Let me be straight with you – you're never going to build a memorable personal brand if you're constantly filtering yourself.

I know that might sound harsh, but after 20+ years in sales, marketing, and branding, and working with hundreds of women entrepreneurs, I've seen it time and time again. The most successful coaches, consultants, and creative business owners aren't the ones who play it safe. They're the ones who dare to show up as themselves – fully, unapologetically, and without the professional polish we've been told we need.

Personal branding for women is about so much more than picking the right colours or having a good logo. It's about embracing what I call your “UN Era” – a mindset shift that transforms how you show up, what you create, and ultimately, who you attract.

Today, I'm taking you through six mindset shifts that are absolute game-changers when it comes to building a personal brand that actually positions you powerfully in your market. Because here's the thing: if you sound like everyone else, look like everyone else, and do what everyone else is doing, you're going to get lost in the noise.

Ready to step into your UN Era? Let's dive in.

What Your Personal Brand Actually Needs (Spoiler: It's Not What You Think)

Before we get into the six shifts, I need you to understand something fundamental about how to build a personal brand that works.

Most business owners come to me looking for strategies. They want to know which platforms to be on, what content to create, and how often to post. And yes, all of that matters. But you're not going to be able to show up in the right way if you're constantly thinking you have to be professional, filter yourself, and try to be somebody you're potentially not.

The real foundation of personal branding for women who want to build authority? It's mindset. It's the internal work that allows you to show up externally in a way that's magnetic, memorable, and authentically you.

So let's break down these six mindset shifts that are going to help you build the kind of personal brand that attracts the clients and opportunities you actually want.

Shift 1: Become UNFILTERED (Your Story Is Your Superpower)

This is my word for the year, and it's the foundation of everything I teach about personal brand strategy.

You cannot build a personal brand or stand out if you're saying what everybody else is saying. Full stop.

Here's what unfiltered actually means: sharing your real opinions, your actual stories, and your genuine experiences – not the watered-down, “professional” versions.

When I work with clients on this, we start by nailing their brand story. How did you get here? Why are you doing what you're doing? What was the catalyst or the moment that made you think, “I need to do this thing”?

Your story matters. And I'm not talking about a sanitised version. I'm talking about the pivotal moments throughout your journey – from childhood through school, your work experience, starting your business. The amazing times AND the really hard times. Everybody's got a story, and when you start to really look at what yours is, you can start to share it with your audience.

Think about the people you follow and love. You know all of their stories, don't you? You know what they talk about, what they stand for, what they've been through. That's not an accident – that's personal branding done right.

Here's the shift: Instead of asking yourself “Is this professional enough?” start asking “Is this positioning me in the best way? Is this positioning me the way I want?”

Brand positioning over professional appearance. That's what we're aiming for.

And listen, if you're struggling with this, I've created a custom GPT called “My Spicy Opinions” that helps you get unfiltered. It answers the question: What do you see your clients doing all the time that you want to tell them, but you're not saying it because you're too scared or you haven't found a “polite” way?

Because at the end of the day, standing out means showing up in a way that works for you. Not just what you say, but how you act, your mannerisms, your sense of humour, your style – all of these things contribute to your personal brand and make you memorable.

If we all looked and sounded the same, it would be very boring.

Shift 2: Become UNAPOLOGETIC (Ask for What You Want)

As women (and men, if you're reading this), we always feel like we have to think about everybody else around us. And I'm not saying we don't, but we also need to be unapologetic about going after the things we want.

I'm currently on my five rejections quest – five rejections a week. I had Liz Mosley on the podcast last year, and she had the goal of doing 100 rejections. The premise? You go after the rejections, and more often than not, you're actually getting the opportunities and getting the yes. Because so often we don't ask for what we want.

This is such a core element of building an authentic personal brand. I'm not going to hold myself back. I'm actually going to ask for the things I want.

My mum brought me up saying, “If you don't ask, you don't get.” And at the end of the day, a no doesn't have to mean anything. You get to decide what a no means for you, what that story is for you.

What I'm going after right now:

• More podcast guest episodes
• Speaking opportunities (hosting my own events and pitching for others)
• Collaborations with people I admire
• Big, bold opportunities that scare me a little

So far this year? 100% yeses on the podcast requests. But even if I get a no, so what? I get onto the next thing.

What would you go after if you were being completely unapologetic? What opportunities are you not pursuing because you're worried about hearing no?

Shift 3: Become UNREALISTIC (Delusional Is the New Realistic)

You'd have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard about being “delulu” – being delusional about what you can do, have, and achieve.

It's about doing things that others might think is unrealistic. But here's the truth: realistic just keeps you in a box with limits. And we are not doing that anymore. We're here to think bigger.

What have you thought before now is unrealistic? Could it be:

• Making multiple six figures or seven figures
• Speaking on a stage in front of 3,000 people
• Getting paid to travel and do what you love
• Landing brand deals
• Attracting incredible clients consistently
• Selling out your programs

What makes you think, “I just don't think I could do that”?

