Like a physical body needs food, water, and care in order to flourish, a Body of Work requires resources in order to grow and become what it’s meant to be. Where our Bodies of Work intersect with others’, collaboration can lead not just to mutual flourishing, but to collective flourishing as we become able to build bigger and richer inheritances to give to the world. My belief in, and hope for, collective flourishing is what inspires the Friends of ScholarShape program.

What is the Friends of ScholarShape Program?

First, some background. I founded ScholarShape back in early 2013, and for years, the business grew entirely through (unpaid) word-of-mouth: no advertising, no referral commissions, just the generous recommendations of colleagues and clients who believe in me and my work, and who have pointed new clients my way when they encounter people who could benefit from my services. Here I am all these years later, still working and believing in the work, and I’m grateful to all the people who have made it possible.

In fall 2024, approaching ScholarShape’s 12-year anniversary, I decided to set up a structure that formally acknowledges the tangible support of colleagues who have invested in my work. Specifically, I’ve gathered a list of colleagues to whom I offer a commission when they send me new clients. When any of the colleagues on this page supports my work by connecting me with a new client who books a service, I will in turn support the colleague by contributing to their Body of Work 5% of the client’s purchase price. (I continue to make referrals to these colleagues and others without accepting a percentage in return, for reasons explained below.)

The arrangement does not affect the prices clients pay. All clients pay the same rate for ScholarShape services, as posted on this website, whether they are sent by a Friend of ScholarShape or come through another route.

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Each Friend of ScholarShape is free to allocate the funds as their own heart leads: toward a charitable org of their choice, toward a scholarship program within their own business, toward the care of vulnerable people or children in their lives, toward their own health and well-being to be able to show up in the world from a place of service, or toward any other cause that is dear to them.

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Who are the Friends of ScholarShape?

• These are people whose work I’ve known and respected for years, and who’ve also known and respected mine. Everyone on this page was already sending me referrals years before I set up this program to offer them a tangible expression of my gratitude.

• These are people who, like me, are also building Bodies of Work. These colleagues are not only supporting themselves through small businesses they’ve built; they’re also creating valuable resources that can serve populations far beyond the clientele who can afford their paid offerings. I know from experience what a difficult and resource-intensive career path it is to build both a business and a larger Body of Work at the same time, and I want to acknowledge that through this material support to my colleagues.

• These are people who give generously to their communities. The money these colleagues receive through the Friends of ScholarShape program won’t be hoarded or wasted. These are people who have long-term practices of investing in the well-being of others in a range of ways. Anything they receive as a commission becomes a resource they can use in continuing their good work in the world.

One last thing. Why don’t I accept commissions myself when I refer clients to other small businesses? The shortest answer would be karmic balance. Many times over the years, I’ve been helped by people further into their careers than me who have invested their time or risked their reputations in order to give me a chance. Now, in mid-career, I’m looking for ways to weave that same generosity of spirit into the architecture of my own work. The simple truth is that I feel really grateful for all the referrals and other forms of support that have made ScholarShape possible over the years, and now I want to live out that gratitude in a concrete way.

Sometimes a decision “just feels right” even when you can’t fully explain why, and that feeling is a mode of knowing that I always try to take seriously in work and in life.

Yours in Story-Argument,

Margy Thomas, Ph.D.

Creator of ScholarShape

November 2024

THE FRIENDS OF SCHOLARSHAPE

MORE TO COME!

Learn about Story-Argument Support Services:

SERVICES (general info) | Intensives | Foundations | On-Site | Archives

NOTE: The links above take you to the general-info Services page and to a page for each specific service. At the bottom of each service-specific page is an Inquiry Form through which you can contact me (Margy) and initiate the process for that service. The form asks you to indicate how you heard about ScholarShape. If you were referred by a Friend of ScholarShape, mentioning that on the form ensures they receive proper credit. Thank you! —M.T.