Have you heard about the Great Resignation?
Basically since the pandemic, employees are leaving the workforce or switching jobs in droves. What are your plans? Are you thinking about leaving your job? Or perhaps FINALLY ask for that promotion you’ve been wanting?!
If so, you know what I’m about to say right… yes girl you’ve got to start working on your personal brand! And you know why right? Because one of the key benefits of developing a personal brand is the ability to differentiate yourself from those around you. You have to stand out and make them see you.
So let me share some simple things that you can do right now to start the proces.
1. Know who you want to be
Do you want to be known as knowledgeable ? Kind? Dependable? Innovative? Adaptable? The clearer you are on who you want to be and what you want your reputation to focus on, the stronger your personal brand will be.
2. Be perceived how you want to be perceived
We often see ourselves in a certain way. The thing is, it doesn’t always match up with what others see (yet!). A great way to start building your personal brand is understanding how people view you at the moment. Ask friends, family and co-workers about what they think you do best or what they think makes you stand out.
3. Have a clear view of where you want to go
You have to build your brand towards the position you see yourself in 3 or 4 years. And keep in mind that building a personal brand is an ongoing process. For example, if you aspire to be Head of Marketing, it pays to cultivate a reputation for being a leader and someone who is a creative innovator.
Then, when you’re looking for your next role, you can incorporate that in your cover letter, your cv and when responding to interview questions. You’ll come off as head of marketing material long before it’s time to apply for that role.
4. It’s all in your mind(set)
Once you’ve determined how you want to be seen, it’s time to make it part of your daily actions. Practice presenting yourself the way you want to be seen. Something as simple as the way you look during a Zoom meeting and how you conduct yourself there can have an impact on the brand you project.
And last but not least….always stay true to yourself. Your personal brand will only be sustainable if it reflects who you truly are.
So, tell me will you be taking your next career step? If so now is the time? I just read a blog by Ineke Kooistra ( CEO of YoungCapital) about the difficulty employers are having finding good people. They won’t be able to find you and all your talents if you don’t make them visible!!
So go out there girl and show them what you’ve got!
Nancy
P.S. AmplifyHER is coming up… did you get your early bird ticket already? Don’t miss out getting the best value out of this event!
#AmplifyHERAms

Money talks, mmm, mmm, money talks
“Money talks, mmm, mmm, money talks
Dirty cash I want you, dirty cash I need you, ooh “
I keep hearing the lyrics to this ’90ies song when I think about the fact that I am organizing a FREE finance masterclass!
Why am I focusing on women & money?
Women in The Netherlands continue to face many challenges in becoming financially secure. Women are paid less than their male counterparts and 63% of Dutch women are still not financially independent.
Ladies, this all has a HUGE impact on our financial well-being in the long-term. And I know I become more confident when I have access to the right information. So that’s why I’ve invited Judith Sanders (Investment Strategist at ABN AMRO) to tell us what we need to know about our personal finance on the 29th of September at 15.30.
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Join us if you are ready to make some money moves. In the mean time click on this video below to hear Noraly’s financial tips!
And if you’re still not convinced here are already 3 reasons why every woman should increase her financial knowledge.
1. To meet the rising cost of living.
I mean… I just bought a new phone and it cost me €1000, really we didn’t have these kinds of costs in the 90ies.
2. To gain confidence and independence.
I remember being in my teens living in the South East of Amsterdam and having friends whose parents owned houses. This really was the first thing big investment I made in my twenties. Still gives me a sense of independence.
3. To be prepared for emergencies.
I love the fact that I own gold jewelry which is something you can easily sell for instance. My uncle once told me when I was 14 that gold was always a sound investment.
So ladies, don’t wait till it’s too late get your financial knowledge now!
Nancy
P.S. there will be more financial tips and tricks shared at AmplifyHER in November. Did you get your tickets already?
RESPECT
Did you watch the Olympic Games? OMG it was so inspiring! So many women broke records, and The Netherlands had more women winning medals than men. Out of the 36 medals we won, 21 were won by women.
They all deserve our RESPECT! Siffan Hassan just blew me away when she fell, got up and still won the race. Talk about determination, resilience and self belief. Simon Biles had us thinking about the importance of mental health. Rayssa Leal, showed us that age ain’t nothing but a number when she won a medal for Brazil at only 13, she’s been skating for 5 years already. Here she is in her pretty pink dress. Raven Saunders stood up for the LGBTQ+ community and Allyson Felix won 11 medals, set the record for most all-time medals by an Olympic track and field athlete, stood up to Nike and redefined what’s possible for women in sports. She became a mother and Nike told her they would pay her less because of that, she left signed a deal with Atletha and has now started a 200000 dollars fund to cover child care costs for other Olympic mom athletes.
Doesn’t this just feel empowering?
