[00:00:03] Speaker A: Hey, everybody. Hey. It is Lolita E. Walker. And whoo. Let me tell you something. In the midst of everything going on, whether we're having shifts in your career, your purpose, your relationships, the economy, shifts in your own self talk, it might be time to rebrand. And guess what? I get it. It sounds exciting. But let's be real. Rebranding. Rebranding right now, in the midst of it all. Well, that is what we are talking about today. How to rebrand using project management principles that each and every one of us have right inside of our toolkit. Let's get into it.
[00:00:39] Speaker B: Welcome to coaching Cocktails and Conversations with Lolita E. Walker, the podcast that coaches you up while meeting you exactly where you are.
Grab your water, tea, or something stronger and allow this podcast to help you feel the power in your pause. Come on in and join the conversation. Conversation.
[00:01:01] Speaker A: Let's go.
So, yes, yes, and yes. How did all of this come about? Well, I was talking to a girlfriend that I've known for a little while, and she was talking about this professional next journey that she wanted to take, and we were talking about how to really rebrand yourself, what that looks like in a couple of steps. So in my mind, I'm like, hey, guess what we could do? Try to use some program management principles in order to bring this all together. She's a program manager by trade, and so it worked really well. And that's where we were going. And I said, guess what? I'm gonna do a podcast for it. I'm gonna send it to you, and here we are. I think this is phenomenal because not only you can use it in your work, but you can use it in life as well. So sometimes what we do already know is that these shifts in life, like I said earlier, they do sound really exciting, right? But even when we're our most bold selves, even when we don't operate in fear, it's still uncomfortable stepping into something new. We all know that. So today I want to take us through this process, and we're going to go through the project management tools. We're going to go through five different parts. Okay? So if you have your coaching cocktails and conversations journal with you, let's go ahead and let's get started. The first part.
The first part is to define the rebrand as the program itself.
And this is the definition phase. Okay? Yes, absolutely. All about the definition. We're going to ask ourselves things like, what's the purpose of this rebrand?
[00:02:37] Speaker C: Why?
[00:02:38] Speaker A: Because we want to get a strong foundation. You always want to know the purpose. So what is the purpose of this rebrand? Who is it for?
What are the goals that you really want to accomplish? And then, most importantly, who am I becoming?
And why does that version of me matter right now?
All in all, what you're trying to do is really define where it is that you want to go, setting the foundation on this rebrand, and why it's important to you.
So, again, those are, what's the purpose of this rebrand? Why am I even doing it in the first place?
Who is it for?
What are the goals that I really want to accomplish here? And who am I truly becoming? And why does that version of me matter right now? See, because it isn't about necessarily tossing everything out and then starting over from scratch. It's really about realigning. It's about refining. It's about showing up in your full power and your full truth.
And oftentimes, that piece is the most difficult piece.
[00:03:38] Speaker B: So.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: So we want to ask ourselves ahead of this, all of these questions so that we can really, you know, just kind of ground ourselves together. My rebrand is not about starting over.
This is the starting point of alignment, and that's what we have to tell ourselves, that this is the starting point of alignment. Therefore, it is so important that within this project plan that I am really defining this rebrand and why it's important to me. Make sense. I hope so.
When we think about a little bit more, we think about just building the plan itself. Building the plan itself. And in my mind, I have this number line. You know, when you were in grade school and you had this number line, think about a ruler. And we're starting from the beginning, part one, and we're going all the way to part five. And even as I talk about this out loud, I have an idea for our next show. So I'll just tell you that. Make sure you stay to the end so we can talk about that.
Now we're on part two. Okay? Now we're on part two. We're talking about building the plan.
Why is building the plan so important?
