Episode #46: Why Branding Is More Than a Logo with Mallika Malhotra
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Michelle Fox: Welcome to Nourish. I am Michelle Fox culinary nutritionist health coach, and your host for this podcast. I teach a busy professionals, how to get more nutrition in their bodies. And how to have more fun in their home kitchens. If you struggle with consistency. Or sometimes forget to make your needs a priority.
You, my friend are in the right place. Join me each week for inspiration to increase your energy. Strengthen your mindset, manage your hormonal woes and so much more. You have a lot on your plate, but that does not mean your nutrition should suffer. You deserve to live in a body and have a life that you love.
So let's dig in.
Recently, I was at an event in real [00:01:00] life, IRL as the cool kids say, and a woman that I haven't seen since childhood walked up to me and she's like, oh my goodness, Michelle, I see you on all the socials. I am so happy that your life is going so well now that you're a celebrity.
And I just paused and I smiled, and of course, you know, I was graceful and I've just said, you know, I'm trying to do the best that I can do. I said something kind of minor like that, but. Believe it or not, on the inside I actually started feeling a little embarrassed. I'm like, I am very clear. I am not a celebrity.
But it stuck with me. Like her words stuck with me for the next few days. And what has come to me since then is, oh, she's seen my branding, she's seen my consistent colors. She's seen a certain. Cadence where I've shown up on social media. She's seen photos of [00:02:00] me putting myself out there, making myself visible, but she has not seen me becoming a celebrity.
With that said, it's branding that that's what I'm choosing to believe. It's the branding that she picked up on, and so that is why I am. Beyond thrilled, like this timing could not have been better to have my friend, Mallika Malta on the show with us to help us talk about, you know, what does personal branding look like and how branding is way more than a logo, and perhaps she can gimme a little bit of, you know, counseling so I can really release some of that embarrassment around that.
Encounter. I dunno. We'll see. But lemme read Mallika's bio to you. She is my friends, an award-winning brand strategist. She is a mentor to me as well, and she is a speaker. After years of working in corporate advertising on brands like L'Oreal and Oil Belay, [00:03:00] Mallika now helps women entrepreneurs get clear on their brand message.
Find their power niche and become the sought after expert. Her friends and clients. Call her the brand Energizer because she is a strong believer in getting out of your comfort zone, taking action, and implementing ideas. When she's not building brands, Mallika is drinking coffee or red wine, reading a stack of books and dreaming about their next global adventure.
She lives in beautiful Maine with her husband, three sons, and many Bernadoodle Jacks. To learn more about working with Mallika or to invite her to speak at your event, which I highly recommend by the way, or if you want her on your podcast as well. Of course, we'll link it in the show notes, but you can visit mallikamalhotra.co.
Mallika Malhotra: Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. [00:04:00] Mm.
Michelle Fox: You can see me. I'm on the edge of my seat. I have like a gazillion questions that I'm gonna try to fit in a 30 minute period all about personal branding. But before that, I would love to invite you to play our rapid fire game.
Are you open? I am ready. I'm a little
Mallika Malhotra: nervous, but let's go.
Michelle Fox: So I'm very curious what you would say just because you've shared a little bit about your multiple travels around the world. I would love to know if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Mallika Malhotra: Oh, that's a tough one cuz I love to eat, but it would have to be sl spicy, full of flavor. So I'm thinking Thai food would be my go-to.
Michelle Fox: Mm.
Mallika Malhotra: Yes. I love me some curry, fried rice, noodles, dumplings, all the
Michelle Fox: things. I'm right there with you. Yum. Next question, [00:05:00] what is your superpower? And actually, I wanna ask a question.
I. Part B with that, what would your three sons say is your superpower?
Mallika Malhotra: Okay, so I think my sons would say, my superpower is that I can really talk to anyone. I can find something in common or some common ground and really ha build a connection very quickly with random people. they see it in the airport, they see it on the, you know, the playing field.
It's just, Something that I think, is a natural talent of mine and, and I love that I can do that, you know, that make people feel seen and heard and valued. but I would say on a business perspective, I think my superpower is kinda connected, is that I can actually see things that my clients can't see.
