🔥IF YOU HAVE WILDLY AMBITIOUS GOALS, I'm the Game Changing, Results Driven Force to be Reckoned With that You've Been Looking For, Dynamic High Performance Coach, Energized Trainer, Forbes Contributor, Lover of Life🔥

UNDER PRESSURE, YOU DON'T RISE. YOU REVERT TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR TRAINING.
MAKE SURE YOUR TRAINING IS EXCEPTIONAL.

Hi, I'm Julie Hruska. I'm a high performance executive coach and RTT® Therapist. I work with founders, family offices, and C suite executives to develop their executive edge, create high performance cultures, through mergers and acquisitions, IPO preparation, leadership transitions, and rapid scale. 

Combining personal trainings from Brendon Burchard, Marisa Peer, Baron Baptiste, and other world class mentors, I developed a style that merges mindset mastery with elite skillset execution, so clients excel under pressure with clarity, control, and consistency.

When pressure rises, most leaders don't lose skill. They lose signal. Clarity fractures. Execution turns into motion without alignment. Culture starts bleeding time, trust, and momentum.

This is the reset. I raise standards, create alignment, and install an execution rhythm that stops the chaos, restores control, and makes results consistent, measurable, and repeatable.

WHAT WE BUILD TOGETHER
• Emotional regulation and improved decision quality under pressure
• Strategic clarity that reduces second guessing 
• Executive presence and effective communication that steadies the room
• Influence, persuasion, and high stakes negotiation skills
• Conflict resolution that protects relationships and leads to results
• High performance culture built on standards, rhythm, and accountability
• Legacy alignment for long term impact

CLIENT IMPACT
Results look different by industry, but the pattern is consistent: clarity rises, accountability strengthens, execution accelerates, and business gains follow in profitability, retention, and revenue. Some examples include a 32% rise in EPS year over year, revenue scaling from 1.68B to 3.2B while sustaining margins near 41%, construction growth from about 22M to nearly 100M, and asset growth from 500M to 1B.

NOTABLE CLIENTS
JLL, Kimberly Clark, Edward Jones, MLB, Steve Madden, NCAA, Pregis, BNI, Van Andel Institute, Attivo Capital, Lorval Capital, Landry French Construction, MH Williams Construction, Las Brisas Property Management, Vitrum Glass, Apex Aluminum, and more plus additional confidential family offices 

RECOGNITION
High Performance Coach of the Year 2024. LinkedIn Top Voice. Forbes Contributor and Forbes Coaches Council. 50 Most Impactful People on LinkedIn.

Email me at Julie@powerfulleaders.com for more information
.
Based in Asheville, North Carolina. Available in person globally.

Julie Hruska

LEADERS WHO NEVER PROTECT TIME TO THINK LEAD COMPANIES AND LIVES THAT EVENTUALLY IMPLODE.

I just returned from Southern France where I did something most executives rarely give themselves permission to do…

I stepped into a new environment, disconnected from the usual noise, and created space to reflect, refine, and reset.

And in that space, I cultivated heightened levels of clarity.

Every time I strategically step away, I am reminded that clarity is leadership oxygen. 

Without it, decision quality deteriorates, innovation erodes, and even the strongest organizations unravel from within.

Most executives believe they are leading strategically, but in reality many are consumed by noise.
→ 72% of an executive’s week is devoured by meetings and email.
→Fewer than 10% of leaders dedicate even one hour a week to reflection.
→Yet leaders who protect strategic thinking time improve the quality of their long-term decisions by 23%.

I see this pattern revealed every day with my high performance clients…

Brilliant leaders with incredible drive, but without space to think, their vision shrinks. 
Their impact weakens. 
Their energy drains.

And here’s where many get it wrong: they assume a family vacation or a golf trip with buddies counts as true restoration. But these trips, while valuable, are not the same as strategic time alone. 

High-performance leaders create intentional solitude, the space where big decisions crystalize, vision expands, and the next level of leadership emerges.

Here are the strategies I teach the world’s top executives:
→ Strategy Blocks: Guard 60 to 90 minutes every week for reflection with the same force you protect a board meeting.

→ Cognitive Rhythms: Structure work in 50 minute focus increments followed by 10 minutes of rest and renewal. This mirrors how the brain operates and accelerates retention and creativity.

→ Environmental Shifts: Step outside your usual space. Harvard research shows creativity rises by up to 60% when you change your environment.

→Journaling: Capture insights weekly to reduce cognitive overload and raise goal achievement by 25% 

→Mindfulness Training: Just ten minutes a day lowers cortisol, regulates emotions, and restores clarity under pressure.

Stepping away is NOT an indulgence, it IS a strategy. 

It is where the breakthroughs happen, where vision expands, and where leaders return sharper, stronger, and more effective.

I returned from France sharper, more focused, and more energized to conquer what lies ahead.

