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Listen without prejudice

Remember that George Michael album? It was released way back in 1990. Man I used to love listening to George.

What made me think of it? Well, I was on the beautiful island Ibiza last weekend and it has a reputation for being a party island. But really if you get there you realize it is just a gorgeous and very relaxing island. The people are super friendly and the food is great. Yeah, there are lots of parties but if you look really carefully there is much more to the island. Still it has that party reputation and it is hard to get rid of it.

We all have a reputation. When people ask me how they can change their reputation and personal brand, I simply tell them : just keep doing the stuff that focuses on what you really want people to see and in time they will start seeing you in a different way. Yes there are no short cuts, it takes time.

But there is another thing that makes it difficult for us to change our personal brand and that is unconscious bias. We all have unconscious biases. These are bits of knowledge that are stored in your brain. They are formed by the culture that surrounds you, like media, stories, jokes, language etc. They influence how you think and behave toward a particular group of people. We all have them. You know like when you assume things about people.
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For instance like this story below.
“A father and his son are in a car accident. The father dies at the scene and the son, badly injured, is rushed to the hospital. In the operating room, the surgeon looks at the boy and says, ‘I can’t operate on this boy. He is my son.”
How can this be?

Up to 75% of all people cannot solve the puzzle and it takes most several minutes to adjust their thinking: The boy’s mother is the surgeon.

We need to change that. Especially for women in business. And the only way to do that is to realize what our biases are (also against other women). I know mine.

What are yours?

Monday is B-day, Yes BrandedU day. We have planned an incredible day. Am super nervous like always but really looking forward to it. Get your tickets here, there are still a few left.

XOXO,

Nancy

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Me, Myself and I

Mirror, mirror on the wall 
Tell me, mirror, what is wrong?
Can it be my De La clothes
Or is it just my De La song?
What I do ain’t make-believe
People say I sit and try
But when it comes to being De La
It’s just me myself and I 

Remember De La Soul… that is old skool, right?

But it still matters today. We all just want to be accepted for who we are. And this takes a lot of work. Me, myself and I …I still have a big problem accepting where I stand in my personal life. Most of the times I am happy single but sometimes lonely single. Like everyone else I want to have it all. The perfect life, the perfect man, the perfect……oh whatever. It gets really tiring trying to be so damn perfect!

That is why I love this #nomakeup, go natural campaign by Alicia Keys. She even penned an essay about it here.

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“It is the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt.”
– Alicia Keys

Now, I am not saying I am taking my make up off this week, am too much of a make up addict. But for those who would like to, I love that they have now found a role model like Alicia. Her journey started a while ago, last year I even shared her beautiful words on self discovery in my newsletter. She showed us what she is like on the inside and now she is showing us what she is like on the outside. That sweet  takes courage!Another courageous woman is Dominique Snip. A decade ago she decided to chop off her relaxed straightened hair and decided to embrace her natural hair. From doing that to now owning hair salons all over The Netherlands… Her story is simply amazing. Here she talks about how she went from feeling insecure to being a role model and owning her own succesful business.

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She is the last speaker of the Personal Branding Seminar on June 20th. Did you get your ticket yet?

XOXO,

Nancy

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let’s get it started!

I always start the BrandedU seminars with that song. Just so I can get in a funky mood, I mean we all love to dance right? And music can really set the tone.

Today I want to discuss the 7 reasons why you should join the BrandedU seminar, if you haven’t already. If you have please, please email me your reason(s) ;-)!

The BrandedU seminars started as a way of giving back. I started them back in 2014 because I felt I had something to share. But not only that, I wanted to give other women the opportunity to also share their knowledge with those who could benefit from it. So we started a sisterhood of women sharing personal branding stories. Why personal branding? Because to me it is the only way to make yourself relevant and unique. And you need that if you want to be succesful in business. People need to know what you stand for and what your ambitions are.

I am lucky that our goals and intentions with this seminar have been met.

So what makes us unique?

1. We always share personal stories and not just success stories. For instance, if you look at the road to succes for Irene Kronenberg you realize that you can start at any age with your life’s purpose. Irene, a world famous interior designer (W Hotel, MOMO, The Butcher etc.) is one of the speakers on the 20th of June and you can check her story here.

Irene

2. There is a wide mixture of women from all cultural and business levels. This lovely diverse mix is what gives it a great creative vibe.
3. We make sure you get the right amount of energy throughout the day. From the white and full of light room where the talks are given, to the nutritious food which is well thought out by Hotel Droog.
4. It is not about listening but also about doing. You get put to work, we don’t want you to leave without having stepped out of your own comfort zone, because that is where the real magic happens :-).
5. You get to network a lot, yes a lot! We give you tons of opportunities to get to know the women you meet at the seminar.
6. The topics discussed consist of all that is necessary to build your brand and you can ask the speakers whatever questions you might have, you do not need to hold back.
7. It’s all about you and your personal development so the more you put in it the more you get out of it. Women really get a mindshift after our seminars because they are really empowering!

Find out more here where our previous participants tell you in their own words why you should join BrandedU.

See you in less than a month at Hotel Droog!

XOXO,

Nancy

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Better

As you are reading this I am strolling down the streets of my favorite city in the world : London. A surprise day trip for a very special person in my life my mother.

So why better?
Better is a song by Regina Spektor. And there is a line she sings that goes:

“If you never say your name out loud to anyone
They can never ever call you by it”

Exactly my message when it comes to personal branding.

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So true right?! Now lately I have been thinking of ways to make things better.  Because there is always room for improvement when it comes to personal development. This week a lovely lady has started doing research on what improvements we could make on BrandedU. So my question to you is: what do you feel would make things better for you? What are you missing at the moment? Be honest. I can handle it, am a big girl 😉 And if you want to participate in her questionnaire, send me an email!

By the way, when I say there is always room for improvement I do not mean that I want things to be perfect. I really do not believe in perfectionism, however I do believe in STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE.

This week’s video is of the Director of the Bijlmer Parktheater: Ernestine Comvalius. She will also be speaking at the seminar on June 20th. Here she talks about the 3 women in her life that wanted to make things better… just for her.

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I can’t wait to read your feedback!

XOXO,

Nancy
P.s. don’t forget to register for BrandedU! One more month to go!

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