Meaning that they can give me a bunch of information or data and I can quickly see the common thread or the pattern, [00:06:00] which is for some reason very apparent to me, but not apparent to them. And then when I reflect it back to them, it's almost like this huge light bulb moment. and so that's really fun to be able to do for, you know, the people in my circle
Michelle Fox: and my clients.
And you're such a natural. I remember in our first conversation you pointed some things out to me. I'm like, oh, oh, it was exactly what you just said. I'm like, well, one, she's paying attention. Wow. And two, it's like I never saw it that way. And I sincerely appreciated your wisdom. So I, I am so excited to dig in.
However, one last question. Would you be willing to share a memory in your childhood in the
Mallika Malhotra: kitchen? Oh, so a memory of the childhood in the kitchen. Okay. so my family, my, my mom is from the Philippines. My dad is from India. So, you know, mixed ethnicities, lots of different foods. and I can remember [00:07:00] having lots of different things being cooked.
And at the time as a child, I may have been embarrassed about it because of the very strong, potent smells of curry, right? And then having friends over who might not know what that was, or having my mom cook fried fish head and, all right. And being a little. Feeling a little ashamed about that and embarrassed.
And now I look back and I'm like, oh my God. That was the best thing ever because we were so lucky to be exposed to all these different flavors and types of foods, and now my friends are dying to go to my parents' house to eat those foods. But at the time, as a child, I just wanted to eat meatloaf and macaroni and cheese.
Honestly, I wanted to be, as a first generation, I wanted to be American. I wanted to blend in, and those foods were definitely not appreciated at all. The curries, the dolls, the lentils, all of that. And I laugh at myself now when I think back because I was really so [00:08:00] lucky to be able to have that experience and the pride that my parents felt in cooking the foods from their home countries to feed their children.
Was like a really, like a story being told to us that I didn't even know at the time. Mm.
What a gift. How beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with us. Yeah. Okay, so let's jump right into our topic, which is why branding is more than just a logo. So I hadn't shared that story with you yet about running into my, I'm unpack story.
Michelle Fox: Let's, let's start there. Yeah. She wasn't talking about my logo. And the little bit that I did share, what is your first impression? How do I unpack that
Mallika Malhotra: one? So I think how you should read that story is that you have stepped into your leadership. It is not [00:09:00] celebrity, it is thought leadership, influence, impact, and she is feeling that energy from you and she is recognizing you as an expert.
Because she's seeing you across your marketing channels. You are delivering a story that's probably consistent and cohesive and has a potency that she's actually comparing you to a celebrity, but she might not be articulating it in the right way. I think what she's seeing is that you are stepping into your leadership and you're owning it, and that's what she's reacting to.
And you should take that as a huge compliment that someone is seeing you. And is listening to you and thinking that you are on a stage or a platform with real power. And it's not about vanity it, it's about serving your audience in a way that has impact. And so I think that the great compliment that she's giving to you, and you [00:10:00] should really use it as validation that you are having the courage and the confidence and being seen for that.
Hmm.
Michelle Fox: Thank you for saying that because you're exactly right. My number one value in my company is community, and I sincerely wake up every single day asking God. In my meditation, how can I be impactful? How can I help one more person make better choices around their nutrition? And so hearing that reflected back in your voice, articulated that way, that that does help to release a little bit of that embarrassment and, and remind me of who I am and, and why I am doing the work that I do.
So thank
Mallika Malhotra: you. Yeah, I think sometimes, you know, personal branding can be mistaken for some sort of vanity metric or. You know, trying to be a celebrity, but instead your personal brand is really this story that you're trying to share with your [00:11:00] audience. You're trying to inspire them. You're trying to invite them into your world through an alignment of either passion or your expertise or your values.
and so we all need a personal brand. I don't care if you are a fireman or a doctor or even a bookkeeper, an entrepreneur, or a celebrity. We all need a personal brand so that we are known for something. It's our reputation that we're crafting
Michelle Fox: and building. And you just mentioned highlighting your expertise and your values.
