Adventures in Branding
90 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsThe Adventures in Branding podcast is here to inspire you to find your brand magic. From business brand to personal brand, these Clusters of Awesomeness will talk you through about the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a human. Get ready to make the impact you were born to rock.
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Episodes
There's no place like home.
March 22, 2017 06:00 - 9 minutes - 17.4 MBLet go and come back to your heart-space. One day last week, I really needed a hug. Nothing seemed to go right. Even tiny things felt like giant, annoying frustrations. Punching a wall was looking better and better. But suddenly I realized – I needed a hug. So I asked for one. Luckily, I work with the best humans, so Gisell and Cheney were on hand for a warm-and-fuzzy group hug. We all went back to our workspaces feeling just a little bit better about life, and it all came from the pow...
I think we need a hug
March 15, 2017 06:00 - 14 minutes - 29.9 MBWhat the world needs now is love (sweet love). I had every intention of recording a very different podcast episode this week, focusing on Rock Your Talk (now rescheduled for June 15th). But when I pressed record, I couldn’t help but talk about the state of affairs between humans. Whether we admit it or not, none of us likes to be “wrong”. Wanting to be right, wanting to be the best is a part of the human genetic code. It’s harmless when we’re debating pop-culture facts or the answer to a...
What's your pivotal moment?
March 08, 2017 07:00 - 11 minutes - 24.5 MBBreak up your story into bite-sized pieces. All stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. But sometimes, when we tell them, we skip around, play with the timeline, or leave a few background characters out. When you share your story, you don’t need to make it a captain’s log of your life. You don’t need to tell people when you ate breakfast or how much butter you used on your toast. Share your story, not your inventory. To get the most out of telling your story, focus on the pivot...
Wanna blend itineraries?
March 01, 2017 07:00 - 13 minutes - 15 MBAnything that could possibly be happening right now is happening. And it feels. Like. Shit. I woke up Sunday morning with a huge weight on my heart. I had a friend say something to me that stung, even though I know she meant nothing by it. I needed to work through it… so I did it on the podcast. Yep - I worked through my own muck, my own expectations, my own pressure on a public podcast for all the internet to hear. And now you get to listen and/or watch me find the truth on the other side...
Behind the Scenes of Adventures in Branding
February 15, 2017 07:00 - 21 minutes - 21.7 MBThe lovely people behind the scenes typically don’t get enough thanks. This week we have Tony Porreco, our podcast producer on the show - and after the Crew saying “sorry, Tony” over and over, it was time to bring him in for an interview. All you kickass humans now get the chance to hear his voice! Although he was just as nervous as I was about starting the Adventures in Branding podcast, we realized how much we needed each other to produce the deliciousness you hear every week. And thanks...
Are you living life or just trudging through?
February 08, 2017 07:00 - 29 minutes - 29.7 MBHow many people don’t start really living until something bad happens? They get cancer, a hard diagnosis, lose a parent or child, get a big scare.What if we learned from those who have dealt with all of that and started really living instead of waiting for something to happen? What if the people who have to deal with these hardships can teach us something bigger about living? Oh man, do I have a fun one for you. My little brother - an almost-30 6’5” youngest sibling - honored me with his l...
Are you afraid of your own brand?
February 01, 2017 07:00 - 29 minutes - 29.2 MBEveryone has a personal brand. Even if you don’t know what it is, it follows you around like a shadow. Most people have a tough time identifying their brand because they worry more about what other people think about them. Charleen McManus didn’t have that problem - she just wasn’t sure she wanted to own her personal brand - until it found her. You’ll remember Charleen from the Richmond HERadventures episodes - she’s the one who hosts incredible parties at her house (and yes, I’m waiting f...
Sometimes it's not all about you.
January 25, 2017 07:00 - 31 minutes - 32.3 MBWhen you walk into a room, you end up worried about what everyone else is thinking about you. And they’re worried what you’re thinking about them. The reality is - everyone is just thinking about themselves. So, why are we always caring about what everyone else is thinking about us when they really don’t care? Nedra Davis was the poster child for best kid ever. She checked every box on the list of being an amazing kid and young adult until she was 25 and she became pregnant - unmarrie...
