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Hey Reader,

When I joined the coaching staff for my daughter's rep hockey team, I spent wayyyyy to many nights wondering if I should have said "yes" in the first place because I felt like I didn't fit in.

It wasn't that the other coaches were bad guys (they aren't at all!). But they all seemed to have this effortless confidence...the kind that comes naturally when a space is predominantly centered around them.

They stepped onto the ice assuming they belonged there and that they knew best. As did the other dads who didn't make the coaching lineup.

I didn’t lack confidence in my ability, but I definitely felt out of place.

I’m a woman AND I'm neurodivergent, so dealing with the sensory overload of a loud arena, travel and schedule logistics while juggling social dynamics, managing rapid-fire line changes and remembering practice plans took a lot of energy.

I care about competitive skill development, but I care even more about whether these young girls feel safe, included, and in love with the game.​
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​Being different sometimes comes at the cost of feeling lonely.

But feeling lonely, doesn't mean you ARE alone. You just haven't heard from the right people yet!

At the end of last season, parents weren't thanking me for running on ice drills. They thanked me for showing up early, keeping things calm, and creating a bench where every single girl felt like she had a friend. The kind of coach who could get through to their child during a panic attack when the pressure felt like too much (true story!).

The team didn't need another "hockey guy" on the bench. They needed me.

I wasn't trying to coach a U18 Boys AAA team! I'm coaching young girls who need empathy, emotional safety, and leadership that sees them as whole humans.

But here is what happens when you step into an environment that wasn't built around your specific way of operating: you feel weird...and you feel like you need to shrink, mask, or copy the people who were there before you.

In business, I see values-driven entrepreneurs do this every day.

We look at what standard corporate models or loud industry peers are doing, and we start sanitizing our work.

We hide our lived experiences, polish away our quirks, use boring "professional" language, and try to package our nuanced, human services into neat, digestible little boxes.

We try to blend in because we're terrified that being different makes us look amateur or unprepared.

But trying to fit into a mould built for someone else erases the exact edge that makes you the best choice for your ideal clients.

When you flatten your brand identity to look "safe," your dream clients who desperately need YOUR specific approach scroll right past you.

Branding isn't about getting attention by pretending to be someone you aren't. It's about getting clear on who you are, what you stand for, and how you work...so the right people can finally find you.

You don't need to be anybody else. You just need to own who you already are.

If you're tired of hiding behind a safe, overly polished brand that flattens who you actually are...I can help!

Every custom branding project I do begins with an in depth brand strategy where I pull out your exact differentiators, values, and distinct quirks that make your work irreplaceable.

All so you can stop shrinking, start taking up space, and attract the clients who are already looking for your specific genius!

Ready to peel away the layers? Book a free call to chat about your options!

Emily 💋

xo Emily Lauren (she/her) Missed a previous email? Catch up here!​