And I know that you've worked with a number of successful women in a variety of industries, so I'm very curious. What do you think sets the most effective personal brands apart?
Mallika Malhotra: Yeah, I think strong personal brands. Those that are grounded in a strong sense of purpose. So they have a mission or a why, right?
And it makes people feel something. It also is passionate, [00:12:00] right? They have a perspective, a point of view, and they're willing to put their stake in the ground for it. So personal brands that do that are memorable. They make you stop and lean in and wanna learn more, right? Personal brands that have, again, another pee, just because I like alliteration, prowess.
They are saying they're an expert in something, so they're going all in. Instead of saying, I'm a chain of all trades, my personal brand is actually rooted in one area that I'm telling you that I'm a specialist in. Mm-hmm. Those are what make people really instantly memorable. Right. If you're saying instead of, you know, I'm just Mallika and I do a hundred things, I'm Mallika, I'm actually a niche specialist.
I'm the brand c e o, that's part of my personal brand. You're gonna remember me more. So I think when you start to think about your story and your brand, you really wanna dive deep in, you know, the work of why you do this in the business in the first place. What do you believe in? You know, what is [00:13:00] your opinion or perspective that might be polarizing?
And that's okay. The more polarizing, actually the better, because that's what's gonna make you stand out from the rest. And then again, to really think about what is that area of expertise, the prowess that you wanna anchor your personal brand in so that you are, you know, more referable, more findable, more memorable.
it's when we try to be all the things that, it makes it harder because then you're diluting your personal brand or your business brand. It, it, it's the same across the board.
Michelle Fox: Mm. Yes. And we read your bio at the top of this episode, but let's say I just met you and I know people love to call it the elevator pitch.
So Mallika, you and I just hopped on the elevator. We're going up to the 15th floor. It's a big old building, and I'm like, oh, hey, what? What kinda work do you do?
Mallika Malhotra: So I would say I'm a brand strategist and a niche specialist, [00:14:00] and I work with women entrepreneurs just like you. Many of my clients struggle with standing out in their saturated market.
They really find it hard to figure out who they are and what they wanna be known for. So what I do with them is I really help them get laser focused in their message. We try to define their power niche, so they build a brand that is magnetic, memorable, and moneymaking. Mm.
Michelle Fox: Preach. You are good with those alliterations
We started with the piece, now we move to the amps. What's next? Loving the magnetizing. So yes, you've said magnetizing and the prowess. Those are the two words that I'm like, Ooh, what you're causing me to lean in even more. With that, if you could think of perhaps one of the clients that you've worked with, that you've led her along this journey and, and you've seen her, whether you wanna mention a name or not.
I'm, I'm happy either way. I'm very curious about how does she balance. What she's showing out to the world. You know, [00:15:00] the visibility piece and the authenticity of who she truly is. Cause I know there can be a lot of confusion about that, but I think I have some follow up questions as well, but can you speak a little bit about the authenticity that we see out in the world?
Yeah.
Mallika Malhotra: I think people struggle with that, right? They struggle with showing up as their real self. and maybe it's my age being midlife. There's no time for being anyone else, right? And so I'm a big proponent of you have to embrace who you are, where you are, and what you've done, and, and sometimes it takes doing a big brain dump on a piece of paper where you are writing down all of your previous professional and personal experiences.
You are summarizing your skills, your talents, your strengths. You're highlighting your passions. You are listing out all of the jobs that you may have had, and you're really defining your story in a way and putting it on paper. And then you're gonna look and [00:16:00] see, what should I be leveraging in my story?
This is me, right? So what are the things that I keep seeing repeatable? What are the patterns? And then you're gonna pull that out and you're gonna put it into your story. You're gonna show up and be visible with those pieces in mind. And then you never feel like an imposter or a fraud because it's all based on really who you are.
And that's why the first step for me with my clients when we're building a brand is just that. It's unlocking that brand brilliance that you already have instead of looking out to what everybody else is doing and thinking you have to copy them or feeling bad that you're not at their stage. It's putting your blinders on and really doing some self-discovery, some self-awareness, some self-love.
