Explore every episode of the podcast Branding Room Only with Paula T. Edgar
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| So You Want to Be a Speaker? Building a Speaking Career That Lasts | 27 Oct 2026 | 00:13:02 | |
Getting booked to speak can feel like a measure of success, especially when the opportunities start getting bigger and the audiences more impressive. Yet the size of the room doesn't always reflect the impact you make, and a prestigious opportunity isn't necessarily the right one for your career. Building a speaking career that lasts means learning to recognize the difference and being intentional about the opportunities you pursue. When I started speaking more intentionally, I wanted to get on bigger stages as quickly as possible. Bigger audiences, bigger names, bigger platforms. Those things still matter to me, but I've learned that some of my most meaningful conversations have happened in smaller rooms. Over time, I've had to rethink what success looks like as a speaker, because getting booked is only one part of building a career. The decisions you make about your business and the commitment you bring to improving your craft matter just as much. In this final episode of the So You Want to Be a Speaker series on Branding Room Only, I'm sharing an honest reflection on what I've learned about building a speaking career for the long game. From the mistakes I've made to the lessons that have challenged me, I'm looking at why a speaking career isn't built on one perfect moment, but through the consistency, relationships, and commitment to growth that develop over time. 1:59 – Why bigger stages don't always mean greater impact 3:29 – What I learned from undercharging for speaking engagements 4:59 – The cost of saying yes to every opportunity and choosing the right ones 6:38 – Developing your craft and becoming a better speaker 7:27 – Why your niche is your power and getting specific makes you more memorable 9:27 – Building the systems to sustain your speaking business and recognizing the value of your voice 11:20 – Taking action to build your speaking career
Part 1 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked Part 2 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked Part 3 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Pitch, Prepare, and Get Invited Back Part 4 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Turn a Speaking Engagement Into More Opportunities
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Your LinkedIn profile is more than an online resume—it's your professional homepage. My Leveraging LinkedIn: Build a Brand That Works for You is a three module course providing practical, ethical, and sustainable strategies you can implement today. Get access now. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Building a Personal Brand Rooted in Purpose and Advocacy with Dr. Camille Hammond | 20 Oct 2026 | 00:36:22 | |
Dr. Camille T.C. Hammond is a physician, public health advocate, and co-founder and CEO of the Tinina Q. Cade Foundation. Her work grew from a deeply personal experience with infertility, including six unsuccessful rounds of IVF before her mother offered to carry and ultimately gave birth to her triplets. That journey gave Camille an understanding of infertility that extended beyond her medical training and eventually reshaped both her career and her personal brand. Camille shares how she moved beyond defining her impact solely through practicing clinical medicine and embraced the work she felt called to do. Through the Cade Foundation, she helps families facing infertility through grants for fertility treatment and adoption, reproductive and maternal health education, and advocacy focused on expanding access to care. As Camille explains, her personal brand had to “grow up” alongside her purpose. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar talks with Dr. Camille Hammond about the shame that can surround infertility, what people should understand about their fertility while they still have options, and why state and local advocacy matters to reproductive and maternal health outcomes. Camille’s story demonstrates what can happen when you remain open to a different path and allow your expertise, lived experience, and purpose to shape your personal brand and the impact you make. 1:13 – How Dr. Hammond defines personal brand, plus her motto and hype song 2:43 – Why Dr. Hammond appreciates growing up in Richmond, VA 4:08 – How Dr. Hammond’s fertility journey led to the creation of the Cade Foundation 8:55 – How Dr. Hammond’s mother helped bring her triplets into the world 12:39 – The reality TV family Dr. Hammond credits with changing the conversation around infertility 13:35 – The three-part strategy behind the Cade Foundation’s work 17:14 – Why reproductive health advocacy often begins at the state and local level 18:38 – How the foundation’s summits support reproductive and maternal health 22:34 – Why Dr. Hammond says her personal brand had to “grow up” after leaving clinical medicine 24:46 – Dr. Hammond’s advice for pivoting toward work that feels deeply personal 27:19 – What Dr. Hammond wants girls to know about fertility and the graduation gift she’s giving her daughter 29:59 – Dr. Hammond’s candid fertility advice for people in their thirties 32:00 – What Dr. Hammond does for fun, what she’ll never do for money, and the joy she brings into a room
Dr. Camille T.C. Hammond is a physician, public health advocate, and co-founder and CEO of the Tinina Q. Cade Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting families facing infertility through education, advocacy, and financial assistance. Drawing on both her medical training and personal experience with infertility, she has helped expand access to family-building resources and elevate reproductive and maternal health issues for families across the country. Dr. Hammond completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond, medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins and the National Cancer Institute (respectively). In addition to her work with the foundation, she’s actively engaged in social, civic, community, and philanthropic efforts throughout the nation. The Tinina Q. Cade Foundation | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram
Cade Foundation Family Building Grant Cade Foundation Reproductive and Maternal Health Equity Summits
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube
Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Your LinkedIn profile is more than an online resume—it's your professional homepage. My Leveraging LinkedIn: Build a Brand That Works for You is a three module course providing practical, ethical, and sustainable strategies you can implement today. Get access now.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| How to Build Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn | 13 Oct 2026 | 00:18:23 | |
Your LinkedIn profile should reflect the expertise and value you bring to your work. Does yours? In this solo episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar explores the gap between doing strong work and making your value visible to the people who could hire, refer, or recommend you. Your LinkedIn profile is working for you long after you update it. Paula walks through how to make that profile reflect what you want to be known for, from a current, recognizable headshot and a headline that goes beyond your job title to a Featured section that showcases your expertise. She also shares how the questions you answer and experiences you have can become content, and why thoughtful commenting is a practical way to build recognition. If your approach has been to update your profile, check the box, and move on, this episode will help you rethink how you use LinkedIn. You’ll hear strategies for showing up consistently, contributing your perspective, and helping your network connect your name with the value you bring. 2:16 – Why treating your profile as a resume (instead of a working asset) limits your reach 5:04 – Strategies for leveraging your headshot and headline to create a credible and authentic first impression that follows you across LinkedIn 7:57 – How to use the Featured section to control the narrative and showcase your thought leadership before someone even scrolls down 9:25 – What to include in your About section (and using first vs. third-person perspective) so you can attract the right people 10:55 – How to use the Experience section to show the connection between your former roles and what you’re doing now 11:58 – Why you’re overcomplicating content creation on LinkedIn, and why others will care what you have to say 13:21 – A simple commenting strategy that allows you to join conversations and increase visibility 14:26 – How to arrange the Skills section of your profile for the algorithm and PDF exports 15:32 – Why LinkedIn is rarely the problem if the platform isn’t working for you
LinkedIn Strategies & Leadership Tips to Master Personal Branding with Richard Bliss Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Your LinkedIn profile is more than an online resume—it's your professional homepage. My Leveraging LinkedIn: Build a Brand That Works for You is a three module course providing practical, ethical, and sustainable strategies you can implement today. Get access now. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Make a Scene and Make Your Message Memorable with Mike Ganino | 06 Oct 2026 | 00:59:51 | |
When people think of you, what stories come to mind? Make a Scene author and keynote director Mike Ganino sees those associations as a central part of your personal brand. In this episode of Branding Room Only, he and Paula talk about how to make your message clear enough for people to remember and connect with it. Mike shares why a list of events or accomplishments isn’t yet a compelling story. Listeners need to understand what an experience meant to you and how it changed the way you show up. He explains how specific details help people recognize themselves in a story, and why a strong presentation starts with the belief you want your audience to reconsider. They also discuss presence: how eye contact and movement can bring an audience into the conversation, and why charisma draws on warmth, competence, and awareness of others. Whether you’re speaking onstage, interviewing for a role, or having a difficult conversation, Mike offers a useful question to ask beforehand: What story will the other person tell about this interaction afterward? 1:31 – How Mike defines personal brand, his favorite motto, and his Ariana Grande hype song 7:10 – Mike’s tricks for getting more response from an audience on stage 9:35 – How Mike’s childhood experiences shaped the work he does today 13:26 – Mike’s professional journey and his experience as a flight attendant on 9/11 19:29 – Empathy and shared humanity in the days after September 11th 22:14 – What separates memorable messages from overlooked ones 24:48 – Why a signature story or message matters 27:23 – Lessons from the stage that can strengthen your presence 33:57 – What makes a speaker’s ideas resonate long after the talk ends 38:31 – The most common storytelling mistake professionals make 44:34 – What persuasive storytelling can teach you beyond asking for money 47:49 – Why charisma isn’t the same as extroversion and what you can strengthen 49:58 – The patterns Mike sees in people with magnetic presence 52:15 – Two ways to strengthen your personal brand and communication this week 54:44 – Mike’s favorite things, brand non-negotiable, and special gift Connect With Mike Ganino Mike Ganino is a keynote director, author, and expert in transformational self-expression who helps leaders, founders, authors, and visible experts build a public presence people can feel. His professional trajectory spans acting, writing, and directing for the stage, a stint as a TEDx executive producer, and years spent as a hospitality executive and corporate trainer. Each one sharpened the same instinct: how to see storytelling and performance from the audience's side. He uses that instinct to help clients build talks and performances that do more than wow a room; they change how the audience thinks. Mike is the author of Make a Scene, where he shares his signature frameworks for storytelling, stage presence, and magnetic communication. Through his coaching, speaking, and programs, he helps professional speakers, best-selling authors, Fortune 500 executives, and other industry leaders align their voice, story, identity, and presence so they become not just respected but unforgettable. Mike Ganino | LinkedIn | Instagram
Make a Scene: Storytelling, Stage Presence, and the Art of Being Unforgettable in Every Spotlight by Mike Ganino Company Culture For Dummies by Mike Ganino
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube
Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| How Your Work Shapes Your Personal Brand with Deesha Philyaw | 29 Sep 2026 | 00:54:30 | |
What comes to mind when people hear your name? For award-winning author Deesha Philyaw, it’s stories about Black women seeking freedom, told with humor, desire, and honesty. It’s also the way she supports other writers. Deesha sees her personal brand in both the work she chooses to create and how she shows up in her community, while recognizing that she cannot control how everyone receives it. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Deesha shares how the women who raised her in Jacksonville shaped The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and her commitment to writing Black women as complex, fully human people. She also traces the winding path from teaching and freelance work to her award-winning fiction and her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, a project she has worked on for 20 years. Paula and Deesha talk about rejection, revision, community, and building an online presence through genuine conversation. Deesha’s advice for writers draws on her own experience: do the work, find your people, and stay clear about what you are willing to put your name on. 1:36 – Deesha’s relationship with personal branding, rejection, and how she describes herself 5:16 – How growing up in Jacksonville shaped Deesha’s writing 11:42 – Deesha’s path from college and early careers to becoming a writer 18:22 – The "ancestral honesty" of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and the church community’s response 24:52 – What rejection and persistence taught Deesha about how she wants to show up 29:48 – Deesha’s experience expanding her work into television 33:37 – How social media helped Deesha build her platform and brand 39:14 – Why The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman took 20 years to write 46:03 – Deesha’s advice for authors building an authentic brand 49:22 – What Deesha does for fun 50:50 – What Deesha will never compromise on in her writing and brand
Deesha Philyaw is an award-winning author and a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, and United States Artist Fellow. Her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, was released in September 2026 and is published by Mariner Books (an imprint of HarperCollins). Deesha also co-hosts two podcasts: Ursa Short Fiction with Dawnie Walton and Reckon True Stories with Kiese Laymon. She’s currently working on developing TV shows based on her short fiction. The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman and Other Books by Deesha Philyaw Follow Deesha on Threads | Instagram | Bluesky | X/Twitter | Facebook
Deesha’s short story “Fuckboy Museum” in the anthology Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women (also available on Amazon)
Sign Up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube
Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| The Most Personal Talk of My Career and the Personal Side of a Personal Brand | 22 Sep 2026 | 00:51:19 | |