This is the planning phase, y'. All. This is about updating your bio, because this is professional how we're talking. This is about getting new headshots of which I need to get myself. It's about consistent messaging, understanding your social presence, your elevator pitch. Because why? We're really clear now from the foundation that we've set, we've asked those questions. We're looking at what's the timeline and how I can get this right. We're planning. Properly planning so that now we can be successful on where it is we're going. So think about it. Maybe next month you booked your first speaking engagement. Maybe in three months, your website is up. What does that timeline truly look like in order you to. In order you.
In order for you to really reach the goals that you've already set. Because you know where it is is that you're going. What's your budget look like? Who are your stakeholders? Who are your circle of supporters that's going to amplify you. That's going to really affect and impact this rebrand that is now you. So you can even ask yourself something like, where am I over complicating this? And how can I really simplify this in order not to cause the overwhelm that you might even be feeling right now?
[00:05:55] Speaker C: Why?
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Because I've absolutely been here. So sometimes I'll argue that I'm kind of still here myself. So when I told you all that, when I have these podcast episodes, I'm doing the work right with you. Seriously, I am doing the work right with you. Now, you don't have to wait until it's perfect. Absolutely. Because progress is not perfection. Progress is a part of the brand. Your audience, your community, they want to grow with you. So this piece right here is not about being perfect. It's about building the plan so you can get the 80 foot of 20 and start on your way.
[00:06:29] Speaker C: Why?
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Because progress. Progress is better than perfection. Okay, so we got part one, we're designing. We're into part two, we're building. Now we're moving to part three. Because now it's time to execute with confidence. And I'll tell you, execution with confidence is not the easiest thing in the world.
[00:06:48] Speaker C: Why?
[00:06:49] Speaker A: Because it's scary.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: Why?
[00:06:50] Speaker A: Because you're doing something new.
[00:06:52] Speaker C: Why?
[00:06:52] Speaker A: Because you're.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: You're.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: You have all of these thoughts inside of your head that's like, who. Who's going to be here with me? Who's going to really support me? What if this thing doesn't work? Well, what if it does?
So this is the do the work phase. This is where we start with a little bit of ease. We. We start to update our email signature.
We start to rewrote, Rewrote, Lord, rewrite our bio in our own voice. We start to really craft what this is going to look like. We start saying yes to something that aligns with where it is that you're headed.
We start to build that confidence and execute with confidence. As we really speak about it. We talk about that all the time, speak about it, see it in front of you, make it clear. We start to share it, and we start to stand on it. We start to ask people, how do they feel when they interact with us in our business, how do they feel when they interact with us and at school, how do they feel when they interact with us in life? And we take those things, and we really start to build this confidence, because why we're about to execute on this thing.
So what does it really look like to boldly walk in this new identity, in this new rebrand that is you? What does it look like? What does it feel like? And the way that you do that is to have small steps that start to tell the world that this is where I'm going, this rebrand is real. I am walking in it. I am talking in it. Because once you show up that way, the world will have to catch up.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: You hear me?
[00:08:24] Speaker A: The world will have to catch up.
We have our foundation. Absolutely. We got our plan.
Next step is to execute with confidence, one step at a time. Next is to hold your head up high and your back up straight and say, guess what? Because this is where I want to go. Because it is that I can see this thing. I got to walk into it. I got to walk into this thing scared. And if you listen to some other podcasts ago, I. I talked about toolkits or climbing up the success ladder. So there's so many different pieces where you can gain motivation and inspiration on your journey there. Because guess what? We've been there. Guess what?
[00:09:01] Speaker C: I've done that.
[00:09:02] Speaker A: Guess what? You can, too.
And it's not perfect. We're making progress here.
So let's move on to part four.