And just focusing on your own path first and pulling those pieces that you can package together to then deliver your expertise in a way that's just yours. And so I think for me, the [00:17:00] authenticity piece with the visibility piece are always interrelated. It's just you have to make the decision to show up as yourself first and have the confidence
Michelle Fox: to do it.
Thank you for saying that. Amen. I will share with you that my community is almost half and half. Half of us are still in corporate and or working some type of eight to five, and then half of us are entrepreneurs. And when people ask me about social media, it's easy to. Talk to the entrepreneurs and say, of course, you know, here's what I do.
Here are the steps to be visible. Here's what you can do to get your message out there. But from my friends who are an eight to five, I kind of wanna tack onto what you're saying about tuning in, tapping into your story and knowing that, that whatever you share, as long as it's who you are and authentic, then.
The world wants to hear that. Like [00:18:00] with the branding you do, how, how important is the storytelling piece, whether you're in corporate and or an
Mallika Malhotra: entrepreneur? Oh, it's huge. I mean, because the storytelling piece is what's gonna build the connection, the quick and deep connection with your audience. You are not a robot where, you know, you're, you're just.
One dimensional. We are multidimensional people with many, many layers, and so we wanna weave those layers together in a way that makes sense that's relevant, right? And that tells a story. And so even if you're in corporate, you can show up in terms of visibility through leading a meeting, being a speaker.
Becoming a mentor. It doesn't have to be on social media, it's just ways that you're sharing your thought leadership with others. And that can be, you know, in many different formats. It doesn't have to be a TikTok or a reel or an Instagram story. It could be, you know, putting together a [00:19:00] meeting where you're leading it and you're authentically showing up.
As your personal brand, and you're showing up, you know, sharing your expertise, sharing your personality, sharing your, your power. And so there's very many different ways that we can express that. I think sometimes that's, that's the danger is that we think, oh, I'm, you know, I don't have a personal brand because I'm not on social media.
No, it doesn't matter if you're on social media if, and the the risk is if you are not thinking about crafting and defining your personal brand, someone else is gonna do it for you. Right. You're taking it out of your control, and then what's gonna happen is either the competition is going to label you as something, your employees, your boss, you know, in the corporate world, outta the corporate world.
If you're not crafting it, someone else will. And there's a danger in that. So we wanna be active, we wanna do, again, the self work so that we can define it, and then we wanna communicate that consistently across the
Michelle Fox: Mm-hmm. [00:20:00] So I'm trying to take that in with kind of a two minded piece. And so let's focus in actually on that corporate woman and or nonprofit who, again, to your point, you do not have to be on social media to have visibility.
What are a few things that perhaps she should be paying more attention to as she is either climbing in her career and or just wanting to be more visible to share her message?
Mallika Malhotra: Yeah, I think one of the biggest pieces for women that are in corporate that are thinking about, you know, how does personal branding fit is you wanna.
Figure out what you wanna be known for. What are people already coming to you for picking your brain for? What are the projects that are being assigned to you? Are there again, common themes? Maybe if you're working in sales, you're the closer, right? You are the one they bring in every time to close a deal.
No one else can do it, but you. You don't know that [00:21:00] until you do the data collection and you look at the intel, the clues are there, and once you figure that out, then you can position your personal brand to be, I'm closer. This is what I'm really good at. So anytime you're in a deal and you can't close it, you're gonna call Mary to get it done.
And that's how you start to build your brand, right? That's how you start to show your value. And so now you've created this reputation for yourself in the corporate environment cuz you're getting known for something you're really good at and more of those projects. More of those assignments will come to you.
Hopefully you'll become the specialist in closing and get more money, get a higher salary, get a higher ranking, a promotion, and that's how that personal brand can work in your favor.
Michelle Fox: So as you're saying that, it's also coming to me about our appearance and how we show up. We are all coming out of the Covid days where a lot of us did have the luxury of working from home, getting on [00:22:00] zooms, you know, halfway dressed. But now that a lot of our meetings are more in person, now that people are getting smarter on Zoom, like, I hate to say it, but appearance still is.