I am a big proponent of authenticity, and I describe authenticity as a scale. Vulnerability is different. I can decide whether I’m vulnerable or not, and while I share a lot with people, I don’t think many people get underneath the layers of Paula unless we are close or unless I’m being strategic about it. Giving the most personal talk of my career meant deciding I was going to let people underneath some of those layers. I knew I wanted to do something that was going to stretch me, and this absolutely did. I went about preparing for this talk as if it was not emotional. I knew my points, I knew what I wanted to say, and I was holding myself to the very high standard I always have for how I show up. What truly made this different was the emotion. On the actual day, I had to honor the preparation but also honor the moment and give myself permission not to show up exactly the way I had planned. In this episode of Branding Room Only, my coach, Jacquette M. Timmons, is turning the tables and interviewing me about that experience. We talk about why I decided I was ready to tell this story, how I prepared for a talk that stretched me in a completely different way, what happened when the delivery did not look exactly like I had planned, and what the experience taught me about vulnerability, credibility, and the personal side of personal brand. 1:11 – Paula’s definition of personal brand and how she describes herself 5:03 – Growing up in a Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn and how it shaped Paula 7:43 – Why Paula was ready to tell a more personal story about her mother at PDC 16:33 – Letting go of memorizing the speech and embracing what stretched her as a speaker 20:57 – The difference between authenticity and vulnerability and Paula’s high standards for herself 25:11 – Opening the talk without distractions and letting the emotion shape the moment 30:05 – How her mother’s inclusivity became a leadership lesson that resonated with someone in the audience 36:08 – Giving herself permission not to show up exactly as planned 40:53 – How the experience expanded Paula’s thinking about personal brand 42:54 – Weighing the risks and rewards of sharing something vulnerable publicly 47:52 – Paula’s advice for doing the thing you’ve been hesitating to do
What Losing My Mother on September 11 Taught Me About Leadership Remembering Joan Donna Griffith 25 Years After September 11 with Peter L. Griffith A Tribute to My Mother Joan Donna Griffith Professional Development Consortium (PDC)
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube
Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| What Losing My Mother on September 11 Taught Me About Leadership | 15 Sep 2026 | 00:21:34 | |
For 25 years, much of the conversation about my mother, Joan Donna Griffith, has focused on how she died. But the greatest leadership lessons I carry did not come from losing my mother on September 11, 2001. They came from how she lived, what she taught me, and how she prepared me for moments neither of us could have imagined. In this episode of Branding Room Only, I’m sharing one of the most personal talks I have ever given, originally delivered as a PDC Talk at the Professional Development Consortium (PDC) Annual Summer Conference. In this short talk, I reflect on what my mother taught me about preparing for disruption, making decisions grounded in your values, knowing your worth, and creating more leaders through mentorship, sponsorship, advocacy, and love. Leadership begins long before a crisis arrives. It is revealed through how we prepare people, the choices we make when something is at stake, and how we advocate for others when they are not in the room. 2:42 – The leadership philosophy Joan instilled in childhood 5:45 – The vital importance of preparing others for the unexpected 11:28 – Knowing your values and refusing to let fear make your decisions 15:15 – A lifelong reminder about exponential self-worth 18:12 – Love as the hidden meaning of leadership, and a question to ask yourself
Remembering Joan Donna Griffith 25 Years After September 11 with Peter L. Griffith A Tribute to My Mother Joan Donna Griffith Professional Development Consortium (PDC)
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| How Raymond Sanchez Jr. Honors His Father’s Legacy 25 Years After September 11 | 08 Sep 2026 | 01:37:27 | |
What people say about you when you’re not in the room matters. Raymond Sanchez Jr. has seen that play out throughout a career shaped by relationships, mentorship, and people willing to put his name forward because they trusted how he would show up. It is also a lesson he learned early from his father, Raymond Sanchez Sr., who taught him to have a plan, think ahead, and understand that what you know matters, but so does who you know. Ray was only 22 when his father, a union carpenter working at the World Trade Center, was killed on September 11th. In the aftermath, Ray found himself navigating the legal process to establish his father’s death, an experience that ultimately helped lead him to law school. Twenty-five years later, his father’s example still shows up in the way Ray thinks about service, integrity, and whether he is leaving things better than he found them. He is equally intentional about making sure his father is remembered for who he was, not simply for what happened to him on September 11th. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar sits down with Ray to discuss the people and experiences that shaped his career, why doing the right thing when nobody is looking remains central to his personal brand, and how his father continues to influence the choices he makes today. They also reflect on their shared experience of losing a parent on September 11th and why telling their parents’ stories matters if their legacies will be more than names on a wall. 1:13 – What personal brand means to Ray, three words he’d use to describe himself, his two favorite quotes, and his hype music 6:38 – How a childhood in the NYCHA buildings of the Lower East Side forged Ray’s code of ethics 12:47 – The internship that quietly connected Ray to politicians, Broadway royalty, and two decades of career opportunities 19:43 – The exhausting, bureaucratic maze of proving his father's life ever existed, just to get what Ray was legally owed 22:24 – Going to law school and working at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. 28:13 – The one thing to consider before accepting any job offer, and the roles Ray took on doing meaningful work in the Hispanic community 37:53 – A perfect demonstration of how personal branding is about what people say about (whether you’re in or out of the room) 41:00 – Why Ray ran for NYC Council District 7, joined a non-profit six weeks before federal investigators raided it, and became its new executive director 51:49 – Why Ray almost lost his cool with a city bureaucrat over the phone 57:19 – Raymond Sanchez Sr. as a man and a father, and what his son Ray remembers most about him 1:03:39 – The morning of September 11th through Ray’s eyes, and his father's quiet act of heroism that day 1:11:32 – The dehumanization of the 9/11 victim’s compensation fund, and how that experience proved to be a turning point that led Ray to law school 1:18:26 – How losing his dad the way he did turned Ray into who he is now 1:21:31 – Standing up for our communities as legacy, and why the phrase “victims’ families” never told the whole story 1:24:19 – Pushing back against being only defined by 9/11, why it took 15 years for Ray to talk about that day and tell his father’s story 1:28:15 – The joyful, fun parts of Ray today that his dad would recognize and be proud of 1:30:54 – What ethics demands of you when nobody’s watching, and Ray’s special talent to quickly synthesize complexity
Raymond Sanchez Jr., Esq. has spent two decades building a career at the intersection of law, government, and public advocacy — moving fluidly between City Hall, the private sector, and the nonprofit boardroom in ways that have repeatedly put him in the room where a crisis needed a steady hand. He most recently served as General Counsel to the NYC Mayor's Office of Contract Services, advising the City's Chief Procurement Officer on citywide policy and compliance. Before that, he was appointed CEO of Aguila, Inc., a NYC homeless services nonprofit, where he led the organization through a New York State Attorney General investigation and a pandemic-era transformation of a 200-bed shelter into the city's largest COVID quarantine center. His earlier chapters include Managing Director at Mercury Public Affairs, Principal of his own government relations firm, and seven years as General Counsel and Director of Policy to the Bronx Borough President, where he helped pass NYC's Living Wage Law and secured the conveyance of the Fulton Correctional Facility for a first-of-its-kind reentry housing program. A first-generation Latino leader, Raymond holds a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law and a B.A. in Government from Wesleyan University, and serves on the board of Areté Education and as a special advisor to the La Unidad Latina Foundation. He is a two-time honoree on NYC "40 Under 40" lists and a recipient of the Council of Urban Professionals' Law Catalyst Award.
The Boys Club of New York (BCNY)
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube
Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Remembering Joan Donna Griffith 25 Years After September 11 with Peter L. Griffith | 01 Sep 2026 | 01:42:31 | |
This year marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. For Paula and her family, the anniversary brings an intensely personal loss into focus, along with the many milestones and ordinary moments they wish her mother, Joan Donna Griffith, had been here to experience. Joan was brilliant, funny, stylish, loving, an avid reader, a dedicated professional, a mentor, a wife, and the mother who raised Paula. She shaped how Paula shows up in the world, what she values, how she cares for others, and so much of the personal brand she has built. In this special rerelease of Branding Room Only, Paula revisits a conversation with her father, Peter L. Griffith, about Joan, the life their family shared with her, the grief that followed September 11, and the legacy she continues to leave. This conversation honors Joan Donna Griffith for the fullness of how she lived, not only the way she died. 3:04 - How immigrating to the U.S. shaped Peter’s experience in junior high and high school 10:37 - Peter’s early career experiences and what he learned about race, opportunity, and expectations 16:22 - How Peter met Joan and what it took to build a family together 24:38 - Stories from Peter and Joan’s early years together and the love that shaped their marriage 30:19 - Joan’s love of reading and how the family changed when Paula’s younger sister was born 36:32 - The 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the role Joan played in keeping Paula connected while she was away at boarding school 40:16 - How Joan showed up at home and at work and the standards she passed on to Paula 43:47 - The music, photos, and home videos that captured so many everyday family memories 48:55 - Joan’s dreams, her work ethic, and the impact she had on the people she worked with 55:10 - How Paula and Peter learned about the September 11 attacks and what they remember from those first hours 1:03:06 - How their family began navigating the shock and grief that followed 1:11:09 - Memories from the final weeks with Joan and the “last piece of love” she gave Paula that August 1:19:39 - Remembering Joan through her memorial and the day Paula and Peter retrieved her purse in Lower Manhattan 1:24:30 - What it was like to grieve such a personal loss so publicly 1:34:18 - How Joan’s values continue to shape Paula, her family, and the generations that came after her
A Tribute to My Mother Joan Donna Griffith
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Turn a Speaking Engagement Into More Opportunities | 25 Aug 2026 | 00:20:03 | |
Excellence without intentional follow-up has a very short shelf life. You can deliver a great presentation, have people tell you how much they enjoyed it, and still leave entirely too much value on the table if you don’t have a strategy for what happens next. There’s a window after you speak when people still remember your message, your stories, and how you made them feel. What happened during the engagement can also give you clues about what comes next. A question that keeps coming up, a conversation with someone in the audience, or feedback from the organizer may point toward another opportunity. The point is to pay attention, follow up thoughtfully, and not treat the engagement as something that ended the moment you left the stage. In Part Four of So You Want to Be a Speaker? on Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar walks through what to do after a speaking engagement to keep the momentum going. She shares how to follow up with the people involved, build proof of your work, and use the experience to support future opportunities while continuing to build genuine relationships. She also gives you a practical timeline for the days and weeks that follow, so you know what to do next while the experience is still fresh. 1:35 – Why the first 48 hours after you speak matter just as much as the talk itself 3:12 – What to say in your LinkedIn post reflecting on the event 4:39 – The right and wrong way to send a personalized LinkedIn connection request 6:03 – How to follow up with the event organizer and ask for a testimonial and an introduction to a new audience 9:13 – How you can turn every speaking opportunity into a content goldmine 10:58 – The video and photo strategy that builds evidence of your work for potential clients 13:12 – How to build a simple system for collecting and organizing testimonials 14:18 – Why you should think of the people in your audience as future connectors in addition to potential clients 15:47 – Practical timeline to use after your next speaking engagement, from 48 hours to 30 days 18:32 – A short tease for the next episode of this series
Part 1 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked Part 2 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked Part 3 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Pitch, Prepare, and Get Invited Back
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Your Past Experiences Still Matter to Your Personal Brand | 18 Aug 2026 | 00:06:43 | |
Have you ever had something happen and thought, “I should post about that,” and then life moved on before you did? By the time you came back to it, a few days or weeks had passed and suddenly you were telling yourself that the moment was gone and nobody wanted to hear about it anymore. My friends, it is not too late. Your experiences are evergreen. If you lived it, learned from it, laughed about it, struggled through it, or are still thinking about it, there is value in going back to that experience and asking what it means to you now. I still talk about being on Wheel of Fortune more than a decade later because that story continues to give me something to reflect on and gives other people a way to understand more about my growth, my choices, and my personal brand. In this episode of Branding Room Only, I want to talk about why your past experiences still matter to your personal brand and why you do not have to share something in real time for it to have value. We’re talking about the stories you thought you missed your chance to tell, the perspective you have now that you could not have had in the moment, and why the people in your sphere can still benefit from what you experienced. 1:00 – Your experiences are evergreen and still have value for your personal brand 1:43 – Treating past experiences as personal brand assets instead of expired moments 2:16 – The perspective and reflection that make an old story worth sharing now 3:08 – How to use your past experiences as a personal library you can keep pulling from 4:02 – Sharing later can show growth and give your audience something valuable to learn from 4:52 – Going back to the stories, photos, and lessons you thought you missed the chance to share
Think about the conference photo you never posted, the accomplishment you did not celebrate, or the meaningful lesson you thought was no longer timely. Ask yourself:
Then share it. You did not miss the opportunity. Your story may be arriving exactly when someone else needs it.
