This is Self-Work, and I'm Dr. Margaret Rutherford.

At Self-Work, we discuss psychological and emotional issues and what you can do about them,

whether that's learning self-acceptance, taking action, or seeking therapy or treatment.

Eight years ago, I extended the walls of my practice to reach those of you who might already be knowledgeable about middle

health treatment, but also to those of you who might say, you'd never darken the door of a therapist.

And yet, you are here. I'll answer your questions while I invite you to take a few minutes for your

own self-work. These days, with the advent of social media, not only are we actively putting

ourselves in our lives in public view, there is a wave of everyday individuals making a living,

sometimes a very good one, offering a front row seat to

their life and promoting products they love, it has been heralded as the age of the influencer,

and has opened up a world of opportunities. Welcome to this week's edition of self-work.

If you haven't heard of personal branding, I'm not sure where you've been for the last decade

or really more, but frankly, I think I'd love to be with you wherever you are.

Here's a statement put out by the Harvard Business Review in 2023, and I quote,

much of professional and personal success depends on persuading others to recognize your value.

You have to do this when you apply for jobs, ask for promotions,

vie for leadership positions, or write your dating profile.

For better or worse, in today's world, everyone is a brand,

and you need to develop yours and get comfortable marketing it. Marketing yourself, identifying and developing your brand, and you need to develop yours and get comfortable marketing it.

Marketing yourself, identifying and developing your brand is being talked to our kids as an

absolutely necessary route to take to be successful. Now, what success is isn't really defined,

which is kind of scary. But how is this mandate affecting the kids that are growing up being told that at age 14,

...