresolved questions still hanging in the air.

This is the kind of Field Note I wish someone had written for me when I was in the middle of my pharmacy-to-tech transition.

Here's the situation.

For the past few years, I've been the guy who helps people in Africa learn to code and break into tech. That audience found me because I documented my journey from pharmacy to software engineering. They wanted tactical advice. How do I learn Python? How do I get my first tech job? How do I build a portfolio?

But around November, something shifted.

I started noticing a pattern in the people who reached out to me. The questions weren't just about learning to code anymore. They were deeper. "How did you know it was time to leave pharmacy?" "How did you deal with the fear of starting over?" "How do I make a change when I have a family depending on me?"

These weren't just technical questions. They were identity questions.

And I realized something. The thing I actually know how to do, the thing I've done multiple times now, isn't just "learn to code." It's systematic reinvention. It's updating your identity when the old one no longer fits.

So I made a decision. I'm going to test a new hypothesis.

Old Identity: The guy who helps people in Africa learn to code

New Identity (Testing): The Reinvention Engineer who helps mid-career professionals systematically navigate identity change

These are two different audiences. Different problems. Different willingness to pay. Different languages.

The question is: Can I make this transition without abandoning everyone who got me here?

Where I am right now: Step 3 of the Reinvention Path. Experiment.

Let me walk you through the experiments I've run since November 23rd.

I started by posting daily insights on my YouTube community tab. Text-based posts about identity, reinvention, systematic thinking.

The logic was simple. I wanted to "train the algorithm" that my channel was shifting focus. Show YouTube that I wasn't just a coding channel anymore.

It didn't work.

The posts got a handful of views. Maybe 5, 6 people. Mostly from my existing audience. The engagement was dead.

After a week, I stopped to think. And I realized I was testing the wrong thing. YouTube's algorithm prioritizes video content, not text posts. I was essentially trying to shift my channel's identity using a format the platform doesn't care about.

So I pivoted. If I want YouTube to recognize me as a reinvention channel, I need to create videos about reinvention. Actual videos. Not posts.

Around the same time, I committed to writing on Medium every single day for a month.

This one was different. The external traction was low. Most articles got a very few views, maybe a handful of claps. Nothing viral.

But here's what happened that I didn't expect.

The daily writing forced me to stress-test my own frameworks. I couldn't just vaguely understand the ESR Loop or the Reinvention Path. I had to explain them clearly enough that a stranger reading on their phone could apply them to their own life.

That process refined the ideas significantly.

And I discovered something about my own framework that I'd missed.

When I first developed the ESR Loop, I thought action was the only breaking point. The only way to update your identity was to take new action that generates new evidence.

But through the daily writing, through having to explain it over and over in different ways, I realized something. There's another breaking point. Interpretation.

The evidence you have is almost always neutral. It's just data. But you interpret it through the lens of your current identity. That interpretation becomes your story, and your story creates your reality.

So you can change your interpretation of existing evidence. You can look at the same data and tell yourself a different story about what it means.

But here's the nuance I discovered. Changing your interpretation alone is fragile. If you reframe how you see yourself but don't take new action to generate new evidence, the old story creeps back in. The new interpretation fades because it's not backed by fresh data.

Action is still the more sustainable breaking point. But interpretation is a valid starting point if you follow it up with action.

I only discovered this refinement by teaching the framework. By using it.

I also spent about a month testing Twitter. Daily threads, insights, frameworks.

Some days got decent engagement. Other days felt like shouting into the void.

The problem with Twitter is it's hard to tell if you're attracting the right audience or just people who like frameworks in general. The signal-to-noise ratio is tough to read when you're early.

I'm still posting there, but it's not my primary focus right now.

About two weeks ago, I started making actual videos. Long-form content, 10 to 15 minutes, breaking down frameworks and concepts.

I've published three so far. I've filmed seven more that are sitting in queue waiting to be edited. And I've posted two YouTube shorts with more scheduled.

Here's what I've noticed.

I actually enjoy making these videos. I lose track of time when I'm filming. The process of explaining a concept on camera forces even deeper clarity than writing. I have to think about how to structure the explanation, how to make it visual, how to make it land.

There's just one problem. I hate editing. The technical process of cutting clips, adjusting audio, adding graphics. It drains me. So I'm thinking about getting my brother to help with that part. Let me focus on the thinking and explaining, let someone else handle the production.

The early data is interesting. About 75% of the views are coming from my old audience. People who followed me for coding content. They're still watching.

The question I'm sitting with is: Are they the right audience for this new direction? Or am I just benefiting from existing attention?

I don't know yet. But here's what I do know. YouTube is the winner for one specific reason.

In the age of AI, when almost anyone can create good written content, video builds trust faster. People can see you. Hear you. Watch how you think in real-time. That's harder to fake.

If I'm going to build an audience that trusts me enough to apply frameworks to their lives, to make scary career transitions, to update their identities, they need to see the person behind the systems.

YouTube gives me that.

I also built something. A diagnostic tool I'm calling the Identity Audit.

It's a 31-question assessment that tells you which of 16 profiles you match and where you're stuck in your reinvention journey.

A handful of people have taken it so far. Not breakthrough numbers. But not zero either.

Here's what building it did for me. It forced me to systematize the decision tree. I had to think through every possible combination of "stuck points" and map specific actions to each one.

The tool is better because I built it. And building it made the framework better.

Let me apply my own framework to myself.

Internal Evidence: How does this work make me feel?

Writing daily: 8 out of 10 energy. I love the clarity it creates, but it's not sustainable at that pace forever.

Making videos: 9 out of 10. I lose track of time. I enjoy the process.

Twitter: 6 out of 10. Some days I love it, other days it feels performative.

