Hala Taha

Young and Profiting Podcast 🚀 CEO & Founder 💁🏻‍♀️ YAP Media Network - #1 Business Podcast Network 🚀 The Podcast Princess 👸🏻 YAP Media - #1 Linkedin Marketing Agency 💁🏻‍♀️ LISTEN. LEARN. PROFIT 🤓💕🔥🚀

Hala Taha, known as “The Podcast Princess,” is the host of Young and Profiting (YAP) Podcast, a #1 Entrepreneurship podcast with over 30 million downloads. A Top 100 podcast globally, YAP features star-studded guests like Matthew McConaughey, Gary Vee, Alex Hormozi, Deepak Chopra, Daymond John, Mel Robbins, and countless others. The show was recognized as a 2022 Webby Honoree, and Hala graced the cover of Podcast Magazine in January 2021.

Hala is also the Founder and CEO of YAP Media, an award-winning, premier white-glove social media and podcast production agency for CEOs, celebrities, and top podcasters. With nearly 60 employees and a dozen high-profile clients, YAP Media was named the #1 LinkedIn Marketing Agency and voted Best Podcast Agency of 2022.

In 2022, Hala launched the YAP Media Network, a podcast network that helps top podcasts land sponsorship deals with major brands like LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Shopify. YAP Media is pacing to hit 8-figures in 2025, and represents some of the most popular business podcasters in the world including Jenna Kutcher, Russell Brunson, Neil Patel, and John Lee Dumas. 

Hala is well-known for her engaged following and influence on Linkedin, leading to the creation of YAP Academy. Her first two-day LinkedIn Secret Masterclass has had 9 cohorts with hundreds of new influencers following Hala’s expertise to achieve successful LinkedIn growth and monetization. The next YAP Academy Masterclass is currently in the works with a focus on podcast creation, growth and monetization.

Hala is a 2025 Real Leaders Top 50 Keynote Speaker, sharing her expertise in podcasting, LinkedIn, social media, personal branding, sales and entrepreneurship through in-person keynotes and panels such as Funnel Hacking Live 10 and IAB Upfronts.

Hala has had a knack for inventing successful products and motivating teams since a young age. She began her career in radio production while in college, working at HOT97 on The Angie Martinez Show. In her senior year of college she founded The Sorority of Hip Hop, building a community of 50 female bloggers who hosted a popular blog, events, concerts, and radio shows. When the blog boom slowed down, she got her MBA, graduating #1 in her class with a 4.0 gpa, and spent the next 6 years in various corporate marketing roles at Hewlett Packard and Disney Streaming Services.

Host of Young and Profiting Podcast

Host and Producer of #1 Education Podcast, Young and Profiting.

Here’s what’s in vs what’s out for B2B marketers in 2026… #️⃣LinkedInPartner 

❌ What's out: Not reaching your target audience.

✅ What’s in: Using LinkedIn Ads to get the highest B2B returns.

With unmatched precision targeting and access to over 130M decision-makers…

It’s the go-to platform for reaching the people who actually matter to your business.

No wasted budget. No wrong audiences. Just qualified leads that drive real results.

Ready to make your B2B ads work smarter in 2026?

Learn more at linkedin.com/createads

In 60 seconds, I'll teach you a secret approach to close more sales 💰

(Save this for later 👇🏼)

Most people think they chase opportunity.

But that’s hardly true.

They run from LOSS ‼️

It’s called the Loss Aversion Theory.

👉🏻 We are more stressed about missing the flight than excited about the trip.
👉🏻 We are more afraid of losing $100 than thrilled to gain it.
👉🏻 We'll work harder to keep what we have than to get something new.

This is how the brain works. And the best salespeople use it.

Most people sell the dream:
"You'll 10x your revenue."
"Imagine the freedom."
"Think of the possibilities."

Sounds good… But it doesn't close 🤷🏼‍♀️

Here's what actually closes: 

Instead of: "This will 10x your revenue."
Say: "Every month you wait is costing you $10K."

One inspires. The other creates urgency.

Urgency closes deals.

The best pitch I ever made wasn't about what they'd gain.

It was about what they were already losing by staying stuck.

Stop selling the destination.

Start selling the price of standing still.

What's one thing you've been putting off that's quietly costing you?

Transforming executive expertise into synchronized, searchable presence | Brand & AI Visibility Strategy Leader | GTM Advisor | Speaker | Author, Theatre of the Mind | Founder @ The Borden Group

Visibility isn’t luck — it’s strategy.
I build visible leaders and trusted brands that drive credibility, opportunity, and growth.

