Can I share a secret with you? Shhh don’t tell the world…

There are more days than I’d like when I feel like an imposter. When I feel like I have much more to learn _before_ I can start reaching for the big goals I have. Thankfully these days I can spot my imposter mindset raise it’s head before it knocks me off-kilter.

What I’ve realised is this…

No amount of study, training or experience will wipe away the deep fear that you aren’t enough.

The secret is that our enduring success lurks under the skin, rather than in a university degree.

Now don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that our credibility is built on our study, training and experience. If you don’t have the goods to back you up, then you are just blowing hot air. But if you are like me and have skills that would rival a grandmaster ninja at black belt status (lol), then your next step is not to find some karate kid to teach ‘wax on and wax off’ skills. (couldn’t help myself)

Your next step is to turn your focus inward and get under your own skin.

I call it the Unicorn paradigm.

There is this magic that is unseen, mostly, that many of us are searching for…we are looking in all the wrong places for it.

My superpower is that I can help you SEE your UNSEEN.

Stop looking for ways to blend in.

Stop trying to find the right field of horses to be your tribe.

Stop trying to distinguish yourself based on your degrees or how good your customer service is.

There are so many others out there saying the exact same things, and claiming that it is their unique selling point. Good customer service is not a USP!

You are a freakin’ unicorn for heaven’s sake! Full of badass magic! With an epic horn! The stuff of legends.

You are multi-talented. A multi-hyphener with an impressive list of skills and experience, who can bring a unique perspective to your industry.

You are also unique in your personality. In how you see the world. You are obsessed with things that make you different from every other horse in the field.

So why are you continuing to run with the horses?

Claim your unicorn magic and reach for your big goals.

“You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.”  ~ Brene Brown

It’s time to get under your own skin, understand your personal narrative and what strengthens your personal brand. No more hustling for your worthiness and value. It takes courage to stand out. It’s vulnerable and uncomfortable. But I’d rather uncomfortable than stagnation any day of the week! Understand your brand personality, because that is how you express yourself and your individuality.

Time to become your unicorn brand, and find a new field full of other badass unicorns, who are kicking up a storm!

Want help with being able to SEE your UNSEEN, and claim your unicorn status?

Luckily I do this for a living. HA! Doesn’t even feel like work, as I love this stuff….more than ice-cream! (and that’s saying something)

Let’s unleash your unicorn brand together! 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you could step up into unicorn status in your work and life!!! 

I DARE you to SEE your UNSEEN.

The post Be the unicorn in a field of horses appeared first on Louise Williams.

“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

Ever been duped by the “one size fits all” concept? You know the outfits I’m talking about. The ones that spruke that they will fit all sizes, but they are really only catering to a small range of people. You get seduced by the idea of wearing something so lovely, but you are ultimately let down when it doesn’t fit your body.

Business Headshots and Personal Branding Photography is a lot like the one size fits all dilemma. As business owners, we look around us for ideas of what looks good and what others are doing in terms of visual branding. We can’t help but compare. It’s in our nature as humans, because we are hard-wired to pursue a feeling of belonging. So it’s not surprising to see a lot of business owners all looking fairly similar on social media and in marketing. 

The formula for most headshots

Lifestyle businesses have lifestyle photographs of themselves in their office, at a local coffee shop, an urban location or on the beach.

Corporate businesses and executives have photographs of them wearing a suit or jacket and photographed with arms folded or looking serious to the camera.

Professional speakers have photographs of them in a lifestyle setting, walking down the street, and speaking on stage to a massive audience.

I get it!

Formulas help businesses to get out of overwhelm, reach a solution and to be visible in front of their ideal audience. Formulas help businesses to produce content that they know will resonate, because it’s been done before.

But that is one of the biggest problems with formulas.

They are replicated over and over, and you risk people switching off. The problem with formulas goes back to the “one size fits all” outfit that we’ve all been duped by. Every person and business is different, especially if they are leveraging their unique positioning. We all know it.

So why create visible brand positioning that makes you look like everyone else out there?

It’s uncomfortable to be different

It comes down to feeling discomfort and risk to choose to step outside the status quo. I get this concern a lot from people I talk to about branding and marketing. They want to have an impact, but they are scared or unsure that doing something different will really work for them.

Now hear me when I say that this does not mean that every person who comes through my studio doors, will be asked to get really animated in their headshots. That would be just like following a formula again. We don’t do boring headshots in the studio! It means that we look at the whole YOU and photograph you based on ALL the information and customise to your specific situation:

• you, your personality, your archetype, the Future You
• your values, beliefs and opinions
• your clients and what they are needing from you
• how conservative or creative your industry is
• the future of your industry and what is required from you as a leader.