What Is Your Mount Everest?
January 18, 2017 07:00 - 38 minutes - 38.7 MBSometimes you meet someone who makes you laugh like you’re old friends. Someone who just gets you and flawlessly blends with you in conversation. Hilarious banter, fond memories, feel good moments, and deep thoughts. That’s where we find ourselves on this episode of Adventures in Branding. You may remember Ingrid Black from the final episode of our first HERadventures series. She’s the South African beauty who kept us belly-laughing with her stories. Since then, she’s decided to take stand...
Up in Smoke: Intentions, Goals & Lighting It On Fire
January 11, 2017 10:00 - 25 minutes - 27.2 MBFinally! An episode where Melanie is talking to another Melanie and it’s not herself. HA! Yes, I know. And happy new year to you, too! It’s 2017 and everyone’s all in a flutter to set (and forget) their resolutions. To kick off this year’s Adventures in Branding, I bring to you one of my personal favorite humans - Melanie Vracas. I promise you’ll love her as much as I do. When Melanie V was just a little kid with big crazy hair, her mother would make her sit down to write her goals ev...
Get off your couch & give it away
December 21, 2016 07:00 - 20 minutes - 22.3 MB“I like to help people get OFF the couch… and you’re giving people couches! We can still be friends.” – Kris Kaplan, K2 Coaching This past weekend, I was called by a girlfriend to meet her at an address and not ask any questions. We ended up putting on elf hats and delivered Christmas gifts to needy families in the DC area. One of the women had zero furniture in her home so I went back the next day and dropped off a couch and a lamp. I had just ordered a new couch and couldn't think of...
Belly-Laughing Business Women in Richmond
December 14, 2016 07:00 - 1 hour - 60.3 MB“Go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated.” Ingrid kicks off our final episode with the pivotal moment she decided to quit her job. Our final stop in Richmond, VA led Mary and me to a wine shop for portraits and then the back room of Elements Beauty Store to chat with three kickass ladies. It was our last day heading back to DC and although we were exhausted from the five day journey, we ended up belly laughing our way through this episode. We had a roundtable with Ingrid Black, Charleen ...
Women Know Their Value in The Triangle
December 07, 2016 07:00 - 38 minutes - 37.6 MBThe Triangle area in North Carolina includes Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Durham - Mary and I stopped at the beautiful Umstead Hotel & Spa in Raleigh to chat with the local lady residents. Mary-Ann Baldwin, Suzanne Miglucci and Jennifer Hoverstad gave us three different perspectives on life, politics, infertility, and business. We wondered why people ask “innocent questions” about younger women and their position on having children while some aren’t interested in having kids and others are st...
What would you tell your 18-year-old self?
November 30, 2016 07:00 - 4 minutes - 6.66 MBDriving from DC through Virginia to the Carolinas, Mary and I had a LOT of time on our hands. Lots of discussions about the podcast, the women we were meeting, and the adventures we were having caused us to want to record ourselves talking. So, with the iPhone recording through the MINI speakers, we started sharing answers to the question: What would you tell your 18yo self? Thankfully, we have a kickass podcast producer Tony Porreco who knows how to edit. He took our 30 minute conversatio...
It's All Business (Women) in Greenville, SC
November 23, 2016 07:00 - 15 minutes - 17.1 MBGreenville, South Carolina is an underrated city with infinite possibilities. When Mary and I drove into this adorable downtown, we knew we were going to find too many things to do for our short stay. Exploring the downtown area with waterfalls and excellent restaurants, cycling on the Swamp Rabbit Trail thanks to PedalChic, and enjoying the local wine shop, we had the chance to chat with two sets of Greenville residents. They told us all about why they love the city but also gave us a look ...
