if you’re an Industry Leader..

Don’t you find Social Media depressing sometimes?

So many influencing-influencers taking selfies of themselves ‘living their best life’ or parading on their local TedX stage.

Have you noticed how Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook are filled with shiny entrepreneurs winning awards and being nominated left, right, and centre?

How they’re zipping around from event to event, making time for selfies at exclusive gatherings, photographing themselves in closed circles of “those in the know” – all in a day’s work.

The masterminds. The UK and US networking scenes. The insider gatherings where deals apparently get made over Champagne. The book signings, the stages… oh my, all those places to be seen. And if you’re not there? You don’t exist.

The shiny veneer of apparent success. The perfectly curated feeds of perfectly curated (but not necessarily accurate) lives.

And then (shock, horror) that awful FOMO that whispers:
“You’re missing out on where real opportunities happen.

Maybe you’re not good enough. Maybe you don’t belong. Maybe you’ll never ‘make it.'”

But I’m calling BS on that entire narrative.

What I Discovered Behind The Sparkling Facades Of A High Profile Event

I recently attended the high-energy event, Showtime – dubbed ‘the UK’s biggest branding and PR event’ – now don’t get me wrong, I’m not being ungracious. But I am the Champion of invisible, unseen visionaries who deserve world-class branding and brand elevation resources. So much so that I built an entire platform dedicated to exactly that. And I felt kinda different…

While chatting after a fabulous day, the event host – someone at the absolute centre of all those UK networking circles – looked at my rural French life and said how she longed to return (she’s French). Not just her. Multiple people in those exclusive rooms were genuinely envious of what I’ve built from my paradise outside the hustle.

But behind Social Media ‘Selfie Perfection’ lies another reality.

One of the highest-earning keynote speakers recently talked openly and vulnerably on LinkedIn about the mental pressures of success and how they’re taking a toll on her health – despite her two million+ revenue this year.

During the same event, an eminent ex-TV journalist on the speaker lineup admitted to having suffered bankruptcy a couple of years ago and moving to Spain to escape the pressure.

These aren’t isolated stories. Throughout the day, I kept noticing the same pattern: impressive exteriors masking genuine exhaustion. The relentless need to be seen in the right places, with the right people, wearing the right things. The financial pressure despite the appearance of abundance. The toll that performing success takes on actual wellbeing.

I’m not sharing this to diminish anyone’s achievements or to suggest that success shouldn’t be celebrated. I’m observing and reporting – that’s my job as a journalist and disruptor. And what I’m reporting is this:

the traditional path to visibility and authority comes at a cost many brilliant entrepreneurs simply cannot – or should not – pay.

The Geographic Outsider Advantage

Meanwhile, I’m hanging out in the back of beyond rural France, building a world-class media platform.

Not because I couldn’t join those circles – but because geographical distance and lifestyle choices required me to innovate differently.

When you can’t rely on ‘being in the right rooms’, you’re forced to create something that works regardless of who you know or where you live. When you can’t afford to plane-hop monthly, you build platforms that deliver world-class quality with accessible investment. When you’re outside the traditional networking circuits, you stop performing belonging and start building something genuinely different.

This geographical “disadvantage” became my greatest strategic asset.

It meant I had to focus on substance over proximity. Content over connections. Platforms over parties. Creating stages rather than scrambling for invitations to existing ones.

World-class quality with accessible investment isn’t just my marketing message – it’s my entire business model, born from not having traditional access to these halls of connection. And honestly? Not particularly wanting it either.

While delegates pursue opportunities through exclusive circles and drop influencer names like breadcrumbs, I’m building runways for brilliant women who may never get invited to those rooms.

That’s not settling – that’s revolutionary.

This is why I do what I do. So many of my clients don’t have the budgets to plane-hop and swap outfits like celebrities a few times a month. So many worthy entrepreneurs won’t get the shiny awards (that someone made up anyway).

But it doesn’t mean you’re not world class.

Why Authentic Alignment Creates Media-Ready Positioning

Here’s where this gets really interesting – and why my recent London trip became such a game-changer.

I went to Showtime expecting to learn about PR tactics and visibility strategies. What I actually learned was far more valuable: the difference between being visible and being newsworthy.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth – you can show up everywhere, post consistently, attend all the events, and still be completely forgettable.

The entrepreneurs getting the podcast invitations, the magazine features, the speaking stages? They’re not necessarily the most qualified or the most connected. They’re the ones with something so distinctive to say – and the confidence to say it unapologetically, it is PRESS-worthy.

That only comes from authentic alignment. When you’re trying to fit into someone else’s version of success, your positioning becomes generic. When you’re building from your actual reality – your geographical quirks, your unconventional approach, your specific mission – suddenly you have a story worth telling.

Building glamour and luxury from rural France while UK power players envy your lifestyle. Creating democratised luxury whilst they’re drowning in exclusive exhaustion. Positioning as an Entrepreneurial Talent Agent when everyone else is still calling themselves a coach.

This is authentic alignment in action.

When your positioning, pricing, and presence align with your authentic energetic signature – not what you think will get you invited to the cool kids’ table – something shifts. The right opportunities find you. The right clients recognise you immediately. Premium pricing feels natural because you’re not apologising for who you are as you’re actually living your best life.

This is what I witnessed in London that shifted everything for me. And it’s why “being yourself” isn’t just nice spiritual advice – it’s strategic positioning that gets you noticed.

What Journalists Actually Want

During the pitch clinic at Showtime, I watched four real journalists ruthlessly assess pitches from brave audience members. They were pretty unforgiving with vague, forgettable positioning.

What caught their attention? Unique perspectives backed by genuine authority.

Not performance. Not belonging. Not even impressive credentials.

Authority that comes from owning your actual position in the market – the rural entrepreneur building luxury from France, the outsider creating democratised access, the talent agent who spots potential before others do.

Journalists aren’t looking for another wannabe face in the networking crowd. They’re looking for distinctive voices standing for something genuinely different. That only comes from authentic alignment, not performing belonging to closed circles.

The pitches that got dismissed? “I help women transform their lives.” “I’m passionate about empowering entrepreneurs.” “I specialise in mindset coaching.”

The pitches that made them lean forward? The ones with a specific angle, an unconventional approach, a distinctive position that couldn’t be replicated by a thousand other coaches saying the same bland things.

Your Filter For Authentic Positioning

So here’s your filter for this week – and every week moving forward.

Before you post, before you pitch, before you position yourself anywhere, ask: Does my positioning reflect my authentic reality, or am I performing someone else’s version of success?

Are you trying to sound like what you think a successful entrepreneur should sound like? Or are you speaking from your actual experience, your real observations, your genuine perspective?

Are you chasing invitations to rooms that exhaust you? Or are you building platforms that energise you?

Are you apologising for your geographical location, your unconventional path, your different approach? Or are you leveraging those exact things as your distinctive positioning?

Because media-ready means being unmistakably you. Shiny veneer optional. Genuine authority required.

The journalists, the podcast hosts, the magazine editors, the stages – they’re not looking for another generic expert. They’re looking for someone with something actually interesting to say. That someone is you, when you stop performing and start positioning from truth.

Building Your Own Stage

At Brand Runway Studios, we’re incubating world-class brands through media and community. Not by teaching you to fit into existing exclusive circles, but by creating the stages where your authentic authority can shine.

Through the magazine, the Front Row Club, and strategic representation, I’m proving that world-class positioning doesn’t require London zip codes, expensive masterminds, or performing belonging.

It requires authentic alignment with your unique mission and the courage to build your own platform.

Because the world needs your voice – not your impression of someone else’s success.