Mallika Malhotra: Pretty, it matters. yeah. So you agree that the visibility, that's part of the visibility is, is right? I, I agree. I think, you know, you wanna show up as a leader, as an expert. And it's gotta feel on brand. Of course, that feel authentic to you. But you have to remember, your audience is hiring someone that's going to get them results, that's going to solve a problem.
So there is an expectation of what they want to see in that person, right? So, you know, as people are shopping for one coach to another coach, someone who's gonna solve their problems, if they see someone who looks disheveled and who. It doesn't look like they're gonna get them [00:23:00] results. They might not hire them.
And that's just the truth of the matter, right? You, you know, you wanna look like yourself, but you also want to instill confidence and certainty with your audience that they're gonna get the results that they want. You also wanna, I'm a big believer of dressing to be the person you want to become. Right?
Mm-hmm. I think about this a lot. When I show up, on a client call or I'm doing a podcast, or I'm gonna be on stage and who is the person that I wanna be, I wanna be a leader. I wanna be confident, I wanna be seen as an authority, and I wanna dress the part. I want it to look like me. I wanna wear a little pattern.
And I, I want, I don't want it to be, you know, too stuffy. I wanna still feel creative, but you want to dress like the person you wanna become. And I think that's important. it's not to say that people aren't going to, value what's behind the outfit or the look. Of course they are, but it's gonna help you if you look the part.[00:24:00]
Michelle Fox: And that's a beautiful bridge into our ongoing conversation here on the podcast about nutrition. I talk about three pillars in my work for optimal wellness, which is nutrition. Mindset and fitness, and to your point, and hearing your beautiful wisdom when we are paying attention to ourselves. Which I, I don't even know if that's the most basic definition of personal branding, and I'd love to hear your opinion in a moment.
But when we're paying attention to ourselves, it does kind of give us that extra level of, oh, well, how am I gonna feel if I eat this food? Or, oh, what is my day gonna look like if I miss my workout routine? Or, oh, How do people view me if I am, you know, coming out grumpy or not my best self, like on multiple occasions?
Like does all of that tie into personal branding for you as [00:25:00] well?
Mallika Malhotra: I think when you take care of yourself, you strengthen the person, the persona that you wanna be, right? When you have a strong mindset and you eat healthy food and you feel good in your skin, When you move your body and you, you know, do weights to strengthen yourself, you feel unstoppable and that carries over to the personal brand, right?
It's the impression that you're making. It's the story that you're telling. And so there is a connection. You know, I feel personally, I, in the last two years, I've made a commitment to my health. I do exercise four times a week. I do, you know, meditation to strengthen my mindset. I mean, I love to eat. I probably could eat better, but like all of those things are factors and how I show up in the world, which is very connected to your personal brand.
Michelle Fox: Hmm. So I would love to, as we kind of wind [00:26:00] down this amazing conversation, I would love to talk a little bit more about the pieces that actually do go into personal branding. So again, whether I am working. A J o b or whether I'm building my own thing over here, what are some things that I should be mindful of?
Like now if I want to elevate my message and or just elevate how I feel about myself. So I
Mallika Malhotra: think there are key questions you should ask yourself, and this might help your audience start to, you know, think about branding, personal branding for themselves. And the first is, you know, what do I believe in?
What are the values that I believe in myself? What am I willing to put a stake in the ground to say that these are non-negotiables? This is what makes a personal brand or a business brand have soul and depth because it's based on more than just the work that you're doing or the products and services that you're selling.
The next thing is you wanna know, you know, [00:27:00] who are you serving, right? What is the connection to that audience? You wanna get very clear on either your clients or your customers. If you're in a. Corporate environment to the entrepreneurial environment, you wanna make sure that you understand them inside and out because really that's why you're here is to deliver an outcome for them.
Right? And then another huge piece, my favorite piece is how are you different? You have to know how you stand out from the rest. And that's the hardest part. That's the question I get asked all the time. You know, how do, I don't know how I stand out and because I don't know, I. My whole brand is a hot mess.