Sign up and see Paula on Wheel of Fortune
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC.\ PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Building a Personal Brand Rooted in Personal Power with Demetrius Thornton | 11 Aug 2026 | 00:48:47 | |
What happens when your title changes? Does your confidence change with it? Too many professionals tie their value to a position, an organization, or someone else's validation. But your personal brand should be rooted in something much stronger: your personal power. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar sits down with Demetrius Thornton to explore the difference between positional power and personal power. They discuss his SCOPE Personal Power Framework, the inspiration behind his book American Trickery, and why understanding your value beyond your title is essential for long-term career success. If you've ever questioned your worth after a career transition or wondered how to build a brand that lasts through change, this conversation is for you. 1:20 – How personal brand is evolving for Demetrius, three words that describe him, two resonating quotes, and the music that picks him up 4:47 – Being in New York as a native Southerner and Demetrius’ professional journey after graduating from Morehouse College 10:36 – How personal power changes the way we should think about personal branding 13:48 – The moment a senior banker said the quiet part out loud, and the faultiness of seeking external validation that never comes 17:58 – How to stay grounded in your personal power, regardless of the status of your job or title 21:35 – The SCOPE Personal Power Framework and how it helps you find your way back to yourself when you get off-kilter 28:54 – How to protect your values, credibility, and personal power within an organization with a public brand that doesn’t align with how they navigate internally 33:02 – What the title of Demetrius’ book American Trickery represents, and why he wrote it 36:31 – The difference between a resume and a body of work, and why so many high achievers are aiming lower than they realize 40:34 – Advice for anyone building a personal brand rooted in purpose rather than on paper 43:06 – What Demetrius does for fun, what he’ll never compromise his brand on, and why his relatability and passion for people is his magic
American Trickery by Demetrius Thornton
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube
Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Pitch, Prepare, and Get Invited Back | 04 Aug 2026 | 00:13:14 | |
Getting a yes for a speaking opportunity can feel like the finish line. You pitched yourself, made the case for why you belong in the room, and someone agreed to bring you in. In reality, that yes marks the beginning of your responsibility as a speaker, because what happens between getting booked and taking the stage can determine whether you are invited back. Speaking is a relationship business long before it’s a stage business. That relationship is still being built as you ask questions, learn what the audience is navigating, and prepare for the experience the organization wants you to create. People can feel the difference between a speaker who prepared for their specific audience and someone who prepared a talk and just happens to be delivering it to them. In Part Three of So You Want to Be a Speaker? on Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar shares how speaking opportunities actually begin, how to pitch yourself with strategy, and how she prepares once she’s booked. She walks through how she builds the spine of a session, rehearses out loud, and handles the practical details that affect the delivery, so that when it’s time to step into the room, she can be present, connected, and in service to the audience. 1:16 – Reality check about how speaking opportunities actually reach you 2:42 – How to decide which stages are worth your time to pitch to 3:22 – How to personalize the pitch to increase your chances of getting booked 5:04 – How to follow up, and why silence after a pitch doesn’t automatically mean “No” 5:54 – The first thing Paula does to prepare after getting an invite to speak at an event 6:49 – The internal process behind building a talk that has a true through line, and how writing out your speech reveals gaps you can’t see otherwise 7:47 – Why rehearsing out loud matters, and the importance of the first 60 seconds 8:26 – Overlooked practical details that separate a polished professional from someone just winging it 9:35 – What determines whether an organizer books you again 10:22 – How Paula prepares on the day of the event, and why preparation can also offer flexibility 11:31 – Your takeaway, and a preview for Part Four of the series
Part 1 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked Part 2 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Paula Out of Africa, Part 4: Luxor and the Legacy You Create Every Day | 28 Jul 2026 | 00:20:42 | |
By the time I reached Luxor, I thought this trip had already given me everything it was going to give me. Kenya reminded me to slow down and rediscover wonder. Cairo made me think about legacy and the importance of telling our own stories. Hurghada reminded me that joy is not a luxury. Then Luxor connected all of it in a way that settled into my spirit. Standing in the Valley of the Kings, surrounded by stories that had survived for thousands of years, I couldn't stop thinking about how intentional it all was. Every image, every color, and every symbol had been chosen to communicate something about who these people were, what they valued, and how they wanted to be remembered. They did not leave their stories to chance, and neither should we. In this final episode of my Paula Out of Africa series on Branding Room Only, I'm sharing what Luxor taught me about gratitude, legacy, and the choices we make about how we show up. From the story of Hatshepsut to the realization that none of us should leave our stories to chance, this part of the journey reminded me that legacy isn't something we leave behind someday. It's something we're creating every day through the choices we make, the stories we tell, and the lives we lead. 1:34 – How gratitude shapes your personal brand and the way people experience your character 3:33 – Why gratitude changes the question from what else you can get to how you can honor what you have already received 4:02 – The Luxor excursion Paula nearly skipped and why “hope is not a plan” changed her decision 7:25 – Arriving at the Valley of Kings and feeling the weight of standing on sacred ground 9:09 – What the intentional storytelling inside the tombs revealed about branding and legacy 12:31 – How Hatshepsut shaped her own identity, authority, and place in history 14:49 – What Hatshepsut’s story reveals about women, leadership, visibility, and taking up space 16:18 – The moment Paula realized no one could make her small unless she participated in her own shrinking 18:34 – The message Paula brought home from Africa about remembering who you are and what you are building
Paula Out of Africa, Part 1: Kenya, Wonder, and the Brand You’re Becoming Paula Out of Africa, Part 2: Egypt and What Your Personal Brand Preserves Paula Out of Africa, Part 3: Hurghada and Why You Should Stop Postponing Your Joy Paula’s Luxor and Valley of Kings Photo Album
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Paula Out of Africa, Part 3: Hurghada and Why You Should Stop Postponing Your Joy | 21 Jul 2026 | 00:19:49 | |
Hurghada became one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. Between standing in the Red Sea, saying yes to a flying dress photo shoot, and dancing in the middle of an Eid al-Adha celebration, I was reminded how joyful life can be when you stop trying to optimize every moment and simply allow yourself to experience it. As high achievers, we are often quick to postpone joy until after the next promotion, project, or busy season. We make plenty of room in our personal brands for expertise and accomplishment, while forgetting that people also remember our energy and how we made them feel. Joy belongs there too. In Part 3 of my Paula Out of Africa series, I’m taking you with me to Hurghada and sharing what this part of the trip taught me about being fully present in your own life. I’ll also tell you about the unexpected conversation that reminded me how much we have in common, even when our lives look completely different. 1:13 – Why joy belongs in your personal brand alongside expertise and executive presence 2:47 – How arriving in Hurghada changed the pace of Paula’s Africa trip 5:56 – A flying dress photo shoot by the Red Sea and the power of giving yourself permission to play 8:15 – Experiencing Hurghada during Eid al-Adha and seeing the city beyond the resort 10:31 – Why permission, more than confidence, helps Paula participate fully in her life 12:30 – What a conversation with a shopkeeper revealed about career pivots, resilience, and identity 15:00 – Trusting a stranger’s advice and finding another spiritual moment in Hurghada 16:53 – Why high achievers need to stop postponing joy until someday
Paula Out of Africa, Part 1: Kenya, Wonder, and the Brand You’re Becoming Paula Out of Africa, Part 2: Egypt and What Your Personal Brand Preserves
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Paula Out of Africa, Part 2: Egypt and What Your Personal Brand Preserves | 14 Jul 2026 | 00:19:45 | |
Ancient Egypt isn’t just something you read about in a school history book or see in an old Elizabeth Taylor movie. It was a real, thriving civilization filled with people who lived, loved, worked, governed, worshipped, and left behind evidence that they had been there. Millennia later, we still know their stories because someone took the time to document, preserve, and pass them on. Standing in a papyrus gallery in modern-day Egypt and learning how ancient writings survived for thousands of years made me think differently about personal branding. Your personal brand helps preserve your ideas, your work, and the story of the impact you made. It also gives you the opportunity to shape that story for yourself instead of leaving someone else to define what you are known for. In Part 2 of my Paula Out of Africa series, I’m taking you through the Egyptian leg of my trip, from Cairo and the Nile to the Grand Egyptian Museum, the pyramids, and the Sphinx. I’m sharing why joy belongs in your personal brand, how your vision can expand before anyone else sees it, and why documenting your expertise matters if you want your work to continue speaking when you are no longer in the room. If you have ever assumed your work will speak for itself, this episode makes the case for giving it a voice. 2:03 – How Paula’s arrival in Egypt was completely different from when she first set foot in Kenya 5:02 – Real joy as a brand asset and credibility as a reward for authentically expressing it 7:24 – How a photo taken on a dock overlooking the Nile expanded Paula’s vision for her brand 8:40 – Highlights from the breathtaking Grand Egyptian Museum tour 10:54 – The importance of owning your story and not letting others define your professional reputation 12:54 – What ancient paper can teach you about showcasing and protecting your expertise (and legacy) 15:31 – A valuable business reminder from vendors hustling outside the pyramids 17:16 – Why building a stronger personal brand might start with leaving your calendar behind
Paula Out of Africa, Part 1: Kenya, Wonder, and the Brand You’re Becoming
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Paula Out of Africa, Part 1: Kenya, Wonder, and the Brand You're Becoming | 07 Jul 2026 | 00:18:36 | |
For years, I had wanted to visit the African continent, especially Egypt, but when the opportunity came to travel to both Kenya and Egypt with the National Bar Association, something in me immediately said, "Paula, you have to go." I had no idea just how much that decision would change me. In Part 1 of my Paula Out of Africa series, I'm taking you along on my journey through Kenya. What started as a long-awaited trip became a powerful reminder of the importance of wonder, curiosity, community, and making room for experiences that expand who we are. Along the way, I found unexpected moments of connection, stood in awe watching elephants in the Maasai Mara, reflected on leadership and personal branding, and came home with what I can only describe as a capital-C confidence. If you've ever felt a nudge to do something that stretched you, this episode is your reminder to trust it. Sometimes the experiences that change us the most begin with simply saying yes. 1:11 – Why Paula took this trip (and why it had to be solo) 2:29 – The question so many stop asking themselves 3:54 – A strange encounter that proved prophetic 5:01 – An important reminder about relationship-building on the first leg of the journey 6:07 – What surprised Paula when she first set foot on African soil 7:10 – How travel influences your perspective 9:38 – The creative power of participation 10:14 – Why curiosity might be the most underrated tool in relationship building 11:17 – What finally happened when the long-awaited spiritual connection arrived 13:01 – An unforgettable scene that shows the beauty and heartbreak of nature 15:11 – The "capital-C confidence" Paula brought home and what it means for her personal brand 16:59 – An invitation to trust your intuition
Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked | 30 Jun 2026 | 00:13:13 | |
Your brand is your first audition. When someone hears you speak and starts imagining you at their conference, retreat, leadership program, or client event, the next thing they are going to do is look you up. Long before you speak with an event organizer, your LinkedIn profile, website, bio, content, and digital presence are helping people decide whether you are someone they can trust with their audience. Too many aspiring speakers leave that process to chance. An outdated LinkedIn profile, a website that never mentions speaking, a vague bio, or a lack of clear positioning can create hesitation and uncertainty at the exact moment you want to inspire confidence. In Part Two of So You Want to Be a Speaker? on Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar breaks down how to build a personal brand that supports your speaking goals and helps you stand out. She explores the importance of positioning, clarity, and consistency, while walking through the essential speaker assets every professional should have, including LinkedIn, a website, speaker bios, one sheets, video, and thought leadership content. Whether you're pursuing your first speaking engagement or looking to expand your platform, this episode offers practical strategies to help decision-makers understand your value, remember your expertise, and feel confident bringing you to the stage. 1:08 – The invisible audition you start giving as soon as someone hears your name 2:39 – Three questions your positioning must answer (and why not doing this first will cost you) 4:08 – The LinkedIn profile set-up that entices others to book you as a speaker 5:49 – What to include on your website to make it effortless to refer and invite you 6:23 – What your speaker bio needs to address for the event organizer and your audience 7:00 – The one-page document you can create to serve as an easy referral tool 7:31 – How to create and use video as a showcase (and why it matters more than you think) 8:23 – The importance of consistency among your assets as a quiet trust-builder 9:38 – How to create five pieces of content from a single speaking topic 11:08 – How to audit your assets, the key takeaway from this episode, and a preview of the next installment in the series Mentioned In So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked Part 1 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Events Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only podcast on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Authenticity, Ambition, and Betting on Yourself with Fitzann Reid | 23 Jun 2026 | 00:55:48 | |
