My Journey to Personal Branding in Real-Time: Credit Where Credit is Due
I was reflecting this weekend on all the amazing people and events who have been brought into my life to support my personal branding journey over the last year and realize my journey started even before the informal branding session in my friend’s kitchen. I believe I can pinpoint the origin of this journey as the moment when I met a woman named Suzanne McCafferty.
I do not know why Suzanne and I were chosen to meet, but prior to meeting her I had no desire to go on podcasts, write a blog, or even knew what the heck a personal brand was. I am not saying she inspired all these things; what I am trying to communicate is she sparked something in my mind to pursue these things. She saw something greater in me than I even imagined for myself.
It began as a professional relationship. She was in charge of the speakers for a PR firm in our area. She would introduce her speakers to me to see if there was interest in having them speak to my company at one our monthly Lunch & Learns. Not all speakers were a fit for what we do, but several were.
And this is how I met the amazing Jerry Acuff!
Jerry agreed to provide training to my team at no charge (try to book this guy and see what it will cost you!). To thank him and Suzanne for this generous offer, I asked to treat them to dinner. This is where the relationship moved from professional to friendship as I learned more about her and Jerry. Jerry mentioned he wanted me to be a guest on his podcast. I had never been on a podcast at this time (did not even listen to them!) and I had no idea what to expect or why I should say yes, but my gut said, “YES!”
I figured if I was going to be on his podcast, I needed to listen to a couple of his. WOW! He interviewed some amazing people on his show. Why had he asked me to come on? Nervous, but also excited, I made the decision in my mind I would not let him down. In October 2018, I made my first appearance on a video podcast and my life changed at that moment (check it out here). I discovered I loved listening to podcasts AND being on them. I also discovered my “WHY” (you must read Simon Sinek’s Start With Why!) and the reason Jerry asked me to be a guest.
Also because of this introduction, I was exposed to Real News PR and they were exposed to me. Suzanne kept finding reasons to bring me back to the studio (she had me sit on a panel of experts with Michael Gerber and Fred Parrish, authors of the eMyth: Chief Financial Officer) and I became a familiar face. Fred and I became great friends and he introduced me to Shawn McBride, who introduced me to the SmartFem Network and he eventually asked me to co-host his podcast, Women Business Leaders.
Then she introduced me to one of the best networking groups in Dallas, Success North Dallas and its founder, Bill Wallace. This is a 31-year-old networking group, of which I quickly became a member.
These are not even all the introductions Suzanne made for me which have resulted in a strong network to support my Executive Brand launch. I never dreamed I would have or want my own website, that I would want to write a book (oh yeah, there’s something else inspired by the original podcast), or eventually host a podcast, We Are VIP Podcast. I just want to add, Jerry Acuff was my first guest. Full Circle!
Suzanne has since moved to another state and we do not talk as often as we once did. There are many along the way who fanned those flames once the spark caught, but she deserves all the credit for creating that initial spark which has resulted in my current journey.
Suanne, if you read this, I want you to know I will forever be grateful for you inspiring me to be more than I ever thought I could be.
Who will you thank for your journey?
