This is a branding newsletter, and what I advocate for is authenticity in branding. After years of working in Los Angeles ad agencies, I got sick of traditional branding, which in the “Mad Men” era was created for the sole purpose of fabricating artificial value. To these kinds of people, authenticity doesn’t matter. Today, I’ll give you five reasons why it does.

Today, large conglomerate corporations are seeing record profits while the average person is being squeezed for every penny, and as people scramble to make ends meet, there is a pull to brand themselves to appear to have more value than they actually have. A pull to learn “the game,” adapt a persona, and cash in on “the win.”

You see this online everywhere. The new guru that’s going to give you the secret to millions, artificial beauty, artificial personalities, artificial stories, all designed to sell you a fantasy just behind a paywall. And it’s not a one-sided equation. Everyone is losing, because we’re all losing ourselves in the process. Our authenticity.

And when AI can fill in the blanks, what and where are we, who are we, actually, in any of this? It’s like we’re just acting as containers for someone else’s game.

We look outside ourselves and see a dystopian world, but what’s actually dystopian is our own self-abandonment.

Seth Godin, who is considered by many to be the top authority on branding, said this about authenticity: “Nobody wants it.” Meaning, who wants to hear about a waiter’s bad day or how someone really feels about anything. We want experiences that make us feel good and cater to our needs.

So why even bother with authenticity?

And this is where I want to unravel another crazy-making yarn ball I seem to be doing more and more while people lose touch with reality.

5 reasons authenticity matters in branding

1. Performance has a tax

Being inauthentic is exhausting and depletes your energy. The effort it takes to curtail your real feelings, values, and experience puts you in an energy deficit, which doesn’t prepare or energize you on your path to success.

2. Dishonesty breaks trust

Just like in personal relationships, the foundational connecting point for any brand is trust. Without it you have nothing. Nobody wants to be around and engage with someone they can’t trust. It doesn’t feel right, and people will simply go elsewhere.

3. Authenticity aligns

This is what I refer to as effortless authority. When one functions from an authentic place, we attract the people and opportunities that energize and fit who we actually are naturally. We function from an energized place of being instead of a depleted place of acting.

4. Freedom and flow

Acting takes work; like lying, it demands constant reference to past positioning to keep the story consistent and the mask in place. Authenticity removes that maintenance load by narrowing choices. With values as the filter, decisions come quickly as options either align or fall away. You gain freedom from weighing endless possibilities at every turn, and flow returns.

5. Compounding confidence and reputation

Authenticity builds a steady throughline people trust and you can count on. Each honest act deposits goodwill that accrues into confidence, ease, influence, referrals, and lasting opportunities.

So you can see authenticity matters. It liberates you from an endless, exhausting cycle of maintenance, burnout, and cleanup, but how you manage and express your authenticity matters.

Seth Godin was right when he said, “Nobody wants authenticity.” It’s true, I don’t want to go get my tire changed and hear about how bad business is and how the guy’s wife is leaving him. I want to know I came to a place I can count on to do a good job at a good price and leave feeling good about the exchange.

And this is where an important distinction is crucial to understand.

When we talk about authentic brands, we’re talking about brands rooted in authenticity. Not a TMI information dump.

I’ll make this simple.

When you do work that you are aligned with, you feel energized by it and you are your best self. When you do work that you are not aligned with, you get zapped by it and you are not your best self. And this is how you are perceived by your customers. Make sense?

Authenticity in branding is a process of first discovering the truth of who and what you actually are. Not what you want to be. Not what a YouTuber said you have to be. Not what you want to emulate or feel like you need to be to succeed. Just simply who you are, your personal truth, your values focused into something you can offer the world that provides someone else value. That’s business. That’s branding. It’s not complicated.

Where it gets complicated is believing you actually have value, and that’s tough for many.

And the question is simple. What do I know or have, simply by being myself, that can help someone else solve a problem or enrich their lives? This is the way out of the struggle.