I'm trying one message switching to another message, and this confusion means that my clients don't get it and they're going to other people. and I'm maybe hitting a wall in my business. And so we have to get really crystal clear. If we don't know, then how is our. Audience gonna know, right? So [00:28:00] really understanding how we are different.
Is it a process that you have, a methodology? Is it your personality? Is it your approach? Is it the deliverables? Really understanding clearly what sets you apart that's gonna help you create this memorable, unforgettable brand, be it personal
Michelle Fox: or business. I'm doing the happy dance over here. Preach! My friend Mallika keeps it real. Thank you. So for people who want to get more of this juicy goodness, I know you've got a freebie that we can get right away and then you also have an opportunity for us to work with you. Can you break that down for us?
Mallika Malhotra: Yes. Thank you. So the freebie I have for your audience is called Ready Set Brand.
So I know it is. Tough to start thinking about branding and start thinking about mission statements and vision statements. So what I've done is I've created a guide that's almost like a mad lib, a fill in the blank. It gives you a template for you to [00:29:00] start thinking about these key foundational elements for your brand.
And start defining it for you so that you get some clarity. so that is a freebie that I would love to share. And then if you really need help with your brand and you wanna go next level, right? You wanna become that go-to expert, you wanna nail your niche, you wanna figure out your offer and your signature talk and a framework.
This is the work that I do in a program called the Brand Breakthrough Mastermind, which is launching in September. And what I love about this is it's a small group program, so I only have 16 women and. I am all up in your business. I am thinking about your business. I am introducing you to people in my network.
you are handing in assets. I'm looking at all of it, reviewing it, giving you feedback so that you have this constant momentum over the four months to really see a difference in your brand building, to really get you more clients, to get you more cash, and just [00:30:00] get you more confidence. See, I did it again, the three.
Michelle Fox: You got that down my friend.
Mallika Malhotra: But that's what we do in the program and it's something I just, I just love it. I love the small container. and I love to help women find that power niche and get their brands to the next level.
Michelle Fox: What a gift. Well, we will absolutely be sure to put all of your links in the show notes and as we talk you up, of course we will point people that way because
My friends, as you can tell, Mallika is the real deal. So thank you for sharing these juicy nuggets with us. Is there anything else you wanna add before we take off?
Mallika Malhotra: Yeah, I think, you know, when it comes to your brand, like we said, it's not just your logo. It's not just your website or your colors, those are really the expressions of your brand.
What you wanna work on is the soul of your brand, the why behind it. Your values, the vision of where you wanna go, how you're different. This is what's gonna be [00:31:00] sticky. This is what's gonna attract people to you, and you already have that story within you just waiting to come out. Thank you. Yeah, my pleasure.
This has been so much fun. Thank you
Michelle Fox: so much. I just want to make sure that you saw. We still have a few spots open for our October retreat and the Dominican Republic. My partner, Dr. TJ and I are hosting a gut health retreat. And this will be an opportunity for you to hit the reset button. Learn some tools around your health. And, or just hang out around the pool, if you want to, that's going to be your, uh, your prerogative. So wanted to make sure you saw that.
Send me a message if you're interested and you can find me at [email protected] and I would love to answer any questions you may have about our wellness retreat. That's going to be October 18th through the 22nd of this year, 2023. [00:32:00] And I would so love to have you in this circle. So let me know: [email protected].
Thanks so much for listening to Nourish. Have you been driving, doing laundry or walking around the neighborhood? Sweet. I've got show notes for you. Hop on over to michellefox.com/podcast. When you are ready. I will let you know that on the page, you will find resources to support what you just learned on today's show. And then of course you can grab some health supportive freebies as well.
If you enjoy this episode, I would be honored. If you would leave a review on whichever podcast platform you are listening on. It will help me with my mission to build healthier communities. One person at a time and it will help you because you will be part of that mission.
I'll be [00:33:00] back next week and I encourage you to keep showing up for yourself and know that you and your health matter. Big love.