Hi, I’m Melanie. Not too long ago, everyone around me was losing their job, and I didn’t know where I’d turn if I lost mine.  So, I turned online. 

I've been recognized on Favikon’s Top 200 LinkedIn Creator List and Sales Intel’s Top 300 Women Making an Impact in B2B SaaS. Seen in places like Entrepreneur, LA Weekly, New York City Biz List, New York Weekly, and The Wall Street Journal. 

I’d spent years in sales and marketing building for tech companies, retail brands, and high-growth startups, so I leveraged those same frameworks to build my own. It worked. 

I grew my visibility, reach, and revenue — and discovered that building an executive brand isn’t about vanity. 

I help founders and executives turn real expertise into searchable, trusted authority by structuring their thinking so it’s understood by both people and AI.

I partner with executives, founders, nonprofits, and leadership teams across industries — from emerging tech to investor-backed enterprises — to build executive visibility systems that generate measurable business outcomes. 

What we do at The Borden Group goes beyond ghostwriting or positioning. It’s a full-scale visibility and go-to-market strategy — grounded in lived experience — that combines strategy, creative, and execution.

Today, visibility is decided by both people and machines. I integrate an AI-first layer into every engagement so your expertise is findable wherever decisions start. We partner best with teams ready to move fast, stay consistent, and translate brand presence into pipeline results. 

Our work helps leaders and organizations:

-Generate new pipelines & accelerate go-to-market traction
-Amplify executive visibility across tech & business media
-Create credibility that supports board seats & advisory roles
-Launch books that open doors to authority & revenue
-Scale internal marketing & content systems
-Unlock new revenue streams tied to business growth

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor ready to grow your company and your credibility, let's connect. 

My book, Theatre of the Mind, is a playbook for leaders navigating mindset, visibility, and influence.→  Link to order in featured section. 

Connect with me here or at www.humantobrand.com
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: humantobrand.com/newsletter

Gain actionable insights to elevate your personal brand, amplify influence, and future-proof your leadership impact.

Melanie Borden

Who is a woman who’s made an impact on your career?

Me.

I want to thank me. And if you are like me, you should thank yourself too. 

I took the jump to restart my career on my own in 2021.

I posted when I didn't know if anyone would hire me.

I learned things I had no business learning at the time, just because I could see where the future was heading.

I stayed in the room when it would have been easier to not.

I chose visibility over comfort.

Reinvention or starting over sounds glamorous from the outside. Most of the time, it just looks like backing and trusting yourself, even when there’s no guarantee it will work.  

Sometimes the woman who changes your career the most is the one in the mirror. 

What’s one decision you made that changed the trajectory of your career?

Thank you for all the women’s day messages 🖤
Athena is now a 50 lb big girl

Black-and-white portrait of Melanie Borden, founder of The Borden Group, executive visibility strategist, and author of Theatre of the Mind. She is holding a small black-and-white puppy in her arms and looking directly at the camera with a calm, confident expression. Melanie has dark shoulder-length hair with bangs and is wearing a fitted long-sleeve top and textured skirt. The image has a soft studio background and a polished editorial style portrait. The photo accompanies a reflection for International Women’s Day focused on leadership visibility, entrepreneurship, and women investing in themselves. The post thanks Melanie for making the decision to restart her career independently in 2021, putting both time and personal capital on the line, showing up consistently on LinkedIn before knowing if opportunities would come, learning emerging technologies and strategies early, choosing visibility over comfort, and finishing writing her book while building a company and supporting clients.

I analyzed 100 executive level LinkedIn profiles recently.

Only 7 sent clear authority signals to the market.

Authority signals are the visible indicators that show someone what you’re known for, what results you’ve produced, and why your perspective matters.

Most had incredible careers, ran large teams, built companies, and delivered real results.

But their expertise was almost invisible online.

When someone searches your name today — whether it’s a potential client, investor, board member, or an AI system summarizing experts in your field, the signals it sees determine how you’re perceived.

Here’s what the 7 visible leaders had in common:

1. Clear positioning
Within seconds, you knew what they were known for. Not just a title. A specific lane.

2. Proof of impact
Their profile showed evidence of results — media, speaking, articles, case studies, or leadership perspective. Authority isn’t claimed. It’s demonstrated.

3. Perspective, not just history
Most profiles read like resumes.
The strongest profiles showed how the leader thinks. That’s what differentiates and builds trust.

