Here’s the truth: You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need to have “made it.” You don’t need a book deal or a viral moment. You just need to understand your own story.

Because whether you’re building a brand, a business, or just trying to figure out what’s next, the clues are already there. In your past. In your values. In your messiest middle.

The trick? Knowing how to read the map.

I call it taking inventory.

Let’s get one thing straight: Posting on LinkedIn is not the same thing as building a personal brand.

Can it help? Absolutely. But it’s just one thread in the rope.

And if that rope’s going to hold, if your brand is going to support real opportunities, trust, growth, or change - it needs to be braided from more than just a few updates and clever captions.

Because a brand isn’t a moment. It’s a system. A living, breathing ecosystem that you grow over time, during your life, with intention.

So what is your personal brand ecosystem, really?

I’ve worked with so many brilliant founders who were doing incredible things, but who no one really knew about.

Or they were visible, but only in a polished, one-dimensional way that didn’t feel like them.

They had so much to offer, but their real story, the one people would actually connect with, was buried under shoulds, rules, and brand decks.

That’s what made me want to do this work. To help founders not just get seen, but get seen for the right things. Not with a fake voice, but with their own. Not to get famous, but to make an impact. Because it works.

I’ve worked with so many brilliant founders who were doing incredible things, but who no one really knew about.

Or they were visible, but only in a polished, one-dimensional way that didn’t feel like them.

They had so much to offer, but their real story, the one people would actually connect with, was buried under shoulds, rules, and brand decks.

That’s what made me want to do this work. To help founders not just get seen, but get seen for the right things. Not with a fake voice, but with their own. Not to get famous, but to make an impact. Because it works.

I work with many CEOs and executives on personal branding, and it’s fascinating how, despite their different industries, they all face similar challenges.

One big one? Putting themselves out there as the face of their organizations—internally and externally. Many of them feel insecure about it. Yes, even CEOs feel nervous about taking up space here on LinkedIn.

Leaders are humans too. They deal with imposter syndrome just like the rest of us.

Today, the world is noisy, crowded, and scrolling faster than ever. Attention is the new currency, but power doesn’t just come from getting attention; it comes from holding it.

So how do you capture, and keep, your audience’s eyes on you? By being deeply human.

You’re told you need to post daily, share every success, and create a constant stream of content to stay relevant. But WHO has TIME for that?

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to flood LinkedIn with content to have a presence. You don’t have to be the loudest voice to be a leader.

In fact, the loudest voice might not always be the best voice. The goal is to be top of mind - but never annoying. It’s about creating meaningful touchpoints, not overwhelming your audience with NOISE.

This is what I call The Intentional Leader.

How to future proof your personal brand in an AI-driven world

Everything is changing. AI is flooding our feeds. Scrolling might disappear. Content will be auto-generated.

And personal branding? It might not look anything like it does today.

So, how do you make sure you don’t disappear into the noise? Here’s what I think:

I was on Tony Hammarlund ’s podcast and wow, did that episode travel...

My inbox this week has been a chaos of DMs, meeting requests and “FINALLY someone said it!” comments. I’m floored, but not really surprised: I’ve been chewing my clients’ ears off about Employee Branding for many years. Seeing the idea get a boost like this warms my little branding-heart.

If even a handful of CMOs, CEOs and board rooms plug an Employee Branding strategy into next year’s marketing plan… my job here is done. (Well, not completely, but you get the point).

For years, social selling was hailed as the modern salesperson's superpower - the antidote to cold calling, ignored emails, and outdated sales tactics.

Build a presence, create content, engage with your network, and boom - leads come to you instead of you chasing them. right?

But somewhere along the way, people started asking - does this even work anymore?

Sales teams stopped prioritizing it. Marketing took over the company’s social media. Leadership wanted immediate ROI. and suddenly, social selling wasn’t the golden ticket - it was just another thing on the to-do list.

So, let’s ask the big question - did social selling die or did we just do it wrong?

parasocial relationships is personal branding at scale, you know when you feel like you know someone you follow on social, or a celebrity - but you really don’t?

parasocial relationships is personal branding at scale, you know when you feel like you know someone you follow on social, or a celebrity - but you really don’t?

In January 2020, I had just moved to a new city, separated from my husband, but was filled with hope for a new life and my dream job. Two months later, everything changed.

There’s been a lot of heated discussion lately, both on LinkedIn and across social media, about personal and company brands being "cancelled" or facing significant backlash.

When audiences leave a talk with Mira Thimmayya, they are changed and motivated. It’s not just inspiration that fades after a day - her tips are memorable, practical, and easy to implement. She is a keynote speaker known for her radical authenticity, delivering talks that resonate long after the event. Whether speaking on personal branding, corporate leadership, or business strategy, her speeches leave a lasting impact.

The creator economy is exploding. In the next five years, it’s predicted to DOUBLE in size. That’s billions and billions pouring into a space where individuals, not corporations, are the driving force. It’s thrilling and terrifying all at once.

But here’s where it gets real: he didn’t start with millions of readers. When Seth began blogging, his audience was five people, friends and family. But he kept going. “Hustle and viral don’t work. If you’re doing good work, people will share it. That’s all.” He says.

Every year, I treat myself to the whirlwind that is Web Summit. It's where tech, marketing, and innovation collide - and where I usually leave with more ideas than I know what to do with.

This year, amidst the 16 stages, 70,000 attendees, and countless talks, one stat hit me like a ton of bricks: 85% of brand messages go unnoticed.

This means that the strategy for building the personal brand of the CEO, as well as other leaders within the company, should be a massive priority for companies - but in many cases it's not.

If you couldn’t use social, what would you do instead?