Boosting Your Brand Impact with Courtney Stanley

This is season eight of the Making a Marketer podcast with your hosts Megan Powers and Jen Larson.

This show is your resource for all things business, branding and of course marketing, no matter your experience level.

Our guests provide the dynamic insights and stories to help you in business and in life, no matter how you listen.

We're so glad to have you with us.

Here we go.

Foreign.

Welcome to another episode of the Making a Marketer podcast.

I'm Megan Powers with Powers of Marketing.

If you've been listening, you know this show is brought to you by Powers of Marketing.

We are going to be start doing some live shows coming up.

Actually the goal is to do every show live two a month on Friday afternoons, 2:00 Pacific Time, 5:00 Eastern Time, beginning on February 7th.

So be on the lookout for that if you want to do join us live.

It will be on LinkedIn, on YouTube and then those videos will get added to our pod page which you can get to by going to making a marketer podcast.com super excited for our show today.

Unfortunately Jen was not able to be with us and I am interviewing a friend.

Welcome to the show, Courtney Stanley.

Thank you so much.

I'm excited to catch up with you and just talk about all the things.

Same.

All right y'all, we're gonna talk about boosting brand impact today.

Like what's involved with that?

And I mean we've talked about brand on this show before and I'm sure we'll get into different levels of it.

Like what is brand?

It's not just the colors in your logo.

Right.

It's all sorts of things.

And so I'm excited to have this conversation with Courtney.

Let me read your bio.

Courtney Stanley is recognized globally as an award winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker and public speaking coach and is the creator and host of the podcast for women in business called Dared to Interrupt.

I have been a guest few years ago.

Yeah.

Courtney has spent more than a decade engaging professionals and organizations in game changing, impactful conversations that empower individuals to elevate their self awareness, improve team and culture dynamics and drive meaningful change.

It has been a lot of fun to watch your journey and having known you for several years going back to when you were I think working in sales.

Right.

For an event check company.

So she's a boss babe, doing her thing and making an impact on the industry and on individuals.

So thanks Megan.

To see, yeah.

To see all that you've done.

Oh thank you.

And I love that we've been friends for so long.

I would love to go back and figure out when exactly we first met, but if it was around that time, it probably would have been somewhere in the 2015 range.

So we've.

We were at IMAX and you and Shannon and D'Souza and I have met for coffee.

Like.

Like you reached out and was like, let's be.

Like we didn't know each other.

Yeah.

Just.

Yeah.

Asked a meetup and that's where it all began.

So it's been a decade plus then.

That's wild.

I mean, we're going to be friends for life.

Seven years plus, they say.

Friends for life for sure.

Well.

And you know, there are industry friends, right.

Like, I know Courtney from being meeting professional.

But then like, our lives all adjust.

Right.

Like we go in and out of doing different things.

But I think that our industry is such a special one that even if you don't see people but once or twice a year, like, it's still like no time has passed and we might not get super deep into each other's lives.

Right.

But there's still that, like, respect and camaraderie and it's like a reunion whenever we.

It definitely is.

Yeah.

All right, so we're, as I mentioned, we're going to talk about brand impact and we could talk with Courtney about a million things.

So I left it to her about what she wanted to chat about today.

So let's start.

Just tell us a little bit about.

I mentioned that you've had a journey, right?

So tell us a little bit about your story and how this came to be something that you have a passion for.

I have had so many zigzags in my story in the last 15 years that I have been in the professional world that it's kind of mind blowing.

But it's so fun to be able to look back and see that Hindsight really is 2020.

And each zig and each zag actually makes a lot of sense where to where I ended up today.

So I started in the events space.

So I started out as an event planner working for an agency.

I worked in event technology, which you mentioned before, doing PR relations, media relations, and I also worked in politics for a few years.

Will not take credit for any of the political work, but I did communications work and event fundraising for a.

An environmental nonprofit.

So that's where I was for the first good decade.

Ish of my career.

During this time, I found a real passion for public speaking and did a lot of speaking engagements in the events industry also a little bit outside of it.

Just kind of changing topics over the years as I learned as I grew, as I evolved, my content did too.

And I decided at the end of 2020, 2019, to stop side hustling and working full time and take the leap of faith into full time entrepreneurship.

