The steamHouse Three-Part Structure

Building from the Three Mindsets Model

Version 1.0 — January 2026

The Core Insight

The steamHouse three-part structure (Club-Commons-Chronicles) isn't organizational convenience—it's the Three Mindsets model made architectural. The way we organize mirrors the way minds work.

The Three Mindsets

At any moment, you're operating in one of three orientations:

MindsetOrientationCharacteristicsTHINK BIGLarger ContextFuture, possibility, ideals, "us," optimistic, outward, new, planning, best-case referencingBE REALImmediate ContextPresent, constraints, essentials, "me," cautious, inward, tried & true, acting, worst-case referencingAUTOMATICDefault/HabitualFamiliar, easy, instinctive, reactive, trainable—where you live most of the time

Neither Think Big nor Be Real is better—both are incomplete alone. Vision without grounding is fantasy. Grounding without vision is mere survival. The skill is knowing which mindset the situation requires and being able to shift.

The automatic layer isn't the enemy. It's the trainable foundation. Good habits free your mind for conscious work when it matters.

The Three-Part Structure

DimensionMindset ExpressedFunctionChroniclesTHINK BIGLarger context—future, possibility, ideals, imagination, "what could be"CommonsBE REALImmediate context—practical knowledge, essentials, "what you need right now"ClubAUTOMATICDefault/habitual—familiar rhythms, relationships, embodied practice that becomes second nature

How Each Part Works

steamHouse Chronicles → THINK BIG (Larger Context)

The narrative world—Mitch Bradford, Clem Beluga, Queen Zubby, the TeraTerraTribe—pulls toward aspiration. Stories let us imagine what could be.

Think Big CharacteristicHow Chronicles Expresses ItFuture-orientedStories unfold possibilities not yet realOptimisticCharacters model growth and triumph"Us" focusedTeraTerraTribe shows cooperation across differenceOutwardImagination expands beyond current constraintsIdealsCharacters embody principles we aspire toNew possibilitiesNarrative world explores what doesn't yet exist

Chronicles answers: "What could we become?"

steamHouse Commons → BE REAL (Immediate Context)

The curriculum addresses immediate needs—what you actually need to know and do right now to function effectively.

Be Real CharacteristicHow Commons Expresses ItPresent-focusedPractical knowledge for current challengesCautious/realisticEvidence-based, accounts for constraints"Me" focusedPersonal development, individual skill-buildingInwardSelf-knowledge, understanding your own mindEssentialsCore Curriculum: Unit of Decision, Three Mindsets, Four PrinciplesTried & trueResearch-grounded frameworks that work

Commons answers: "What do I need to understand and do?"

steamHouse Club → AUTOMATIC (Default/Habitual)

The community you return to by default—familiar rhythms, trusted relationships, embodied practices that become second nature.

Automatic CharacteristicHow Club Expresses ItFamiliarAnnual events you anticipate (Bees and Seeds Day, Gourd Gala)EasyRelationships already established, no activation energy neededHabitualRituals and rhythms that repeatReactiveCommunity responds naturally to needsTrainableWhere conscious learning becomes embedded practiceInstinctiveEventually, "this is just how we do things"

Club answers: "Where do I belong? What's the practice ground?"

The Body-Head-Heart Integration

The three parts also map to learning modes:

DimensionMindsetLearning ModeFramework ElementClubAutomaticBody learns through activities and embodied experiencePracticeCommonsBe RealHead learns through curriculum and systematic progressionParadigmChroniclesThink BigHeart learns through stories and imaginative engagementPurpose

This is Purpose → Paradigm → Practice expressed architecturally.

Trek-Quest: The Triad in Intensive Form

The Trek-Quest summer camp structure plays the same triad:

ComponentMindsetModeCore QuestionTrekBE REALEssentials"How does reality actually work?"QuestTHINK BIGIdeals"What do we want to create?"Home Gap (between)AUTOMATICIntegration"How does this become part of daily life?"

