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Personal branding expert and visual designer Rachel Lee built her brand by doing something most people are terrified to do: she showed the world exactly who she is — messy edges, weird quirks, and all. The response changed her life.

In this episode of Untamed Leader, Rachel shares how she went from a rule-following, approval-seeking "good girl" to co-founding Neogenesis, a visual branding agency built specifically for creatives and misfit entrepreneurs who are ready to own their weird. Her story is about what happens when you stop curating yourself for other people’s comfort — and start letting your brand be a mirror of who you actually are.

We talk about:

• What the 2019 upheaval that changed everything actually cost her — and what it gave her
• The Frankenstein business most entrepreneurs build before they find their real brand
• Why a "curated storefront" brand is the opposite of what makes people trust you
• The moment she decided to take her personality off mute — and what happened next
• The difference between personal branding as strategy vs. personal branding as a mirror
• What a permission slip actually means — and why you need one

If you’ve ever felt the disconnect between how you show up online and how you actually are, this conversation will name that gap and invite you toward something more real.

Takeaways

1. While showing up as you feels risky, it’s actually the most efficient path to the right clients. People who don’t connect with the real you aren’t your clients anyway.
2. Most entrepreneurs build a Frankenstein version of their brand by borrowing pieces from other people’s frameworks. It works just enough to survive — and never quite fits.
3. A "curated storefront" brand creates a disconnect between what people see and who they actually get. That disconnect undermines trust before the relationship begins.
4. Branding isn’t a re-outfit — it’s a mirror. The real work is showing what’s inside, not constructing a strategic exterior.
5. Being seen fully — with all the weird and messy edges — and still being chosen is one of the most profound human experiences. It’s also the experience that turns clients into advocates.
6. The untaming journey often requires a period of radical disruption before it becomes an adventure. Knowing others have survived it matters.
7. Intuition often arrives before the language does. Rachel built her personal brand intuitively before she knew it had a name. That discovery happened after the doing.
8. Permission is the doorway. What most people need isn’t a better strategy — it’s the permission slip to show up as they are.

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