So this is year six of being a full time keynote speaker, public speaking coach and podcaster.

So it's been, it's been an evolution.

I think every year has been entirely different from the year before.

I think the highs have been different, the lows have been different.

And so it's been a constant opportunity to learn and figure out what matters most to me.

And I would say that discussing the impact that you can make on the world around you, which includes your brand impact, is a big passion of mine.

So I'm excited to get into that today.

Yeah, well, and it's interesting.

The nice thing about being out on your own is that you can do whatever you want.

You, you can shift and change and, and even like for myself, I decided that I wanted to go work for someone else again.

But still do, you know, some of my own stuff on the side.

But that may change, you know, in a year I may be like, okay, I'm cool being out on my own again.

And then, then this is the thing that I'm going to do, it won' social media.

I can guarantee you that.

Yeah.

Okay, okay.

Which is part of the reason why I wanted to go like back work in house.

Because events are where my true love is.

And being an independent planner is like hard.

And so I went the corporate route for now.

Listen, working for a company is so beautiful and it is a living, breathing temptation every day.

So I completely get it.

There are pros and cons to both.

I think having a full time job with another company and doing your side hustles is such a beautiful recipe for a lot of pros.

So I get it.

I definitely understand it.

For sure.

Yeah, I do look back at those days where I'm like, oh, remember when I didn't have 20 meetings a day and I could do whatever I wanted?

But I, I do have an awesome manager and a great team.

And so that upside is that there's very little.

I have very few bad days.

So beautiful.

And you know, like just the nature of events, that there are times there are a lot more painful than others.

Right.

So like right now I'm in the thick of two events that are happening six weeks apart.

There's light at the end of the other side of that.

Right.

Like there's going to be not crazy after that.

So.

Okay, so let's talk a little bit about.

I got to thinking whether an industry or a sector someone might work in might have a reflection on how they approach their brand identity.

But I guess that also kind of goes to what is a brand.

And like, you are your own brand.

I have my own brand.

Right.

But then we have, like, we may be working as we're talking about for other companies, and so some people might be listening, being like, this is my job.

I want to apply this to the company that I work for or whatever.

So we can like, kind of probably teeter back and forth between those two sides.

But I guess.

Well, and ironically won't say what it is.

But you and I have had a conversation around.

I think.

I think we have around.

You can be working for a brand, and if your brand outshines theirs.

Oh, yes, it can cause an issue.

It can depends on.

Jen had the same involved.

Yeah, Jen had a challenge with that as well for someone she worked for before.

So I know there was a lot, but like, let's just talk a little bit about, you know, industries, sector, all that good stuff.

Yeah.

Well, I don't want to get away from the last thing you said because I think that there is a lot of truth to that.

I think that can be very relatable for highly ambitious professionals to experience where you are excited about the work you are doing above and beyond getting out networking, posting on social, maybe taking the stage, being on a podcast, or hosting your own podcast.

These are all incredible and valuable parts of brand development.

However, if you are working in an environment where there is maybe some additional ego that's not helpful, that is within your leadership team or the manager that you're working with or even just the team that you're working with.

There can definitely be some friction between your personal brand and development and how well you're doing outside in your community and needing to kind of find your lane, stay in your lane and.

And be checked or, you know, not in a great way, but be checked by the people around you who might feel a little bit intimidated by the success that you've built independently.

So I just wanted to acknowledge that because I think that's not something we plan to talk about today, but that's a very real experience that a lot of people have verbalized.

Yeah.

So how do you address that?

Is it about, like, communication upfront or is it like, just.

You just gotta fly if that person's not willing to let you be your own brand outside of theirs?

Great question.

And I think it's very gray.

Right.

Like it's not a black and white situation.

I think there's a certain level of emotional intelligence and self awareness that you need to have as an individual going and, you know, kind of operating in this space that has other personalities, other people.

So there's a time, time to speak up, there's a time to shine, and there's a time to pull back and let other people speak up and shine.

But I think at a more severe level, if you're finding that you're really being boxed in and you're being suppressed to the point where you feel like you start to lose your shine, you start to lose the unique qualities that you bring to the table and your authentic personality.

And it's just not vibing with the culture.

And by the way, when I say culture, I'm speaking more to the culture that the leadership determines, not so much the culture that the people at your level are determining.

So it's more the people that are in power positions that may feel threatened by your success or your presence in that space.

If that's the case and there's a misalignment between your vibe and the culture, I think that it's worth considering making adjustments.

So that might mean that you're just not in the right environment for you and you gotta look for something else.

Maybe you do start to invest more in your side hustles, keep it a little bit quieter in the workplace, and then turn it into something that becomes more fruitful and full time for you.

There are more paths than 1, 2 and 3 that are laid out in front of you.

So it's definitely a gray area.

But I think keeping your self awareness close, trying to consider office politics and use your emotional intelligence and then also use your discretion and your discernment to understand whether this is the place for you or you gotta go and spread your wings elsewhere.

Because life is too short, my friend, to feel like you're boxed in.

No, for sure.

And you just made me think of.

So I worked for a company that, where they had me host their podcast.

And then we got a new CEO and soon after he joined, I interviewed him and then shortly thereafter he was like, we're going to stop the podcast.

It's a distraction is what he said.

A vice president who came in who had worked for him before, who was, you know, good friends with him.

I said, I listened to your show with him and it was actually good.

And I was like, I love that qualifier.

Actually.

I go, oh, that's cool.

Actually, I'm a professional podcaster.

Like, I've been doing it, you know, since 17.

Oh, okay.

No, I, I just.

Oh no, okay.

You know, backpedal, backpedal.

But you just made me think like he probably didn't want my voice as the voice of the company or being perceived as the voice of the company even though it was a pipeline generator.

Like that's the thing that this bp, I go, oh, it's funny you should say that because he's going to shut it down.

He's like, what?

And I said, yeah, I just interviewed two of your prospects who've been in the pipeline for like five years and opened up that conversation with them again in a very non selling way.

Right, right.

We ended up just publishing and not even reaching, not even talking to them about it again.

And it was continuing to get hundreds of downloads a month without even broadcasting it.

So crazy.

And so I think this goes back to ego now that, now that I'm.

Talking to you, it definitely does.

And I think as a good leader you have to have enough self awareness to recognize when you feel threatened by somebody else's success and really take a step back and ask yourself, am I going to behave in a way that's small and driven by ego or am I going to behave in a way that's strategic and that's driven by the mission to expand and grow this company?

And I think there a lot of times can be a bit of a battle between being that bigger leader who's more of a visionary and more strategic and getting caught up in the feelings that we have when we experience jealousy and insecurity.

Yeah, it's human, we're all human.

But we all have an opportunity to self reflect and grow too.

So we gotta be better, right?

For sure, for sure.

Okay, so then let's talk a little bit then about that brand identity like of a company and brand identity of a brand person.

So I want to focus on personal brand, if that's cool with you.

Yeah, totally.

I'm going to break personal brand down in a couple of definitions.

So the way that I like to define brand when we're talking about personal brand and there is some crossover with corporate as well, but let's focus on the person because everybody's got a personal brand.

So let's focus on that for today.

So I like to break brand down into three key components.

So one being your brand identity, which I like to consider as the way that you see yourself.

So it's your self perception.

This should hopefully be depending on your level of self awareness.

This should be the most authentic version of you, then we have brand perception, which is how the world perceives and sees you.

So this, when we think of brand perception, that's when we really think about the traditional definition of brand.

So if a corporation's looking at defining their brand, they are trying to cultivate a certain perception by, you know, creating certain messages and images and media.

So your brand perception is how the world sees you.

Now, the main goal in your brand development and refinement is to, as much as humanly possible, make sure that your brand identity, the way that you see yourself, is aligned with your brand perception, the way that people see you, so that you're showing up authentically, and it's being read and perceived by people with the way, the same lens that you're seeing yourself.

So that's the way I like to define personal brand in those two ways.

I also like to discuss is your brand impact, which really is more of a question.

And that question is at the end of the day, at the end of your life, at the end of a chapter, whether you're leaving a job or a career or whatever it may be, what is the lasting impression that you've left on the people that you've engaged with and served?

So what essentially is your legacy through the lens of brand?

How will you be remembered?

And so everything that we do in our life will create some sort of legacy.

And we're.

