For a long time, I wanted nothing to do with personal branding. My husband teases me about the whole “educelebrity” culture.... follower counts, online clout, the performance of it all.

It made me want to run the other direction.

At one point, I even shut down my social media accounts because it felt like the only way to avoid playing that game.

But here’s what I’ve learned the hard way: branding is happening whether I choose it or not. Every time I send an email, walk into a room, or decide what to share (or not share), I’m teaching people something about who I am and what I value. The question isn’t whether I have a personal brand. The question is whether I’ll be intentional about it.

I shared this perspective recently with the Elevated Studios Teacher Navigators, a group of educators passionate about transformational and vibrant learning. We dug into how personal branding doesn’t have to be about performance. It can be about impact: spreading the work that matters.

what: branding is teaching out loud

Branding isn’t a logo or a glossy Instagram grid. It’s how people experience you over time. It’s the story that builds when you consistently show up.

For the Navigators, branding looks like opening the classroom door a little wider so more people can see what vibrant learning really means. It’s teaching out loud.

why: values align intentions

A turning point for me was when Karri and I sat down over a year ago to name our values. That process grounded me. Our values evolved into the ones we now carry in the alchemy handbook: servant leadership, bountiful harvesting, reliable overseeing, and vision planting.

When I lined up my choices with those values, branding stopped feeling performative. It became purposeful. Even the small things, like writing in lowercase, became a way to live out those values. Lowercase signals approachability, humility, and a willingness to sit in a little discomfort, which is exactly the kind of space where growth happens.

The lesson: when your values shape how you show up, people don’t see polish. They see trustworthiness.

how: small, consistent rhythms

Here’s another hard-won truth: consistency matters more than reach. For me, it began with a newsletter rhythm. Writing consistently gave me structure and helped me share in a way that felt natural instead of performative.

For the Navigators, the rhythms looked different: a weekly reflection, a hallway sticky note, or a simple story shared with their team. Branding doesn’t have to be grand. It just has to be aligned and repeatable.

the takeaway

I used to think personal branding was a distraction — too self-centered, too focused on image. What I know now is this: branding is inevitable. The only choice is whether it’s accidental or intentional.

Grounded in values. Lived out through rhythms. Shared with clarity. That’s how personal branding becomes a way to spread the message of vibrant learning instead of shrinking back from it.

Your brand is already happening. Be intentional about the story it tells.

— brooke