Authentic Alchemy • Step 1: Creating Authentic Brands

Hello everyone! Welcome to our Authentic Alchemy, resonant branding deep dive. If you’re here, you may be a creative professional, already have a business, be trying to find your purpose, or trying to find focus in what you are doing. And you’re in the right place. I’ve spent the last 30 years helping big businesses, small businesses, solo-preneurs, and visionaries define, refine, tune into, and express their purpose.

Sometimes people know what they want to do. Sometimes we fall into it or we find eventual passion in something we never expected. You may find this surprising, but I actually don't really enjoy what I do. No, not really—I mean, I really do love it. I love the results. I love the clarity. I love the radiant, harmonic clarity that comes through really feeling in tune with who you are and what you’re doing and being able to articulate that to the world. The part I jokingly don't enjoy is the birthing process. The trial by fire. It’s challenging. It’s messy. It’s frustrating. It’s like a 12-pound baby coming out, no matter if you feel prepared or not. But when you have the breakthrough, that’s the payoff—that’s the illumination. And there’s something about that I find remarkably fulfilling. And for some reason, I seem to be good at it. So, here I am.

But just like most of you, I didn’t know how all of this worked. I mean, branding? What the hell is that? I started professionally in graphic design and realized really quickly that I was in the wrong field of work. I loved the process. I loved the art. But I could feel that it was the ideas that inspired me, not being a cog in the machine. And it was during this time that I met some really amazing brand developers that blew my mind wide open. First was a guy named Bevan, who had worked on the Keebler Elves, and then Rob, who has worked with huge international brands in very esoteric ways. I was exposed to what seemed like some sort of mysterious "black art." These branding guys were like these intellectual socio-psychological communication wizards who were able to distill really complex, big ideas into extremely relevant, multidimensional applications. And when it was all done, you didn’t have any idea how it was done, but it just felt great. It just seemed like magic to me. How did I not know about this, let alone that there were these really odd people running around creating remarkable things? Anyway, long story short, I was intrigued, I got initiated and learned that there was an actual science to this. I was fortunate to learn from some really amazing people—and some of you are here reading this newsletter. Thank you!

And I think this is a great segue to what a brand actually is. I put together this definition in jest, but I think this summarizes pretty well what most people think a brand is:

What most people think a brand is:

brand (noun) /brand/

1. A company’s logo, name, slogan, or visual identity used to make it recognizable to customers.
   Example: “Nike has a strong brand because of its swoosh and ‘Just Do It’ slogan.”

2. The look and feel of a product or business—its colors, fonts, packaging, or style.
   Used in a sentence: “We need to get a brand for our new product—like a cool logo or something.”

And this is the missed opportunity. Yes, logos and colors and taglines are part of a brand, but that's not what brand development (branding) is as a whole. And yet, remarkably, all one needs to do is look up the actual definition in the dictionary and there it is, bam:

Actual definition:

brand (noun) /brand/

1. The total perception and emotional impression of a business, product, person, or entity—formed through every interaction, experience, and expression. It includes but is not limited to visual identity, messaging, behavior, values, tone, and reputation.

2. The intangible essence that lives in the minds and hearts of people. A brand is not what a company says it is—it’s what people believe it is.
   Used in a sentence: “A brand isn’t just your logo or website—it’s the feeling people get when they encounter your work.”

So, it’s the total perception. Not just a logo, not a tagline. A multidisciplinary process of total observation, strategy, and application which actually creates the feeling or perception that is intended. Now, for anyone who can read between the lines, you may ask, "Isn't that just another way to say manipulation?" And the answer would be yes, absolutely without a doubt. In fact, that was the whole reason branding came to be—to create artificially contrived value. And it would be partially accurate to blame branding for society’s current state of insecurities, anxieties, and concern of self-image. I mean, the branding guys from the Mad Men era fabricated a multitude of ways for you to feel less-than good enough so you would buy the products they were hired to "enhance" the perception of—turning bad breath into 'halitosis' (Listerine), normal body odor into social failure (Ban), and singlehood into a beauty flaw (Pond’s Cold Cream)—selling products as the cure for invented problems and low self-worth. So, yeah. People actually did that.

I worked in places like that—not the same era, but essentially the same spirit. And it didn't feel good. So, I left the Los Angeles advertising work environment and chose the epicenter of branding—Ojai, CA. Joking of course. When I came here in 2006, I'm not sure anyone knew what branding was. But, over the years I created a humble business and continued refining my process, seeing how I could apply what I knew in a new spirit. Turning what I hated most about society into something I loved most. Authenticity. Connection. Dare I say love. Human well-being. And Ojai offered me that. People didn't always get what I did, but once I was done, they did. The results spoke for themselves. It felt good to have found a new way.

Branding pioneer and author Marty Neumeier—an absolute brand gangster—explains in his 2003 book The Brand Gap: “A brand is not what a company says it is—it’s what people believe it is,” and that a brand is "the gut feeling people have" about you, because "humans are emotional beings." It’s not something you can control. So, we turn our gaze outward. We can control what we do, but we can’t control how people feel about us. And this is the first and most fundamental realization about branding. You have to be able to get out of your own narrative and develop abilities and practices to truly understand how people see you—and that's where empathy comes in.

I’m sure we have a general understanding of what it is, but let's review briefly:

Empathy (noun) /ˈem-pə-thē/

1. The capacity to understand, be aware of, and vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another—either in the present or the past—without those experiences being fully expressed in an explicit or objective way.

2. The emotional and cognitive ability to place oneself in another’s situation and perceive what they may be experiencing.

Used in a sentence:
“Empathy helps us sense how others receive what we offer, allowing us to shape our work in ways that resonate more deeply.”