We should be constantly working to refine that legacy as a living and breathing opportunity to grow and develop our brand and our impact.

So that at the end of the day, at the end of our life, at the end of that chapter, it feels the way that we wanted it to feel all along.

I love that.

Okay, so it is how you present yourself in social media.

It is how you present yourself at events.

Like Jesse from Savannah Bananas, right?

He.

When he goes to a conference, he wears that crazy yellow dumb and dumber tux, right?

Like, he.

Every day.

He was in that before I even knew.

And then I saw the Savannah Bananas, and they're talking about this guy Jesse who's, like, made all this.

This huge impact.

And I'm like, oh, that's that guy.

We were like, does he have a different suit for every day?

You know?

But then that got us thinking, okay, what should my thing be at the end?

Like, so the next year, I'm like, I'm gonna wear anchors every day, you know, but of course, that's just like an outward thing of something that I like that's a part of me.

But, you know, so let's like, Kind of dissect what.

What the pieces are of this outward.

I think you gave a lot of great examples.

So you're talking about things like social media, you're talking about going to conferences and events, you're talking about podcasts.

These are all great examples of different platforms for you to express your brand.

Every single touch point that you have with the world around you is an opportunity for people to perceive you in a certain way.

And that's, again, your brand perception.

So this could be literally right now, you and I on this podcast having this convers.

It's not just the audience's perception of what this conversation is, but it's also your perception of me, of how I showed up today, of my energy, my tone, the things that I'm saying, the outfit that I'm wearing, the environment that's around me.

Everything that you're experiencing right now is also a touch point for our relationship.

And I think what people don't realize is that that touch point is a ripple effect.

So the conversation that I'm having with you today or that somebody might have with someone else at an event then carries on to a different room.

And maybe you're not standing in that room at that current time, but Megan is.

And Megan's having a conversation that maybe my name comes up for some opportunity with someone else, and now they're.

The other person is getting some sort of impression of who I am based on the conversation that you're having with them about me.

So it really is this massive tree and root system where it's.

Everybody's constantly connecting with everybody else and forming these different impressions.

Now, to your example about, you know, showing up and you're wearing something that's really colorful, or you're wearing something that's different or that feels authentic to you.

That's absolutely a brand marker, for sure.

And here's the part where I think people get a little bit stuck.

People, I think, get stuck when they feel like, first of all, maybe their brand misaligns.

So that's not who I am.

That's not how I want to be perceived or seen.

Or I think this is the stickier part.

People change, and they want to transition their career into something else.

They want to start a new business.

They want to, you know, become a different person in their career.

And they have trouble breaking this former brand image that they have of themselves and getting people to see this new version and this new chapter, this new business, this new venture that they are walking toward.

I would say that that is probably one of the greatest challenges that people have.

Yeah.

That's so funny you say that because it just brings to mind people.

I'm getting a lot of people been like, oh, I didn't realize you went to Oracle.

So for them, I'm.

My brand is affected by this label.

Right.

This logo that I'm working for in a positive way, I think.

But it's just interesting because then, yeah, it just kind of switches and then I have people be like, oh, you're doing what?

I'm like, yeah, I've been in house corporate for three years.

Oh, I had no idea.

It's like.

So part of that is, should I be doing a better job of talking about the new things I'm working on, or is it just everyone's so busy and they're not all up in your business and, like, knowing they're not paying that close attention?

Like, yes, a great question.

Yeah.

And I think it really, the answer depends on what's your goal.

Are you trying to have people, you know, learn about what you're doing, what you're up to?

Do you care?

Are you cool with just kind of keeping your chapter a little bit more quiet or, you know, you're more focused on your reputation internally within the company?

I would say for those who would like to stay top of mind, which I think is most people, it is absolutely important to consistently show up in places where people can access those different bits of information about you and what you're up to.

So if somebody says, hey, like, oh, you're still, for me, example, oh, you're doing, let's say, MC work, I don't really do a lot of MC work anymore.

That's on me to make sure that I'm being clear with the messaging that I'm sharing, whether it's through my website, on social media, in conversations, and being really clear about the transition of services that I provide.

So I would say, yes, it's very valuable to a stay top of mind for all purposes because you also never know when other doors of opportunity are going to open up.

