What does it actually take to become more visible without feeling like you’re constantly promoting yourself? Raquel talks with Katie Radel, founder and CEO of Ripple Consulting Group, about personal branding, thought leadership, PR, storytelling, and the resistance many founders and executives feel about becoming the face of their business. Katie shares how she helps leaders identify their “zone of genius,” decide what they want to be known for, and turn their expertise and personal stories into meaningful visibility. They also talk about why authentic storytelling builds credibility, how LinkedIn and PR can support a larger visibility strategy, and why building a reputation is a long game that compounds over time. They also get into Katie’s own story, from growing up in her family’s funeral home to leaving the corporate world and building Ripple Consulting Group, and how those experiences shaped the way she thinks about meaningful work, leadership, and the stories worth telling.
If you know you need to “put yourself out there” more but immediately picture LinkedIn humble brags, performative personal branding, or constantly talking about yourself, this conversation is for you.
Raquel is joined by Katie Radel, founder and CEO of Ripple Consulting Group, to talk about what visibility can look like when it’s built around real expertise, useful ideas, and stories that actually sound like you.
Katie works with executives, founders, and organizations to raise their profiles and become more visible to the audiences who matter. A big part of that work is helping accomplished, often multi-passionate leaders identify what she calls their “zone of genius”: the expertise, perspective, and experiences they can build thought leadership around.
Raquel and Katie talk about why so many smart, successful people resist becoming the face of their business, and why visibility doesn’t have to mean performing, oversharing, or turning every accomplishment into a LinkedIn post.
They also dig into storytelling and PR, including how seemingly small personal details can become some of the most interesting parts of a leader’s story, why the stories closest to us are often the ones we overlook, and how visibility creates a ripple effect that can lead to media coverage, podcast appearances, stronger relationships, credibility, and new business opportunities.
Katie also shares her own unconventional story of growing up in her family’s funeral home, building a career in corporate PR and marketing, and eventually realizing she wanted to approach both work and life differently.
In this episode:
Why accomplished founders and executives still resist visibility
How to build a personal brand without feeling self-promotional
What Katie means by finding your “zone of genius”
How to decide what you want to be known for
The relationship between visibility, thought leadership, PR, and personal branding
Why authentic storytelling creates stronger connections
How to find stories in experiences you might otherwise overlook
Why leaders don’t have to share everything to be relatable
How LinkedIn can support executive visibility and thought leadership
Why PR and visibility are long games that compound over time
How to start becoming more visible without trying to do everything at once
Why getting your messaging right comes before simply posting more
Connect with Katie Radel:
On LinkedIn
Visit the Ripple Consulting Group website
Connect with Raquel:
Website: vignettebrandstudio.com
Instagram: @raquel.furman