What happens when the very things that make you different become your greatest strengths? For Fitzann “Fitz” Reid, showing up fully, taking calculated risks, and creating opportunities where none existed before have been defining themes throughout her career. A lawyer, investor, entrepreneur, sports owner, and leader, Fitz has built a career that defies traditional expectations. From growing up in South Jamaica, Queens, as the daughter of Jamaican immigrants to serving at the highest levels of the SEC, helping launch Hunterbrook, and investing in professional sports, she has consistently chosen growth over comfort and possibility over convention. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Fitz and Paula explore what it means to build a career intentionally rather than simply following the path laid out for you. They discuss the power of sponsorship, the leadership lessons learned through sports, the responsibility that comes with visibility, and the confidence required to remain authentic in spaces that were not always designed with you in mind. Fitz also shares her experiences as a Black queer woman and a first-generation Jamaican-American, and how those experiences have informed her perspective while never limiting the scope of who she is or what she can accomplish. The conversation covers career pivots, entrepreneurship, investing, leadership, and personal branding through the lens of someone who has repeatedly stepped into unfamiliar spaces and found ways to succeed. Fitz's story is a reminder that growth often requires courage, that visibility creates possibility for others, and that some of the most meaningful opportunities appear long before there is certainty about the outcome. Her approach to life and work demonstrates the value of trusting yourself, staying open to possibility, and being willing to take the first step before you have every answer. 1:26 – Fitzann’s personal brand definition and why she describes herself as authentic, relentless, and empathetic 4:20 – Why a Bryan Stevenson (director of Equal Justice Initiative) quote that hangs on Fitz’s wall made such an impression 7:43 – How Fitz learned independence and resilience as a kid growing up in South Jamaica, Queens 10:25 – How being a first-generation Jamaican American has influenced Fitz’s leadership and ambition 13:02 – The weight of responsibility often facing children of immigrants and how Paula conveyed that to her kids 14:25 – How Fitz has navigated her career and assumed leadership positions as a Black, queer woman in industries often lacking diversity 19:05 – How her background in sports has played a major role in Fitz’s leadership style 22:38 – How Fitz stood her ground against conforming in law school and grew her confidence over time 31:45 – Fitz outlines her career trajectory, from an early interest in politics and law school to buying an Italian basketball team and building Hunterbrook 39:02 – How that initial sports investment opened up bigger doors of opportunity 41:00 – How Fitz has been intentional about building her brand while navigating her career 44:32 – The root of Fitz’s personal and strategic interest in women’s sports, and investment opportunities still available 48:10 – Why advocacy through the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association is so important to Fitz 51:48 – Why Fitz will never compromise on how she shows up, and the magic she offers to others 53:41 – The importance of treating your difference from others as a superpower, not a disadvantage
Fitzann “Fitz” Reid is a partner, general counsel, and chief compliance officer at Hunterbook, a startup media company and hedge fund. She’s also an avid sports investor and co-founder of Vera West Sports and Entertainment. Before Hunterbrook, she spent the bulk of her career in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at the highest levels, serving across Examinations and Enforcement as well as Senior Counsel to Commissioner Allison Lee. Then she moved on to become the Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy General Counsel at impact-focused hedge fund Engine No 1. Her work spanned rulemaking, enforcement, litigation, whistleblowers, and on-site examinations of registrants, including broker-dealers, investment advisers, private fund advisers, and mutual funds. Fitzann has a BBA from Pace University, an MBA from Wharton at UPenn, and a JD from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, where she later taught federal regulations and enforcement as an Adjunct Professor. Off the clock, she serves on several boards, including the National LGBTQ Plus Bar Association, and is registered with the state bar in D.C. and New York. Hunterbrook | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube
National LGBTQ+ Bar Association
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Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Truth and Celebration: Stories of Black American History with Prof. Annette Gordon-Reed | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:48:17 | |
We don’t know the faces or names of many enslaved Black people in American history. Some left a small mark of their existence in the very bricks of the buildings their hands built, yet they remain voiceless because their story has been hidden away. Historians like Annette Gordon-Reed know that through sharing the stories of enslaved people, we remember their humanity and preserve historical truth in the process. She’s a Harvard University professor and the award-winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello and On Juneteenth. With her lawyer-like approach, she’s brought light to stories once expunged from our history and provided a view of the road to Juneteenth through her books. In this episode of the Branding Room Only podcast, you’ll hear about the national implications inherent in The Hemingses’ story (and connection to Thomas Jefferson) and Juneteenth. Annette will discuss her own experiences with celebrating Juneteenth, what the country should learn from the experiences of enslaved people, and more! 2:15 - Annette’s personal branding definition, three-word description of herself, favorite quotes, and hype song 4:30 - The importance of reading and music in Annette’s life as a child 6:31 - Annette’s non-traditional career trajectory as a lawyer, author, and professor 10:09 - What motivated Annette to write about the Hemingses and Thomas Jefferson 15:43 - The need to understand the truth in shaping the legacies and personal brands we hold dear 18:28 - The significance of Juneteenth and why Annette wrote her book on it 24:57 - Traditional Juneteenth celebrations Annette grew up with in Texas and newer ones she’s seen integrated into the holiday 29:29 - The good and (potential) bad about Juneteenth and its importance in the context of American history 36:37 - How Annette wants people in the future to remember her contribution to preserving a piece of American history 38:31 - Finding fun and continuous growth in humbling activities 42:27 - Annette’s one uncompromisable aspect and Branding Room Only quality
Annette Gordon-Reed grew up in Texas and went to Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. Annette practiced law for seven years and then went into academia as a law professor. Her first book, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy, was published in 1997. In 1998, DNA corroborated the thesis of Annette’s book. Since then, she has written and edited 6 other books, including Vernon Can Read, A memoir with Vernon Jordan and, most recently, On Juneteenth. The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
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Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Wherever You Go, There You Are: Personal Branding and Dating Mindset with Francesca Hogi | 09 Jun 2026 | 00:56:10 | |
Your personal brand is not limited to your LinkedIn profile, your networking skills, or how you show up at work. It is how people experience you in every room you enter, including your relationships, your dating life, your confidence, your boundaries, and the stories you tell yourself about your own worth. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar sits down with love educator, coach, author, and two-time TED speaker Francesca Hogi for a candid conversation about the connection between personal branding, self-worth, dating, and authenticity. From her unconventional path from corporate law to matchmaking and coaching to her insights on modern dating culture, Francesca shares why so many people are taught to perform for acceptance instead of choosing themselves first. Together, Paula and Francesca unpack the conditioning that teaches women to wait to be chosen, the difference between attraction and alignment, how relationship patterns often mirror professional patterns, and why discernment matters just as much in love as it does in business. They also dive into dating apps, intuition, confidence, loneliness, authenticity, and what it really means to bring your full self into every room you enter. Honest, funny, reflective, and deeply relatable, this conversation will have you thinking differently about love, identity, and the way you move through the world. 1:16 – What personal brand means to Francesca, how she’d describe herself, her lifelong motto, and why she calls herself “a weirdo” about music 5:37 – How growing up in New York City influenced Francesca’s understanding and appreciation of people 7:40 – The question Francesca hated being asked as a child, and how the only answer she had influenced her professional life (including her Survivor appearances) 13:41 – How matchmaker Paul C. Bunson initially introduced Francesca to personal branding and inspired her career pivot into love and relationships 16:31 – How love and dating connect to personal branding, self-worth, and what your romantic patterns reveal about how you actually see yourself 21:31 – The "pick me" conditioning that trains people to treat dating like a job pitch, and what it looks like to show up differently 27:10 – Why the list of must-haves for most dating people often has nothing to do with the relationship they want 36:26 – Why lack of discernment is one of the most common dating mistakes Francesca sees, what it looks like when you don’t have it, and what changes when you do 41:29 – Why you don’t need (and shouldn’t overly depend on) a dating app, and a mindset shift in meeting people organically 41:29 – Why you don't need a dating app to find love, and the mindset shift that opens up what Francesca calls the "meet cute" opportunity in everyday life 52:09 – One thing Francesca will never compromise on, and the magic she brings to a standing room only Connect With Francesca Hogi Francesca Hogi is a love coach, guide, speaker, and mentor for people who are ready to start a new chapter in dating, find meaningful relationships, and live in alignment with their deepest values. Through her coaching, writing, and community (The True Love Society), she helps people create relationships that feel fulfilling and true to who they are. She has shared this work with hundreds of thousands of people through her client work, events, courses, TED talks, Dear Franny podcast, and How to Find True Love book. Before her journey into love and coaching, Francesca practiced corporate law for over a decade. She holds a B.S. in Producing for Electronic Media from Syracuse University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. And fun fact: she competed on two seasons of the iconic reality show Survivor. Her website, book, TED Talk, podcast archive, and social media: Francesca Hogi | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube How to Find True Love: Unlock Your Romantic Flow and Create Lasting Relationships “How to Unlock Your Flirting Superpowers” | TEDxTalk Mentioned In Wherever You Go, There You Are: Personal Branding and Dating Mindset with Francesca Hogi Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked | 02 Jun 2026 | 00:12:58 | |
Wanting the stage and being ready to serve an audience from it are two very different things. Speaking can be a visibility strategy, a business development tool, or a business in its own right, but each lane requires a different strategy. When you treat every speaking opportunity the same, you miss the chance to make intentional decisions about your time, your preparation, your pricing, and your follow-up. And all of it starts with clarity: knowing what you have to say, who needs to hear it, and the value you want people to walk away with. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar kicks off the So You Want to Be a Speaker series with an honest conversation about what speaking actually requires before the bookings, polished website, or speaker reel. Drawing from her experience speaking to lawyers, executives, affinity groups, leadership teams, and professional audiences, she breaks down the three strategic lanes of speaking, the foundational elements every aspiring speaker needs, and a simple exercise to help listeners clarify their message, audience, and purpose. 2:28 – The distinct differences between speaking on stage for industry visibility, business development, and as a fully paid operation 3:43 – Why wanting the stage is not the same as being ready to serve an audience from it 6:17 – Why narrowing your focus is actually what makes you findable, bookable, and memorable 7:12 – How your brand needs to communicate your expertise before you even walk in the room 8:00 – What gathering proof in the beginning stages of public speaking will require of you 9:46 – Paula’s fill-in-the-blank framework that clarifies your message, audience, and purpose in a way that other people can use to refer you Mentioned In So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Crafting a Personal Brand in the Corporate World with Zabrina Jenkins | 25 May 2026 | 00:42:33 | |
