Personal Branding & Storytelling with Melanie Spring, the Approachable Bad Ass
Melanie Spring branded herself as the “approachable bad ass” following a survey she sent to hundreds of connections that sought feedback on how they perceived her.
Melanie is an internationally renowned keynote speaker and coach who helps people with public speaking, pitching and personal brand development
In this episode, I talked to Melanie about using feedback from others to build and strengthen your personal brand and how to tell your own story.
Unforgettably fearless
Inspired by Melanie’s story, I asked my LinkedIn connections, Facebook friends and Twitter followers to describe me in one to five words via SurveyMonkey.
Words that were repeatedly used to describe me were:
- Ambitious
- Intelligent
- Driven
- Confident
- Creative
- Fearless
- Tenacious
- Mentor
Some words related to roles I play on a team or in a group (advocate, leader, learner, mentor, risk-taker). Others described my personality traits (assertive, dedicated, inquisitive, loyal, opinionated, no-nonsense, outgoing, passionate, talkative, caring, compassionate).
Many also described my work- and mentorship-styles (efficient, encouraging, goals, hard-working, innovative, organized, results, results, strategic) and how I use my voice or take action (authentic, bold, brave, fierce/fiery). The final bucket related to my mind and degrees (educated, smart, talented).
My favorite word someone used to describe me: Unforgettable.
I think if I were to use these results to develop my own brand like Melanie, maybe I’d describe myself as unforgettably fearless. I strive to be fiercely brave, ambitious and curious.
This was a fun exercise and one I definitely recommend. I used Survey Monkey and asked only: “What two to five words describe Rachel Esterline Perkins?” I shared it on social media a few times and tallied the words. I used wordclouds.com to visualize them together. If you decide to try this, I’d love to hear about what you learn!
“You’re welcome”
In this episode, Melanie talks about changing your attitude when you walk into the room to be more confident and unapologetically you. She also shares perspectives for embracing who you are if you feel like you’re “too much” or “not enough.” (This is for all of us who’ve been told we’re too bossy, too ambitious, etc.). And if you’re feeling awkward in this WFH world, check out her free training “ How to: Not Be Weird on Zoom.”
The Smile File
Melanie encourages listeners to to capture their career success stories to use later on in interviews or when asking for a raise. I like to call this the “Smile File.” This was something my friend, Brooke, shared with me years ago and it’s where I save screenshots of emails congratulating on a job well done, positive feedback from clients or even sweet notes from former students.
Everything you want is on the other side of no
Melanie talked about manifesting. But it’s not magic. She is about being clear and intentional about what you want, making a plan and then working toward that goal every single day. Melanie is currently offering her “Manifest Your Life” program for $20.
Free resources for personal branding
I’m putting together some free resources on personal branding and storytelling. Sign up to be the first to receive the free workbook.
Listen to Venturesome for the full conversation
And because this is a new podcast, please take a moment to leave a review after the episode if you enjoyed this episode about your career in your twenties.
If you just joined us, listen to our first two episodes Gone Girl: Questions To Ask Before Leaving Your Job with Beth Bryce of Daring Circle Ranch and The Rocket Years with Elizabeth Segran.
I also want to personally thank Jacqueline, a listener who shared her feedback and inspired me to finally edit this episode. I was in a bit of a rut and knowing that there was someone out there who wanted to hear more helped motivate me to get this episode out. Thank you, Jacqueline!