My week has just been full of stories of inspiring women like this and not just in Sports. There was one story I thought I already knew but that really surprised me. That’s the story of Aretha Franklin. I was fortunate to be invited to a screening of the film RESPECT. I won’t say too much about the film yet, you can check out the trailer here. But I am organizing a special breakfast screening for women on the 28th of August in Amsterdam at 10.00 am. If you want to join us just email floor@brandedpersonalities.com before the 16th of August. All we need to know is which woman has inspired you so far in 2021 and why. We will share her story in my next blog.
I truly hope we can all inspire each other to do more than we ever thought we could.
Nancy
P.S. AmplifyHER is coming up… did you get your ticket already?!
#AmplifyHERAms
Message in a bottle
So I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors with Aretha Franklin and ended up watching other Kennedy Center Honors for 3 hours straight. Crazy right?
But music makes me feel sooo good.
In case you’re wondering why I choose the title today, it has to do with the fact that a lot of women are still hoping that people will miraculously notice their accomplishments. You know … without them having to do or say anything to draw attention to it (she said sarcastically).
Babe, let me set this straight now: THAT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN. This strategy is like sending out a SOS in a bottle. Yes, a Message in a Bottle and hoping that someone will find it.
I was training a group of women the other day and one woman shared the story of how a guy in her team was enthusiastically talking about a project that she was responsible for. He made it sound like he had done all the work himself. But this was her project and he only had a minor role yet he was able to “package it” like it was all his doing. It made her realize that being modest can make your accomplishments invisible to the outside world.
Nobody can read your mind.
So, you’ve gotta show what you’ve done and show them your value. And the time to act is now. Remember the great resignation we spoke about a few weeks ago? Go after your dream job now and stop being modest about what you bring to the table.
Jim Carrey once said:
“Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don’t let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. RISK BEING SEEN IN ALL OF YOUR GLORY.”
I felt that.
There are many ways to lift your voice. I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors with Aretha Franklin because we are organizing a special screening of RESPECT, the movie about Aretha’s life in August. And I just needed to hear her voice again and be inspired. Because the songs she wrote and sang are very empowering and her life themes are empowering. We need that kind of inspiration especially after the year we’ve all had. I am giving away 2 tickets to this special screening soon so watch this space.
In the mean time check out one of her final performances here, go on you’ll thank me later ;-).
Nancy
P.S. AmplifyHER is coming up… did you get your early bird ticket already (get it before August 1st)? Don’t miss out getting the best value out of this event!
#AmplifyHERAms
Should you stay or should you go?
Have you heard about the Great Resignation?
Basically since the pandemic, employees are leaving the workforce or switching jobs in droves. What are your plans? Are you thinking about leaving your job? Or perhaps FINALLY ask for that promotion you’ve been wanting?!
If so, you know what I’m about to say right… yes girl you’ve got to start working on your personal brand! And you know why right? Because one of the key benefits of developing a personal brand is the ability to differentiate yourself from those around you. You have to stand out and make them see you.
So let me share some simple things that you can do right now to start the proces.
1. Know who you want to be
Do you want to be known as knowledgeable ? Kind? Dependable? Innovative? Adaptable? The clearer you are on who you want to be and what you want your reputation to focus on, the stronger your personal brand will be.
2. Be perceived how you want to be perceived
We often see ourselves in a certain way. The thing is, it doesn’t always match up with what others see (yet!). A great way to start building your personal brand is understanding how people view you at the moment. Ask friends, family and co-workers about what they think you do best or what they think makes you stand out.
3. Have a clear view of where you want to go
You have to build your brand towards the position you see yourself in 3 or 4 years. And keep in mind that building a personal brand is an ongoing process. For example, if you aspire to be Head of Marketing, it pays to cultivate a reputation for being a leader and someone who is a creative innovator.
Then, when you’re looking for your next role, you can incorporate that in your cover letter, your cv and when responding to interview questions. You’ll come off as head of marketing material long before it’s time to apply for that role.
4. It’s all in your mind(set)
Once you’ve determined how you want to be seen, it’s time to make it part of your daily actions. Practice presenting yourself the way you want to be seen. Something as simple as the way you look during a Zoom meeting and how you conduct yourself there can have an impact on the brand you project.
And last but not least….always stay true to yourself. Your personal brand will only be sustainable if it reflects who you truly are.
So, tell me will you be taking your next career step? If so now is the time? I just read a blog by Ineke Kooistra ( CEO of YoungCapital) about the difficulty employers are having finding good people. They won’t be able to find you and all your talents if you don’t make them visible!!
So go out there girl and show them what you’ve got!
Nancy
P.S. AmplifyHER is coming up… did you get your early bird ticket already? Don’t miss out getting the best value out of this event!
#AmplifyHERAms