Sometimes, the best career and life advice you receive comes from your family. My guest can certainly relate since she has received pivotal advice from her dad that has helped her throughout her career! From Zabrina’s upbringing to her love for sports and spontaneity, we explore how her personal interests and family values have shaped her approach to leadership and personal branding. Zabrina’s fundamental belief is that your personal brand should echo your core values, a philosophy that has guided her own career and life decisions. In this episode of the Branding Room Only podcast, Zabrina shares her impressive journey of climbing the corporate ladder, a path filled with unexpected turns and valuable learnings. She opens up about the importance of embracing career changes as opportunities for growth and the profound impact of stepping outside one's comfort zone. Zabrina's remarkable story is a testament to adaptability, mentorship, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. 1:40 - What a personal brand reflects, how Zabrina describes herself, and her favorite quote and hype song 4:12 - How growing up with a dad in the Air Force influenced Zabrina’s childhood and her approach to the world, and her career 15:30 - The impact of leadership roles on Zabrina’s brand, the three A’s to her success, and how you reflect other people’s brands 21:42 - Ground rules Zabrina follows that can help you navigate through life and the different roles you play 26:45 - The impact that mentorship can have on your life and career 30:47 - Tips to help you navigate your personal brand in a corporate environment 34:56 - How much Zabrina loves sports and the outdoors, the risk she will never take, and the one thing some people find disarming about her Mentioned In Crafting a Personal Brand in the Corporate World with Zabrina Jenkins “2024 Intention and Goal Setting Webinar” | YouTube A Tribute to My Mother Joan Donna Griffith Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Building a Legacy: Insights on Leadership and Diversity in the Law with Robert Grey Jr. | 19 May 2026 | 00:55:10 | |
The fight to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion has deep historical roots, marked by significant milestones and challenges, from the Civil Rights era to present-day initiatives, including the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action. Robert J. Grey Jr., President of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) and former President of the American Bar Association, has witnessed several pivotal moments in this ongoing battle. His experiences growing up during these transformative times have profoundly influenced his career and dedication to both leadership and advancing diversity in the legal profession. In this episode of the Branding Room Only podcast, Robert delves into his impactful career and the current state of diversity in law and society. He discusses the vital work of LCLD, the importance of mentorship, and the lessons learned from career successes and setbacks. Robert shares his insights on what it takes to continue moving forward and build a legacy that inspires. 1:36 - Aspects of a successful personal brand, how Robert defines his brand, and his favorite quote and hype song 9:20 - How his upbringing and schooling impacted Robert’s brand and career 17:43 - What Robert learned about himself in not winning the 2008 Richmond mayoral race 21:07 - What the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity is and why it’s important 26:32 - Robert’s insights into the state of diversity in the country and the legal profession 32:34 - A broader concept of mentorship and how it can be critical to your brand 37:03 - How Robert made jury improvement and preservation his focus as American Bar Association president 43:07 - The legacy Robert hopes to leave behind and what he does for fun 49:39 - The inflection point confronting us right now and why persistence is so critical
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) | X/Twitter
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube
Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| The Social Billionaire: Networking, Personal Brand, and the Wealth Hiding in Plain Sight with J. Kelly Hoey | 12 May 2026 | 00:56:22 | |
J. Kelly Hoey was the very first guest on Branding Room Only, and more than 100 episodes later, she's back. This time she's bringing a new book, a rabbit hole's worth of research, and a framework that challenges what most women have been told about how to build the relationships and the personal brand that move their careers forward. Kelly is a lawyer turned entrepreneur, networking expert, and bestselling author whose career has spanned big law, venture capital, and leading global communities. In her new book, The Social Billionaire, she draws on years of research showing that the women who flourish professionally do not mimic men. They follow a different playbook, one built on a specific network structure, a particular kind of focus, and the grit to keep showing up for it. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar and Kelly get into why so many women are doing all the right things and still not getting results, the network structure that high-achieving women use to get ahead, why your personal brand determines who is willing to vouch for you behind closed doors, and why the wealth you have been searching for might already be sitting right outside your office door. 1:35 – Kelly’s shifted perspective on networking and personal brand since her last show appearance, and why she wrote her newest book 2:43 – Why following networking advice tailored for men might actually be hindering your professional growth 8:33 – Kelly’s three-part framework and how it works as a filter for every goal, opportunity, and decision you face 18:08 – How a curated tribe of like-minded peers (when done right) changes everything else downstream for high-achieving women 24:18 – How strategic and reactive networks differ, and why trust is the currency that makes the whole thing work when you need it most 27:22 – Why some women feel resistance in making connections with women specifically (and people, in general) when it comes to networking 28:57 – Networking habits that might be hurting your brand and the current communication struggle some people have with others 39:12 – Why the wealth you need may already be hiding in plain sight 42:43 – How writing The Social Billionaire has changed the way Kelly shows up in, and the first move to make if you need to rethink your network 45:34 – The one relationship you’re probably ignoring that needs your attention right now, and the importance of seeing where you’re directing your energy 51:03 – The one shift Kelly wants you to make after reading her book, even if you do nothing else 54:57 – One thing about relationship-building that Kelly will never compromise on Mentioned In The Social Billionaire: Networking, Personal Brand, and the Wealth Hiding in Plain Sight with J. Kelly Hoey Learn More About Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| How Motherhood Sharpened My Personal Brand | 05 May 2026 | 00:09:25 | |
There’s a narrative among some that when you become a mother, your ambition should get quieter, your goals should get smaller, and you move to the background of your own life. That was not my experience. Motherhood didn’t replace my purpose. It expanded it. Becoming a mother in the middle of law school meant navigating two major transformations at once. What came out of that season was a sharper, more intentional, and more focused version of who I am and what I’m building. Motherhood made me more accountable to my own potential, not less. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar gets personal about what that actually looked like: becoming a mother during law school, navigating her son’s childhood cancer diagnosis, and the moment she decided she was no longer willing to stay in spaces that did not support her. 1:24 – The impact of balancing high-level education with early parenthood 2:12 – The difference in Paula’s brand before and after becoming a mother 3:45 – A surprising piece of advice about prioritization as a parent 4:35 – How motherhood expanded my purpose instead of replacing it 5:24 – How her son’s diagnosis forced an overhaul of Paula’s boundaries 6:58 – The root question Paula asks to ensure her actions align with the legacy she wants to leave 7:37 – Motherhood as a catalyst for increased accountability toward your own potential Mentioned In How Motherhood Sharpened My Personal Brand The Life & Legacy of Joan Donna Griffith: A Conversation with Peter Griffith (Part 1 and Part 2) Lessons from My Mother, Hopes for My Daughter: On Mothering and What We Carry Forward 7 Powerful Branding Lessons I’ve Learned From My Son Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Stop Waiting for Confidence: Build the Systems That Sustain Your Personal Brand | 28 Apr 2026 | 00:11:15 | |
Confidence that shows up after a win or in a familiar room is real. But when something shifts, a new role, a new team, a new challenge, that confidence can feel a lot less stable. The professionals who sustain confidence over time are not waiting on motivation. They have built systems around it. Self-awareness, reinforcement, visibility, and environment. And they have connected those systems to something that travels with them everywhere. Their personal brand. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula Edgar closes out the Confidence Factor series by walking through these four systems and explaining why your personal brand is the structure that holds your confidence in place. When your brand is clear and intentional, you are not starting from zero in every new environment. You are carrying your value, your positioning, and your proof with you. 1:48 – Self-awareness as a confidence stabilizer 2:18 – The system that pushes back against imposter syndrome with hard evidence 3:52 – Visibility and your environment as confidence strengtheners 5:02 – Paula’s real-time confidence booster for high-stakes moments 7:50 – The link between personal branding and confidence 8:34 – Why confidence isn’t always about certainty 9:47 – Seven reflection questions to help you build lasting confidence
How Sharing Your Wins Strengthens Your Personal Brand How to Assemble and Leverage Your Personal Board of Directors When Comfort Becomes Complacency: Protecting Your Personal Brand Before You Need It The Four Confidence Leaks That Are Undermining Your Personal Brand Borrowed Confidence: Why the Right People Accelerate Your Personal Brand Visibility Builds Confidence: Why Your Personal Brand Can't Afford to Hide Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Visibility Builds Confidence: Why Your Personal Brand Can't Afford to Hide | 21 Apr 2026 | 00:11:35 | |
Doing excellent work is not enough. You can put your head down, deliver quality, and still be overlooked. That approach may feel comfortable, but it is not a strategy for growth. Capability alone does not create momentum. Visibility does. And what often gets framed as humility, caution, or professionalism is sometimes just hiding. That choice has consequences. It weakens your confidence, limits your access, and shrinks your opportunities over time. Being visible means being findable, understandable, and referable. These are three distinct things, and most professionals are falling short on at least one of them without realizing how much it is costing their confidence and their brand. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula Edgar continues the Confidence Factor series with a clear message. Confidence is not the issue. Visibility is. She breaks down why the gap between your internal capability and how the world perceives you is a visibility problem, how to close it without feeling like you are bragging, and what it actually looks like to show up with intention. 00:57 – The quiet cost of staying excellent but unseen 3:37 – How visibility is about being findable, understandable, and referable 5:53 – How you can be visible without being performative 7:51 – Visibility as a skill you can learn to use and maximize 8:35 – How discomfort with visibility can quietly signal growth 9:50 – Four questions to ask yourself about your visibility Mentioned In Visibility Builds Confidence: Why Your Personal Brand Can't Afford to Hide When Comfort Becomes Complacency: Protecting Your Personal Brand Before You Need It The Four Confidence Leaks That Are Undermining Your Personal Brand Borrowed Confidence: Why the Right People Accelerate Your Personal Brand LinkedIn Strategies & Leadership Tips to Master Personal Branding with Richard Bliss Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Borrowed Confidence: Why the Right People Accelerate Your Personal Brand | 14 Apr 2026 | 00:10:07 | |
We often treat confidence like a purely internal project, something we must manufacture from scratch, alone. But while confidence is deeply personal, it's also profoundly relational. It's shaped by the rooms you enter, the voices you prioritize, and the way others reflect your value back to you long before you've claimed it yourself. This is what Paula calls borrowed confidence. Whether it's a mentor naming a capability you haven't yet articulated or a colleague introducing you in a way that makes you sit up straighter, these moments aren't just nice gestures. They're how confidence actually grows. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar continues the Confidence Factor Series by making the case that confidence is not a solo project. She breaks down why proximity is a personal branding strategy, how to build a personal board of directors that actively supports your growth, and what to do about the proximity issues that may be keeping your brand smaller than it should be. 1:29 – How a high-level introduction can help you connect dots about your own value that you might be missing 2:29 – Why it is sometimes necessary to lean on someone else’s belief in your capabilities while you’re still building your own 3:31 – Why high skill levels often feel like uncertainty when you’re operating in a narrow or stagnant environment 5:24 – How confidence grows in reciprocal relationships between you and members of your personal board of directors 7:48 – The psychological impact of surrounding yourself with people who "play small" versus those who normalize growth 8:20 – Why personal branding clarity is the essential manual that tells your network exactly how to advocate for you 8:48 – Your question and assignment for this week
When Comfort Becomes Complacency: Protecting Your Personal Brand Before You Need It The Four Confidence Leaks That Are Undermining Your Personal Brand How to Assemble and Leverage Your Personal Board of Directors Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Your Personal Brand Will Outlive You So What Happens Next with Carl Forbes Jr. | 07 Apr 2026 | 00:55:47 | |
If you care about your personal brand, you should care about what happens after you’re gone. In this episode of Branding Room Only, I sit down with Carl Forbes Jr., founder of CFJ Law and a leader in estate planning, to talk about something too many professionals avoid. If your personal brand is about how people experience you and what you leave behind, then estate planning is not optional. It is part of the strategy. We get into the real implications of not having a plan, the mistakes even lawyers make, and why legacy is more than money. It is about control, clarity, and making sure your values, your family, and everything you built are protected long after you are no longer in the room. If this episode made you think differently about your brand and your legacy, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you have not handled your estate planning yet, this is your sign. 1:22 – How Carl defines personal brand and sees himself, his favorite quote, and the Rick Ross song he played when traveling to work 4:24 – Life lessons learned from a Brooklyn upbringing 5:17 – How competitive debate, fraternity life, and student leadership laid the groundwork for Carl’s practice centered on family, community, and legacy 13:07 – How a family death inspired Carl to focus on wills, trusts, estate planning, and real estate law in his practice over being a generalist 17:48 – How Carl defines legacy and its connection to personal branding 19:31 – Why estate planning is about protecting your brand, your family, and ensuring that your story continues 22:13 – The reality of what really happens when you don’t plan and let the law decide who inherits your assets 26:03 – What estate planning on the cheap will cost you and why not planning at all is the wrong mindset to have 34:53 – Real estate investment and ownership as a tool for building generational wealth and overcoming historical disadvantages 39:39 – How Carl’s experience as a former Metropolitan Black Bar Association president has shaped his brand and impacted his legacy 45:21 – How Carl wants his legacy to be remembered, personally and professionally 49:05 – What Carl does for fun, the aspect of his brand that Paula sees as uncompromisable, and what he brings to a room full of people Mentioned In Your Personal Brand Will Outlive You So What Happens Next with Carl Forbes Jr. Metropolitan Black Bar Association Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Personal Branding Strategy Session Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| The Four Confidence Leaks That Are Undermining Your Personal Brand | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:11:30 | |