So, the first step in branding is getting out of our own way. Not extinguishing our passions, but holding space for presence and listening—to see if what we are doing is resonating with others. And this is not a focus group. We’re not here to water down our passions to appeal to the largest audience possible. All that does is turn our offering into something that is already familiar -which is the kiss of death. No, we’re here to understand how people perceive us so that the passions we have land in a way that are actually useful, and people actually get it—and hopefully love it.

And that's what this is all about. I can tell you right now, save yourself the struggle of concoction and focus on authenticity. Not a manufactured authenticity. I’m talking about the raw, ugly truth. Because behind all that is something pure and resonant. It’s not something we manufacture. We can't. Because, as we learned, branding is not something we control—it’s something people see in us. In how they feel about the total experience we create either consciously or even more importantly -what we're creating unconsciously. I have endless nightmare stories of people creating from an unconscious place and what a turn-off that is for people around them. We've all been to that one business where there is an excessive amount of hand scribbled signs in black sharpies on printer paper telling you not to do something! This kind of unconscious behavior immediately sets up an adversarial relationship and clearly indicates that the owner does not know how to take responsibility, address challenges or communicate in an effective way. -So now do you want to engage with this person, give them your money and eat his hot pastrami sandwhich?! -No. So, don't be that guy. Say it with me. "Stay out of our own way." :)

So grab your mop—we’re going to be cleaning house over the next so many months!

Weekly Practice

In my welcome email, I invited everyone to take the first step by observing their relationship with truth. Truth meaning honesty. Since not everyone received that email, I’ll review briefly:

✦ 30-Day Awareness Practice: Your Relationship with Truth
Over the next 30 days, try this:
• Watch yourself with gentle curiosity, as if seeing from the outside.
• Notice when truth feels clear, and when it feels stretched or softened.
• Sense how each moment of honesty or distortion feels in your body.
• Track your energy, breath, or internal reaction in those moments.
• Let the experience show you how alignment lives—and how it moves.

No need to judge, fix, or perform. Just observe.
This quiet attention lays the groundwork for deeper resonance in your brand, your work, and your life.

And for this week’s reflection, let’s focus on empathy:

✦ Weekly Practice: Your Relationship with Empathy
If branding is shaped by how others perceive us, then empathy is the bridge.

This week, bring gentle attention to how your message lands:

• Have I considered if people feel the way about my venture, the way I do?
• When you speak about what matters to you, pause and sense the response
• Notice your energy—are you sharing, or trying to convince?
• Watch when you feel received, and when your message misses the mark
• Ask someone you trust:
“How do you think others are experiencing what I’m doing?”
“What might help my passion translate more clearly?”

This quiet attention builds a foundation for clarity.
When you can sense how something lands, you begin to shape it with care—and resonance becomes possible.

This Is Just the Beginning

Thank you for being here this week. We’re slowly building the disciplines and skills that will empower us to build truly resonant brands. Over the next weeks and months, we will dive deeper into the process.

I’ve also included the Authentic Alchemy Philosophy below. Take a moment to review it—this will give you a clear understanding of what we'll be learning about here.

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Thank you!

Dustin Byerley
[email protected]

Philosophy of Authentic Alchemy

Authentic Alchemy is a brand development methodology created for both branding practitioners and business owners—whether solo entrepreneurs or growing teams—who seek to build a brand with clarity, depth, and enduring resonance. This process is grounded in the belief that every brand already contains its highest truth—an essence that is intact, coherent, and waiting to be revealed.

The core principle of Authentic Alchemy is resonance. Just as a tuning fork vibrates in harmony with others tuned to the same frequency, a brand aligned with its true essence creates an emotional and energetic connection with its audience. When every part of a brand—its story, design, voice, and presence—vibrates in alignment, the result is a brand that feels inevitable, magnetic, and trustworthy.

What distinguishes this process is the foundational belief that truth, resonance, appeal, and success are intrinsic and inevitable when properly aligned—they are not conceptual or manufactured, but part of a natural order that can be revealed and cultivated. Branding, in this context, is not about fabricating clever positioning or inventing identity; it is about honoring what already exists. Through observation, documentation, intuitive insight, and strategic clarity, the Authentic Alchemy Process cultivates and reveals this inherent truth. From this pure and aligned state, nothing feels out of place, unresolved, or subject to collapse in the future. There is no hidden imbalance waiting to surface—because the process begins and ends in truth. It is a clarifying act that brings every element into harmony, ensuring coherence not just in expression, but in intention and long-term resonance.

Branding becomes an act of recognition and refinement. Unlike many traditional branding processes—which often appeal to a person’s lower instincts through manipulation, scarcity, or superficial aspiration—Authentic Alchemy speaks to the higher faculties of empathy, awareness, and inner clarity. It honors the innate altruism and perceptive intelligence that often go unacknowledged in conventional marketing. By evoking these underserved sensitivities, this process creates a subtle but powerful sense of resonance—something people feel but may not be able to articulate. That 'feel-good' impression stems not from persuasion, but from coherence. When a brand is built from a place of truth and intentionality, it aligns with what is natural, trusted, and universally appealing. It becomes naturally magnetic, inherently trustworthy, and ultimately successful.

Because all truth is ultimately revealed, it is critical to begin with integrity and maintain alignment throughout the entire process—from initial discovery through to execution in the marketplace. Any distortion or inauthenticity introduced along the way disrupts the resonance and diminishes the brand’s potential impact.

Authentic Alchemy integrates empathy, intuition, insight, and structured brand systems to eliminate those distortions. It offers a structured yet fluid framework that allows for deep creative discovery while preserving strategic focus. Whether guiding others or building your own brand, this method supports the creation of brands that are both emotionally powerful and practically effective—fully aligned in purpose, perception, and presence.