Build curiosity with your headshot

Ultimately though, the goal is to create powerful photographs of you that stop your audience in their tracks and they take notice!

If you read my previous article, I talked about how we as a global community are moving into a time of ‘reality apathy’. We as consumers won’t know what’s real and what’s ‘fake’, so instead, it’s expected that we will switch off. The challenge for you as a business owner is to re-ignite the curiosity of your audience. The quickest way to do that is visually through photographs and videos. Your focus needs to be in zigging when everyone is zagging with headshots, branding photography and videos. Dump the ‘one size fits all’ formula and find your own marvellous, intriguing formula that amplifies you on so many levels!

Here is an example of how a simple headshot can look different, with each person celebrated differently, amplified for their unique qualities.

Find your own marvellous formula

Capture headshots and photographs of you that are based on your personality, values and you’re unique positioning.

Tell a story and be illustrative with your headshots and photographs.

Be FULLY self-expressive in your headshots. There is only one of you. Only one of your face (except for any doppelgängers out there). Others cannot compete when you differentiate based on who you ARE.

Dive deep into your IP and deep subject matter expertise and see what ways you could bring that expertise into your photographs.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what your experience has been with your own headshots. 

I DARE you to be fully self-expressed!

The post One size {does not} fit ALL appeared first on Louise Williams.

Your personal brand reveals it’s true strength when things go topsy turvy.

A brand can appear rosy when everything is working as it should, when customers are well looked after, and you are kicking goals. But how robust is your personal brand, when chips are starting to crack that polished surface? Your personal brand’s influence, reach and legacy is most evident when you aren’t able to keep up appearances.

You know those moments when your life goes into chaos, and the friends who rally around you are your ‘truest friends’? You get to see peoples’ true colours when your life is demanding and there is hard stuff being dealt with. Weak friendships fade away and your ‘tribe’ steps up for the challenge. The same goes for personal brands and their community of customers. Business isn’t always butterflies and rainbows. Something eventually happens and the shit will hit the fan. It’s those moments when your personal brand is tested on all levels.

Is your brand ‘chaos proof’?

A personal brand must invest well in advance, in understanding and communicating their reason for doing business and what they ultimately stand for (and not stand for). They should polarise enough in their brand positioning, to speak to a niche group of customers who share their values and feel strong enough about the brand to get OFF the fence and engage – even when things go bad.

Most importantly, personal brands must invest in being vulnerable in how they communicate the highs and lows of their business. When a personal brand establishes a brand identity that is flexibile, fallible, vulnerable, and honest, they will be strong enough to stay connected to their audience in tough times.

I have had this experience in my own personal brand, several times over the 14 years I have been in business. I have noticed since really deepening my personal brand in the past few years and being more vulnerable with my tribe, that when the shit hits the fan, my clients rally around me and they are understanding of my humanness. They also know that the same goes for when they are going through difficult times. My personal brand rallies around my customers and I have full acceptance and understanding for their humanness and vulnerability. It’s an integral part of my why and my brand positioning. It’s ultimately how I build trust with my clients, so they can be fully vulnerable in front of the camera.

The HOW

So how do you create a robust personal brand that is it’s strongest when the shit is hitting the fan?

You must be transparent, raw, real and vulnerable even in the awesome moments so that your honesty translates in the difficult moments. You have to go first in sharing more of yourself. It’s a heart-opening process for your clients – no matter how conservative or creative they are.

The same goes for your business photographs. Resist just showing happy, smiling perfect moments in your photographs. Get real and raw in front of the camera. Disclose more of you, in your facial expression, your body language. Risk being seen as foolish for the chance to truly connect with your audience. They will reward you for it! I promise!

Transparency creates cut through

Sprout Social found from a survey of 1000 respondents that “85% of people say a business’ history of being transparent makes them more likely to give it a second chance after a bad experience.” That is a high percentage of forgiveness and understanding right there. Brand loyalty is all about your customers feeling like you are IN this journey WITH them, not just talking about it. It’s going to require you to face your demons and open yourself up. Customers want to know that you and your people are in the trenches with them.

That you laugh when they laugh. You feel sadness just like them. You aren’t afraid to go where many other businesses aren’t comfortable sharing. Because the fact is, if you can go to that place of vulnerability, then it makes it easier for your customers to go there with you. You bond together like your truest friends who stay with you in your darkest hours. You are on this journey together.