You can be talented, prepared, and experienced and still feel uncertain. That does not mean you need more credentials or more time. Sometimes the issue is not building confidence. It is that your confidence is leaking. Most people try to fix confidence without first diagnosing where it is breaking down. When you apply the wrong solution to the wrong issue, you stay stuck. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar breaks down the four confidence leaks: comparison, invisibility, perfectionism, and environment. Each one impacts how you show up, how you are perceived, and how your personal brand is experienced. She explains why comparison distorts your perspective, why invisibility weakens your feedback loop, why perfectionism delays the exposure that builds confidence, and why your environment may be the real issue, not you. This episode will help you make targeted, strategic shifts. Because confidence is not the absence of nerves. It is the presence of trust. 1:18 – Why measuring yourself against someone else’s curated presence creates a distorted reality 3:10 – The psychological toll of a "culture of invisibility" and how it forces professionals to internalize silence 4:24 – How perfectionism acts as a mask for professionalism while effectively starving you of necessary evidence 6:41 – How shifts in your environment can trigger a dip in confidence that has nothing to do with your actual capability 7:54 – A strategic guide to choosing the right "plug" for your specific leak 8:58 – How reframing physical nervousness as readiness can shift your experience in high-stakes moments 10:12 – One intentional question you can ask each week to stand by your brand with more certainty Mentioned In The Four Confidence Leaks That Are Undermining Your Personal Brand When Comfort Becomes Complacency: Protecting Your Personal Brand Before You Need It Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Use AI Like You Mean It: Personal Brand, AI Fluency, and Leading with Dignity with Gabrielle Kohlmeier | 24 Mar 2026 | 00:56:59 | |
Knowing AI exists is one thing. Knowing how to use it in a way that sounds like you, supports how you lead, and strengthens your personal brand is something else entirely. That gap is where a lot of professionals are stuck. Gabrielle Kohlmeier has spent years helping people move through that gap with more clarity and confidence. As a lawyer, tech leader, and transformation executive who led global legal AI adoption at one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, she brings a practical, strategic, and dignity-centered perspective to the conversation. Her approach is rooted in grit, growth mindset, and a belief that change should be led with intention. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar and Gabrielle Kohlmeier explore why AI fluency matters for personal branding, how to use AI as a thought partner without flattening your voice, and how the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession’s 21-Day Grit and Growth Mindset AI Challenge helps professionals build confidence, fluency, and momentum. 1:23 – Gabrielle’s complicated relationship with personal branding 3:49 – Three short self-descriptive phrases for Gabrielle, two favorite quotes, and her eclectic mix of hype music 7:18 – How Gabrielle’s unique childhood turned into a powerful lens for reading the room, understanding multiple perspectives, and leading with humility and curiosity 9:34 – Gabrielle’s entry into law and discovery of growth mindset 12:18 – What grit and growth mindset mean and why Gabrielle is so passionate about these concepts 17:05 – How Gabrielle’s 21-Day Grit and Growth Mindset AI Challenge helps build your AI fluency and moves you from fear into informed experimentation 28:08 – How Gabrielle uses AI tools to process things out and why you might feel hesitant about adopting AI 34:24 – Why women and underrepresented professionals need to engage in AI for governance, branding, and positioning purposes 39:58 – Favorite AI tool, how Gabrielle uses it in her work and personal life, and why AI isn’t perfect 43:18 – One of Paula’s favorite use cases for AI and why it produces more valuable outputs 46:00 – How to start using AI in a way that enhances your voice rather than replaces it 49:24 – Why Gabrielle will never compromise on dignity in terms of her brand as technology advances 50:56 – How Gabrielle uses AI when traveling and exploring for fun 52:59 – The no-seats-left, standing-room-only experience Gabrielle brings to the room Mentioned In Use AI Like You Mean It: Personal Brand, Fluency, and Leading with Dignity with Gabrielle Kohlmeier 21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge The Grit and Growth Mindset Project on ABA Gabrielle Kohlmeier on LinkedIn
PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| 7 Ways You're Leaving Your Personal Brand Up to Luck | 17 Mar 2026 | 00:09:33 | |
Are you leaving your personal brand up to luck? Some professionals do, and they'll insist that the great opportunity or recommendation that appeared at the right moment proves it. But while luck certainly plays a role in life and careers, there's a clear distinction between welcoming luck and relying on it as a strategy. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar walks through seven areas where people often leave their personal brand up to luck and why that is a mistake. From how you prepare your references to how you show up at conferences, shape your narrative, and advocate for opportunities, each decision becomes part of a deliberate strategy. Luck may open a door, but intention is what helps you walk through it. Paula breaks down where professionals are leaving too much to chance and what it looks like to build your brand with clarity, consistency, and intentional action instead. 1:38 – Why preparation matters long before someone calls your references 2:41 – The differentiator between those who benefit the most from conferences and those who don’t 3:40 – Strategic visibility as a reputation boost to draw attention to your work 4:31 – One thing you must take control of to ensure people understand your value 5:21 – How real advocates for your brand are rarely the result of random encounters 6:09 – Why waiting to be invited or recognized isn’t a reliable brand strategy 6:51 – How growth itself can be strategic for your personal brand 7:50 - Final thoughts to wrap up the show Mentioned In 7 Ways You're Leaving Your Personal Brand Up to Luck Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| When Comfort Becomes Complacency: Protecting Your Personal Brand Before You Need It | 10 Mar 2026 | 00:12:05 | |
After years of hard work, many professionals finally reach a point where things feel stable. The role fits. The team works. The urgency slows down. But that sense of comfort can quietly turn into complacency if you stop investing in your personal brand simply because things feel “fine.” In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar explores the difference between comfort and complacency and why personal branding requires ongoing maintenance—even in seasons of stability. Through real examples from her work with clients, Paula explains why visibility, relationships, and clarity about your value should be built before disruption forces you to. In this episode:
00:35 – The subtle line between comfort and complacency 2:02 – What happens when your reputation only lives inside your organization 4:19 – Personal branding as an often-overlooked discipline 5:20 – How comfort can sometimes become an identity you get wrapped up in 6:07 – Two examples of how disruption exposes branding gaps 8:45 – The power of intentional discomfort to facilitate growth 10:08 – Simple branding gut check and how to create a little intentional discomfort this week
How Sharing Your Wins Strengthens Your Personal Brand
Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| How to Reframe Your Brand for Board Service with Sonya Olds Som | 03 Mar 2026 | 00:59:22 | |
Wanting to be on a board and being ready for board service are not the same thing. Some people spend years building relationships, understanding governance, and positioning themselves as trusted advisors. Others rush the process and undermine their credibility before a real conversation even begins. Sonya Olds Som, Global Managing Partner and leader of the Legal, Risk, and Compliance Practice at DSG Global, conducts executive and board searches across industries. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar and Sonya break down what truly signals board readiness, why mindset matters as much as experience, and how your personal brand either builds trust or raises red flags in the boardroom. 1:10 – The best piece of professional advice Sonya has received, habits that keep her focused, and one surprising fact about her 5:29 – How the boardroom impression “nose in, fingers out” changes the way you talk about your expertise and value 12:20 – The kinds of people boards are always looking for and how opportunities have opened up in the last few years 15:14 – How to pivot to make yourself attractive to boards with less directly-connected experience than what they typically look for 17:56 – How to answer tough experience questions in an interview without selling yourself short or pretending to be something you’re not 21:24 – One of the best ways to prepare yourself to be a board member (and why treating it as “easy money” is a bad move) 34:10 – Ways to maximize your visibility and presence without oversharing or feeling like you're self-promoting too aggressively 41:39 – How nonprofit boards, school communities, and passion projects can quietly position you for paid board opportunities 48:11 – General mistakes you should avoid when positioning yourself to be a board member 52:41 – How to approach your first board seat so it strengthens, rather than strains, your personal brand and your life The Strategic Power of Intentional Connection with Sonya Olds Soms Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Rewrite Your Story, Rewire Your Personal Brand with Amber Lee Forrester | 24 Feb 2026 | 00:50:53 | |
Your inner voice can either talk you into your greatness or talk you out of it. That little voice shows up when you're about to take a risk, ask for something you want, or step into a room where you're not sure you belong. Most people either ignore it completely or let it run the show. Neither works. The real question is whether you know how to catch it, redirect it, and make it work for you instead of against you. Amber Lee Forrester built Quartz Wellness Collective on the idea that your inner voice shapes everything about your brand. She works with executives and incarcerated youth, bringing positive psychology and strengths-based coaching into spaces that need psychological safety and honest reflection. Her approach is direct: if you can identify the thought patterns that derail you, you can redirect them toward what you actually want. In this episode, Paula T. Edgar and Amber dig into imposter syndrome, why it shows up even for high-performers, and what to do when that voice tries to take over. Amber breaks down her framework for catching thoughts before they derail you, why reflection matters more than just pushing through, and how to lean on your strengths when your weaknesses try to speak louder. They also talk about why community and psychological safety matter for doing your best work, and what it actually looks like to build a brand that feels like you on purpose. If that voice has ever made you second-guess yourself or shrink back from something you wanted, this conversation gives you tools to shift it. 1:33 – Amber’s personal brand definition, three ways she describes herself, a Friedrich Nietzsche she often uses, and her Beyoncé hype song 4:27 – The childhood contrast that explains Amber’s comfort in very different rooms 5:37 – Amber’s post-private school pivot from her original plan to her purpose 11:25 – Amber’s definition of imposter syndrome and an example of how it showed up for her 16:10 – How imposter syndrome affects your brand and the way you show up as a leader 19:54 – How positive psychology helps you challenge narratives that undermine your confidence and branding 22:40 – The framework Amber uses to move people from self-doubt to self-belief 28:14 – Misconception about imposter syndrome, the importance of reflection, and how your answer to a simple question impacts your brand 32:27 – Amber’s high priority around creating safe community spaces, paving the way for brave spaces 36:56 – Strengths-based anchor that helps you stay steady when your mind tries to hold you back 42:46 – What Amber does for fun (and how even that ties back into her brand)
POISED to Prosper Mentorship Program My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com. | |||
| From Becoming to Leading: Living Your Personal Brand with Rhonda Joy McLean | 17 Feb 2026 | 00:32:22 | |
In Part Two of this conversation on Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar and Rhonda Joy McLean move from formation to practice, exploring what it means to live your personal brand once leadership responsibilities deepen and visibility increases. Rhonda Joy reflects on how her leadership style evolved over time, particularly as she navigated being “the only,” managing teams, and carrying significant responsibility for others. She shares why listening is a critical leadership discipline, how relationships and sisterhood can sustain leaders, and what she learned the hard way about burnout, boundaries, and self-care. Paula and Rhonda also discuss the evolution of The Little Black Book of Success and Rhonda and her co-authors’ new book, The Next Little Black Book of Success, and why this moment called for a renewed leadership roadmap rooted in clarity, care, and people-centered values. 1:08 – How personal relationships impacted Rhonda’s ability to manage and build her brand 5:47 – How Rhonda’s brand has changed who she is and how she shows up over the course of her career 7:47 – The role of leadership and volunteerism in building Rhonda’s brand 14:48 – The cost of saying yes to everything, the importance of learning to rest, and Rhonda’s self-care strategy 18:12 – The Little Black Book of Success: how it came about, what it’s about, and the newest iteration 23:36 - Why Rhonda and her co-authors wrote another book, and inclusivity as a requirement (not an option) for the future of leadership 28:01 – What Rhonda does for fun, people-centered leadership, and the snippet that defines her Branding Room Only magic Mentioned In From Becoming to Leading: Living Your Personal Brand with Rhonda Joy McLean The Little Black Book of Success series by Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, and Rhonda Joy McLean Storehouse Voices (The NEXT Little Black Book of Success) Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer
Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Becoming Before Leading with Rhonda Joy McLean | 10 Feb 2026 | 00:30:29 | |
In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar is joined by Rhonda Joy McLean for a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation about where leadership and personal brand truly begin. Long before titles, platforms, or visibility, Rhonda Joy reflects on the experiences, values, and identity work that shaped how she shows up as a leader. Rhonda Joy shares stories from her upbringing in the Jim Crow South, integrating schools as a teenager, and learning early lessons about resilience, collaboration, and self-trust. She explores how faith, culture, and intergenerational legacy informed not only her career path, but the way she leads people and navigates systems. Together, Paula and Rhonda Joy unpack personal branding as presence rather than performance, and leadership as something practiced long before it is named. This episode centers the idea that a durable personal brand is not built through optics alone, but through lived experience, integrity, and clarity about who you are. It is a conversation about formation, grounding, and becoming before leading. 2:36 – What personal branding means to Rhonda Joy, how she describes herself, a quote she thinks about often, and her hype music 6:46 – How school integration was a daily test of courage, discipline, and collaboration 12:39 – Rhonda Joy’s reflection on what’s happening now, decades after being a part of racial justice history 16:19 – The foundation for Rhonda Joy’s fearless leadership, from childhood to law career 21:31 – How being rejected opened doors to excellence for Rhonda Joy, instead of shrinking her ambition 25:42 – Rhonda Joy’s impact on others and her values-led, continuously evolving brand Mentioned In Becoming Before Leading with Rhonda Joy McLean The Little Black Book of Success series by Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, and Rhonda Joy McLean Rhonda Joy McLean on Instagram and LinkedIn Curated Resources from Paula Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| The Personal Brand You Carry: Legacy, Leadership, and Letters with Walter Pryor | 03 Feb 2026 | 00:47:28 | |
Think about the lessons that shaped you early, the voices that influenced how you see the world, and what it would mean to have those reflections preserved over time. Walter Pryor brings warmth, humor, and thoughtful vulnerability to every interaction. A public service leader, corporate executive, community advocate, and author of This Leaves Me Okay, his career reflects not just professional milestones, but a lineage shaped by nearly 30 years of handwritten letters from his grandmother, Mama Ceal, written with care, consistency, and intention. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula sits down with Walter to explore resilience, legacy, and the role personal relationships play in building a grounded, accessible personal brand. Along the way, the conversation surfaces lessons on leadership, parenting, partnership, and what it means to honor those who came before us while being intentional about what we leave behind. This episode is both a reflection on authenticity, mission, courage, and connection, and an invitation to consider how your past quietly shapes how you lead and show up for others today. 1:12 – How Walter defines personal brand, how he’d describe himself, his chosen quotes that offer grounding and guidance, and the song that makes him move 6:04 – How small-town Arkansas shaped Walter’s worldview and gave him both humility and ambition 9:09 – A pivotal family loss that redirected Walter’s educational path 10:52 – The non-linear evolution from Biglaw to government, Capitol Hill, and corporate leadership 14:44 – How Southern Bancorp’s mission felt like a full-circle homecoming that ties into Walter’s brand 17:10 – How personal relationships can influence your leadership 20:54 – What parenting young adults teaches you about mentoring as a leader 23:34 – The spark that led to Walter’s memoir (and the decades of handwritten letters at its heart) 27:14 – Lessons about connection, influence, and resiliency from Mama Ceal’s letters 32:27 – How Mama Ceal’s life reflects a broader civil rights narrative and why telling that story now is urgent 35:21 – The importance and responsibility of being a custodian and guardian of family history 36:16 – Walter’s vision of the legacy he wants to provide to any future grandchildren 38:24 – Walter’s joy, the grounding trait he refuses to compromise, and the quality that fills a room when he fully shows up
This Leaves Me Okay by Walter Pryor Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Your Face Is Part of Your Personal Brand: Why Makeup and Skincare Matter with Osha Hinds | 27 Jan 2026 | 01:04:00 | |
Your face is part of your personal brand whether you acknowledge it or not. People experience you visually before you say a word. Some dismiss makeup and skincare as vanity or assume it has nothing to do with their work. Others do it themselves without realizing how small missteps can distract from the impression they want to make. Either way, an important part of your brand is being left to chance. Osha Hinds has spent over a decade helping people show up with intention. She works with everyone from corporate professionals to brides and understands that makeup isn’t about transformation for its own sake. It’s about being deliberate with your image. That mindset, and the trust it requires, is what her career is built on. Her journey from aspiring fashion designer to landing at MAC Cosmetics after ten interviews taught her what it takes to build credibility when your work is immediately visible. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula and Osha break down why image matters for your brand, the common mistakes people make when doing their own makeup, and how to look prepared in five minutes before a video call. They also explore what it means to be trusted with someone’s image, and why that principle extends beyond makeup into how you build a personal brand worth remembering. 1:07 – Personal brand definition for Osha, three words that sum her up, the MLK Jr. quote she always references, and her go-to soca song 4:23 – Osha’s unexpected path from fashion design to makeup artistry 10:22 – The pivotal “fake it till you make it” moment that changed Osha’s career and confidence 17:09 – How personal image communicates brand credibility before you ever speak 20:39 – How makeup can empower you and why wearing it benefits you (even if you don’t think it’s necessary) 25:25 – Biggest beauty mistakes people make and what they reveal about perception 29:33 – Makeup prep recommendations for men and women (on and off-camera) 36:04 – The misconception and truth about red lipstick 39:30 – Basics that every professional and non-professional should have in their makeup toolkit 46:35 – Quick makeup routine when you only have five minutes to get ready for a Zoom meeting 48:50 – The four makeup items Osha and Paula would use for themselves in case of an emergency 50:29 – How Osha helps those who struggle with their confidence and self-image 52:51 – Spa days and 4DX movie theaters, a nasty truth about some water rides, and one of Paula’s favorite Osha stories 56:40 – The importance of being a good client and partner for your makeup artist 59:50 – Why trust is vital to Osha’s brand, the importance of communication, and how she does eyebrows differently Mentioned In The Confidence Factor: How Makeup Impacts Your Personal Brand with Osha Hinds Connect with Osha on Instagram Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| 8 Personal Branding Lessons to Learn From Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy | 19 Jan 2026 | 00:12:00 | |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t just a leader—he was a master of personal branding. In honor of his birthday (January 15), we’re reflecting on his life and legacy and what they can teach us about building a meaningful and impactful personal brand. In this episode of Branding Room Only, I share eight powerful lessons inspired by Dr. King’s life and offer actionable tips to help you build your brand with purpose, authenticity, and a lasting impact. 1:17 - The foundation of every strong brand and the most powerful element of Dr. King’s brand
The King Center - Dr. King Jr. The Nobel Peace Prize, 1964 - Martin Luther King Jr.
Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Want more branding insights? Join Paula’s newsletter for expert tips and exclusive content! Subscribe Here Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC is dedicated to providing a practical hybrid of professional development training and diversity solutions. From speaking to consulting to programming and more, all services and resources are carefully tailored for each partner. Paula Edgar’s distinct expertise helps engage attendees and create lasting change for her clients. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Why Choosing Yourself Is a Branding Decision with Tara Jaye Frank | 13 Jan 2026 | 01:01:07 | |
What happens when the version of you that’s always holding it together finally can’t anymore? In You Are Before the World, Tara Jaye Frank writes with radical honesty about depletion, overgiving, and the moment she realized that putting everyone else first was costing her herself. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula sits down with Tara to talk about the internal reckoning that shaped the book and the deeper truth beneath it: that worth is not earned through sacrifice, helpfulness, or being “twice as good.” Drawing from her leadership journey, her decade-long partnership with Dr. Maya Angelou, and the personal losses that forced her to reexamine who she was without her roles, Tara reflects on what it really takes to choose yourself. This is a conversation about boundaries, grief, divorce, motherhood, and the courage to stop contorting yourself to fit spaces that were never designed to hold you fully. If you’ve ever believed your value lived in what you give, or felt the pressure to stay composed while quietly unraveling, this episode is an invitation to remember: you are before the world. 1:22 – How Tara’s definition of personal branding has changed from a couple of years ago and the unique way she describes herself 4:15 – The idea of getting ready for what’s ready for you and what plays for Tara when she’s having a bad day or needs to get hyped up 7:17 – How her Cape Verdean community in MA and experiences outside of it shaped Tara and her bridge-building skill 13:23 – Tara’s career, from greeting card writer to CEO of her own firm, and how she became a writer for Hallmark 18:43 – Lessons learned from partnering with Dr. Maya Angelou for 10 years 21:36 – How a single, unexpected moment can reframe an entire life’s work 26:24 – Paula’s experience from reading You Are Before the World 30:22 – The hidden emotional load behind being a helper 34:13 – Why breaking the box is often more painful than staying inside it 43:06 – Stories that Tara had to rewrite for herself to move forward 49:38 – The quiet grief of losing roles you once built your identity around 55:29 – What Tara does for fun, what she’ll never compromise on, and the differentiator that is her magic Mentioned In Why Choosing Yourself Is a Branding Decision with Tara Jaye Frank You Are Before the World and The Waymakers by Tara Jaye Frank The 92 Project – IKONI Collective The Waymakers Change Group (TWCHG) Sign up for Paula’s Upcoming Webinars Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| What Ten Years of Guiding Reflection and Goal-Setting With Others Has Taught Me | 06 Jan 2026 | 00:18:08 | |
Reflection gets skipped over in a culture that rewards speed, productivity, and visible wins. Most people want to jump straight to the next goal list without pausing to tell the truth about what they actually lived through. But reflection isn't some soft year-end ritual. It's a leadership skill and a requirement for building a strong personal brand. We live in a culture that often rewards movement, not meaning. Speed, productivity, and visible wins are celebrated, while reflection is frequently skipped. But reflection isn’t a soft reset or a year-end ritual—it’s a leadership skill and a critical foundation for building a personal brand that lasts. In this solo episode of Branding Room Only, Paula reflects on more than a decade of guiding intention and goal-setting work. She explores why moving faster isn’t the same as moving intentionally, how clarity comes from honesty, and why alignment—not busyness—is what actually sustains growth. The episode surfaces the reflection questions that lead to real breakthroughs and the themes that show up year after year: rest as strategy, asking for help, letting go, and redefining success on your own terms. 0:35 – Why reflection changes the quality of every decision that follows 2:04 – Examples of how the power of intention quietly shapes alignment 4:39 – How words of the year serve as a clarifying anchor 6:31 – How vision boards are often misunderstood 8:54 – What happens when rest is treated as a requirement, not a reward 10:06 – Why doing everything alone isn’t a strength 10:57 – The freedom of letting go of tolerations that no longer fit 11:57 – How reflection dismantles comparison without diminishing ambition 12:48 – Reflective questions asked in these yearly sessions 14:31 – What results can look like after going through this reflection 16:01 – Why naming what matters to you protects your brand from autopilot
2026 Annual Intention and Goal Setting Webinar Personal Branding Strategy Sessions If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Intentions vs. Goals and How to Combine Them for a Winning Strategy | 30 Dec 2025 | 00:12:33 | |
Setting a big, exciting goal can feel amazing at the start—the motivation is high, and the journey feels full of possibility. But what happens when the excitement fades or the path gets bumpy? That’s when the power of intention can make all the difference. In this episode of Branding Room Only, I’m diving into the difference between intentions and goals and how combining the two can create a winning strategy. We’ll explore why intentions are key to building a personal brand that feels authentic and sustainable—and how they can keep you grounded and moving forward, even when you don’t hit the mark. 1:38 - Why an intention is different from a goal 3:19 - Why you must have intentions if you want to build a strong brand 6:49 - How combining your intentions and goals leads to a winning strategy 9:14 - Actionable steps to help you bring it all together
PGE January Free Webinar - 2026 Annual Intention and Goal Setting Webinar
Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today.