 Imagine what would shift if you gave yourself that same permission.

I’m curious…

~Where in your week will you create the time to think at the level your leadership and life demands?


#leadership #business #success

♦️Founders, Family Offices, & C-Suite Executives Hire Me to Elevate Executive Performance & Develop High Performance Cultures. 2024 HIGH PERFORMANCE COACH OF THE YEAR, RTT® Therapist, Speaker, Executive Advisor♦️

Elite high performance coach, Julie Hruska, helps you thrive in business and beyond. Follow her for more actionable insights and reach out to her when you're ready to be in the top 1%

WINNING DESERVES TO BE CELEBRATED.

Not minimized.
Not rushed past.
Not quietly folded into the next objective.

Winning is proof.
It’s earned authority.
It’s the receipt for the standards you live by.

High performers celebrate their wins.
They let success define how they operate going forward.
They allow it to raise the bar for what comes next.

Momentum is built when achievement is acknowledged and repeated. 

These are a few of the wins I’m celebrating this year, and I encourage you to take a moment to acknowledge your own.

• Partnering with founders, CEOs, and executive teams through IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and enterprise growth representing more than $25 billion in enterprise value, revenue, and financial impact

• Supporting leaders as they sharpen execution, increase decision velocity, scale with vision, and lead effectively under pressure

• Delivering my strongest year yet as a high performance coach by prioritizing depth, precision, and measurable results

• Being honored with recognition for my leadership impact and influence on LinkedIn

• Celebrating my daughter’s graduation from NYU and the beginning of an exciting new chapter ahead

• Creating higher levels of equanimity in my life

• Traveling to many incredible new places like St.Lucia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Monaco, and Côte d’Azur 

I’m so grateful for this journey and it’s humbling to reflect on my wins. 

I invite you to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate your wins as well. 

Give yourself permission to feel proud and
Let that positive momentum carry you forward into the new year.

I’m curious…

~What’s one win from 2025 that you’re the most proud of?


#future #motivation #inspiration

Elite high performance coach, Julie Hruska, helps you thrive in business and beyond. Follow her for more actionable insights and reach out to her when you're ready to be in the top 1% of your industry!

IF YOU NEVER AUDIT YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOU’RE LEADING ON ASSUMPTIONS, NOT EVIDENCE.

Most leaders audit their teams.
 Very few audit themselves.

That’s exactly where performance starts to break down.

If you’re not evaluating your leadership regularly, you’re not leading with clarity…
 You’re leading with assumption.
 And assumption quietly erodes trust, alignment, and execution.

Let’s be honest:
→ You assume your communication is clear. 
→ You assume your team feels supported. 
→ You assume your standards are understood.

But assumptions are not strategies. 
 They’re shortcuts that weaken your influence and cost you results.

The world’s most successful leaders operate differently.
 They evaluate before there’s a breakdown.
 They ask better questions.
 They lead with intention, not ego.

Here’s how to lead with evidence instead of assumption:

✔️ Run a quarterly leadership audit focused on four pillars: Clarity. Communication. Consistency. Culture.

✔️ Send an anonymous pulse survey. Ask how your leadership is experienced, not just how your team is performing. And make it truly anonymous, if your people don’t feel safe, you won’t get honesty.

✔️ Choose one insight to act on. Build a simple, focused strategic plan. Track progress weekly and share wins with your team.

You cannot grow what you’re unwilling to evaluate.
And what you ignore in leadership always shows up somewhere, in retention, in morale, in your bottom line.

So don’t wait, evaluate.

I’m curious…
 ~If your team evaluated your leadership today, would it reflect the standard you expect from them?


#business #leadership #success

♦️Founders, Family Offices, & C-Suite Executives Hire Me to Elevate Their Impact & Dominate Their Industries. Creator of High Performance Cultures. HIGH PERFORMANCE COACH OF THE YEAR, RTT® Therapist, Speaker, Advisor♦️

Elite high performance coach, Julie Hruska, helps you thrive in business and beyond, to lead successfully with your legacy in mind. 

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, YOU ALWAYS CONTROL YOUR ATTITUDE.

Last weekend, I went racing across the country to a hospital in Alabama, where my dad had been admitted with severe health issues while he was traveling to Florida for the winter.

After his immediate emergency passed, I was grateful to God for pulling him through and for my ability to stay calm amidst chaos. 

And as I drove home, I started thinking about what separates people who steady the room from people who fuel the storm.

In times of distress, your attitude becomes the difference between calm and chaos.
It affects every action you take and impacts every person you’re around.
The calmer you stay, the clearer you think.
When you focus on what’s required now, fear stops steering.

Having the right attitude is not only important for emergencies,
It’s important in everything you do.
Whether you’re stuck in traffic, having a difficult conversation, or making high-stakes decisions, your attitude is the difference between escalating the situation or elevating the outcome.

