How Career Pivots Can Strengthen Your Personal Brand with Nina Blackshear

Nina Blackshear has turned career pivots into an art form. As the owner and principal of Nina Blackshear Coaching and Consulting, she's a certified executive coach and in-house corporate attorney. Her unconventional path, from law school to real estate, to fundraising, to employee relations, to marketing communications, and back to law, has become her greatest professional asset. Her specialty is helping others overcome impostor syndrome, intense perfectionism, and the burnout that results from constant striving —challenges she has navigated personally.

What started as a series of unexpected career detours has evolved into Nina's mission. Helping others (especially women of color) discover their superpowers and write their own stories in professional spaces that weren't designed for them. Her love language, as she puts it, is helping people discover their power, and she's built both her personal brand and coaching practice around that core belief.

In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula Edgar and Nina dive deep into the importance of self-awareness and emotional intelligence in building an authentic personal brand. They explore how to build EQ as a muscle, the unique challenges women of color face in professional spaces, and why knowing your non-negotiables is essential for leading confidently. Plus, they discuss the power of coaching, the importance of strategic networking, and why Nina believes we should all "do more giving and less taking" in our professional relationships.

1:31 – What personal brand means to Nina, how she describes herself in three words, and her favorite motto and hype song

4:51 – How being a Philly girl has shaped Nina’s personal brand

7:45 – Nina’s education and multi-pivotal career, from law school to executive coaching

16:20 – How Nina was able to hone her emotional intelligence (EQ)

20:47 – How to build your emotional intelligence muscle (and find organizational leaders lacking it who can develop it)

25:37 – How Nina helps clients (especially women of color) navigate professional spaces and write their own story

32:00 – The key to leading confidently and working authentically and the power of having a coach

38:13 – What causes most people to make personal branding mistakes (and how it often shows up in immigrant families)

45:32 – The importance of a strategic supportive network to prep for a career pivot

49:24 – The need for more reciprocity in professional relationships and building your own community

51:56 – Nina’s “garbage soup” and the foundations of her personal brand and Branding Room Only magic

Mentioned In How Career Pivots Can Strengthen Your Personal Brand with Nina Blackshear

Nina Blackshear Coaching and Consulting

National Black Law Students Association

Breaking Barriers, Pioneering Career Paths, and Making a Positive Impact with Paula Boggs

Learn More About Paula's Personal Branding Strategy Session Offer

Sponsor for this episode

PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing in leadership development and personal branding, we offer keynotes, custom programming, consulting, and strategic advising—all designed to elevate influence and performance at every level.

To learn more about Paula and her services, go to www.paulaedgar.com or contact her at info@paulaedgar.com, and follow Paula Edgar and the PGE Consulting Group LLC on LinkedIn.