4. Structure that works for both people and AI
Their expertise was organized in a way that made it easy to understand, reference, and discover. 

Those generating inbound opportunities today aren’t always the most experienced.

They have structured expertise that is visible, and easy for the market to read and understand.

So if someone audited your profile today… would it send authority signals or does it just list your career history?

Professional portrait of Melanie Borden, founder of The Borden Group and author of Theatre of the Mind. The image accompanies a LinkedIn post about analyzing 100 executive LinkedIn profiles and identifying the authority signals that make leaders visible and credible online. The post discusses how positioning, proof of impact, leadership perspective, and profile structure influence how executives are perceived by clients, investors, board members, and AI systems researching experts.

I will be your yes woman.


Yes, you should talk about that meeting on LinkedIn, especially if it changed how you think. 

Yes, you should go on that podcast even if your voice shakes a little.

Yes, you should accept the panel invite even if you think someone else is “more qualified.”

Yes, you should update your LinkedIn headline to reflect who you’re becoming, not who you were.

Yes, you should ask for the introduction.

Yes, you should post the opinion you’ve been editing down for three days. 

Yes, you should tell the real story.

Yes, you should pitch yourself.

Yes, you should start before you feel ready.

Yes, you should build the thing that keeps tugging at you and keeps you up at night.

Yes, you should say what you actually want.

If you’ve been waiting for someone to tell you it’s okay and give you permission… you are not late. 

I’m telling you. Yes!! Go!

If you’re building something bigger this year,  I want to work with you:
https://lnkd.in/gfHaKiAB

Melanie Borden, executive personal branding strategist, Founder of The Borden Group, LinkedIn visibility expert, and author of Theatre of the Mind, photographed in a luxury car during business travel. She holds a smartphone while seated confidently in a cream leather interior with polished wood details and an urban skyline in the background. Wearing a structured beige blazer, white blouse, blue jeans, and neutral heels, the image reflects executive visibility, female leadership authority, founder brand positioning, strategic mobility, and AI-era discoverability. The photograph reinforces themes of Searchable Leadership, executive presence, premium positioning, and modern business influence.

Most people have more potential for impact than they realize. They just have not learned how to turn experience into authority.

If you are organizing a conference, leadership event, podcast, or executive program and are looking for a speaker, I would welcome the opportunity to connect and talk more!

Got back on my board this week after a 20+ year hiatus.

People think reinvention means becoming someone new. Most of the time, it’s returning to who you were just with more wisdom this time.

And within 1 minute, my body was like: “Oh. Hello. There you are.”

So maybe the “new you” is just the old you… with permission🖤

What’s something you used to love that you’ve been thinking about picking back up?

P.S. Thanks to marathon training I am feeling great. 

📍Sugarbush, VT

Melanie Borden snowboarding at Sugarbush Resort in Vermont after returning to the sport following a 20+ year hiatus. Image shows Melanie Borden riding a snowboard on a snowy mountain slope during winter conditions. The moment reflects themes of reinvention, returning to past passions, athletic comeback, marathon training cross-fitness, midlife vitality, and outdoor sports. Snowboarding scene in the Green Mountains of Vermont representing personal growth, resilience, rediscovering identity, and the idea that reinvention often means reconnecting with activities you once loved.

The biggest career mistake executives are making right now:

(And AI is quietly amplifying it)

Assuming their reputation speaks for itself. Instead of documenting their expertise where people — and machines — can actually find it.

Today your credibility isn’t built only in meetings, it’s built in your total digital footprint.

People are not just Googling you. They are searching your name in ChatGPT, Perplexity, LinkedIn, Podcasts and other AI tools to figure out:

What do you believe?
What have you built?
What outcomes have you driven?
Who do you serve?
[And are you relevant right now?]

If the answer is vague, outdated, or nonexistent… it could contribute to you being overlooked. Not because you aren’t qualified. Because the proof isn’t visible yet.

So how do you make sure your expertise actually shows up? By building clear, searchable signals of authority.

Here’s a simple visibility reset anyone can start today:

1/ Clarify your positioning.
Vague titles like “strategic leader driving growth” means nothing to AI or buyers. 
Lets define it with what you do, who you do it for and results you bring. 

2/ Define your 3 expertise themes. 
What are the topics you are strongest on/want to be known for?

3/ Align your LinkedIn profile + LinkedIn Content
Your headline, about section, featured, and experience should reflect those themes. Use my 25% content framework from Theatre of the Mind. 