Competitors Turned Coworkers - a Charlotte, NC conversation
November 16, 2016 07:00 - 53 minutes - 51.9 MBFierce competitors become fiercely loyal coworkers. You don’t hear THAT every day - especially not when it’s a group of women. Mary and I made our way to Charlotte, NC where I spoke at the American Marketing Association marketing workshop. Three ladies sat down in the front row and quickly became super engaged in this workshop. Afterward, I asked for volunteers for the podcast and no one came up. When we walked out, these three ladies were so full of laughter, you could tell they had storie...
5 Days. 4 Cities. 5 Interviews. 17 Women. 1 Sassy MINI.
November 09, 2016 07:00 - 45 minutes - 44.6 MBWelcome to HERadventures: the women-focused side of Adventures in Branding! Earlier this year, I jumped in Roxie Jean, the Hotrod Machine with my good friend & photographer extraordinaire, Mary Gardella, and embarked on a weeklong adventure to Virginia and the Carolinas. Logging hundreds of miles, we interviewed 15 rockstar women about their own personal brands and professional journeys, examining just what it means to be a woman today, in life AND in the workplace. We even went ziplining!...
Celebrating Finding
October 11, 2016 22:36 - 17 minutes - 18.1 MBFinding little celebrations in every day stuff This podcast started because the topic of purpose and personal branding had become a huge part of every day conversation. Over the last 10 weeks, we've been Finding things. Finding You: Because hating yourself is so yesterday Finding Strength: Tell those little demons to fly off. Finding Space: To notice the little things. Finding Uncomfortable: There's comfort there. Finding Adulthood: What's the big deal anyway? Finding Magic:...
Finding Commitment
October 04, 2016 14:47 - 10 minutes - 10.3 MBHave you ever heard a speech about someone who had something horrible happen to them and it changed their life? Cancer, a car accident, an injury, a fight, a sickness, a relationship ending, being arrested. They get up on stage and start with how it all changed for them. My goal in this life is to never have to give that speech because I was in control of my life being amazing and nothing had to happen to me to change it. One of my other goals is to make sure others are living their lives in...
Finding Confidence
September 27, 2016 18:20 - 10 minutes - 9.82 MBIt's time to trust yourself. Quite a few people have told me recently that when they first meet me they're a little intimidated by me. But after chatting, I find out that it's because they want to show up as confident as I do. They say they can tell I don't care what others think of me. Little secret: I do care what people think about me. Because I care about people. But showing up with confidence is not meant to be intimidating. A conference attendee recently confided that when I got...
Finding Alignment
September 20, 2016 16:37 - 30 minutes - 28.6 MBWhat happens when you have a well-defined brand, but it’s not really YOU anymore? Sometimes the brand that you started out with — the one that got you out there and paid — looked like success. But if it’s not you anymore, you can feel trapped inside your own brand. And what’s worse is that you’re attracting people but they’re not YOUR people. It’s hard to crawl back from misalignment. Life changes and so does your brand. Finding alignment means finding what floats your boat and th...
Finding Dreams
September 13, 2016 19:22 - 8 minutes - 11.3 MBOur biggest regrets will not be the things we did. Creating this podcast was not a dream of mine but I knew I had to do it. Getting it started was terrifying for me (and you know this if you listened to the first few) but if I wanted to accomplish everything I’ve been dreaming of, I had to do it. It was my little big step that will end up allowing me to get where I want to go. When we get to the end of our lives, our biggest regrets will not be the things we did, but the things we didn’...
Finding Magic
September 06, 2016 22:38 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBIt’s not what you do but what you seek out. Magic will keep showing up – if you let it. It’s not just about holding the door open. You’ve got to make space for it. Surround yourself with the people who want your heart to sing. Make real connections. Live human to human, not business card to business card. The world is here to help you, not hurt you. When you stop looking at life as something that happens TO you, you get this awesome thing called agency. It gives you power. Power to sh...
Finding Adulthood - What’s the big deal, anyway?
August 30, 2016 23:55 - 25 minutes - 25.5 MBIf your 13-year-old self came to the current you, what would you have to say for yourself? Thinking about how our teenaged-selves would judge our modern-day selves gives us a lot to chew on. How many of our God-given talents have faded into the background and become something more like how we’re told we “should” do things? But how stoked would our tiny selves be with our families, careers, and friendships now? No schooling can fully prepare us for this insanity called Adulthood. The end of...
