How can you stand out in a world where everyone sounds the same? In this episode of Leading Visionaries, host Anjel B. Hartwell sits down with Judy J. Winslow, the Brandologist, pioneering brand strategist, two-time international best-selling author, and founder of TEDx Sarasota. With three decades of experience helping visionary CEOs and founders become unforgettable brand leaders, Jay brings a refreshingly holistic perspective to branding, leadership, vision, and human connection.

The conversation then moves into what it really means to build an unforgettable brand. Jay challenges the traditional way we think about branding and explains why a powerful brand is about much more than logos or marketing tactics.

What You Will Learn:

How leadership can emerge before we consciously recognize ourselves as leaders.

Why observing and listening can be powerful forms of leadership.

How authentic leadership differs from performative influence.

Why branding is about more than logos, visual identity, and marketing.

The four aspects of becoming an unforgettable brand leader: visionary, catalyst, creator, and coachable/coach.

Why leaders need to consciously evolve their vision as they grow.

How leaders can energize and activate people around a shared vision.

Why culture and team development are essential parts of sustainable leadership.

How coaching and mentoring can help create more leaders within an organization.

Why authenticity is increasingly important in the age of AI.

How human relationships and community can become a competitive advantage.

Why building a brand for longevity requires more than creating a temporary burst of attention.

How local relationships and community involvement can strengthen a leader's brand.

Why the way a leader is being can be just as important as what the leader is doing.

FAQ:

What is authentic branding?

Authentic branding is the process of consciously building a brand around a genuine vision, identity, voice, values, and way of showing up rather than relying on manufactured positioning or tactics that do not reflect who the leader or organization really is.

What makes a brand unforgettable?

An unforgettable brand is built around a distinctive vision and authentic positioning rather than simply visual design. It requires leaders to consistently communicate and embody what makes their vision different while building meaningful relationships with the people they serve.

What are the four aspects of becoming an unforgettable brand leader?

The four aspects discussed are being a visionary, catalyst, creator, and coachable coach. A visionary owns and evolves the vision, a catalyst activates people around it, a creator brings the vision into reality, and a coachable coach develops both themselves and others.

Connect with Judy J. Winslow

Unforgettable Brands

Leading Visionaries Podcast

Join the Leading Visionaries Community

Make a Donation to Support the Show

Creative Age Consulting Group

LVP 148 Judy

===

Now, here's your host, Anjel B. Hartwell

Anjel: Welcome to another episode of the Leading Visionaries podcast, where we celebrate the ingenious, insightful, innovative, and inspired leading visionaries of our time, and provide our listeners with world-class examples of the kind of courage, clarity, and confidence it takes to bring visions into reality.

Through her signature blend of soul-deep strategy and powerful brand positioning, she's served Fortune 100 companies, Women's Day Magazine, CoverGirl, and Elizabeth Taylor, and has been featured in Business Insider, ABC, and Yahoo Finance. Jay serves leaders who are done blending in. Learn more at unforgettablebrands.com.

Judy: Lovely to be here. Thank you so much.

Anjel: All right, Jay. I think we're gonna get d- down and dirty today in this conversation. I wanna talk... We started talking in the green room, and I really wanna continue that conversation. We... I wanna talk today about leadership, and I wanna start with you. Were you the kiddo who was organizing all the kids and making sure that their branding was all lined up on the playground?

Ah. Or was leadership something that you grew into or that you were maybe m- you know, an accidental leader?

I was quite lonely, and I was a witness. I, and I still do this. I like to stand on the edges. I like to sit in the back of the room. I like to see how everyone is being, how they're showing up. There's something very intriguing about that. But no, I was invisible.

Anjel: Mm.

Judy: And I think I used that to my advantage, although it did not feel like that at the time.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

Judy: So it wasn't until I started getting involved in personal development, which really literally saved my life as I was a dark, depressed, suicidal kid who did not fit in, who didn't understand what the heck. This is life? What a terrible joke. Hmm. I just thought it was a bad joke. Now I feel, I think of life as an acronym.

