The SelfWork Podcast 462 SelfWork: So You Wanna Be Your Own Brand?
Sep 5, 2025
The discussion centers on the growing influence of personal branding and its implications for success, particularly in a social media-driven world. It raises concerns about the pressures of perfectionism and their toll on mental health, especially among youth. The complexities of enmeshment in family dynamics are explored, spotlighting the emotional impact of caretaking roles. A listener's inquiry highlights the struggle to set boundaries with family, while the importance of self-defined success over societal expectations is emphasized. Therapy and support resources are discussed as essential tools.
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Branding Pressure Can Harm Mental Health
- Margaret Rutherford questions the mandate that everyone must market themselves as a brand and warns of potential harms from that pressure.
- She links branding culture to rising perfectionism, high-functioning depression, and youth suicide risk.
Coach's Tagline Advice And A Painful Response
- Margaret describes advice from her first business coach to narrow content to one topic and build a tagline.
- She recounts a patient couple where her tagline 'helping you believe in yourself' was interpreted as false hope by the wife in crisis.
Branding Demands Consistent Exposure
- Margaret notes that personal branding often demands constant exposure and content conformity to stay visible.
- She acknowledges many benefit financially from influencing but chooses a different path.