With all that’s happening in the world right now, you can feel the tension everywhere.
People are short fused.
Emotions are escalating faster.
And patience is thinner than it used to be.

All of this has a price.

Judgment gets cloudy at work and small mistakes become expensive.
Your tone gets sharper with people and anger erupts.
Stress becomes the default and your body pays the bill.
Impulse replaces strategy and all decisions suffer.

Your attitude is the choice that decides what happens next.

When someone cuts you off on the interstate,
Your attitude decides whether you arrive angry or steady.

When an injustice occurs,
Your attitude determines whether you carry poison or purpose.

When difficulties show up uninvited.
Your attitude decides whether you collapse into it or climb above it. 

The key is learning 
HOW TO CONTROL YOUR ATTITUDE NO MATTER WHAT YOU’RE FACING.

Here are some of the effective strategies I teach my high performance clients:

→ PRACTICE THE POWER OF THE PAUSE
Take one long, slow, deep breath before you speak, send, or decide.

→ ASK THE BETTER QUESTION
Instead of asking, “Why is this happening?” 
Ask: “What does this situation require of me now?”

→ SEPARATE FACTS FROM FEELINGS
Name what is true and label what you feel, then make a grounded decision. 

→ PROTECT YOUR FOCUS
Focus on solving the most urgent problem first. 

→ CHOOSE THE ATTITUDE THAT PROTECTS THE OUTCOME YOU DESIRE
Calm. Focused. Respectful. Direct.
Pick it, then maintain it throughout the situation.

→ TAKE THE NEXT ACTION OF INTEGRITY
Make the call.
Tell the truth.
Set the boundary.
Then take intentional action. 

And remember that: 
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, YOU ALWAYS CONTROL YOUR ATTITUDE.

~Do you agree?


#leadership #inspiration #motivation

SUCCESS IS NEVER OWNED, IT’S RENTED, AND YOUR RENT IS DUE EVERY DAY.

Most people miss the payment, then act surprised when life sends collections.

Your missed deadline drops your name off the short list.
A dodged conversation turns closeness into distance.
Skipped workouts leaves a gap pressure will punish.
Avoided finances put stress on your chest at 2 am.

SUCCESS IS NEVER OWNED, IT’S RENTED, AND YOUR RENT IS DUE EVERY DAY.

SO… Put in the work to pay your "rent" today or let life collect the debt.


#business #leadership #success

2026 CAN BE YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR IF…

YOU’RE WILLING TO DO THE WORK.

Have you ever felt like you’re a hamster on a wheel, going through the motions,
checking the boxes, doing everything you think you’re supposed to do
yet never achieving the level of success you know you’re capable of?

It’s not that you lack talent or ambition,
There’s simply a gap between your potential and your execution.

Unfortunately most people never close that gap. 

In fact, less than 8% of people actually achieve their goals
And over 80% of people abandon their annual goals by February. 

Isn’t that tragic?

It doesn’t happen because people suddenly lose desire,
It happens because nothing fundamental changes in how they operate.

Most people keep the same habits, standards, and excuses
Or try to change so many things at once, that nothing sticks. 
That’s how capable people spend years being busy, but ultimately unsuccessful. 

Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Here’s how I teach my high performance clients to achieve their highest levels of success: 

→ EXCAVATE LIMITING BELIEFS
Identify one belief that holds you back.
Determine where it’s creating a bottleneck through pressure, hesitation, or control.
Replace your limiting belief with an affirming belief that supports scale and enforce it through your behavior.

→ CREATE UNCOMPROMISING CLARITY
Define your annual goals, then reverse engineer them into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily targets.
Decide what no longer deserves your time, attention, or emotional energy.

→ DESIGN STRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS EXECUTION
Time block your highest-leverage work first.
Build weekly review rhythms to assess progress and to course correct as needed.
Your calendar should reflect your priorities, not other people’s urgency.

→ BUILD UNCOMPROMISING CONSISTENCY
Choose 3 priorities to execute on daily, regardless of mood or momentum.
Track your progress and adapt as needed to achieve success.
Consistency is how progress compounds.

→ SET HIGH STANDARDS AND NEVER LOWER THEM
Decide the standards you will operate from no matter what.
Standards create outcomes. Keep them high, live up to them, and ensure those around you do as well. 

Most people repeat the same year because their goals change, but their behavior doesn’t.

2026 will be defined by how you operate.
Will it be by random motion or by consistent momentum? 
By unrealized potential or by the highest level of execution you’re capable of?
That distinction determines your outcome.

I invite you to consider…

~What do you need to do differently now to make 2026 a victorious year?


#leadership #motivation #success

I’m a high performance coach who works with C suite executives, founders and family offices to help them create a vision and execute the plan to completion. I combine the latest neuroscience techniques with high performance tools to help my clients master their mindset and skillset to become unstoppable. Ready to be in the top 1%? Let's Talk. DM Me today for more. 