Anjel: Mm. Well, you know, it's interesting because branding is essential to selling that lie

Judy: It's kind of a yes and.

Okay. I think the mistake... So you and I know this because we're both immersed in it, but as somebody who has been in marketing my entire career, you know, back when I would say, speak branding to people, and they would say, "Well, I don't need a brand. I, I'm like a little whatever. That's for Coca-Cola." Mm-hmm.

He wore a suit. He was an attorney. He wore a suit every day. It was like his thing, right? Back, back then, men wore suits.

Ad: Mm-hmm.

Judy: And they knew what colors he liked. They knew what ties he preferred. They knew what fabrics to bring him, all because they had all of his schtick on an index card. Mm-hmm. Which now we have in the cloud, and we collect as data.

And when I first started, my first big get in my, uh, design firm was we worked for Clairol. Mm-hmm. And we put out this newsletter. It was so innocuous. It was just this little bitty newsletter that was supposed to help build team between the salespeople and the people on the floor and this whole thing.

This was in the '80s, you guys. Mm-hmm. '80s. Mm. So, yeah, I had no idea. So we've been really, you and I are in a world where we've been acclimated and aware of this manipulation. Mm-hmm. This m- behind the scenes whatever you wanna call it. Mm-hmm. So that's not really... I don't consider that... Yes, it's branding and.

Mm. Because we are all a brand. Mm. You're being a brand as you sit there. Mm-hmm. I'm being a brand as I sit here. We- you were a brand in the womb. It's this, it's this, uh- hijacking, if you will, of some of this information that's so distasteful, and also some of the positioning that is inauthentic-

Anjel: Mm ...

Judy: unreal- Mm-hmm

Anjel: Yeah, well, and, you know, as we're talking about things like, I, I, I guess we'll call it influencer culture maybe- Mm-hmm ... because that's a fair statement.

Judy: Yeah.

Anjel: You know, you and I watched it emerge, right?

they don't last. They don't last.

Judy: Yeah. It's not really a, uh... It's not a design for longevity or success. It's designed for a, a hit-and-run.

Anjel: Mm.

Judy: Yeah. And to me, that's not leadership. That's... You know, it's just like what we were talk- you and I were talking about earlier, which is what, how do we even define leadership?

And the first time that really came up for me was in '04-ish. I was applying to a program here in town, which many chambers have. It's called Leadership Sarasota. They have them all over. They're put on by the chamber, and they show you kind of the behind-the-scenes of how your town works, which was really, I thought, very cool.

Like, I'm... What?" But then when I started to reflect, I started to notice, oh, wait a minute, I showed up as a leader- At my first job. I showed up at my leader when I sold this... I used to sell pretzels at school. I have no idea how that occurred. But that was a, that... And then I was on the loudspeaker announcing God knows what.

Like, what? So there were... And then, oh, I was the president. I was the, the pledge mas- I was in charge of all the little baby sorority sisters. Me in a sorority? What? So all these odd occurrences started showing up for me, and I thought, "Oh, wait a minute. It's not that I..." And then I had another realization, which was it's not that I participated in that.

Anjel: Hmm. Big question. Big question, listeners. Yeah, and so what I'm hearing here is something along the lines of the kind of unconscious competence, right? Yeah. You stepped into these roles not really with intention to be, quote, unquote, "the leader."

Yeah. It's interesting, too, that you said, you know, you used to be on the periphery and w- witnessing people. There's something very powerful about a leader who is paying attention to and assessing from the outside and not having to be the ya-ya, front and center- Mm-hmm ... spotlight leader. I think it's a, a different kind of leadership.

Judy: Yeah, there's a lot of different levels. There's a lot of different facets, right? The- it's, I mean, it's the same with your brand. Mm-hmm. You know, I always talk about how I think that, of your brand as a diamond. Mm-hmm. You certainly don't polish one facet of a diamond and go, "Oh, it's so pretty. Look, you can see so much better now."

Ad: Mm-hmm.