Just like with personal growth, moving into an authentic space in business is more of a reductive process than adding, changing, or fixing. Who you are is already there. Your offer is already there. It just might be under years of conditioning that have led you astray.

And this is my authentic offer. I help people remove those layers and then define themselves honestly in a way that creates coherence between their personal and professional lives. It’s just something I realized I’m good at, and so it gives me an opportunity to serve in the world and feel energized by.

If you would like help uncovering and expressing your authentic self, consider booking a One-on-One Clarity call with me here.

So what did we learn? Lying and faking your way through life and career sucks. I think most people feel like they have to or they won’t be able to pay their bills, nor reach the social status they want, or they’ll end up homeless, but I’m here to tell you that’s a narrative that serves someone else’s game, not your health and well-being. Ultimately, we need to choose who and what we serve, no matter the cost. In a world that’s getting faker and more soulless, where do you stand? And what legacy do you want to leave for others to reflect on? Those are decisions that are easily made today when our values are our filter.

WEEKLY EXERCISE

Sit down, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Once settled, answer these two questions. Start with:

Without fabrication, posing, or positioning, what am I naturally good at?
(Consider asking a trusted friend or colleague.)

Then answer:

What problem can I help someone solve with this “thing” I’m naturally good at?

I know this process can be challenging. If you feel stuck, I’m happy to be a sounding board. Email me at [email protected]. Zero obligation.

AROUND THE STUDIO

Shiun Sleep Music Video: can AI have soul?

The second video in our Humanizing AI Project premiered this week. We’re exploring how human-directed AI can be used as a tool to supercharge expression, rather than doing the work for us.

“Sleep” by our virtual artist Shiun pushes the tech further by attempting more cohesive cinematic scenes, stronger character consistency, and deeper explorations of body movement and emotional expression.

A follow-up video and special edition newsletter will share our methods and findings. Subscribe to my YouTube to get notified here.

Watch the new music video Sleep by Shiun here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps_3B9rmUSE

I’ll see you next Monday for more identity insight.

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Authentic Alchemy Philosophy

A Framework for Becoming

Authentic Alchemy is a structured process for uncovering and expressing the core identity of any entity, whether a brand, business, leader, or individual. It emerged from the realization that the principles of brand science offer powerful tools for guiding any entity toward its highest expression.

Every entity holds innate value, though it’s often hidden by emotional patterning, inherited beliefs, and social pressures. These internal blocks can stifle genuine expression across personal, relational, and business contexts, masking the true value of your unique offering to the world. For those ready to explore meaningful self-discovery, Authentic Alchemy provides the clarity, structure, and tools necessary to uncover and clearly articulate this genuine identity.

Our core principle, Truth, realigns an entity into a state of homeostasis where it can begin to function with ease, embodying its vital character, unique perspectives, and genuine ways of being. Empathy deepens this connection by recognizing that expression is inherently relational. It attunes entities to how others experience their offer, ensuring the message is received clearly and resonates meaningfully. Together, truth and empathy create resonance, an undeniable frequency that naturally attracts alignment and connection. This resonance creates coherence, a natural alignment between identity and expression that fosters genuine magnetism.

Drawing from diverse frameworks, Authentic Alchemy also integrates tools and insights from ancient and esoteric traditions alongside proven brand science, broadening its impact into a holistic dimension. This approach marks a clear break from conventional methods that rely on superficial appeal or manipulation. When your innate value is aligned with truth and resonance, success becomes intrinsic and inevitable. Any distortion or inauthenticity disrupts this natural resonance, which is why the process must begin and remain rooted in truth.

The result? You become more than visible. You become inevitable. When you achieve this level of coherence, you naturally attract the right people, opportunities, and outcomes because you're operating from a place of effortless authority.

Authentic Alchemy connects core identity to how it is experienced in the world. It moves from self-discovery to full expression, translating essence into clear language, visuals, and presence. This is identity as signal, turning purpose into impact.

KeepeSmiling :)