An essential part of developing a personal brand is mustering the boldness to discover and express authentically who you are and own it. It’s about stepping out into the opening and sharing your truth no matter how frightening it may be. A great spiritual brand not only challenges yourself to embrace your authenticity, but also holding the space for others to triumphantly claim what’s rightfully theirs. So what does a successful spiritual brand look like? What attributes can we adopt and integrate on our own personal brand?
Listed below are a few of my favorite examples of people who have created impeccable personal brands.
Making his mark as an outrageous stand-up comedian and charismatic movie star, Brand suffered from depression and drug/alcohol/sex addictions. Becoming involved in various spiritual modalities including Kundalini Yoga and Transcendental Meditation, Brand shifted his awareness and became one of the most influential thought leaders in consciousness and spirituality.
Brand has become known as a public activist and campaigner, and has spoken on a wide range of political and cultural issues, including wealth inequality, corporate capitalism, climate change, and media bias.
Click Here to view one of my favorite video compilations of Brand.
Life coach, motivational speaker, author and web television host, Marie Forleo is the owner of Marie Forleo International, B-School and MarieTV. Her online content and overall brand reflect her classic style, business savvy knowledge, and quirky personality.
Oprah Winfrey called Forleo “a thought leader for the next generation.” Forbes.com listed her website on its list of “Top 100 Websites for Entrepreneurs.”
Being one of the leading spiritual teachers in the new age movement, Deepak Chopra has combined his knowledge of western medicine with eastern philosophies. His website is packed with information from learning how to meditate to easy and practical ways for creating a fulfilling life.
He’s constantly releasing information and has a plethora of books and video content to keep you engaged for a lifetime.
A list of successful personal brands wouldn’t be complete without Oprah. Dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, Oprah was the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011.
By the mid-1990s she had reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, and spirituality. Though criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas,and an emotion-centered approach, she is often praised for overcoming adversity to become a benefactor to others.
So what do these spiritual brands all have in common?
1. They embrace all of themselves – These successful brands have fully embraced who they are. They didn’t just look at the good stuff and throw away all the bad aspects of themselves. They integrated it. They saw what was a perceived weakness and made into a strength.
2. They share boldly – In order to stand out amongst the clutter, you’re going to have to put yourself out there bravely and consistently. People want to see your vulnerability. They want to know who you are as a person. People want connection and the best way to connect is share your true self.
3. They are leaders – Position yourself as the leader in your category. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “how the heck do I do that?” It’s not as hard as it seems. The best thing to do is read books, follow like-minded individuals, and understand the landscape of your industry. Brendon Burchard wrote this amazing book called “Millionaire Messenger” which helps teaches everyday people how to share their story and wisdom with the world and build a lucrative business doing so.
In reality, you already are a personal brand. The words you speak, the actions you take, and style you convey is creating your brand. The question is, are you conscious of the brand you’re creating? Are you telling the right story?