Personal brands in 2020

Heading into 2020, personal brands will have a distinct advantage over big faceless brands. They can bring their customers closer to them by leveraging their humanness and connecting their face and heart to their business reputation. As we step into an era of artificial intelligence, blurring the lines of reality and AR, deep fake videos and fake news, we as consumers will be experiencing a high level of ‘reality apathy’. We won’t know what is real and what isn’t, for the most part. The shit will literally be hitting the fan, and people will become even more cynical than ever. This is the moment whereby personal brands will come into their own.

• Give value wherever you can – don’t hold back, share knowledge and value, givers gain. Make sure that your branding photographs serve the purpose of connecting with your audience.
• Get personal – share your highs and lows, your frustrations, your loses and your wins. Show us the more vulnerable you in your headshots.
• Be multi-layered in how you engage – use written blogs, videos, podcasts etc – different people connect in different ways. Show different sides of you in your branding photographs.
• Tell stories – we connect collectively as humans through stories. Make sure that your branding headshots also tell stories.
• Listen to your audience – engage with them in real-time, answer their questions in public, be upfront when you don’t know the answers. Be genuine and build curiosity in your branding photographs.

If you are the face of your personal brand then this is your time to be consistently sharing all parts of you and disclosing all the layers of your humanness. Your transparency will win out above all of the noise of this AI revolution that is already on our doorsteps.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you bring your audience closer to you as a brand.

I DARE you to disclose more of your rawness and realness.

The post When your brand hits the fan appeared first on Louise Williams.

The difference between regular headshots/branding photographs, and Future You identity photographs that we take in the studio, all comes down to identity psychology, personality, and especially emotion and expression. As soon as the camera is lifted up, I notice that peoples’ anxiety increases and their ability to just relax decreases. It is a totally normal reaction. I experience this myself when getting my own photographs taken. Your awareness and hypervigilance increases, you become super aware of your surroundings and the voice in your head gets very loud. Body language becomes quite stiff. Robot hands with a mind of their own. Tense shoulders and jawlines. “Deer in the headlights” facial expression. The mind takes over and the body doesn’t know what to do. What you end up with are photos that you are ‘somewhat’ happy with. A lot of “that’ll do for now”. You end up with photographs of yourself that you grow out of super fast. You don’t share the photos very often because you are uninspired or at worst embarrassed to share.

This situation saddens me because I believe that everyone deserves to feel and BE fully self-expressed, to be truly seen and represented authentically in their photographs. I believe that people shouldn’t be made to feel like they need to hide, diminish, play small or settle for average. I’ve lived and breathed visibility and invisibility throughout my whole life. Visibility is especially important in photographs. I take my role as Future You Storyteller & Brand Advisor very seriously, as I believe that photographs can heal and equally harm (if not done properly) self-esteem and our own self-image. Awesome photographs can propel us, average and luke warm photographs can hold us back.

The Secret Sauce

The secret sauce of what I do in the studio comes down to being really ‘serious’ about having heaps of FUN in front of the camera. In the studio we are super light-hearted while staying laser-focused on what is best for you.

What is important for you in expression, authenticity and communicating your true value?

While prioritising fun we are consistently coming back to emotion and embodying your whole truth in front of the camera. Fun and playfulness is the only way to achieve this while also simultaneously transforming the confidence of the person being photographed.

Emotion must be felt by you as you are the muse.
As your photographer, I must also feel the emotion WITH you.
And the person looking at the photograph must also be able to feel the emotion.

Emotions transform

Emotions aren’t accessed by your thoughts.
You can’t just talk yourself into happiness or joy.
Go on! Give it a try!
Emotions come from your subconscious mind.

When you actually feel an emotion, like happiness or joy, it has a physical effect on our bodies. You can’t pretend. As a result, the expression you show in a photograph is more visceral and read by others as truly coming from the depths of your soul.

“Emotions flow through our body, thoughts flow through our mind; the flow of daily life, moving freely, is an experience that creates pleasure.”

– John Pierrakos

Dagginess unlocks Personal Power

Emotions flow through your body. That is why we use body movement, dance and playfulness to amplify it. Literally getting OUT of your head, mind chatter, and getting into the flow. We use a highly specialised movement in the studio, grounded in lots of serious science, called the ‘dag dance’. It’s very scientific you see. 🙂 It requires both you and me to put down the camera and props, and ‘dag dance’ to the music. As you might have gathered already, we have fun during a photographic experience. We keep things light. We follow your personal energy state and adapt accordingly. The ‘dag dance’ ultimately unlocks your emotions, gets you to the heart of you really quickly, and changes the way that you talk to yourself while in front of a camera. The ‘dag dance’ is vital to creating powerful Corporate and Branding photographs!