This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Vision Boards for Personal Branding: How to Make Them Work | 23 Dec 2025 | 00:09:34 | |
Vision boards can be so much more than just a collage of pretty pictures and inspirational words—they can be a game-changer for designing your life, if you use them intentionally. Every year, I kick off with an intention and goal-setting session, and vision boards are one of my favorite tools to turn big dreams into real plans. In this episode of The Branding Room Only podcast, I’m sharing how to make vision boards work for you. We’ll talk about why vision boards are worth your time, how to create one that helps you achieve your goals, and how this simple tool connects to your personal brand. 1:01 - Why vision boards are so impactful and why intention is their secret sauce 2:56 - Main options for creating your vision board and what you can include on it 5:15 - How vision boarding connects with personal branding and the final puzzle piece to making it work
PGE January Free Webinar - 2026 Annual Intention and Goal Setting Webinar
Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Before You Plan: How Reflecting on the Year You Lived Can Transform How You Show Up Next | 16 Dec 2025 | 00:08:23 | |
Unexpected demands, curveballs, and complexity can show up in our year whether we plan for them or not. Life rarely follows neat outlines, even when we begin with vision boards and bold declarations about growth, visibility, or reset. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula Edgar explores the space between the year you thought you’d have and the year you actually lived—and why that gap matters to your personal brand. This episode introduces a personal branding reset grounded in alignment, clarity, and grace, guiding listeners to reflect on what to keep, what to cut, and what needs to evolve before planning what comes next. 00:57 – What the difference between the year you planned vs. the year you lived tells you 2:33 – Three keys to your personal brand reset 3:20 – Reflective questions for what to keep 4:17 – Reflective questions for what to cut out 5:29 – Reflection on what needs to change 6:15 – The impact of planning from a place of honesty instead of pressure Mentioned In Before You Plan: How Reflecting on the Year You Lived Can Transform How You Show Up Next PGE January Free Webinar - 2026 Annual Intention and Goal Setting Webinar
Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Subscribe to The Branding Room Only on YouTube Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC. PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Pricing Is Personal: How Your Money Story Shapes Your Personal Brand with Jacquette Timmons | 09 Dec 2025 | 00:51:50 | |
If you’ve ever pulled a price out of thin air, matched a competitor without context, or quietly dipped into your savings to sustain your business, you’re not alone. Many entrepreneurs struggle not with numbers, but with the stories and habits they’ve learned about money. Financial behaviorist, coach, and creator of Pricing Made Human®, Jacquette M. Timmons, understands this deeply—and built her work around helping people see the emotional and behavioral patterns tied to their financial choices. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Jacquette and I unpack the real drivers behind pricing, business development, and confidence. She shares how a blunt question from her CPA—“When are you going to stop mortgaging your life?”—forced her to confront her own money patterns, even with an MBA in finance and years managing high-net-worth portfolios. We explore how upbringing, identity, and the desire to be chosen show up in how you charge, negotiate, follow up, and build a sustainable business. If you’ve ever hesitated to raise your rates, struggled to explain your value, or felt vulnerable during a pitch, this conversation gives you language, context, and strategy to shift how you approach money. You’ll walk away with new insight into your relationship with pricing, the role your personal story plays in your financial decisions, and what it takes to protect your financial future while growing your brand. 1:41 – What personal brand means to Jacquette, how she (and I) would describe her, her favorite quote, and the musical genre (and DJs) that gets her hyped 4:46 – How Jacquette’s childhood experiences and environments shaped and influenced her 8:35 – Jacquette’s surprising early career path and how curiosity about human behavior fueled her focus on money psychology 15:16 - How Jacquette helps her clients navigate their relationship with money 17:24 – The pivotal question that inspired Pricing Made Human® and how one moment of truth redefined Jacquette’s business philosophy 24:23 – Two mistakes people make when it comes to pricing or knowing their value 26:53 – How business development triggers our insecurities 29:55 – The “five and five” exercise and how relationships influence money and business decisions 32:26 – Examples of Jacquette’s impact on clients’ relationship with money in business development 36:49 – The connection between confidence, money, and how you show up professionally 38:48 – How Jacquette approaches business development for herself and what she wishes she’d done differently 43:12 – What I learned about money and business development from working with Jacquette 45:52 – How Jacquette refuses to let the world steal her joy 47:19 – Jacquette’s commitment to focusing on money’s human side and warmth as her magical asset Mentioned In Pricing Is Personal: How Your Money Story Shapes Your Personal Brand with Jacquette Timmons More Than Money with Jacquette Timmons Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Self-Care Isn't Separate: Why Your Well-Being Shapes Your Personal Brand with Jessie Spressart | 02 Dec 2025 | 00:54:05 | |
Your personal brand isn’t just about what you deliver. It’s how you show up. If you’re exhausted, stressed to the point of breaking, or gripping your way through the week, that comes through too. No amount of polish can hide what’s happening underneath when you’re not actually taking care of yourself. Jessie Spressart gets this. As founder and managing director of Optia Consulting, she helps law firms build cultures where people can do excellent work and be well at the same time. Her core belief is simple: doing your job well and taking care of yourself aren’t two separate conversations. They’re two sides of the same coin. In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula and Jessie unpack what really stops professionals from prioritizing their well-being and how stress quietly builds long before it becomes a crisis. Jessie shares practical resets you can use in five minutes or less, and explains why chasing perfection undermines the consistency your brand actually needs. They also dig into what it takes for leaders to get more comfortable talking about mental health, and why your brand suffers when what you think, feel, and do are out of alignment. 1:19 — Jessie on personal brand, her three words, and her favorite quotes 5:44 — How moving from New Jersey to Louisville shaped her 7:48 — Jessie’s path from music historian to medieval history to law 11:14 — How a temp job as a legal secretary became 13 years at a firm 12:28 — The move from legal secretary to professional development 13:56 — Starting Optia Consulting in 2019 before the pandemic 15:44 — The shift from management training to well-being and mental health 19:42 — Why personal branding (and well-being) is about consistency, not perfection 22:09 — The biggest obstacles lawyers face around prioritizing well-being 26:22 — Shifting well-being from a program to part of the culture 28:39 — Mental Health Essentials for Leaders and why leaders must get conversant 33:23 — Stress and energy tools that take minutes, not hours 41:39 — Building a scaffolding of practices before you hit crisis 43:29 — Brain, body, behavior — and how all three show up in your brand 45:00 — Congruency and why misalignment kills your personal brand 50:02 — The part of her brand Jessie will never compromise Mentioned In Self-Care Isn't Separate: Why Your Well-Being Shapes Your Brand with Jessie Spressart Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer Follow & Review: Help others find the podcast. Subscribe and leave a quick review. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Self-Gratitude: The Personal Brand Strategy That Starts With You | 25 Nov 2025 | 00:10:37 | |
As the year winds down, most of us focus on thanking the people around us—mentors, colleagues, friends, and communities. What often gets left out is acknowledging ourselves. And when it comes to personal branding, that omission matters. In this episode of Branding Room Only, I break down why recognizing your own growth, resilience, and impact is one of the most strategic things you can do for your brand. I share the milestones and challenges that defined my year, the quieter wins that never make social media, and the mindset shifts that helped me stay grounded while building momentum. You’ll also get the reflection questions I use with myself and my clients, plus a reminder about a simple tool that captures the evidence of your evolution so you can quiet your inner critic and step into the next year with clarity. Self-gratitude isn’t ego. It’s truth. It’s how you honor the fact that you kept going, even when things were hard, and how you understand the story your brand is actually telling. Take a moment, pause, breathe, and give yourself credit for the work you’ve done and the progress you’ve earned. 1:15 – How self-gratitude strengthens your personal brand 2:19 – Reflection on my year and the quieter wins that shaped my growth and resilience 4:59 – Questions to uncover your overlooked moments of pride and progress 5:56 – Reminder of a practical tool to gather the evidence of your evolution 8:00 – Gratitude as a strategic foundation for clarity in goal-setting for the year ahead Mentioned In Self-Gratitude: The Personal Brand Strategy That Starts With You Paula's Playbook: Engage Your Hustle™ – Conference Edition Keeping It 100: How 100 Episodes Expanded My Personal Brand, My Reach, and My Voice How Sharing Your Wins Strengthens Your Personal Brand Curated Resources from Paula PGE December Free Webinar - Gratitude Starts Within: Celebrating Your Personal Brand Milestones PGE January Free Webinar - 2026 Annual Intention and Goal Setting Webinar Personal Branding Strategy Sessions Call to Action Follow & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform! Want more ways to grow your personal brand? Make sure you’re signed up for my upcoming webinars and workshops. Conferences are an investment—make sure you maximize yours. My new Engage Your Hustle™ Conference Playbook gives you the strategies to prepare, stand out, and follow up with impact. Get your copy today. Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, strengthen workplace culture, and drive meaningful, measurable change. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn. | |||
| Talk to Me Nice: How Trust Shapes Your Personal Brand with Minda Harts | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:45:58 | |
Trust is the backbone of every personal brand, whether you name it or not. It shows up in how you communicate, how consistently you follow through, how you handle hybrid work, and how you show sensitivity—or don’t—when people need it most. In a workplace culture filled with mixed signals, missed expectations, and performative “niceness,” trust has become the true measure of credibility. It determines whether people feel grounded with you or guarded around you, whether they choose to follow your lead or quietly disengage. And as Paula and Minda explore, trust isn’t a luxury; it’s the signal that shapes your reputation long before you enter the room. In this episode Paula sits down with bestselling author and workplace equity leader Minda Harts to unpack how trust shapes personal brands, leadership, and the everyday interactions that define your credibility. They break down how trust erodes in the quiet moments, what the Seven Trust Languages® reveal about what people actually need from you, and how to repair credibility once it’s been damaged. Together, they explore how trust influences hybrid communication, cross-generational dynamics, allyship, and the values-based behaviors that make a leader believable. If you care about how you’re perceived, how you lead, and how your brand lives in the minds of others, this conversation gives you the framework to strengthen every relationship you touch. 1:15 – Three words to describe Minda right now, current hype songs, the self-quote on her mind these days, and the repeat track of her trust brand playlist 3:34 – Why Minda’s latest book, Talk to Me Nice, matters in this moment 4:44 – How Minda’s personal brand has evolved (but not pivoted) to leading conversations about trust 6:50 – The communication crisis in the workplace and its impact on trust within organizations 8:41 – Quick rundown of Minda’s Seven Trust Languages® framework 9:50 – Examples of why security is one of the most important trust languages today 13:43 – Examples of trust violations that can damage your relationships and reputation 17:32 – How managers in the workplace can begin to repair broken trust 20:20 – The first step you can take to demonstrate trust and credibility 23:16 – Follow-through as the key to building trustworthiness in a hybrid work situation (i.e., when you’re not in the same room) 27:22 – Why it’s more important than ever to intentionally build trust 31:55 – The difference between being performative and being demonstrative in allyship 36:36 – Who’s on Minda’s personal trust squad and celebrities whose brands scream trustworthiness 40:20 – What celebrity trust violations can teach others about values and brand alignment 42:27 – Workplace best friends in the heads of Paula and Minda Mentioned In Talk to Me Nice: How Trust Shapes Your Personal Brand with Minda Harts Using Branding to Empower Women of Color for Success in the Workplace with Minda Harts How to Assemble and Leverage Your Personal Board of Directors Sponsor for this episode PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level. To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com. | |||