Have you ever had to go through a personal rebrand?

For our entire lives, we tell ourselves stories about ourselves. Others tell us stories about ourselves. And around and around it goes. Before long, all the neural pathways in our brains are deeply rooted in specific ideas, and it can be incredibly difficult to get them to move, bend, and change to fit new perspectives about our self-images.

My entire life, I’ve been told I’m quiet and shy. Soft-spoken. And I am — most days it can be difficult to get my voice to carry across a dinner table, much less command a presentation space. So by extension, I never thought of myself as much of a public speaker. I assumed I was too shy, too soft-spoken, not bold or confident enough to deliver a presentation that left people walking away thinking, “Wow, that was a great session.”

Recently, though, my role has required me to step up — presenting to large internal audiences, engaging leadership in smaller strategy sessions, and showing up with clarity and purpose. And while I’ve always felt confident in my knowledge of my team and product, I hadn’t internalized the idea that I’m good at public speaking.

One of the larger forums I regularly speak at is a quarterly stakeholder review, where I summarize key accomplishments and upcoming goals. The audience spans hundreds of people, so I’ve developed a rhythm: keep it casual, keep it high-level, throw in a little humor. I know it’s not a space for deep technical dives — it’s about connection and clarity. This is where I’ve found my stride.

The feedback from my most recent presentation floored me:

• The new VP of Product said it reflected deep product knowledge and praised the strength of my partnership with my Director of Product.
• A fellow engineering manager joked that I must secretly be in Sales or Marketing — and meant it as a compliment.
• An engineer who’s usually disengaged during company-wide meetings said mine actually woke him up.
• And most meaningfully, an engineer I’ve admired since I was an Associate — someone I’ve always been intimidated by — reached out privately with kind words I’ll treasure.

Here’s the thing: this isn’t the first time I’ve received positive feedback on my presentations. But for some reason, this time it clicked. Maybe I am good at this. Maybe public speaking isn’t something I have to muscle through — maybe it’s something I’ve grown into.

I can still be soft-spoken, quiet, and reserved. But that doesn’t mean I can’t also own a room when the time calls for it. It’s not either/or.

This experience taught me something valuable: we don’t have to stay locked into the stories we were told — or the ones we told ourselves. We can allow room for expansion. Growth. New neural pathways. Rebranding doesn’t mean we lose ourselves — it means we make room for who we’re becoming.

If you’ve ever felt boxed in by an identity that no longer fits, ask yourself: What if I’m more than that? Give yourself permission to evolve.

Ready to rebrand yourself?

If this post resonated with you, I’d love to hear your story. Have you ever surprised yourself with growth in an area you thought was closed off? Drop a comment, send a message, or share this with someone who might need the nudge today.