Finding Uncomfortable
August 23, 2016 15:29 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBWhat if the only thing that you are missing is accountability? Risk-takers need a kick in the pants, too. Find comfort in being uncomfortable. It’s where growth happens. “This is the way that we’ve always done it” and “just in case” are some of the most dangerous phrases in the English language. If you’re feeling paralyzed to act, you’re in good company. It doesn’t feel great to be uncomfortable – but that’s not a club you want to belong to. Instead, seek out the people who make space for rea...
Finding Space - To Notice The Little Things
August 16, 2016 19:49 - 9 minutes - 8.28 MBWhat are we all missing because we aren't really here? A minute is SO long when you're doing nothing. A minute is SO short when you have everything to do. How many minutes are we not thoroughly being a part of because we're rushing through everything we need to do? How much are we really missing from life? Everything is asking for our attention these days. Everything wants us to look at it but nothing needs us more than space. Our phones are going off with loads of notifications. We have anxi...
Finding Strength - To Get Up & Do The Thing
August 09, 2016 19:41 - 9 minutes - 8.46 MBTell the demons to fly off. "Today, I realized that I need my own Melanie.” - last week's status update on my Facebook page. I had a sudden realization that I was empty. I had run out of inspiration and needed someone to inspire me. I needed someone to hug me, tell me that I’m amazing, and tell me to pick myself up off the floor and do the thing. (My mom lives too far away to do it, but she definitely tried.) I needed someone to tell me that the little voices flitting around inside my head we...
Finding You
August 02, 2016 18:06 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBYou know what’s really hard to hear? “I hate myself.” SMASH. That’s not ok. No one should ever feel that way. When we were thinking of what this podcast should be about, I was perplexed. I had so many topics and wanted to find a way to generate more business for Sisarina. We thought about how we could teach people brand and strategy. We came up with ways to share marketing tips. We even thought it might be interesting to make it workshop-y. None of it fit. Until one day I had enough of people...
How To Unsuck the Hiring Process for Everyone Involved
July 26, 2016 18:50 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBHave you ever had a job you hated? Have you ever had to hire someone? The frustration of the process of getting a job is so similar to going to the DMV. It’s the same frustration level on both sides. We can’t fix the DMV but we CAN rock the hiring process. The Sisarina Crew gets together at the Bikram Podcasting Studio (ha!) at Sisarina HQ to share the horrible things they’ve seen at their own jobs, the insanity of the hiring process, and what they've had to do to pay rent. We talk about how ...
What Does Living 'On Purpose' Really Mean?
July 19, 2016 19:06 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBYou've been working on your purpose. You've figured out what you want to do with your life. But what happens next? How do you make sure your purpose flows through every part of you? Rebecca & I let you in on the secrets of discovering your calling, the touchpoints in your personal AND business brand, finding your ambition, and knowing what the heck to do with it all. We discuss people who are living on purpose, how Rebecca pushed me outside my comfort zone to think about my own purpose, her j...
You’re Hired! Rebecca Flips the Script on Boss Lady
July 12, 2016 22:38 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBWhat if you could flip the script and interview The Boss? You learn all the things about the person with the vision. As the number onest number two, I (Rebecca) get the unique opportunity to sit down with Melanie Spring and ask the same questions that we ask of all potential crew members. Oh yeah, she’s hired! Melanie tells me how communication is the linchpin to working with her. She opens up about how she deals with people who tell her that she’s too much and how she reigns her big energy a...
I'm Coming Out - an interview with Rebecca Gunter
July 05, 2016 16:54 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBBeing Yourself, Staying Inspired, and Loving Every Minute What happens when you bring an ex-entrepreneur on as your second in command? You get sh*t done! Rebecca Gunter and I have known each other for YEARS. When she joined the Sisarina Crew in August 2015, we had no idea she would go from being a momentary fill-in to our Chief Coffee Officer rocking projects, front-line sales, and general rockstardom in branding. And I get to interview her on the podcast! Rebecca brings her full self to the ...
