Today Ricardo is joined by none other than the “image energizer” herself, Linda Yates. As a branding coach and consultant, she helps individuals and organizations improve their communication, leadership, personal presence, and public speaking skills. She’s also created several resources to help anyone improve their personal branding.

How did she get here? 

• As a 13-year-old, she had her parents spend over $250 for a professional development experience in the beauty industry. Linda knew that her teacher believed in her, and that made Linda believe in herself.
• Since then, her thirty-year, multi-industry corporate career all had one similar function: to get people excited about what they do.

Linda’s branding toolkit:

• Linda’s book Beyond the Clothes details what an image is all about, whether it’s a self-image, projected image, or team's image.
• Her six-hour audio course covers six steps to energize your personal brand.
• She hosts a weekly Facebook Live to pass along inspiration at the start of the week. Linda started this due to her inability to find inspiration on Mondays. She now streams each Monday on her Facebook group.
• Her podcast IntHERrupt talks about empowering women leaders.

Who are these resources for?

• Individuals transitioning to their next career, and even those pivoting back into the workforce after an absence. 
• Folks graduating from college looking to bring their most professional, positive and productive self to the table.
• While these resources were created with women in mind, it has expanded into a toolkit where anyone can find benefit.

How is this different from what other people currently use?

• These resources help you project out and, more importantly, project in; that's where the most effective self-confidence comes from.
• Linda’s toolkit provides immediate thoughts and tasks for improvement. From nonverbal language to speech, you're going to see a difference in how people react to you and how you feel about yourself.
• Many of these tools are free to use, such as her Facebook lives and consulting group on Facebook.
• Linda also has a free ebook on her website that helps you start your personal branding journey. While her audio class has a fee, it’s a six-hour course with supplementary teaching materials that make it well worth the investment.

Linda’s final takeaway? She believes we’re just waiting to uncover possibilities that help us realize for ourselves what we can accomplish. It’s all about starting the journey.

Linda’s recommended books and podcasts:

• The E Myth by Michael Gerber
• The Sales Evangelists by Donald Kelly
• Her own podcast, IntHerrupt

Find Linda’s free ebook on her website, and join her Facebook group for regular motivation posts.