Part four. Now that we're doing these small steps to execute with a bit of confidence, now we're going to monitor, we're going to adjust, and we are going to reaffirm. Affirmation is key because sometimes you don't have those people that understand the rebrand. Sometimes it's a lonely journey, y'. All. I know. You know, sometimes it's a lonely journey, but that's why you have to keep all of these things right in front of you. Because sometimes you have to affirm yourself, and then you have to reaffirm yourself. That's why we've done that exercise. I hope you've heard that podcast where we did three core strengths, and we brought in strengths that we know we have without a shadow of a doubt in those that other people see of us. And we've created a Powerful affirmation that we say out loud every day. The power of that exercise. I know you all have heard it, but the power of that exercise is, what is that? The I am is really an affirmation and an ownership of who it is that you are. And the juiciness about all that right there, the juiciness of it all is that you also have as part of that affirmation how you've shown up in it. So when you start to doubt yourself and say, you know what part of my affirmation is? I am creative. And you start to say, oh, my gosh, I am not creative. I am not creative. You can now have how you've shown up in that because you've been here before. So now it's true.
Now you know it's true. There's no need to question, because now you have the evidence that is right before you. So in this notion to monitor, to adjust, and to reaffirm, we're asking ourselves, like, what are we tracking for ourselves?
Are the messages that we're putting out resonating?
Are you feeling more aligned? Are you feeling disconnected? Are the right people responding to the energy that you put out?
What is that? Feedback? Are you getting feedback?
Sometimes that's a mistake we make. Are we getting feedback? Are we asking for feedback forms? Are we asking people what they think and what they took away and how you can improve? All of those things are important.
The juiciness about it all is that we're going to celebrate those wins, even the ones that no one else sees, even the ones that's not on socials, even the ones that don't need to be blared in red flags all around the world to just say, hey, guess what I did? Guess what I did. You don't need all of that. What you need to do is take a look at the things that nobody really sees. And if something feels a little bit off, we're going to pause, we're going to recalibrate, and we're going to reaffirm your why this is your rebrand. You don't owe it to trends. You owe it to the truth. So now you want to ask yourself, when's the last time that I paused to acknowledge how far that I have come?
Oh, my goodness. Let me ask myself that. When's the last time that I paused to acknowledge how far I've come?
In this moment right here, Actually, I was talking to someone the other day, and we were just talking about our small wins, and I was getting so frustrated with this paper that I'm writing because I'm telling y'. All. Writing pieces of a dissertation while studying for comprehensives, while doing things for the board of education, while life, while all of these things can be a bit overwhelming. But we were talking about where it is that we are and where we've come from, and. And what I've recognized is that I'm already three years in, and so I'm further in than I have to go. It's too late to turn back now, even with the frustration. So I'll ask you to do the same and think about when is the last time that you paused to acknowledge how far you have come.
Why don't you take a moment to write down some flowers right now for yourself?
All right? And then in part five, this is how we're going to close this thing out. Strong project closure. Mm. Don't forget we are giving ourselves some steps in a form of project management to really try to rebrand ourselves. So as we come to this, it's really reflecting on what we've learned along the way. Now, this isn't a five minute exercise. This is going to take some time. But when you have the steps, you can gauge success on where it is you've been. You can celebrate your small wins because you've had reflection along the way. You want to celebrate what you've accomplished. You want to document your journey. Come on now. We want to be able to take a look back at that thing. I know I have papers from school and I go back and I read even rejections that's come from conferences that I've applied to, and I read that and I say, oh, yeah, that should have been rejected. But what did I do? I had to go back. I had to monitor it.
I had to then reaffirm myself. I had to adjust. I have to remind myself that, okay, got it, there was rejection along this route, but that no is going to equal a yes in the future. So what am I going to do in order to rebuild that thing? And that is so super important.
This is not for others.
It's for you. So the next time you feel uncertain, you can look back and you can say, oh, yes, I did that. I did that. I did that. With help along the way, of course. But right now we're talking about the power, the power in you to leverage these tools, these strategies in order to move forward to rebrand. Because now's the time if you're asking yourself that question, if you're sitting in the power of complacency right now, if you're thinking to yourself, oh, my gosh, what next a rebranding might be for you. So I want you to think about how are you going to use these and break these down into five. If you need a certified life, leadership and executive coach, yep, I'm here. And we can take that time. Hit me up@lolita walker.com but in the meantime, in between time, I want you to take these and you can do this on your own and really ask yourself these questions.