So you want people to know what you're doing today so that they can open that door for you tomorrow.

Yeah, on that.

I think it's good every once in a while on LinkedIn to be like, hi, you know, and do that whole.

That post of like, just talking about who you are and what you're doing for those of you who are new here or whatever, like newly connected or people, whatever, that kind of thing.

I love seeing those posts by people because you're like, oh, I'm not digging, digging in to your LinkedIn profile probably.

Unless I'm selling, trying to sell you something.

Right.

Or looking at you to be a guest on my show.

That's a personal example.

I'm not trying to sell anybody anything, but.

But yeah, that and then content.

Right?

So like, I used to do Megan's Monday musings and now I'm doing thoughtful Thursdays.

And my hope there, I'm trying to mix it up and I'm trying to provide value while also trying to stay top of mind and share a little bit bit about myself.

And for me, like, I'm not talking a lot about Oracle, because it's not.

First of all, I don't know that they would like that, you know, because.

There'S like, sure, yeah.

Corporate branding and PR kind of things.

And as a contractor, I don't want to like, mess anything up.

But to your point too, is like, to me, it's not that big a deal.

It's not that important except for when I go to get the next job, which then it'll be valuable, which could be any day.

You know, like, we both know that life throws curveball.

So, I mean, I've lost my job multiple times.

You know, you.

There are recessions, there are layoffs, there are different economic, you know, scenarios where your job may not be as secure as you thought it once was.

So if for nothing else other than just giving yourself a little bit of some job security, a little bit of a safety net and some investment in your future, you should, you should be top of mind for things that you see as part of your future.

And Megan, what you said about LinkedIn about how, you know, you should maybe pop up every now and then and just give a little reintroduction of me and, you know, give a little wave to the audience, give them a heads up as to what you're up to right now, I think that's great.

I will also say that as of a few months ago, lord knows that LinkedIn and every other platform changes their algorithm every two seconds.

But as of a couple months ago, LinkedIn had said that the, the post that their algorithm will promote the highest is a new job announcement.

So, and you know, you see that on LinkedIn like somebody, somebody started here is this position.

They will make that most important piece of information that everybody consumes on that platform that day that's in your network, that's following you.

So that is your best opportunity when you make those changes, to do that little reintroducing.

Me, not just don't just let it be the automated post.

Add a little personal flavor, add a personal touch.

But that's going to get you so many more eyeballs than a standard post.

You know, that you're putting up once a week will do.

But at the same time, time consistency is key as well.

So just updating your job once every couple years is not enough.

If you want to stay top of mind, you've really got to be intentional about at least updating once a week on LinkedIn, sharing thought leadership pieces, sharing podcasts that you absolutely loved, whatever, supporting your friends that are on the platform to your colleagues.

But consistency really matters too, for sure.

Engaging with other people.

And I think that this is a thing that people miss and actually boost your LinkedIn profile thing with Shannon D'Souza for Dahlia IBM event here in San Diego.

And one of the things I said is to be super conscious of the things that you're liking and commenting on because that other people in your network will see that and people you don't know will see that.

And so whether you intend to or not, you could impact yourself negatively if it's not a positive thing thing, and or if the thing that you're posting on is negative, even if you don't agree with it, it's still going to rise up.

And that's something that you maybe don't want, like potential future employers to see that you engage with.

What a great tip.

And I will say again, just kind of going back to the being human aspect of living this life.

We all have opinions, we all have personal feelings, and we all have values.

And if we are seeing things that pop up in our feed and we're seeing a client, we're seeing a pe, a colleague, whoever it is that is commenting on something or liking something that feels like it goes against our values to the point where maybe it's offensive, that is some serious damage that has been done and they never even knew that you saw it.

This has happened, I think, so much more over the past couple of years because we're seeing content come out that's more controversial because they know that controversial content is going to get more engagement.

And then the algorithm pushes it higher and higher.

We're also living in a society that is, you know, we're a little hot on our heels when it comes to issues and topics that don't feel right or that go against our values.

And by right, I mean ethically and morally right.

Right.

So you do have to be careful with any engagement that you partake in.

And it could be Just what you said.

As simple as just liking something and then somebody sees it and they don't want to work with you anymore.

It's, that's.

We live in that kind of world.

Right now, for sure.