Building the Identity Audit: 7 out of 10. Problem-solving is fun, but maintaining a tool long-term has real technical debt.

Overall internal energy: 7.5 out of 10.

I'm energized by this direction. That's the signal I'm not in the wrong domain.

External Evidence: How is the world responding?

Identity Audit completions: A handful. Not viral, but not zero.

Newsletter subscribers: Two. Just two. No replies yet.

YouTube views: Emerging. 75% from old audience, 25% from new discovery.

Inbound inquiries: None. But I'm getting good comments. People showing interest in connecting about the way I think about things.

Overall external traction: 4 out of 10.

The market is not yet convinced. Or I haven't found the right channel, format, or message. Or both.

Let me use my own diagnostic tool on myself.

High Energy (7.5 out of 10). Low Traction (4 out of 10).

That puts me in the "Passionate Hobby" quadrant.

The prescription is clear: Persevere. But change the approach.

I love the work. The domain is right. But the market isn't responding yet.

So I don't abandon ship. I test new approaches to generate evidence.

The what is right. Teaching systematic reinvention. The how needs engineering. Which channel? Which format? Which messaging?

If I'm being completely honest, here's the thing I think about at 2am.

I want this to work financially. But I don't want to optimize for money at the expense of quality or impact.

The old audience was willing to pay for "learn to code" courses and digital skills training. I made decent money doing that in Ghana.

The new audience I'm targeting has significantly higher purchasing power. Mid-career professionals in the US, Canada, Europe. The potential is bigger.

But I don't want to sell hype instead of systems. I don't want to over-promise outcomes. I don't want to become a guru who positions as having all the answers. I don't want to sacrifice the quality of the frameworks just to make them more marketable.

The question I'm sitting with is this. How do I build something that actually helps people navigate real reinvention, generates meaningful income, maintains intellectual integrity, and scales without me becoming the bottleneck?

I don't have the answer yet.

But that's the decision I'm engineering toward.

There's something else happening that I didn't expect.

The stuff I'm teaching is becoming part of me.

The ESR Loop isn't just a framework I explain to others. It's changing how I interpret my own life. When something doesn't go the way I planned, I catch myself analyzing it. What evidence am I looking at? How am I interpreting it? What story am I telling myself? Is there a different interpretation available?

The Micro-Payment Method isn't just advice I give. It's how I'm showing up. Daily videos. Daily writing. Small deposits of work that compound over time.

These aren't just intellectual tools anymore. They're part of my operating system now.

And that's made me realize something. When you teach a system, when you use it in public, when you apply it to yourself, it stops being theory. It becomes who you are.

Here's my experimental plan for the next two months.

Primary channel: YouTube.

Two long-form videos per week. Framework breakdowns, case studies, real applications.

Three to five shorts per week. Bite-sized insights, pattern interrupts, things that make people stop scrolling.

I'm tracking which topics and formats get the best engagement from new viewers. Not just my old audience. New people discovering the channel.

Supporting channel: This newsletter.

I'll keep publishing The Ledger every Tuesday. This is my depth channel. The place where I can go longer, deeper, more nuanced than a video allows.

I'm going to test different calls to action. The Identity Audit. YouTube videos. Future products when they exist.

And I'm measuring reply rate and engagement quality. Not just open rates. Right now I have two subscribers and no replies. That's the baseline. Let's see where it goes.

Background testing: Twitter.

I'll post daily, but lower priority than video. I'm using it to test hooks and ideas that might become videos. Seeing which threads get the most saves and shares. That's the signal of value.

Product: Identity Audit V2.

I'm improving the diagnostic accuracy based on user feedback. Building a better onboarding flow. Testing if people will share their results publicly. That creates a social proof loop.

The timeline.

By February 15, 2026, I'll have 60 days of focused evidence.

At that point, I'll apply the Energy-Evidence Matrix again and make a decision.

If energy is still high but traction is still low: Persevere, but change approach again. Maybe it's the messaging, not the channel.

If energy drops: Pivot. Something is misaligned.

If traction increases: Commit. Double down. Start building products.

I'm not sharing this to inspire you.

I'm sharing it so you can see what the Reinvention Path looks like when you're in the middle of it. Not looking back from the summit.

Here's what I want you to see.

Frameworks don't eliminate uncertainty. They just give you a systematic way to navigate it.

High energy plus low traction equals normal in the early stages. It's not a sign of failure. It's a sign you're in the right domain but haven't found the right approach yet.

You refine the system by using it. I'm teaching frameworks I'm actively improving. That's not a weakness. That's how knowledge gets built.

The decision you're probably facing is: How long do I persevere before I pivot? Me too. The answer is: collect more evidence.

You're not alone in the messy middle. Even the people teaching this stuff are in their own messy middles.

I'm going to do something I don't usually do.

I want your help.

You're seeing my experiment from the outside. You might notice patterns I'm too close to see.

Hit reply and tell me:

Which format do you prefer? Long emails like this, shorter tactical ones, videos, Twitter threads?

What questions are you stuck on that I'm not addressing? Where are the gaps in my frameworks?

If you were me, where would you double down? YouTube? Newsletter? Something else?

I read every reply. And I'm genuinely collecting data to inform my next decision.

This is the experiment. You're part of it.

Let's figure this out together.

—Obed

P.S. If you're in your own Experiment phase right now, testing something without knowing if it'll work, reply and tell me about it. I want to know what you're building and what data you're collecting.

P.P.S. Next week, I'm going back to a Blueprint issue. I'll break down the Proof-of-Work Portfolio. How to build undeniable evidence of your capability when you don't have traditional credentials. It's the system I used to get hired as a software engineer before completing my bootcamp.

The Ledger is published every Tuesday. I'm still learning how transparent is too transparent. This felt right.