Living My Why: My Personal Brand

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” - Carl Gustav Jung

Inspiring through being authenticity me is one of the reasons I get up every morning motivated for the day ahead. As Simon Sinek puts it, this is my why - my purpose. Alongside authenticity, the values I strive to live by are honesty, positivity, resilience, and resourcefulness. These qualities guide both my personal and professional behaviour, and together they form the foundation of my personal brand.

Personal branding is about defining and promoting what you stand for as an individual. It is a culmination of your experiences, skills, and values - the things that differentiate you and shape how you show up in the world. For me, personal branding is not about perfection, but about consistency and integrity.

At Almar Container Group, we host a monthly Learning Lunch where staff share insights from their departments, lessons learned, and experiences that could benefit others. Occasionally, we invite guest speakers, and we were fortunate to have Dr Augusta Dorning host one of these sessions. During the session, she asked everyone to write one word on a piece of paper describing a colleague. At the end, we each received an envelope filled with the words our teammates felt best described us.

I was completely blown away. The words - now proudly pinned to my noticeboard - were: Positive, Powerful, Tough, Brilliant, Wonderful, Sunshine, Passionate, Motivated, Lovely, Good listener, Enthusiastic, Happy, Faithful, Kind, Amazing. It was a powerful reminder of how we are seen by others and inspired me to continue leaning into these differentiators. It is such a meaningful exercise, and one I believe every team should experience. A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.

When it comes to my personal brand from a physical presentation perspective, this has been a real challenge.I would much rather focus on developing my emotional intelligence than my professional appearance. To put it into perspective, I would rather shop at Build-It than Zara, be gardening than having a facial, and paint a piece of furniture instead of shopping for heels. Hair, make-up, and corporate attire do not come naturally to me.

That said, professionalism matters. To make it work, I have systemised the process. Hair and nail appointments are booked as I leave each appointment, ensuring I don’t get distracted by a hike or a DIY project. I will be very grateful when corporate attire eventually shifts to jeans, Adidas trainers, and a ponytail… but until then, pink nail polish it is.

Beyond work, I am a drummer, dancer, gym bunny, reader, and perpetual learner. I am a proud Tottenham Hotspur supporter and a basketball lover. I am also completely obsessed with my children - two human and four fur-babies.

I strongly believe that you are not defined by your past. I don’t even define myself by who I was last year.However, what is important is developing non-negotiables. For me, those are faith first, then family, friends, and service to those who don’t have a voice. These values anchor me, guide my decisions, and ultimately define who I am and how I choose to live.

‍