Even more intensely than when I had that conversation with these people.

Yeah, for sure.

Yeah.

And there's a.

It's an interesting thing because there's a nature versus nurture thing too.

Right.

I think that a lot of us, we are who we are and we can do a better job of.

I mean, authenticity is something that you mentioned.

Right.

Like, we still want to be authentic, but if we're having a bad day and that comes through in a way that it can diminish your brand.

Right.

So do you have any tips for how someone can, like, be introspective about maybe how they, how their brand might be perceived and how they might be able to put a shine on it a little?

Totally.

So when it comes to brand perception, and again, we're talking about personal brand, we don't really know what we don't know.

So the best advice that I can give you is to start asking questions.

So there really are two different methods that I'll share with you that have been very effective for me and also the clients and audiences that I've worked with over the years.

The first being, I recommend picking, picking three people from your life.

And I'll give you three different categories for these three people.

So you want to pick somebody who is a family member or best friend.

So we've got a really personal connection.

We want to pick somebody that is a colleague of ours that we've worked very closely with on the same team would be even better.

And then we want to pick an industry peer.

So this is somebody that you haven't worked with directly, but they, they know who you are.

You've had dinners together, maybe you get together when you go to conferences.

So you've got your family member or best friend, you've got your colleague, and then you've got your industry friend or peer here.

I want you to go out and ask these three people the same two questions.

The point of this exercise is to start to understand how you're perceived by people who are operating in different circles.

So you are one way in one space, maybe you're the same in another, maybe you're different in another space.

And there's nothing wrong with that, but you want to make sure that you feel authentically aligned with each person that you come into contact with.

So the two questions that you're going to Ask.

Ask each of these three people.

One is what do you believe my strengths are?

So ask yourself this question at the same time, do my strengths align with what this person, how this person sees me?

So really great input and feedback there.

Are they seeing something that I'm not or are they seeing something that's just totally off, that I don't agree with at all?

And how did that happen?

The second question that you want to ask to create more self awareness around how you're perceived is, is in which ways do you see me hold myself back?

So this really leans more into the growth opportunity.

So am I getting it my own way?

Are they watching me shine behind closed doors?

And then when I'm in a room full of people, I'm not myself.

So that gives you a little bit more again, awareness of how you're being perceived by those who actually do know you, but in different scenarios and settings.

So that's the first path, I would say, to increasing your brand perception.

Start by asking those two questions to three people in your life that operate in different circumstances circles.

The second, which I have a lot of fun with and I actually literally just did this again last night.

I'll do this every couple of years as I have grown and changed and evolved in my brand and who I am as a person, but also the services that I offer.

Create a little survey.

You can do it in Google forms.

Just keep it super simple.

Create a brand survey for yourself that's asking some questions like what is one word you would use to describe me if I were a color?

What would I be?

Be?

What do you think it is that I do for work?

What services would you hire me for?

And there can be more questions than that.

But just like those four alone will give you an incredible idea of how the world sees you.

What I've done with this before is I've taken this link to this easy peasy survey that I've created and I've just shared it on LinkedIn and I ask people to take the survey, I keep it anonymous.

You don't have to keep it anonymous.

I do because I think it's easier for people to be honest.

But grain of salt, I also ask them to be constructive, right?

Like we don't need somebody coming in and trying to knock us off our our horse or anything like that.

But that type of survey is going to give you so much input and you will probably find at least some of the answers surprising.

I remember when I did this years ago when I first transitioned into being a full time keynote Speaker.

I mean, the answers for what would you hire me for?

Or what do I do for work?

Were all over the place.

Place.

And then I put out this survey last night, and I think it was 90% accurate.

So that tells me that I've moved my brand in a direction that works for me now.

And as I'm transitioning into a different type of content and service, I'm going to have to make sure I'm intentional with that again.

So that's my best advice for two different practical, easy, tangible exercises that you can do right now to understand how you're currently perceived and how you need to redirect if you do at all, which you probably will have something to work on.

I love that.

Yeah, perfect.

It's funny that.

What do you do?

It made me laugh because I know I like, have family members who think they know what I do, but they have no idea.

Totally.

We all do.

Yeah.

But we also, we grew up, like, I don't know about you, but I.