I want you to speak this aloud with me wherever it is you are, you in a car, driving and listening, you're cracking up. You're sitting there with your AirPods on, just sitting in the park. Whatever it is or wherever it is that you are, I want you to say this. I am allowed to evolve.
I am allowed to rebrand, and I am allowed to do it with grace, with confidence, and with a plan. Come on, somebody.
Absolutely. And hands down, I'm going to say that one more time for the power of even affirming myself like I am allowed to evolve.
It's okay. I am allowed to rebrand, and I am allowed to do it with grace, with confidence, and with a clear plan.
Sometimes the plan doesn't feel very clear, but when we start with the foundation, everything can be tweaked. You gotta now, you gotta know your why. So that's why it's important at the beginning to understand your purpose and why it is that you're doing that. So look at your vision board that's posted up and ask yourself, am I still aligned? Sometimes in the midst of the everyday, I know for me, you come back to that and you're like, oh, my gosh, I got so off. I got so off a little bit. I didn't really know which way I was going to go or why I was even going in this direction.
[00:16:19] Speaker C: Why?
[00:16:20] Speaker A: Because I forgot my why.
Clearly, I forgot my why. But now that I see it, I'm back on track.
I forgot my why. Because maybe there's some people that jumped off the train on our way to that why and they were part of your community first. It's okay. God puts people in places and spaces in our way so that we can learn from those things, so we can enjoy the experience of those things and learn from those things. Does it hurt? Oh, yeah, absolutely. And hands down, does it hurt when you don't have people that supporting you on your journey? They might not see the light? Stay focused on your race. Stay focused on your goal. Stay focused on where it is that you're going to stay focused on the end goal of how you feel at the end of that thing, how you're celebrating at the end of that thing. By December 31st insert year.
This year. Don't go five and 10 years from now insert years. So by December 31st of 2025, I will do what and for what reason how am I going to celebrate?
Those are the things that you want to know. Because that there, right there, that is the celebration. That feeling right there is what's gonna continuously keep you coming back in this episode. I want you to do three things right here as we look forward to closing. I want you to share this episode with someone you love who is ready to rebrand. I want you to tag me at hey Coach Walker on IG or tag me on LinkedIn and let me know your first rebranding step is so important. And then finally, I want you to keep listening because we are not done. We're not done. Of course I want a five star review. Of course I want a five star review. But if you don't get to that.
Today we talked about rebranding professionally, but what happens when the rebrand isn't about your job, but it's about relationships?
Relationships. Platonic relationships, any relationships. What happens when you stop shrinking in friendships?
When you start speaking up in love?
When you begin mothering and dating and partnering as the next version of yourself?
Y', all, Part two is coming. I'm not going to blur the lines professionally and personally. So go ahead and follow the podcast if you haven't already. And as always, thank you for letting me walk this walk right alongside of you. Until next time, I want to say cheers to your rebrand. Cheers to each and every one of you.
[00:18:51] Speaker B: We have concluded yet another episode of Coaching Cocktails and the podcast with Lolita E. Walker. Don't forget to connect with
[email protected] for speaking coaching Paraphernalia and my books, the Intersection of youf and Change.
Can We Talk? Letters and poems to reclaim a bolder you. Dear Black Girl, can we talk?
Dear Anxiousness, can we talk?
[00:19:20] Speaker A: And It's Not Fair.
[00:19:22] Speaker B: A book about divorce by a son and his mom. Listen. Coaching Cocktails and Conversations is a movement. It's a coaching community, a Facebook group, and so much more. So go ahead and lean in to Coaching Cocktails and Conversations and next time, bring a friend, invite them to life to share and leave that five star review. Can't wait to see you next time around my kitchen table at Coaching Cocktails and Conversations, the podcast.
