Do It For The Story: The Story You Are Writing Every Day

<body style="margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; background-color:#F4F7FA;"> <div class="document" role="article" aria-roledescription="email" aria-label="" lang="" dir="ltr" style="background-color:#F4F7FA; line-height: 100%; font-size:medium; font-size:max(16px, 1rem);">  <table width="100%" align="center" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="" background="" bgcolor="#F4F7FA" align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 0 8px;"> <table class="container" align="center" width="640" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="max-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center"> <table align="center" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" height="20" style="line-height: 20px"></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; font-size:0px;color:#F4F7FA;line-height:0px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;mso-hide:all;"> <div style="display:none;font-size:0px;color:#F4F7FA;line-height:0px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;mso-hide:all;">  Over the past two weeks, I have spent quite a few hours talking about personal brand with 300 teenagers and pre-teens. </div> </td> <td align="right" style="font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; color: #111111; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" builder-link-id="-1" style="color: #111111; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: underline;" href="" data-link-id="198317667261614039" data-link-type="webview">View in browser</a>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="20" style="line-height: 20px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table width="640" class="wrapper" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style=" max-width: 640px; border:1px solid #EAECED; border-radius:8px; border-collapse: separate!important; overflow: hidden; "> <tbody><tr> <td align="center">  <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="ml-default-border" width="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border" background="" style="background-size: cover; background-position: center center;" valign="top" align="center"> <table class="container ml-4" width="640" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td> <table class="container" width="640" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="" align="center" style="padding: 0 0" colspan="3"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/vb0Cteh5w7Ai2z2kxrzyuitIVKeO2nB59Jn95s1s.png" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" class="img" width="640" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> <td> <table class="table-between-col-mobile" width="540" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="30" style="line-height:30px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Edition #007   |   September 2026<br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Hi <span class="redactor-component" data-redactor-type="variable-ml"></span><br></p> <h1 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 36px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 10px;">The Story You Are Writing Every Day</h1> <h4 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #000000; font-size: 16px; line-height: 137%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 6px;">Over the past two weeks, I have spent quite a few hours talking about personal brand with 300 teenagers and pre-teens. </h4> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">I have worked with Grade 11 boys at Kearsney College as they explored their personal brands, their House brands and the brand they want to create as the Class of 2027. I have spent time with the Grade 8 Boarders and Senior Primary girls at St Mary’s DSG talking about identity, belonging and what it means to become the person they want to be.</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">All three workshops was a reinforcement of how relevant personal brand is to all of us, particularly in business. Your personal brand is the reputation you build through the way you show up, what you value, what you stand for, what you contribute and how people experience you.<br></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="ml-default-border" width="100%" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style=" ; "> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border" background="" style="background-size: cover; background-position: center center;" valign="top" align="center"> <table class="container ml-6" width="640" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td class="container" height="20" style="line-height: 20px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="container" width="640" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="row" align="center" style="padding: 0 50px" colspan="3"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/8QGr8jn11Ba47kLV06MdBySHEl9ZMl2tPFTMnilR.jpg" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" class="img" width="540" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> <td> <table class="table-between-col-mobile" width="540" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="30" style="line-height:30px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>At St Mary’s, I asked the girls to think about what makes them uniquely them, what gives them energy and what they can contribute to their St Mary’s community. These are questions that matter at every stage of life because understanding who you are gives you a foundation for the decisions you make and the way you show up in the world.</strong></p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">The way you communicate, make decisions, treat people, lead and build relationships all contribute to what customers, potential customers, staff, suppliers and other stakeholders come to believe about the business you represent. Your business brand is experienced through hundreds of small interactions. The way you answer an email, handle a difficult conversation, show up for a client, treat a colleague or respond when things go wrong. </p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">It is worth reflecting on the questions I presented to all three groups of young, enthusiastic students… </p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">• What do I value?</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">• What do I bring into a space?</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">• How do I make people feel?</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">• What do I want to be known for?</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">• What do I need to change?</p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">The final question I asked was - when you are no longer in the room, what do you hope people say about you? Your answer might tell you a great deal about your personal brand, your leadership and ultimately the kind of business you are building. </p> <p style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #515856; font-size: 16px; line-height: 165%; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;">Your story is being written in the choices you make every day. Make sure you are living one worth remembering.<br></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col-mobile" width="50" height="0" style="line-height: 0;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="20" style="line-height: 20px;"></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>   <table class="ml-default" width="100%" bgcolor="" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style=""> <table class="container ml-8 ml-default-border" width="640" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="color: #515856; width: 640px; min-width: 640px; margin-bottom: 0;"> <tbody><tr> <td class="ml-default-border container" height="40" style="line-height: 40px; min-width: 640px;"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="row" style="padding: 0 50px;"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="col" valign="middle" width="250"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left"> <img src="https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/2172142/oRGf9eAL9HV16ZOYvEvM4GsNHBHzUHRooUltC749.jpg" loading="lazy" border="0" alt="" width="250" class="img" style="display: block;"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td class="col" width="40" height="30" style="line-height: 30px;"></td> <td class="col" valign="middle" width="250"> <h2 style="font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #8da9c1; font-size: 24px; line-height: 125%; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; ;margin-bottom: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;">“Life isn’t about finding yourself. 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