If you would like to practice this ‘dag dance’, I would highly recommend a safe private space to conduct such a dance lol

Steps to a powerful Dag Dance in the photography studio:

• Find music that has a good upbeat to it. Something that uplifts you. Some suggestions could be “Happy” by Pharrell Williams or “Run the World” by Beyonce or “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins.
• Move arms and legs in uncoordinated ways to create the biggest flurry possible.
• Spontaneously breaking out into “Walk like an Egyptian” dance moves or strutting like Mick Jagger will give you more opportunities to laugh and let loose!
• Dag dancing effects are heightened when done in the presence of another dag dancer.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously.

From one fellow dag dancer to another, let your inner dag be free, and connect to your power as a leader and a personal brand!

>> I’d love to hear your thoughts on your own version of the dag dance.

I DARE you to get daggy and get relaxed at your next photo shoot!

The post The Dag Dance appeared first on Louise Williams.

We as humans are just like the saucepan full of water.
Our opinions, motivations, priorities and our soul purpose is the water, the steam and the heat.
It is also our individual expression of our true selves.

Some of us are like cold or at least luke warm water.
Some of us are bubbling away with ideas and huge changes we want to inspire in the world.

For the leaders around us who are visible and making real change, they have learnt a way to lift the lid on their metaphorical saucepan. They add more heat and water, without hesitation, to keep their momentum going for the long run.

For those who are potential leaders, but are struggling to be seen and heard, they are still keeping the lid firmly on their opinions, motivations and ultimately their soul purpose.

It takes a lot of work to add heat and water to a saucepan.
It also takes a lot of energy to hold the lid down on our truest selves.

So what does lifting the lid “look like” in terms of self-expression and personal branding.

Well, I’ll show you…

Lifting the lid on the real you, requires staying very present in your body, especially in front of a camera.
Mindfulness is the key.

Lifting the lid on your authenticity, comes through the micro expressions from your eyes, cheeks, jawline and shoulders.
Posing with ease is something I guide clients through.

Lifting the lid on your expression, comes from lighting up your eyes with a fire that originates from your belly.
You’ve got to feel it because then your audience/customers will feel it also.

Lifting the lid on your personal brand, means that we need to feel your passion, from the very moment we engage with you.
Show them the unexpected, engage fully with your audience.

This is why I invite clients at their pre-shoot IGNITE session, to clarify and visualise their 18 month future version of themselves and their business/career. I want them to lift up out of the space they are currently playing in and future pace their thinking, mindset and physical presence. Their micro-expressions, body language and the energy that is coming from behind their eyes, all changes and amplifies. The lid ends up well and truly lifted on their ‘saucepan’ and we are adding more heat and water to the impact of their branding photographs.

Why do potential leaders willingly CHOOSE to keep the lid on their self-expression and ultimately hold themselves back?

It comes down to THREE key things…

1. Clarity

They aren’t crystal clear about who they are and are being influenced by what other people have told them to be and do. They aren’t clear and confident about their opinions and priorities. When we hold the lid down on clarity, we tend to look to others for guidance. We might even change the way we dress or think, because someone has told us how to see ourselves, based on their own filters and life experience.

When we are in alignment with our brand, message, and services – the lid is off.
When we are out of alignment, and not being authentic – the lid is on and we are suffocating our opinions, motivations and priorities.

QUESTION:
What would your 18 month future self be wearing, if she or he were being fully self-expressed and totally embracing their individuality? Resist the questions and concerns that come up from this. Just state the facts.
Comment below, telling me what you would be doing differently with your wardrobe choices.

2. Mindset

We’ve all been told at some stage that we are #toomuch of something.

You are too bold
Too loud
Too many ideas
Too forward
Too quiet
Too sensitive
Too emotional
Too serious
Too relaxed
Too excitable
Too colourful

Some of us listen to the #toomuch brigade, ironically way “too much”.
Some of us see the naysayers as a cue that we are exactly where we should be in life and to keep doing what we are doing.

I say, give those people the flip, and start listening to what you really believe and want.

QUESTION:
What is your #toomuch <word> that you can adopt proudly and defiantly?
Comment below, telling me your #toomuch <word>.

3. Purpose

If you are following other people’s dreams, then you won’t want to ‘show up’, be visible and speak up about something that is in misalignment with who you are and what lights you up. Lift that lid up, and get super clear about your soul purpose and how you can make that your life’s work.