4/ Document your insights.
Share lessons, stories, and perspectives from your real work. This is the single greatest advantage you have. 

5/ Connect your ecosystem.
Your company website, media, podcasts, and LinkedIn/other socials should reinforce the same expertise.

6/ Stay active.
Consistency signals relevance — to people and algorithms.

Authority today unfortunately is not assumed. It is documented.
If your experience only exists inside your industry, head or company walls, you need this final layer.

Make your expertise visible, and opportunity WILL find you.

More on Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan https://lnkd.in/g_Wxnh8P 

When someone searches your name today… what do they learn about you?

Melanie Borden, founder of The Borden Group and executive visibility strategist, sits in a modern podcast studio speaking during a recorded conversation. She is seated at a table with a professional microphone and pop filter in front of her, wearing a cream blazer over a black top. Across from her is another podcast host, partially visible, also seated with a microphone as they engage in discussion. The setting features a clean white brick wall background with soft natural lighting, creating a polished, professional podcast environment. Melanie appears attentive and engaged as she listens and speaks during the interview, suggesting a thoughtful leadership or business discussion. The scene reflects a professional podcast recording focused on topics such as leadership visibility, personal branding, executive strategy, or entrepreneurship, with high-quality audio equipment and a calm studio aesthetic that highlights expert conversation and thought leadership content.

Last night I worked on my 2026 OKRs. Plot twist: they were personal.

I find myself in a pattern regularly of only focusing my goals around business. OKRs stand for Objectives and Key Results — a simple framework companies use to set goals and measure progress. 

So, I decided to use it for life. If you are like me you might do this too. I’m sharing them here because I thought they might help you think about your life a little differently (and I need some accountability) 

I broke life into a few simple objectives and gave each one a key result to get there (3-4 key results for each in my actual document). 

Objective 1: Create Meaningful Experiences with My Family
KR: Spend dedicated 1:1 time with each daughter every month.

Objective 2: Invest in My Relationship
KR: Have a lunch or dinner date at least once a week.

Objective 3: Strengthen My Physical Health and Daily Habits
KR: Work out/run on weekday mornings before work. 

Objective 4: Adventure and Explore the World
KR: Travel to Israel in 2026.

Objective 5: Learn New Skills and Pursue Fun
KR: Learn to hydrofoil board. 

My biggest priority behind all of this is simple: be more present and spend less time on a device and more time outside.

Have you ever mapped out personal OKRs before?
Share one personal goal for 2026 in the comments to inspire us all! 

Swipe to see all 5 and why I chose them. And btw now that you officially know I’m a nerd, we can talk about the 'life dashboard' I built for all of this another day.

2026 MB OKRs

LinkedIn has become part of the AI search layer in 2026, whether you’re thinking about it that way or not.

The headlines are all pointing in the same direction: AI agents are increasingly filtering what humans see. Platforms are under pressure over moderation. “AI slop” is eroding trust. Bots can mimic humans at scale.

Put simply: your leadership voice is no longer just competing in a feed. It’s competing inside an AI-filtered layer where systems decide what gets summarized, what gets suppressed, and what gets repeated.

That changes executive visibility.

The question isn’t “How do I get more reach?”
It’s: “Would an AI confidently pass my voice through to the people I want to reach?”

This week’s issue of my newsletter breaks down what this structural shift means for leaders who don’t want to become full-time creators, but do want to be findable and credible:

Why LinkedIn is increasingly treated as an authority record
Why attention depth now matters more than surface engagement
Why structured, long-form thinking is becoming evidence—not just content
Why conversation and proof outperform lightweight posts
How to think about being summarizable and citable, not just scroll-stopping

If you lead a business or a category, this isn’t a creator conversation. It’s a reputation conversation.

What’s one thing you could start documenting once a month that would help your next client, candidate, or investor see how you lead without having to take your word for it?

View newsletter: Executive Visibility Brief

Every issue: one headline, one lesson, one tool you can use now to strengthen your visibility. LinkedIn isn’t just a social platform anymore—it’s beco

Open article: Why Your Voice Must Be Strong Enough to Survive The AI Filter Era by Melanie Borden • 6 min read

Why Your Voice Must Be Strong Enough to Survive The AI Filter Era

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The Battle

Hala Taha

Melanie Borden

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taplio

The Battle

Hala Taha

Melanie Borden

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Hala Taha's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMelanie Borden's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreHala Taha's LinkedIn Performance