Trek (Weeks 1-2): BE REAL

Wilderness experience grounds participants in reality—physical, biological, cognitive, social. Before you can Think Big effectively, you need to understand what you're working with:

  • Your brain and body

  • How you make decisions

  • How relationships function

  • How teams succeed and fail

  • Your place in natural and human history

Trek provides the essentials foundation that makes ideals responsible.

Quest (Weeks 5-6): THINK BIG

Having grounded in reality through Trek, participants are ready to shape reality:

  • How to make things that influence

  • How to see through influence

  • How to tell compelling stories

  • How to detect when stories manipulate

Without Trek grounding, Quest skills become dangerous—persuasion without ethics, creation without truth-commitment.

Home Gap (Weeks 3-4): Integration into AUTOMATIC

The return home between Trek and Quest isn't filler—it's where conscious learning settles into habit. Structured Home Team practice helps essentials become second nature before layering ideals.

Why This Structure Works

Each part requires and reinforces the others:

DimensionProvidesRequiresChronicles (Think Big)Motivation, emotional engagement, aspirational pullCommons substance, Club groundingCommons (Be Real)Systematic progression, practical tools, transmissibilityClub implementation, Chronicles examplesClub (Automatic)Embodied experience, relationships, embedded practiceCommons guidance, Chronicles engagement

The Virtuous Cycle

Club ↔ Commons ↔ Club

Implementation reveals what works → Commons documents best practices → improved curriculum enhances Club experiences → better results generate new insights

Club ↔ Chronicles ↔ Club

Participants inspire characters → stories make concepts memorable → participants want to experience what characters experience → engagement drives participation

Commons ↔ Chronicles ↔ Commons

Concepts need narrative expression → stories make ideas concrete → examples enrich curriculum → characters demonstrate learning progression

Multiple Entry Points

Different people discover steamHouse through different doors:

Entry PointSequenceStory-firstDiscover Chronicles media → explore Commons resources → join ClubCurriculum-firstEducators find Commons → implement with students → build Club communitiesCommunity-firstJoin Club for activities → experience framework → explore deeper learning

All paths eventually engage all three mindsets.

The Nine Components Mapped

steamHouse's nine programmatic components distribute across this structure:

Chronicles Dimension (Think Big)

  • Chronicles Story: Narrative modeling of conscious thinking

  • ORLO Game: Interactive experiential learning

  • Globe Team: Planetary-scale engagement, connecting local to global

Commons Dimension (Be Real)

  • Core Curriculum: Unit of Decision, Three Mindsets, Four Principles, Gold Star Kit

  • Universal Team Framework: 12-lesson structure adaptable to any activity

  • Six Books: Published book suite

  • Credentialing System: 53 Development Markers

  • Trek-Quest Camp: Intensive curriculum delivery

Club Dimension (Automatic)

  • Home Team: Family practice ground

  • Local Team Activities: Real implementations with actual youth

Cross-Dimensional

  • Trek-Quest: Commons (structured curriculum) + Chronicles (narrative immersion)

  • Globe Team: Club (local action) + Chronicles (planetary narrative)

  • Credentialing: Commons (assessment) + Club (tracking growth)

Resilience Through Redundancy

If any dimension faces challenges, others provide support:

If...Then...Club struggles locallyCommons provides remote learning, Chronicles maintains engagementCommons feels dryChronicles provides motivation, Club provides embodied experienceChronicles loses audienceClub and Commons continue independently

The structure is resilient because it distributes essential functions across complementary systems.

The Bottom Line

We're not building a program. We're building a culture-transmission system designed to persist, adapt, and scale.

The three-part structure works because it mirrors how minds actually operate:

  • Chronicles engages the Think Big orientation—aspiration, imagination, larger purpose

  • Commons serves the Be Real orientation—practical knowledge, essential skills, present challenges

  • Club becomes the Automatic foundation—embedded practice, familiar community, habitual rhythms

Each alone would fail. Together, they create a complete system for developing reflective, capable young people through structured community engagement.

The structure embeds the pedagogy. We don't just teach the Three Mindsets—we organize around them.