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

Right now, you are publishing smart content but leaving out one signal AI needs:


A named, accountable human. 

Stay with me for a second. 

Online credibility is getting fragmented, and AI fills in the gaps with whatever it can find.

Here is what’s happening: your content is floating. Well-written, well-intentioned but effectively ownerless. And AI can’t tell who owns the expertise. To AI systems, that’s a red flag and a big problem.

If an AI model can’t verify who created the thinking, it can’t confidently recommend it. And if AI can’t recommend it, it won’t cite it. Or you. 

This applies to both individuals and brands. 

When a buyer asks, “Who’s credible in this space?” AI isn’t just scanning your LinkedIn posts. It’s hunting for accountable experts it can verify across content, context, and history.

So imagine investing in leadership brand content (which many of you are already doing), or a team thought leadership push, or synchronized messaging across the company for a specific event like an upcoming product release, only to have your human attribution missing. 

Explicit attribution looks like this:
1. Clear authorship (named leaders)
2. Visible expertise (clear roles)
3. Consistency over time (a recognizable human footprint)

This is why “thought leadership” can be everywhere… and trust still feels like it starts at zero. 

So do this: 
Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity who the credible leaders are in your space… Does it name you/your team? What does it say about each? What is missing about you? 

Then look at your last 10 pieces of leadership content. Could a buyer immediately tell which executive/leader in your org stands behind each idea? 

Is your expertise visible and trusted...or just published?

Portrait-oriented photo of a professional woman, Melanie Borden, seated alone in the rear passenger area of a luxury sedan with white leather interior. She sits sideways with legs crossed, relaxed posture, looking directly at the camera with a composed, confident expression. She wears a monochrome white outfit (long-sleeve top and tailored pants) with nude high-heel pumps. She holds a smartphone in both hands at lap level. A large light-gray quilted designer handbag rests on the seat beside her. Through the left and right windows, a city street and modern glass office buildings appear slightly blurred, suggesting motion and an urban business setting. Lighting is soft and even; no on-image text is visible. This image visually signals executive presence, leadership identity, and “named, accountable human” authority—reinforcing themes of personal branding, thought leadership attribution, AI trust signals, and credible expertise that can be verified across LinkedIn.

I learned this lesson years ago and realized I had to reapply it in 2026:

No one can find you, see you, or hire you if you do not fully promote yourself in various ways. 

I'm not sure when, but I started editing myself.

This year, I am no longer downplaying my work; I am speaking openly about it—in my book, on stages, in conversations, across podcast appearances, and, yes, of course, here on LinkedIn. 

These are things I’ve started before, but often held back, worried about being seen as “too much.” 

I have been battling for the last year over how to differentiate myself in this online ocean, which I documented in my book.   

If you want anything to change your income, your employer, your relationships... You have to do something new you haven’t done before.

Here are simple rules to follow that I'm following:

Choice: make one.
-Choice: chose to take your work seriously enough to talk about it.

Chance: take it.
-Chance: commit to visibility: speaking, sharing, and showing up on podcasts.

Change: that’s how anything in life shifts.
-Change: The way you lead, launch, and let yourself be seen.

Different results require new decisions. And new decisions require discomfort.

Fear and discomfort are always the entry fee to big shifts. 

Who else is making changes in 2026? 

P.S. Thank you for all of the positive support for Theatre of the Mind. Made it to the Top 10 list of PR books on Amazon! 

P.P.S. Back when I first started stepping into visibility.

I help leaders turn expertise into a synchronized, searchable presence that attracts opportunity at scale. | Brand & AI Visibility Strategy Leader | GTM Advisor | Author, Theatre of the Mind | Founder @ The Borden Group

Melanie Borden stands confidently in a leadership workshop setting, smiling with hands on hips, wearing a black blazer, light top, and dark pencil skirt. Behind her, flip-chart pages cover the wall with handwritten leadership and mindset frameworks, including “The 3 C’s: Choice, Chance, Change,” “Does your pain make you bitter or better,” and “3 Keys to Leadership.” The scene signals executive leadership development, coaching, communication skills, and personal growth through decision-making and discomfort. This image supports topics like personal brand strategy, leadership visibility, career reinvention, mindset training, change management, and AI visibility—building clear authority signals and searchable thought leadership that helps people and machines (ChatGPT/LLMs and modern search engines) understand, trust, and recommend your expertise.

Confession: I was a VP of Marketing who avoided building my own online presence. 

The fear wasn’t posting... it was the aftermath of the posts.

I call this the 'Visibility Ceiling'

The fear of what comes after you’re seen from people around you. 

-If I post this, will competitors use it against us, or will it give away too much?
-If I post this, will our customers read it as confidence, or as instability?
-If I post this, will Legal flag it, or will it create an internal compliance headache?
-If I post this, will my team feel supported, or will it sound like I’m taking credit for their work?
-If I post this, will the CEO be upset and think I am stepping on his toes?

The list goes on and on. 

There will be critics. Someone will judge. Someone will talk. Someone will disagree. Anytime you step into public visibility, people will have opinions. 

Here’s my tried-and-experienced advice on the types of people you will encounter if you’ve ever felt this type of fear before.

You will meet 4 types of people who show up when you become active online:

→ People from the past. Curious how you’re doing. 
The Past Knows You.

→ People who stir the pot. Watching and commenting. 
The Crowd Tests You.

→ People who support you. Looking for ways to help. 
The Circle Holds You.

→ People from the future. Paying attention because they may want to work with you. 
The Future Finds You.

You CANNOT change how anyone interprets you or your content. And obsessing over it will drive you crazy. 

But for every one of those, you’ll have far more of this:
Someone who values your work.
Someone who feels seen by what you said.
Someone who opens a door for you.
Someone who asks for your help.
Someone who hires or invests in you.

Don’t do what I did and let fear decide your visibility.
And don’t ask for permission. It rarely comes.

If you want to change anything in your career, company, or life:
Champion yourself 🖤

Melanie Borden, executive visibility strategist, founder of The Borden Group, and author of Theatre of the Mind, stands outdoors in a snowy winter setting beside a black vehicle, holding a bouquet of red roses. She wears a white coat over a black dress with black gloves, creating strong visual contrast that signals leadership presence, confidence, and intentional visibility. Snow-covered trees form the background, emphasizing exposure, clarity, and forward movement. This image represents executive personal branding, LinkedIn visibility, and the concept of the Visibility Ceiling—the fear leaders face not in posting content, but in what happens after they are seen. The photo aligns with themes of C-suite leadership, founder visibility, AI trust signals, LLM-readable authority, searchable leadership, and building credibility in the modern visibility economy.

I was told I was “essential" in 2020. The layoffs around me told a different story.

My brain — and my body — went straight into survival mode.

I doomscrolled. I catastrophized.
I rehearsed worst-case scenarios as if I were auditioning for a Broadway show called 'What If It All Falls Apart?' 

Yes, a bit dramatic, but I knew SOMETHING had to change.

At the time, my fear of being “center stage” was greater than my desire to change anything until it wasn't.

That’s the part we don’t talk about enough when it comes to personal brands.
FEAR of being seen. 

Fear doesn’t just make us anxious...

It keeps us small, disconnected, and stuck in rehearsal mode instead of stepping into the role we were put on earth for.

The first step to conquering fear isn’t confidence.
It’s deciding it no longer gets to dictate what you do.

A year or so later, after I leaped, I began working with others on their personal brands. I noticed something familiar on discovery calls.

Different titles. Different industries.
Same underlying fear: "What if I’m not ready?"

“I’ve already built a career, why would anyone want to hear from me now?”
“I’m not a content creator. I lead companies, not social platforms.”
“I’m not at the same stage as other leaders who seem to have it all figured out.”

It’s time to rewrite the story. That is exactly what I did when I decided to become visible online.

Here are a few mindset shifts that change everything:

1. From: “I’ve already built a career, why would anyone want to hear from me now?”
To: "Now is exactly when they need to hear from me. My lived experience offers clarity others can’t Google, and that’s what makes it valuable.”

2. From: “I’m not a content creator. I lead companies, not social platforms.”
To: “I don’t need to be a content creator, I need to be a visible leader. Sharing my perspective isn’t performance; it’s positioning.”

3. From: “I’m not at the same stage as other leaders who seem to have it all figured out.”
To: “I’m building from a different starting line, and that’s my edge. What I’ve learned through this season will resonate with the exact people I’m meant to reach.”

And yes, of course, judgment will always exist. 
That is your entry ticket.

But playing small to avoid criticism only gives it power over you (and btw, no one is thinking about you as much as you are thinking about yourself).

Once you accept that, you stop rehearsing and finally step into the role you’ve been ready for all along. 😊 

What’s one visible step you’ve been avoiding that you know would change everything?

Portrait of Melanie Borden standing indoors beside a white sofa and large window with soft natural light. She wears a structured white blazer over a white top, paired with blue jeans and a brown belt with a gold buckle. Her dark brown, shoulder-length hair is styled in loose waves, and she wears subtle, polished makeup. Melanie stands confidently with relaxed posture, one hand resting near her pocket and the other lightly touching the sofa, conveying calm authority and grounded confidence. The background features neutral tones and blurred greenery outside, creating a clean, professional, and modern setting. The image reflects leadership, visibility, and personal brand presence—capturing a poised executive energy that aligns with themes of reinvention, personal brand, online visibility, courage, and stepping into public leadership after fear or uncertainty.

