The Truth About Personal Branding
Authenticity, alignment, and the real work behind a magnetic personal brand
After my previous article about the overachievement trap, something shifted inside me.
I didn’t expect the sheer volume of responses. What caught me off guard was how many people—men and women, from all corners of the world—told me, “This is exactly where I am.” That they, too, were pausing. Questioning. Rewriting the story of success on their own terms.
What I shared wasn’t revolutionary—it was honest. And it reminded me that the most powerful messages are rarely the loudest. They’re the most resonant.
So I’ve been thinking: if we are all in the process of redefining success, what does that mean for how we show up in the world?
Because once you’ve stepped out of the overachievement trap, something else starts to matter more than ambition: integrity. Not the moral kind, but the internal kind. Wholeness. Alignment. Showing up as the same person on the inside and the outside.
That’s what led me to Chris Do’s workshop on personal branding in Singapore last week.
It left a deep impression on me. Finally someone was speaking about personal branding as a soul project—as the integration of who you are, what you stand for, what you’ve lived through, and how you can help others. Not as a mask, but as a mirror.
Who Are You Really?
Chris opened the workshop with this question: “Are you who you say you are?”
He called it the authenticity gap—the space between the story we tell the world, and the truth we carry inside.
Personal branding isn’t about inventing a new you, it’s about excavating the real one. It’s about owning the parts you’ve outgrown, integrating the shadows you’d rather avoid, and finding the through-line between your pain and your power.
A few quotes that stuck with me:
Don’t confuse vulnerability of your personal brand with trauma dumping from your personal life.
The more you, you are, the more you are. (read this again until it lands)
He also spoke of how great leaders—and great personal brands—share three key traits:
Self-acceptance. Quiet confidence. Transparent vulnerability.
That’s what makes them magnetic.
The Sweet Spot: Branding from the Inside Out
One of the most powerful exercises we did was building our Ikigai for personal branding—mapping the intersection of:
What you love
What you’re good at
What the world needs
What pays well
That intersection isn’t just a business idea—it’s your soul’s positioning statement.
This framework helped me ground the abstract into the actionable. Once I filled it out, the next question was simple:
How can I start showing up in alignment with this today?
No waiting for a title. No waiting for a role. No waiting for permission.
Visibility doesn’t begin with a photoshoot or a fancy website. It begins when you decide to stop hiding.
We also wrote our own obituaries. Not in a morbid way, but in a clarifying way. Sometimes the fastest way to get clear on your personal brand is to ask:
How do I want to be remembered?
That exercise showed me that my personal brand isn’t something I create—it’s something I reveal. Layer by layer. Truth by truth. Choice by choice.
Your Shadow Is Part of Your Brand
Another uncomfortable but necessary part of the workshop was shadow work. We explored the parts of ourselves we hide or deny—the “too much,” the “not enough,” the “unprofessional,” the “messy.”
Why?
Because anything you suppress will eventually show up sideways. And anything you integrate becomes power.
Reclaim your power by turning a perceived weakness into a unique strength.
That line didn’t just stick—it rearranged something in me.
What if the traits I’ve tried to “fix” are actually the most magnetic parts of my brand?
My intensity. My depth. My ambition. My softness. My grace. My wit. My humor.
All of it is me.
And the more honest I am about all of it, the stronger my presence becomes.
Packaging the Truth
Yes, we also talked about colors, logos, and design. Not because aesthetics are the point—but because they are expressions of the point.
Your visual identity should be in service of your internal clarity. Otherwise, it’s just decoration.
The real work is underneath: in the clarity of your positioning, the courage to tell your story, and the consistency of how you show up.
Personal brand isn’t what you post. It’s how people feel when they experience you. It’s the emotional residue you leave behind.
And as Chris said:
Your personal brand is the source code. Your business brand is the echo.
Where This Leaves Me
I’m still in this liminal space between who I was and who I’m becoming.
But I’m more certain than ever that how I show up matters as much as where I show up.
If I return to a corporate role, I’ll bring my whole self. Not just the strategist or the leader—but the woman who now knows how to listen, how to feel, how to lead with presence, not just pressure.
And if you’re reading this, wondering how to step into your next chapter—here’s what I’ve learned so far:
You don’t need to be ready. You need to be real.
You don’t need to be louder. You need to be clearer.
You don’t need a perfect brand. You need a true one.
Because personal branding isn’t about building something new, it’s about becoming more of who you already are—on purpose, out loud, and without apology.
Want to Dig Deeper?
Here are a few books Chris Do recommended during the workshop, which I’m already diving into:
How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth by The Moth
Stories That Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business by Kindra Hall
Story 10x: Turn the Impossible Into the Inevitable by Michael Margolis
DotCom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels by Russell Brunson
Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin
Brand Flip: Why customers now run companies and how to profit from it by Marty Neumeier
This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See by Seth Godin
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
Each one touches a different facet of branding—storytelling, strategy, positioning, and identity. Enjoy!