Stop Being Embarrassed About Who You Are - an interview with Isang Udokwere
June 28, 2016 16:54 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBWhen Isang sent in a cartoon for his application video, we knew he fit Sisarina’s core values to the T. From the day he walked in the door, he’s been innovating and jumped in as our social strategist taking on the Sisarina brand voice like it was his own. Isang tells us about being embarrassed about who he really was, how learning how to listen by almost kissing his teacher was a turning point, and how Apple doesn’t sell you technology. This self-proclaimed hipster nerd wears floral shirts an...
It’s OK Not To Be Perfect - an interview with Cheney Williams
June 21, 2016 15:25 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBWhen Cheney Williams applied with an infomercial instead of a resume, we were busting up laughing. Now we get to keep her forever (insert evil laugh). She’s Sisarina’s Girl Friday and my own personal assistant and her job is to keep me laughing on a daily basis. Cheney tells all about how her dad dressed up as a fairy princess, why I’m not really the boss of her, and even what she’s named her badass. This woman has heart, guts, and a fear of imperfection - and she’s not afraid to admit it. Sh...
Find Your Brand Magic - The lies of bootstrapping, scrappiness, and entry-level
June 14, 2016 19:54 - 44 minutes - 41 MBThe Sisarina Crew works hard AND plays hard - together. We talk and laugh so much that we have to schedule 3 hours of quiet time every day to get shit done in silence (We call it Sisa-Shh…). When I asked them to join me on the podcast as a team, they jumped at the chance to share their branding knowledge. Rebecca talks about how she’s beaten the bootstrappy label and found her dreams were bigger than she realized. Isang shares his feelings on what entry-level really means AND how much he hate...
Manifest That Shit
June 07, 2016 20:35 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBWhen you show up as yourself, in your purpose, some people just can’t handle that. You were put here to do something no one else was put here to do. But what happens when you’re too much? Wearing your awesome can come with consequences - but who cares?! Jim Rohn says, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” Who are you spending your time with? Do you want to be the average of those people? Start making space for incredible people to help you show up even bigger. Wh...
Redefine Your Labels & Make Waves
May 31, 2016 17:12 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBYour whole life, you’ve been given labels. Some you made up yourself, others have been placed on you. These labels have kept you from dreaming bigger because you have allowed them to shape who you are. Gal Gadot turned down the role of Deadpool’s girlfriend because she wanted a lead role leaving her open to take the kickass role of Wonder Woman in Batman vs. Superman. Every day, we’re offered roles that will make us or break us. It’s up to us to take the ones that will push us forward. When y...
Set a Vision for Your Life
May 24, 2016 20:18 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBWhere do you want to be a year from now? You deserve anything you can possibly imagine for yourself. But most people don’t take the time to think about the vision they have for their lives. And few write it down. I sat down and wrote down where I want to be in 5 years. Every 6 months when I write it down again, I dream bigger every time. I want more for my future self than I did the last time I wrote it down. When you get a chance to dream for yourself, you tend to keep going bigger every tim...
Rip Up Your Resume & Rewrite Your Life
May 18, 2016 11:31 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBWhat if you got to redo it all? What if you got a chance to rip up your resume and write it all over again in crayon? Leave your car on the side of the road and quit commuting to a job that doesn’t make you happy anymore. Write down exactly how you want to feel from now on. You get to do everything you could ever possibly dream of. Think about what you can do to make enough money while also making you happy to live the life you’ve always dreamed of. Think about what you can give back to the w...
Melanie's Crazy Insane Journey
May 11, 2016 15:54 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBThe Adventures in Branding Podcast Has Launched! And it's all about Melanie's journey. Sometimes we’re pushed to do something that wasn’t what we were meant to do. Other times we fall into it. In 2012, I jumped in my car and drove 7000 miles in 3 weeks on the Live Your Brand Tour. I interviewed 18 businesses on how they lived their brands and all of the stories were published in Entrepreneur Magazine. Although this started me on the adventure of changing my business, the stop at the Grand Can...