I could cry right now!

(but I already did that about 100 times while writing) 

After 6 months of writing Theatre of the Mind, I didn't think I would ever finish.

The manuscript was written and then rewritten 3 times. It took me a year and a half to finish the writing part.

It was by far the most challenging project I have ever worked on. 

There were so many times I wanted to quit and give up. 

So glad I didn't. The process that felt like torture became one that I loved. 

18 months after starting the book, here we are. 

#1 top new release in public relations books on Amazon
#1 top new release in digital marketing on kindle/Amazon

Thank you for supporting me. 

This book will help you and your business in so many ways🖤

Order your copy here:
https://amzn.to/4jpiK9r

No alternative text description for this image

I set a goal of 30 podcast appearances in 2026. 

5 on the calendar so far, 3 down.

If your audience wants practical, tactical ways to build visibility that genuinely stand out in a crowded market, I’m your girl.

Just had a great conversation (and laugh) with one of my favorites Nausheen I. Chen on her podcast. 

And also. 
New year, new hair.

What are some of your goals this year? More of mine in the comments.

Melanie Borden with dark hair and bangs wearing a bright pink sweater, photographed indoors with a chandelier and softly lit room in the background. The image accompanies a post about setting a goal of 30 podcast appearances in 2026, with five booked and three completed so far, a recent podcast conversation with Nausheen I. Chen, a lighthearted note about new hair for the new year, and a prompt inviting others to share their goals. description for this image

When your career evolution outpaces your public presence and internal narrative, visibility in public starts to feel... uncomfortable.

I started noticing this pattern early on in my work with clients: their internal voice no longer matched their career voice or online presence.
 
What began as an abstract idea inspired by Shakespeare’s "As You Like It,"... I evolved into a core framework I later formalized.

There’s a moment where Shakespeare says, ‘All the world’s a stage,’ and then describes the seven ages of man. 

He obviously, at the time, wasn’t talking about careers, but he was talking about identity: about how we grow, perform, and evolve through different roles over time. And that idea stuck with me.

Your presence tends to evolve alongside your career, but often out of sync. (Speaking from personal experience on this one, too)

The Seven Ages of a Personal Brand is about recognizing which ‘act’ you’re in so you can stop performing an outdated role and start showing up as who you actually are now in all aspects. 

Here are 3 things you can do to realign the two:

1. Audit the role you’re still performing publicly
Look at your bio, website, LinkedIn, or how you introduce yourself.
Ask: Does this reflect who I’m becoming or who I had to be to get here?
Most misalignment stems from outdated language and stories, not from a lack of skill.

2. Shift from proof to perspective
Earlier stages require evidence. Later stages require a point of view.
If you’ve built results but still feel invisible, it’s often because you’re oversharing execution instead of sharing how you think, decide, and lead.

3. Let go of the version that got you here
This is the hardest one. 
That means other people might view you the way they once knew you, and you have to let that go.
Growth often means releasing an identity that once protected you so you can step fully into authority.

When your internal evolution and external presence finally match, your confidence replaces everything else. ...and the right people recognize you without needing convincing.

Is your business growing faster than the role you’re publicly "performing"?
What would change if you stopped performing and started showing up as who you are now?
-
Me with all 7 Ages of a Personal Brand: Innocence (on my lap), Apprentice, Believer, Builder, Leader, Guide, and Legacy.

Melanie Borden sits centered on stone steps in front of tall black double doors with brass details, framed like a stage backdrop. She wears a crisp white suit, neutral heels, and dark sunglasses, projecting calm confidence and control. In her arms she holds a small Dalmatian puppy close to her chest while holding a takeaway coffee cup; a structured black handbag rests beside her. Surrounding her in a deliberate semicircle are seven adult Dalmatians, seated and attentive, their spotted coats creating a striking black-and-white pattern against the elegant doorway. The composition feels symbolic: the central figure anchored in poise, with “seven” distinct presences around her—like acts in a story. The puppy suggests beginnings and Innocence; the adult dogs imply experience and progression. The scene visually echoes the idea that identity evolves in stages, and real authority comes from alignment—when your inner voice catches up to the role you’re living now.

Here’s the secret to turning attention into trust during a launch.

Execs and their company have separate, but related audiences and networks.  

So, when there’s a product launch, event, or fundraise planned, the brands combined amplify the message in different ways to slightly different audiences and it creates a wave of visibility.

This is called synchronized messaging — from different voices, same company, to similar networks, in the same industry with one aligned CTA.  

The delivery is authentic to each personal brand, but the message and call to action are aligned.

Even casual scrollers notice this. 
It seems like “everyone” is talking about the same thing, and they want to find out more.  