Judy: Yeah. You know? It's not, it's not an either/or. And part of it is really, how do we embrace observing rather than, you know, that's the being versus doing.

Ad: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Judy: So in my world, it's very important, and I, and I think we're seeing this reflected everywhere, is that there's a lot of doing happening.

Anjel: Mm.

Judy: It's a lot of do do, shall we say. And I would really, I really work with my people, and I don't even call them my clients. I really notice this. They're like my people.

To really notice how you're being. Mm-hmm. Because we know, you and I, for sure- Mm ... how important frequency is.

Ad: Mm-hmm.

Judy: How important it is, you know, we know that we're energetic beings.

Ad: Mm-hmm.

Judy: And if you're not really mindful of how you are carrying that responsibility-

Anjel: Mm-hmm ...

Mm-hmm. If not a, if not a lot.

Anjel: If not a lot, yeah. Well, we're gonna take a quick break. When we come back, we're gonna dive even deeper into the vision part of things. But right now, listeners, are you a leading visionary or in the role of leading other visionaries? If you're interested in finding out more about how you can receive support for getting your vision out of the air and onto the ground in a way that's both impact and income producing, the best support is found in collaboration with other leading visionaries, which is why we've created the Creative Age Leader Lab.

We are welcoming thousands and thousands of downloads from all over the world, and I wanna shout out this week to our listeners also in Sweden, Switzerland, and Spain. We might as well do all the S's. And we will be right back with Jay Winslow.

Ad: The Leading Visionaries podcast is brought to you by the Creative Age Consulting Group. Are you the one who thinks differently? Who is called to create a significant conscious change in the world? Who is seeing and dreaming of a better way for your industry, your community, humanity? Creative Age Consulting Group is hired to guide leading visionaries just like you, who want to break through the static in order to clearly express and confidently enroll support for their vision in a way that makes it inevitable that it will come to pass.

The book is yours by visiting gift.leadingvisionariespodcast.com.

So I'd love to hear about how vision came to you for building your own business, because a lot of our listeners of, of course, are, are looking to build their own businesses or, you know, innovate in their industries. So tell us a little bit about that experience for you when you had the vision to start your own thing.

Judy: Well, this happened a long, many lifetimes ago.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

Judy: What's funny about it is I am someone who listens to my heart. Sometimes that does not pan out. Mm. And I don't really know how else to do life.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

But eventually we got on the same page, and we really unified, and we took a job that was a full-time job. We reduced it, systemized it to happen one week a month, which allowed me the time and space and finances to go out on my own. Mm-hmm. And I pitched her to do that. And we ended up opening our own design firm, which she literally still works today.

Anjel: Wow.

Judy: Now she's unwinding from it a bit, but yeah, she's been doing it all these years, and we founded that together. Wow. A mil- a million, trillion years ago.

and/or our leadership or both.

Judy: Yeah. It's interesting that you... This is coming up. It's perfect, actually, of course. I recently have come up with this new way to speak. I, I'm very frustrated about the way, the way branding is handled now. When I first started, no one understood what a brand is. I feel like people still don't understand what a brand is, but they pretend they understand.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

Judy: Not aligned. I think of aligned as like a bar graft. So, you know, you're good here, and you need to be a 10 here, and if you're not a 10 here, then you're not aligned, but no one's a 10 in everything, so does that mean we're never aligned? And it's just this odd way to speak about it. What if we looked at it like this?

There are four s- aspects. It's kind of like if you ever read The E-Myth, and he used- Mm-hmm ... to speak about there's different ways that you need to be in your business. Similar, same but different. If you think about your brand and how you're building as a leader- Mm-hmm ... and as an unforgettable brand leader, the first aspect is having a vision.

Ad: Mm-hmm.

So where I am now and how I serve now is nothing like when I started. Mm-hmm. When I started in graphic design and I was an award-winning graphic designer specializing in brand identity, that, that isn't even a thing anymore really.

Anjel: Hmm.

Judy: When you think about that, so first you need to be a vision- a visionary.

