Rebrand Your Fear

LEAVE YOUR MARK EPISODE 174

In third grade, my teacher Mrs. Glass called upon me to read aloud. That day I was wearing a rainbow-colored beaded bracelet I had made. It was elastic, and the beads were round, smooth, and fun to play with. I remember this day vividly because it was the first day I was called upon to read in front of the class, and nothing came out of my mouth. 

I can still remember Mrs. Glass scolding me for not starting. "Aliza, do you hear me? I asked you to read the next paragraph!" Her words taunted me because I knew I couldn't do it, and because of that anxiety, I started pulling on the bracelet and yanking on the elastic more and more as she called on me to start. The bracelet broke, and the beads flew into the air and around the room. They landed in a scattered, noisy mess. The class laughed. I cried. I got in trouble for disrupting the class.

I went home that day and told my mother what had happened. It turns out my mom was not surprised. I had a stutter, and I didn't know. That marked the beginning of my journey to speak. Every week, my mom would drive me into the city to Dr. Haskell's office, where I would learn the airflow technique. My stutter was not one in which I repeated sounds but more that I would hold my breath while trying to get a vowel sound out. That really sucks when your name begins with a vowel. This therapy continued through high school and college (shout out to Dr. Donna Cooperman later). 

The PTSD of knowing that at any given time, I might trip up my words or have them stuck in my throat is still with me, but I have never let it stop me. I've pushed myself beyond those days, so much so that I'm now a public speaker by choice. See, you should never count yourself out.

Yesterday, I had the honor of going on Good Morning America to promote my new book, ON BRAND, which drops Tuesday. Speaking on national television, especially for a live taping, is no small fete for anyone. For me and my stuttering history, it's a miracle. In the green room before the show, I was nervous-excited but also calm. I knew what I wanted to say and had practiced delivering that content countless times in the shower (yes, the shower for its wonderful acoustics!). I was ready!

But then something happened that I did not expect.

A producer came running into the room earlier than expected and summoned me to head to the studio. "You're on in twenty seconds! Hurry!" What? Why the five-alarm fire?! I went from calm to running in 5" heels trying very hard not to trip along the way. I flew onto the set where the three GMA hosts were already seated. "Five seconds!" they declared. My heart was racing, and I was sweating, and I flung myself into the director's chair. When my butt hit the seat, I heard 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and we're live! I did not have a minute to compose myself. I was frazzled and in disbelief at how I had gone from calm and prepared to frenzied and heart-racing. These were not optimal conditions for me and my stuttering past. 

I had no choice but to pull it together in an instant. Focusing on my North Star goal to promote the value proposition of ON BRAND, I knew what I had to deliver. I had four minutes to ensure that my brand came off as intended. I was clear on what I wanted to leave the GMA audience knowing about me and my book.

The segment turned out well enough. I tripped on one sentence, which will haunt me forever, but overall, I rose above the stress and seized the moment I needed to ensure the audience would consume the key takeaways I wanted.

Today on the Leave Your Mark podcast, I turn the table on myself to deliver an episode that's personal and in-depth. I have the honor of being interviewed by culture and trend journalist, award-winning, four-time published author, and New York Times contributor Alix Strauss; where we discuss the behind-the-scenes of ON BRAND and dive deep into what you can expect to get out of it. 

In a world where the lines between personal and professional are blurred, and we communicate nonstop in both obvious and subtle ways, getting your message right and learning how to market yourself is paramount to success and can determine which opportunities are presented to you or handed to someone else. 

ON BRAND is ideal for anyone seeking personal development to help them level up, pivot professionally, or support through a transition. It's for the new graduate seeking their first job, the middle manager looking to level up, the executive who wants to become more notable, the entrepreneur building from scratch, the person who wants to pivot to a new career, the social media influencer who is their own brand—it's for anyone who wants to affect the way people perceive them and feel proud when they hear the words "that's so on brand for you."  

This book is about recognizing where we are and where we want to go, facing challenges, and pushing past them. It's about rebranding fear. There's no "I can't." There's no "I don't." There's no "I'm not." We need to remove the labels we've assigned ourselves and erase the self-judgment that's held us back. 

I used to label myself as someone who couldn't speak publicly. There was a time when I would avoid doing it like the plague. There still may come a time when I stutter publicly. I never know when it will occur, but I will never let that fear stop me from doing what I love, and what I love is talking to you. 

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE