Ever Held Yourself Back Because of What Others Might Think?
When I first launched my business, I called it Life Design Lab. At the time, it felt professional, aligned and it carried structure. After more than thirty years working inside established brands, creating another brand felt natural. I knew how to build something that looked credible and well positioned.
But over time, I’ve had to ask myself a more honest question: was I building a brand, or was I quietly standing behind one?
Throughout my corporate life, I was always the person behind the brand, shaping strategy, leading teams and influencing direction. My name was rarely the headline and I was comfortable there. Stepping into my own work requires something different. It requires visibility without the backing of a logo, a title, or an organisation.
It means putting my own name forward and allowing that to represent the work. And for me, that felt vulnerable. Years ago, I had a small moment that, in hindsight, probably impacted me more than I realised. It was the early days of Instagram, and I had started using a simple phrase under my posts #livingmybestlife. It felt positive at the time, a light-hearted declaration of joy. But someone made a remark about it, a subtle but cutting comment that questioned what that phrase even meant.
It wasn’t dramatic but I remember feeling suddenly exposed, as though expressing something publicly about my own life was somehow too bold or too self-assured. That moment made me aware of how easily visibility can invite judgment. And I think, if I’m honest, I wasn’t ready for that. It made me more cautious about placing myself front and centre. Building a business under a structured name felt safer, more neutral and if I’m honest, less open to commentary.
A brand name can act as armour and create a layer of distance. In the beginning, perhaps I needed that.
But the work I do is deeply personal. It’s rooted in lived experience, in leadership, in reinvention, in grief, in resilience, in choosing a different pace of life. It isn’t just a framework or a method. It is a deeply personal conversation and in a time where the world feels louder than ever, I believe, that is important. We are surrounded by information, endless advice, strong (and loud) opinions and constant commentary.
There is extraordinary value in access to knowledge, but there is also fatigue. It can be hard to know what to trust, what to follow, and what truly resonates. I believe we are craving something more grounded. Real dialogue and human connection a return to conversation rather than consumption.
Transformation rarely happens because we happen to scroll across the right quote. It happens when someone sits with us, asks better questions, and holds space long enough for clarity to emerge. That is the kind of work I want to continue building, boutique, personal and thoughtful.
Not scaled into something faceless or automated, but simply honest, human, and intentional.
Rebranding under my own name is not a marketing move. It’s an alignment move. It is a decision to stop standing slightly behind the work and instead stand fully immersed in it.
Midlife has a way of sharpening perspective, you become less interested in approval and more interested in integrity. Less concerned with how something looks and more concerned with whether it feels true.
That small comment years ago made me cautious about being seen. Today, I see that visibility differently, it is not about self-promotion but ownership.
It’s about saying: this is who I am, this is what I believe, and this is how I work and for me, that feels like the right step forward.
Sometimes growth isn’t about expanding outward into something bigger. Sometimes it is about shedding the final layer of protection and allowing your name to carry the work because the work is, quite simply, you.