I like, thought I knew what my parents did, but I didn't really have that.

I couldn't really describe it other than he works for Lockheed.

He's an engineer.

You know, like, you know what's so.

Funny, Megan, is I.

When I put out this survey last night and I did ask the question, what do you think I do for work?

And though most of most everybody got this, this question right, there was one guy who, it's not that he was way off, but he was defin off.

And because I'm an entrepreneur and because my social media.

It's very clear on social media what I do to an extent, it was really funny to me that this one guy was off and he had been someone that I'd gone on a date with.

And so I was like, huh, okay.

Two things are happening here.

Either one, we didn't talk about what I did for work at all, which is interesting because usually I get asked that question on a first date or two.

We did, and he didn't listen.

That's probably two.

Yeah.

So I'm like, okay, all right.

Okay, that's.

That's interesting.

But it was.

It's kind of a fun exercise to go through.

And there will be moments that make you wonder and there will also be moments that just make you laugh.

Yeah, for sure.

Oh, okay.

That's a great tip.

I like that.

All right, so let's touch on this a little bit, but let's talk a little bit about everything.

Is it always shiny and perfect?

We are.

We're putting out this perception.

Right.

For the most part.

I mean, some people get real, but there's a line right.

Between oversharing and.

So do you have any tips for how to remain authentic, Authentic and real while still maintaining a positive brand identity?

Right, right.

Wow.

Okay.

So this is definitely a challenge.

And it's a challenge because it is incredibly gray.

Again, there's no black and white answer for this.

And so discretion is really, really important when you are maybe wanting to share something that feels more vulnerable to you, it feels more real to you.

But you need to do your best to position yourself in the seat of an audience member that's reading the ask yourself questions, like, what is the perception that may be created if somebody were to read this post?

Somebody who knows me well and somebody who doesn't know me at all.

And I think there are different times and places to show up as different versions of yourself.

If I am having the worst day of the week or the month or the year, that's not going to be the day that I go and decide to share with the world what's going on, because that's not my every day.

So if you think of authenticity as an average, it's like, who are you on an average day?

That's how you should look at your content.

Now, that said, there is nothing that is more resonant to a community than authenticity and vulnerability.

So if you feel like, hey, by sharing this story, what I'm hoping the outcome will be is to serve other people and share something valuable, where if I'm sharing, maybe they'll relate to it, they'll feel supported, we can connect.

Or maybe I'm looking for support and I have questions that I need answered.

And maybe somebody knows somebody and you might approach those messages differently depending on what you're looking for.

But I would say be yourself on an average day and then lean a little bit to the right and a little bit to the left to ensure that you're.

You're leaning into vulnerability a little bit more.

Give people a chance to get to know you as a human being and not just the tip of the iceberg that most social media shows.

Right.

Yeah, of course.

I just thought.

You say vulnerability, and for me, I think of Brene Brown.

I know I quote her a lot.

I was not at pcma.

Did you get to see her speak?

So jealous.

I did.

She was everything.

She was everything.

Yeah.

So I just finished her book, Atlas of the Heart.

And have you read it?

No, I have not.

Is it good?

Oh, it's so good.

So good.

It Took me like three years to read it.

That's me.

That's why I haven't read it.

Yeah, but it's very.

It's chunkable.

It's not like you're waiting to find out what's the next part of the story.

It's like, it's very.

And that's why I.

I like, I get to a certain section and I'm like, I'm not really feeling like I want to think about kind of stuff just yet.

But.

Yeah, no, highly recomm.

Anyway, like, her ex TED Talk on vulnerability is I think one of the most viewed videos on.

Yeah.

Top five.

Top five most viewed.

She's phenomenal.

She really is definitely my hero.

And she is special on Netflix.

Do you see a special on Netflix?

I did.

I did.

I like that too.

Yeah.

Perfect.

Okay.

Well, we could talk forever, but I think we're kind of at at time.

But I do want to ask you two final questions.

Actually three before we get to the other two.

While people are still listening.

Where can they find you?

What's the best way to reach out to Courtney Stanley?

You can find me on media.

I'm pretty active on Instagram at Courtney on stage.

That's same for Facebook.

I'm also Quite active on LinkedIn.

If you just search Courtney Stanley, you'll find me pretty easily.