QUESTION:
What is your big dream that is going to transform the world?
Comment below, telling me about your big dream!

I dare you to be too loud that you get a reaction!
Be too bold that the people who count won’t forget you!
Be too provocative, that your tribe is inspired to speak their own truth!

Be a leader who is #toomuch

The post Leaders are #toomuch appeared first on Louise Williams.

I understand the struggle to be seen all too well. I’m an introvert at heart, although I can be extraverted when I want to be (a true ambivert). The confusion around what to communicate and what to hold back. I have experienced all of the challenges in putting oneself out there over the years. I get it! Even recently when I updated my own personal branding headshots.

As an introvert, being fully visible and self-expressed can be heart thumping and teeth chattering. I’d much rather shine a light on my clients, finding ways to help them self-promote with authenticity and bold confidence. It’s my talent. It’s what I thrive on, seeing others being able to communicate fully WHO they are and WHAT they stand for.

Even a self-confessed introvert needs to walk their talk and be seen as the leader of their tribe. However, to be seen as a leader, you must have a willingness to CHOOSE full transparency and vulnerability. Even if you risk being disliked, questioned or challenged by others.

Being transparent and vulnerable builds resilience in you as a leader. It develops trust with your tribe. To be fully self-expressive, you must understand who you are on multiple levels and from different perspectives. I don’t mean answering questions like ‘what is your favourite colour?’ and ‘what is your super power?’. You must go deeper than that, to be capable of the level of transparency and vulnerability that builds trust as a leader. You need to have a strong level of awareness around your values, your desires, and your personality traits. They have to be your own. They can’t be something that you have been told and convinced of by others. You need to feel them deep down within your core. They must be in alignment with your soul purpose.

“One of the risks of being quiet is that the other people can fill your silence with their own interpretation: You’re bored. You’re depressed. You’re shy. You’re stuck up. You’re judgemental. When others can’t read us, they write their own story—not always one we choose or that’s true to who we are.”
― Sophia Dembling

Most people assume that I’m mostly shy and a people pleaser. I’ve learnt to be very present in service to others, which helps continue the illusion that I’m shy. Especially in my previous career as a Psychologist. I’ve learnt to hold back and allow others to take the spotlight, because ‘that’s what a good Psychologist does’ – right?

However, those closest to me will agree that I love to SHAKE things up. I am sassy. I value diversity, individuality and left-of-centre thinking. I appreciate different perspectives. I get excited by creativity, playfulness and being fluid with expressing who we are as human beings.

I can be easily misunderstood and totally underestimated. Anyone taking my headshot could easily assume that I should be photographed as a really soft, gentle, friendly natured person. They wouldn’t be wrong. But it’s nowhere near the whole story of me….not even close.

Preparing for my own recent photo shoot, I took myself through the psychology of my headshots, and how I wanted to be seen by others. It became apparent to me that it was time to step out of the shadows. My clients have been waiting for me to do this for years! I wanted an outfit that would become a symbol for the rebel that rises within me. So I knew immediately it was the one when I found this tinsel jacket made by a local Brisbane artist.

The choice to wear this jacket epitomises everything within me that is not easily visible, and yet is a growing part of who I am. It is a symbol of what is within me at my core as a leader. It is a symbol that also my clients can relate too. It is a ‘call to action’ for what I believe in and the psychological adventure that I take my clients through. I want them to believe in themselves just as much as I do.

Most of my clients are introverts. They are multi-talented and have huge plans for the impact they want to make in the world. They just need someone who can help them find their own version of the tinsel jacket symbol and what it means to them. They need someone who believes in what they are wanting to communicate with the world and help them be creative in sharing their gifts.

The question is – what is your version of the tinsel jacket?
What symbol speaks volumes about what is stirring within you?

To find the answer, here are a few steps to play with:

• Understand your personality type.  Take an archetype test, or discover your Fascinate profile. There are heaps of tests out there! Once you have the results, reflect on how it relates to the way you WANT to be seen in your personal brand.
• Gain perspective outside of yourself and your close circle of friends. Discover how the world sees you, outside of the social filters of your family and friends. While they mean well, they are biased. This is why the IGNITE sessions are so popular! They provide a powerful perspective!
• Identify the statement you want to make, the opinion you want to be known for, and start communicating about it every which way you can!  Use symbolism in your photographs and branding to help support your stance.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on your visibility as a leader. 
Add your comments below!

I DARE you to make a statement that gets people talking!

The post Trailblazers Don’t Do Boring! appeared first on Louise Williams.