In this episode of Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar is joined by Rhonda Joy McLean for a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation about where leadership and personal brand truly begin. Long before titles, platforms, or visibility, Rhonda Joy reflects on the experiences, values, and identity work that shaped how she shows up as a leader.

Rhonda Joy shares stories from her upbringing in the Jim Crow South, integrating schools as a teenager, and learning early lessons about resilience, collaboration, and self-trust. She explores how faith, culture, and intergenerational legacy informed not only her career path, but the way she leads people and navigates systems. Together, Paula and Rhonda Joy unpack personal branding as presence rather than performance, and leadership as something practiced long before it is named.

This episode centers the idea that a durable personal brand is not built through optics alone, but through lived experience, integrity, and clarity about who you are. It is a conversation about formation, grounding, and becoming before leading.

2:36 – What personal branding means to Rhonda Joy, how she describes herself, a quote she thinks about often, and her hype music

6:46 – How school integration was a daily test of courage, discipline, and collaboration

12:39 – Rhonda Joy’s reflection on what’s happening now, decades after being a part of racial justice history

16:19 – The foundation for Rhonda Joy’s fearless leadership, from childhood to law career

21:31 – How being rejected opened doors to excellence for Rhonda Joy, instead of shrinking her ambition

25:42 – Rhonda Joy’s impact on others and her values-led, continuously evolving brand

Mentioned In Becoming Before Leading with Rhonda Joy McLean

RJM Leads 

The Little Black Book of Success series by Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, and Rhonda Joy McLean

Rhonda Joy McLean on Instagram and LinkedIn

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Curated Resources from Paula

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Sponsor for this episode

This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC.

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.

Founded and led by Paula Edgar, our work centers on practical strategies that enhance professional development, stren

We're starting off 2026 with a bang with my New Year's Intention and Goal Setting session on January 3rd, and then my new three-part series, LinkedIn Strategy for Lawyers: Build a Brand that Works for You, running January through March. 

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