You need to have this vision. And then you need to employ, need to be a catalyst. What is it that you're catalyzing? What is it that your team is all together creating? What is it that we are... What's the finish line? What are the milestones? How will you energize and activate people, right? How do you be a catalyst?

Ad: Mm-hmm.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

Judy: And the last piece is really b- b- being willing to, A, be coached, and then how do you coach others? Because n- the number one thing I talk about with my people is culture and team building. Mm. How do you create a culture where everyone is thriving? Where you show up and can hold space for and be the one to lead, to hold the vision, to maintain the vision, to really be the number one soldier, warrior, guide for the vision.

You have to be willing and ready and able to coach and mentor others and lift them so that they will become leaders as well.

Judy: so- So those are the four big aspects.

Anjel: That's beautiful. So, for our listeners, visionary, catalyst, creator, and coached and coach- n- coachable and coaching, right? Yeah. And as you were speaking, it's interesting what came through was the vision itself, the organization, the team, the culture, like that in and of itself is an energy field.

Yes. It is its own energy field, and the role of the leader is less about what I'm hearing w- in what you're saying, it's less about- you know, this authoritarian old model of leadership and more about stewarding-

Judy: Mm-hmm ...

And so I'd love to hear you speak a little bit about, just because I've, I, it can't not be part of this conversation about AI and what we are now seeing. Yeah. It, it's interesting, I just got off a, another conversation for my other podcast with somebody who, you know, just did AI and, and p- slapped it all together on AI.

And so, you know, we already talked about the influencer culture, and it's probably, you know, anything that is done that way is not gonna be lasting. So how do you- Mm ... communicate to the people that are your people The importance of the human intelligence in building a brand that's unforgettable.

Judy: Yeah. L- I actually talk about this a lot.

And all those awful noises. And it was just l- so I thought, gosh, it's gonna be really interesting when you put in a prompt and it, like, pops right up, 'cause that's gonna- Mm ... of course. But right now, you know, we're in the beginning, so it's, like, doggy. It's like, "Hurry up, dude." Yeah "Hurry up." I think that the more this occurs, it will be even more important to have a human voice, to build relationships.

I mean, there's nothing new here.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

Judy: I think that, you know, it kind of reminds me, at this moment, and, and I don't know. Of course, what do I know? I don't have a magic ball, but it kind of reminds me of the early days of the computer. Mm. Apple computers specifically targeted art directors and marketing people.

Mm-hmm. And we were the first adopters, and I think that similarly that's happening. 'Cause you can see that, you know, marketers are using it and such. It is useful for many things. I do not believe at this time, even when it gets to know you really well, or as well as it can right now, it's still not... It's not an authentic voice.

You know, it's not like we talk every day, but we're in each other's orbit. Mm-hmm. We're in the same world. We play with some of the same people. That matters. Mm-hmm. And we have community. Mm-hmm. And I think... And it's actually one of the reasons why I have doubled down on participating in my area-

Anjel: Mm-hmm ...

Judy: more so than playing globally, which I still do.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

Judy: But I think it's gonna become even more important to really have these touchpoints. I'm playing with some things that are silly and fun, and it's still part of my brand.

Anjel: Mm-hmm.

Judy: And I'm doing them locally, 'cause- Mm-hmm ... uh, why not? And it's, it's really more about that. And I think we'll be seeing that.

Anjel: And, and community is the one thing that will help people through anything. Through, through anything. So yeah, beautiful.

All right. Well, we are at the end. We could talk for hours and hours, you and I, about all kinds of things, but we are at the end today. Uh, so listeners, we do love feedback. Please let us know what you thought of today's show by joining our community, sharing your takeaways, asking questions, or submitting guest suggestions.

You can weave your visionary thread into our fabric by opting in on our website at leadingvisionariespodcast.com or by interacting with us on social. Look for the handle @leadingvisionariespodcast across all the major platforms. Thanks for tuning in. Keep your eyes, ears, and hearts open. And remember, you are here to create conscious change.

We invite your feedback and guest suggestions and invite you to subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of new episodes at leadingvisionariespodcast.com