When they share: 

Why they support an initiative + why now
→ “We’re doing this because the old way was costing customers time, money, and sanity. I couldn’t keep calling that ‘normal.’ And the timing is right because ___.”

What they’ve learned + how it changed their thinking
→ “The hardest part wasn’t building it. It was deciding what we wouldn’t build. That one decision changed our product, our positioning, and our speed to market.”

What surprised them
→ “I didn’t expect our clearest signal to come from the smallest beta users. But their feedback made the roadmap obvious: ___.”

Why they still believe
→ “This is personal. Not as a backstory, but as proof. I’ve seen the cost of this problem up close. That’s why we’re still here building it.”

People read the story, and the message comes along for the ride. 

And yes: using company colors/graphics inside exec posts builds recognition fast as long as the voice stays human. 

But a warning, these tactics will fail if you are disconnected from lived experience.
Or if everything is group edited into the same voice.
Or if the company posts but the leadership team is silent.
Or if exec posts are approval heavy and insight light.
Or if there’s no agreement on what success actually looks like.

If you’re launching anything in 2026, this is one of the cleanest ROI plays your company can run.

Have you tried this approach?
How did it work for you?

Melanie Borden stands in a bright, modern photo studio taking a mirror selfie. She wears a pink textured jacket over a blush top, wide-leg light denim jeans, and neutral pointed-toe heels, projecting a confident yet approachable executive presence. Her posture is relaxed, with one hand in her pocket, reflecting ease and authenticity rather than a staged corporate pose. The studio environment includes soft natural light, sheer white curtains, a photography light with diffuser, white backdrop paper on the floor, and minimal furnishings, signaling professional content creation and brand storytelling in progress. The space blends polish with humanity, representing modern executive visibility, personal branding, and leadership in motion. The image reinforces themes of authentic leadership, aligned executive and company messaging, strategic storytelling, and building trust through presence rather than scripted talking points. It visually supports the ideas too.

ICYMI: My book was finally published! 🎉 

There was a season where I looked confident on the outside… and felt completely hijacked on the inside. Then it happened again while writing the book.

Theatre of the Mind is about what happens before visibility, confidence, or action and how to work through it. 

Each chapter tackles one moment many quietly struggle with:

• Ch. 1 – Taming the Theatre of the Mind
 You’ll learn why fear feels physical — and how to stop letting it run the show.

• Ch. 2 – The Visibility Ceiling
 You’ll recognize the exact moment success creates hesitation instead of confidence.

• Ch. 3 – Build in Public
 You’ll see why waiting for permission is costing you momentum and opportunity.

• Ch. 4 – Make Waves
 You’ll understand why leadership without friction rarely creates change.

• Ch. 5 – Impact at Scale
 You’ll learn how visibility becomes leverage — not a sea of noise.

• Ch. 6 – Pivot Afraid
 You’ll realize fear isn’t a stop sign — it’s evidence you’re evolving.

• Ch. 7 – Mental Crossroads
 You’ll identify the internal fork in the road most leaders avoid naming.

• Ch. 8 – Future-Proofing Your Career Insurance OS
 You’ll see why your reputation needs to outlive your role.

• Ch. 9 – New Rules in Storytelling
 You’ll learn how alignment builds trust faster than polish ever could.

• Ch. 10 – Searchable Leadership
 You’ll understand how authority is recognized — by people and systems.

• Ch. 11 – Success Metrics
You’ll stop measuring success by noise—and start measuring what actually proves growth: trust, traction, and outcomes. 

All chapters accompanied with my work examples, examples from other leaders in the space, frameworks, and strategies that you can implement while you are reading. 

The feedback has been very positive so far. Thank you so much for supporting my author journey! https://lnkd.in/gdVTj5gT

Stop avoiding visibility and the voices get clearer.

(One of them is Accounts Receivable.)

No alternative teQuote-style image featuring the text: “Stop avoiding visibility and the voices get clearer. (One of them is Accounts Receivable.)” The message reflects Melanie Borden’s work on executive visibility, personal branding, and thought leadership in the modern business landscape. It highlights how avoiding public presence often limits credibility, opportunity, and revenue, while intentional visibility helps leaders become discoverable, trusted, and sought after. The quote connects visibility to tangible business outcomes such as inbound opportunities, speaking invitations, advisory roles, and revenue generation. Aligned with Melanie Borden’s frameworks around executive presence, searchable leadership, AI-era discoverability, and the Visibility Ceiling, the image emphasizes that consistent, strategic visibility allows leaders to control their narrative, build authority, and convert expertise into measurable business growth across LinkedIn, modern xt description for this image

Still riding my high from releasing Theatre of the Mind.

In week one, seeing the photos, texts, stories, and messages saying, “it felt like we were talking,” has been way more than I expected.

Cracking Amazon’s top 10 New Release and Best Seller Lists for PR books has felt pretty good, too. 

Thank you for showing up for this book, for sharing it, and reading it! And for supporting me through this exhilarating part of putting my work in the world.

Perfect for execs, senior leaders, founders, professionals in transition, and thought leaders who don't want to be content creators. 

Who's ready for the documentary next? 😉
(It’s on my vision board, why not put this into the ether?)

🖤 #theatreofthemind available in both paperback and Kindle.

More feedback continued in the comments

Promotional visual for Theatre of the Mind by Melanie Borden, a leadership and personal brand book focused on how executives, founders, and senior leaders manage internal narratives before showing up publicly. The image supports a post tagging executives who are currently reading the book and reflects themes of visibility, decision-making, confidence, self-trust, and leadership presence. Theatre of the Mind explores how fear, overthinking, and internal scripts shape external behavior, communication, and authority—especially for high-performing leaders navigating growth, change, and public perception. The post emphasizes executive leadership, strategic thinking, mindset awareness, and building credible, trusted authority without performative branding. Designed for professionals in C-suite, founder, and advisory roles.

Promotional visuals of executives holding the book theatre of the mind.  for Theatre of the Mind by Melanie Borden, a leadership and personal brand book focused on how executives, founders, and senior leaders manage internal narratives before showing up publicly. The image supports a post tagging executives who are currently reading the book and reflects themes of visibility, decision-making, confidence, self-trust, and leadership presence. Theatre of the Mind explores how fear, overthinking, and internal scripts shape external behavior, communication, and authority—especially for high-performing leaders navigating growth, change, and public perception. The post emphasizes executive leadership, strategic thinking, mindset awareness, and building credible, trusted authority without performative branding. Designed for professionals in C-suite, founder, and advisory roles.

I’m not sure whether to cry, laugh, or scream... maybe all 3. 

The response to My book, Theatre of the Mind, in the last 48 hours has been overwhelmingly positive. 

Thank you so much for your support 

Before we ever post, speak, or pitch… we perform in our heads.

It’s the mental stage where fear, overthinking, and self-censorship sneak in and quietly rewrite what we really want to say.

This is the part of personal branding no one warns you about:
-the pressure to say it perfectly 
-the voice that asks, “What if they don’t get it?”
-the instinct to shrink your message so it feels safer

Theatre of the Mind is a handbook for taking the lead role in your own brand without the mental chaos, the constant rewrites, or abandoning the truth of who you are.

47,000 words later… I can’t fully describe how it feels to have this done. I’m just so happy it’s here. 

If you’ve ever felt stuck right before visibility — this is for you.
https://lnkd.in/gdVTj5gT  

Thank you for your support! It is all happening!! 🎉

What do you think of the concept and do you know someone who could use this book?

Promotional image supporting the launch of Theatre of the Mind by Melanie Borden, a book about personal branding, leadership visibility, mindset, and reinvention. The visual represents the internal “mental stage” leaders experience before posting, speaking, pitching, or showing up publicly. The concept centers on fear, overthinking, self-censorship, and the pressure to perform perfectly, which often limits visibility and authentic leadership presence. The book explores how executives, founders, and professionals navigate internal dialogue, confidence gaps, and visibility resistance in the digital and AI era. Themes include personal brand strategy, executive presence, thought leadership, career reinvention, confidence, self-trust, and showing up authentically without shrinking your message. Theatre of the Mind helps readers take the lead role in their personal brand, reduce mental chaos, stop constant rewrites, and align internal clarity with external visibility across platforms like Li

LinkedIn isn’t just where we show up anymore. It’s where AI learns who we are.

In the last few weeks of this new year, data has been piling up that LinkedIn is becoming a primary “source of truth” for AI answers—not just another social feed.

Here’s what that really means for you: every LinkedIn post, every podcast transcript you link… it’s all teaching these systems how to describe you, your work, and your leadership. 

Your content isn’t just “getting views” it’s training the models that future clients, hiring managers, and investors will ask about you.
​
This week’s issue of my newsletter breaks that shift down in plain language:

-Why LinkedIn is suddenly one of AI’s favorite places to “fact-check” you
-What’s breaking in classic search (and why your website can’t carry you alone anymore)
-How to make your authority machine-readable so you’re the one getting cited, not your louder competitor

If you’ve been posting on LinkedIn but still feel strangely invisible, this one is for you! 

What’s one simple shift you’re ready to make so your LinkedIn presence stops being “just content” and starts acting like real proof for the next opportunity that comes your way?

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 social anymore. It’s now part of se

Open article: Authority in Public | How LinkedIn Trains the Machines That Introduce You by Melanie Borden • 6 min read

Authority in Public | How LinkedIn Trains the Machines That Introduce You

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The Battle

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Melanie Borden

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The Battle

Julie Hruska

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);}Julie Hruska's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMelanie Borden's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJulie Hruska's LinkedIn Performance