The BrandUp Podcast

2023 was both a beast, and the best, of years. Sometimes the most valuable lessons and strategies for business success and personal growth come from uncomfortable learnings. That was certainly true for 2023. 

To mark the end of the year, and the close of this second season of The BrandUp Podcast, I’m trying something new: a personal roundup of what worked and what didn’t in 2023.

Most of all? This episode is a celebration. Get ready to hear about how my ADHD and burnout challenged my entrepreneurial ambitions, and what I’m deeply, dizzyingly proud of achieving nonetheless.

Hot topics in this episode include:

Consistency: Celebrating publishing 14 episodes of The BrandUp Podcast without missing a week – a testament to resilience and strategy in content creation.

Balance: how do you find a healthy balance between social media marketing and preserving your energy? Find out what I’m committing to going forward.

Social Media Burnout: this has wiped me out, and I share how I’ll approach social media content creation next year to manage my mental health and still maintain brand visibility.

Collaboration: it’s one of the key strategies I’ve used to get my business back on track. Learn why I think you should seek business collaborations for growth and joy!

Old-school networking: find out how this was an unexpected business growth engine for me this year, and how I’m leaning into it for 2024.

Meet Sara Kedge – a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant and neurodiversity coach to leaders across the UK and beyond. 

Sara’s voice stands out in a crowded industry – as much as her bright teal hair stands out in a crowd!

DEI transformation can often feel heavy and hard, Sara brings play and joy. Most of all, she creates bespoke solutions for each of her clients to create truly inclusive workplaces. No box-ticking DEI here! 

With play and joy, Sara guides her clients to make uncomfortable changes that stick, and offers reassurance that getting things wrong is part of the DEI process.

This week Sara talks about how she became so clear, confident and powerful in her message that “the time for empty conversation about DEI is over.” 

Here’s what pops in this episode:

Meaningful DEI: Learn how moving through nervousness about taking a strong stance has boosted Sara’s business growth; 

Consistency: Find out why the definition we’re used to doesn’t work and how to think about more neurodivergent-friendly consistency; 

Brand voice: Discover how Sara’s Brand Voice Guide saves her time, brings her clients and keeps mis-matched clients away;

Marketing advice: Find out how Sara adapted traditional content creation strategies and created her own smorgasbord of choice

Client avatars: Hear why Sara doesn’t work with client avatars, and how she identifies her ideal clients instead;

Comfort zones: Learn how it’s possible to take a strong stand in your industry, while still feeling  safe;

Word choice: Discover the words that Sara eliminated from her business, and why it’s brought new business her way;

Ready to be inspired? This week you’ll meet Dani Wallace, public speaker, entertainer, and the powerhouse behind 'I Am The Queen Bee' and the 'Fly Anyway Foundation.' Dani is a force of nature, and someone whose gift lies in helping all people take up space and tell their stories. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Inclusive Excellence: Discover how Dani builds active inclusivity into every part of her business; 
• Marketing with Moxie: Learn the bold, authentic marketing strategies that made Dani unforgettable from the start;
• The Real Deal on Rapid Success: Find out how long it’s really taken Dani to grow her business;
• Branding with Heart: Discover how the brand’s values create deep connections and act as a GPS for every business decision;
• Language that Binds: Learn how Dani’s team consciously and consistently uses inclusive language to forge deep bonds with their audience; and 
• More Than Business: Hear about Dani’s vision, and how her business success is shaping her long-term legacy. 

Dani's not just any public speaker or entrepreneur; she's a dynamo who turns every challenge into a triumph and every voice into a roar. Working with everyone from solo dreamers to global celebrities, Dani's mantra is clear: every voice matters, and it's time to make yours heard.

Leading the 'I Am The Queen Bee Movement' and the 'Fly Anyway Foundation', Dani is a living reminder that to Show Up, Wise Up, and Rise Up is within everyone's reach. Her approach? Inclusive, empowering, caring, irreverent and, above all, excellent fun!

Key Takeaways:

• Empowerment with a Twist: A peek into Dani's vibrant world of inclusive business.
• Heartfelt Connections: How genuine branding and communication can create a loyal, diverse community.
• Purposeful Entrepreneurship: The joy and drive in building a business that truly makes a difference.

Media coverage is (generally) good for business. But how to get good coverage in a noisy news world? 

Adela Hussain believes that every story you pitch is a service – a gift to deadline-driven journalists who always need a fresh perspective.

Adela knows first-hand what media coverage can do to grow a brand. Former transformational management consultant turned fashion tech entrepreneur, Adela learned quickly that the best way to powerful coverage was to pitch her own stories.

That’s why she now teaches entrepreneurs around the world to do the same.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The critical ingredients for a successful media pitch;
• Why relationships built over time are the most rewarding;
• How to use media as a source for good;
• About how predicting the future of a story will land you good coverage;
• Why telling your story is crucial to be a strong leader; and
• How diversity increases the productivity, creativity and wellbeing of society.

What happens when you’re known online for one specialism, but want to change your work completely?

Today’s guest shares how she did just that – more than once. 

Ebonie Allard is an artist, and a Master Coach who works with Multiple Brain Integration Technique with a special interest in neurodivergence. She’s a certified Human Design specialist and a being whose constant evolution in business is a masterclass in reinvention.

In this week’s episode you’ll hear about:

• How Ebonie went from leading a global community of “misfits” to sharing her art online;
• What being diagnosed with ADHD and autism revealed to Ebonie;
• What it looks like to do only what feeds your soul (in life and business);
• How Ebonie’s brand values acted as a compass through times of deep change;
• What shifting from a 24-hour male cycle to a 28-day female cycle can tell you about consistency; and
• What happened when Ebonie stopped trying to make herself smaller, and chose to make her business model bigger instead.