I snagged that URL nice and early, so you should be able to find me easily there.

And then if you are interested in looking into my services, I am a keynote speaker and I am also a public speaking coach.

You can go to courtney-stanley.com and get in touch from there.

Awesome.

Yeah, definitely put the dash in there because there's another Courtney Stanley that does something very different from her.

Discovered that last night.

Yes, he is.

Is it still the weightlifter?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Heavyweight champion.

I.

He's a big weightlifter and we are not the same person.

But you're not in his.

It could be worse.

You know, it could be a worse type of person too.

Yeah.

All right.

Perfect.

Okay.

So we didn't do this as a brain break, but I just real quick, I thought it would be fun to ask you to first talk about the.

Do you have an anniversary that you celebrate in a year that's like separate from your birthday?

Something that you just like a day that you want to acknowledge.

That you acknowledge.

And even if it's just, you know, having a special drink that day or whatever it is.

Do you have?

Do you have one?

So I honestly, I love Valentine's Day and I know that's, like, probably not the answer anybody was expecting, but I love Galentine's Day.

First of all, Valentine's Day is great, too, but I.

You can see I'm wearing pink today.

Pink nails.

Like, I am very much a girly girl, and I love the opportunity to get my girls together to have some wine, some charcuterie, to, like, gift each other cute little things.

Like, I love girl time.

So Galentine's Day is actually one of my favorite days of the year to celebrate.

Okay, that's perfect.

And that's February 15th, right?

13Th.

It's the day before Valentine's Day.

Okay.

Yeah, day before.

Okay, so funny.

Mine is February 15th, and it is.

I went through a really hard time.

Longtime listeners have heard this story a couple times.

I got laid off.

I got hit by the dot com bomb, and then it took me for two and a half years.

Super long story short, I was unemployed or underemployed.

My stuff was in storage.

I was staying with friends and family.

So it was very rocky, tumultuous time.

And the day that I moved in to an apartment again and got all my stuff back is a day that I celebrate, like, as a rebirth.

So it'll be 21 years.

Amazing.

What a ride.

What a run.

Yeah.

And I live in the same building, in the same neighborhood.

In the same building still, too.

So I just, you know, I also celebrate, like, that.

I call it that.

Rather than getting deep with people, I usually just say, oh, it's the anniversary of when I moved in the neighborhood.

You know, like, rather than being like.

So.

Right, right, right.

Yeah.

That moment.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So last year, for the 20 year, I did a dinner out and.

And invited important people to me.

And this year, I'm just gonna do a little game night.

But I always do something to acknowledge it because it's important.

We don't celebrate ourselves enough.

We really don't.

So I love that you take that time.

Yeah.

Like a day of gratitude because so many people helped me.

Yeah.

During that time.

So, like, I had a party also once after I got in, I.

I was like, I wanted to thank all of the people who let me, you know, stay in their spare bedroom or let me house it for them or, you know, all of that kind of stuff that happened along the way that referred me for a job even if I didn't get it.

You know, like, all.

All the people were super.

Gratitude, I think, is something that we all don't practice enough.

Right.

And that if you have gratitude as part of your personal brand like that you're regularly people that you appreciate how they've helped you.

I think that that speak, it says a lot.

It does.

What a great example of a brand touch point.

Gratitude.

Yeah.

We could all do more of that.

For sure.

For sure.

Well, on that, thank you so much for being here.

We really appreciate you coming on the pod.

It took way too long.

I mean season eight is like I don't know how I didn't have you on earlier.

Time flies though.

But also I have a potential speaking gig for you.

So we'll talk about that after.

After we record.

Love that.

Thank you.

All right, friends.

So thank you so much for you my if you listened to last episode.

My one listener, I'm talking to you.

We appreciate you more than you know and want to remind you that we're going to be back live.

We're going to start doing live shows again.

February 7th will be the first one.

That show will happen live before this one gets published.

So we will still be publishing the audio from the live show onto the pod on in the regular, you know, trying to do two a month.

I'm trying to do it on the first and the third or the second and the fourth Wednesdays.

But you know, we don't always hit that.

I published today.

So anyway, all that just say thank you very much.

This has been another episode of the Making a Marketer podcast and we will catch you next time.