Start asking yourself: What if that was possible for me? What if I just did the things that I thought would help me achieve those goals?

Even if you aim for something really big and don't quite hit it, you're going to get further than if you weren't going after it at all. This mindset shift is crucial for how to build a personal brand that opens doors you didn't even know existed.

Shift 4: Become UNBOTHERED (Freedom From Others' Opinions)

Imagine being totally unbothered by what other people think of what you do and say. That would feel like freedom, wouldn't it?

Imagine posting the content, increasing your prices, selling, creating – and not being bothered by other people's opinions.

I actually think this is one of the biggest blocks to personal branding for women: we don't want to look silly when we're learning a new skill like content creation. So we just don't do it because we're worried about what people are going to say or think.

We don't tell people the really amazing things we want in our lives because we don't want to claim it – they would think we're being unrealistic or going after things that are too big.

But here's what you need to remember: Other people's opinions are not paying your bills. Other people's opinions are not helping you show up on YouTube or Instagram or wherever you want to create. Other people's opinions are not helping you write the book you want to write or speak on the stage you want to speak on.

When you're being unfiltered, unapologetic, unrealistic, AND unbothered, all of these things mean you can really embrace what you want and build the personal brand you want, build the business you want, create the opportunities you want – in a zone of testing, trying, creating, and building.

Being you. Having fun. Going for the things you want.

How incredible does that feel?

Shift 5: Become UNCOMMON (Different Beats Better Every Time)

Every single personal brand that you think of, that you remember, that lives in your head rent-free right now – they're uncommon.

Different is better than better.

When you show up fully as yourself without the filters, unapologetic and unbothered, you'll be different from everybody else trying to fit in, trying to do what everybody else is doing. And that's your edge.

When we stop performing, we start to produce from a powerful place.

Now, here's something important: when you're looking to be different, you're going to be testing and trying new things. It's going to feel uncomfortable, and people are going to see you trying hard.

I had Zara Jarvis on the podcast (she now works for Diary of a CEO), and she talked about being seen as a “try-hard.” When you were a kid, that was such a negative thing. But now as adults? We WANT to be try-hards. We want to be people who try to get better at what we do, who try to go after the things we want.

The question becomes: How am I going to be uncommon when I see people doing one thing? How do I do something different that feels very me?

Think about the people online right now who have very unique messages. There are certain creators where you can describe what they talk about, and people instantly know who you're referring to – even without a name. That's the power of claiming your uncommon space.

For me right now, I'm all about embracing your UN Era. I'm running an Unfiltered event, speaking on this topic, creating content around it. It's something I'm claiming, and I want to be known for it.

What could yours be? It could be an idea you come up with, something to do with you and your personal brand, your story. Start to get creative with how you position yourself in an uncommon way.

Shift 6: Become UNABSORBED (Create More Than You Consume)

The biggest block to creativity in personal branding for women? When we constantly look at what everybody else is doing.

It's overwhelming. We can't figure out our own sense of style, our uncommon perspective, the way we want to position our brand – because our brain is crammed with everybody else's content.

If you were being unabsorbed by other people's content and what they're doing, what would you do? How would you do it? How would it look?

I genuinely believe that being absorbed in other people's content stops us from showing up and creating. It's a really big problem that a lot of people face.

The shift here is to intentionally create from a place of NOT being absorbed in other people's content. Play with different ways that work for you.

I was talking to my Amplify clients about looking at different ways people create and then finding a way that feels in flow for them. Because once you find a way that feels in flow for you, it's just going to feel so much easier. You'll find your way, your uncommon way, because you're no longer absorbed by everybody else.

You've got your style, your flow, your way of communicating what you have.

Your UN Era Starts Now

If you want to build a personal brand and business in 2026 (because they go hand in hand), I really want you to think about how you're embracing your UN Era so that you can uniquely show up as you and share your message in an uncommon, unapologetic, unfiltered way.

These six mindset shifts – unfiltered, unapologetic, unrealistic, unbothered, uncommon, and unabsorbed – they work together. When you embrace all of them, you create a personal brand that's powerful, magnetic, and impossible to ignore.

Start with one. Which UN resonates with you most right now? Which one feels like the biggest block in your personal brand journey?

Grab my Spicy Opinions GPT to help you get unfiltered with your messaging. DM me on Instagram @suzchadwick with the word “UNFILTERED” if you want to learn more about building a personal brand that positions you powerfully.

And if you're in Melbourne, I'm running my Unfiltered event on March 19th – great speakers, great venue, incredible community. It's going to be transformational.

Your personal brand is waiting for you to stop filtering yourself and start showing up as you. The UN Era isn't just a mindset – it's a movement. And I'd love for you to be part of it.

Resources Mentioned:

• My Spicy Opinions GPT
• Unfiltered Event – Melbourne, March 19th
• Previous episodes with Liz Mosley and Zara Jarvis

Connect With Me:

Instagram: @suzchadwick Website: www.suzchadwick.com