Follow the Feeling: Brand Builder
Follow the Feeling is a brand-building podcast produced by Kai D. Wright, Columbia University lecturer and author of Follow the Feeling: Brand Building in a Noisy World. A companion to the award-winning book, the podcast offers expert guidance and proven methods to help individuals build emotionally resonant, community-powered brands. Each episode breaks down the five brand-building moments that matter most—Lexicon, Audio, Visuals, Experience, and Culture—while providing actionable strategies and inspiration to grow with clarity and purpose.
Learn more at FollowTheFeeling.com.
Follow the Feeling: Brand Builder
Daily Dose (Bonus) | Finding Your True North | Work-Life Destination to be Future Ready (Subscriber-only)
In this episode, we dig into how navigating your career is like driving a car – you need a clear destination to avoid burning fuel but going nowhere.
Inspired by the Brand Builder Lab newsletter, this discussion on why the secret to standing out isn't just talking about your past accomplishments but clearly articulating the future you want to build.
Listen to get tips on the following:
- Understanding the broader landscape using the question: "What will people do more, do less, need more of, need less of over the next five years?"
- Identifying your zone of credibility by asking: "What three topics do people ask you about most?"
- Finding fulfillment at the intersection of emerging trends and your natural expertise
- Activating your future vision by connecting your strengths to real-world needs
- Becoming more compelling by clearly articulating your specific direction and contribution
- Using Arthur Ashe's philosophy: "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can"
Whether you’re building a startup or refreshing your brand, this is your blueprint for turning an audience into a tribe.
Subscribe to the weekly Brand Builder Lab newsletter.
Produced by Kai D. Wright. Follow Kai on LinkedIn.
Buy the companion book, "Follow the Feeling: Brand Building in a Noisy World" on Amazon.
Welcome back to Brand Builder Lab. We're here with your creative inspiration to help you build your brand.
Speaker 2:That's right, and today we're digging into something really universal figuring out your path, especially when things are changing around you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we're drawing on some great thinking from a Kai D Wright's newsletter. You probably know him brand builder, author, lectures at Columbia, advises startups really sharp guy.
Speaker 2:Definitely, and his insights feel particularly relevant right now, don't they? It's, you know, may, june, graduation season.
Speaker 1:Oh for sure, yeah, millions of people making big transitions. What is it like? Nearly seven million grads this year, high school, college, advanced degrees.
Speaker 2:Exactly A huge moment. But you know, as Kai points out in the newsletter, transition isn't just for graduates. It happens to all of us, right, Whether you're 22 or, frankly, 52.
Speaker 1:Totally so. Our goal today is to unpack some actionable ideas from his newsletter that anyone can use. You know when you're facing change, big or small.
Speaker 2:So Kai kicks it off with this really great analogy it's about driving lessons.
Speaker 1:Right the driving. Thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he says navigating, work and life is like driving. You can be moving. You know busy putting in the miles but, just being in motion isn't enough. You need a destination Direction. He says, that's everything.
Speaker 1:That makes so much sense. Just spinning your wheels gets you nowhere fast, so how does he suggest finding that direction? What's the core idea?
Speaker 2:Well, the main thing is activating what he calls a future oriented vision.
Speaker 1:OK, future oriented vision. What does that actually mean? Is it like picking a job title?
Speaker 2:Not exactly, and that's kind of the key point. It's less about a specific job title right now and more like forming a hypothesis about who you want to become.
Speaker 1:OK, because usually we focus so much on the past, right Like resumes, linkedin, it's all. Here's what I did.
Speaker 2:Precisely. But the real power, especially when things are shifting, comes from looking forward, articulating the future you're aiming for.
Speaker 1:So how do you start doing that? It sounds a bit abstract.
Speaker 2:Well, he gives us two really powerful questions to wrestle with. The first one is about looking outwards. It's over the next five years. What do you think people will do? More, do less, need more of, need less of.
Speaker 1:I like that. It forces you outside your own head to think about actual trends what the world might need.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where are things actually going? It helps you align your potential contribution with like real world needs, makes you more relevant, more resilient, maybe.
Speaker 1:Right, okay, so that's looking out. What's the second question?
Speaker 2:The second one flips the perspective. It asks you to think about how others see you already. What three topics do people ask you about the most?
Speaker 1:Interesting. So that's about identifying your sort of natural credibility, what people already trust you on.
Speaker 2:Exactly your zone of credibility, as you put it, and he makes this point that it often comes from authenticity, you know, not just your degree or your job title. It's about the value people genuinely believe you bring, the way you think.
Speaker 1:Okay, but what if the things people ask you about aren't you know what you want your future to be?
Speaker 2:That's a fair question. I think the idea isn't that it limits you but that it shows you where you're starting from. It's the foundation of trust you already have. It's about recognizing that authentic value.
Speaker 1:others see Got it. So you combine that understanding of future needs, which is question one with this awareness of your authentic credibility. Question two what happens then? Where does that lead?
Speaker 2:Well, that's the sweet spot. According to Kai, that intersection is where you find fulfillment, real motivation, a sense of purpose. It's aligning who you genuinely are with where the world is going.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this isn't just theory For anyone listening, feeling stuck or facing a change. What are the practical steps?
Speaker 2:The newsletter suggests really sitting with these questions, like don't just answer them off the cuff. Spend a week, maybe two. Write stuff down, reflect, reframe your thinking.
Speaker 1:And talk about it right. Share your answers.
Speaker 2:Yes, Talk to people you trust a mentor, family, a friend, maybe an old colleague. Getting that outside perspective is huge. Kai even mentioned sometimes offering advice on LinkedIn DMs, which is pretty generous.
Speaker 1:Wow, okay, so reflect, write, talk it out. It reminds me of that Arthur Ashe quote.
Speaker 2:He included oh yeah, the start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.
Speaker 1:Exactly, it grounds the whole thing.
Speaker 2:It all comes back to that driving analogy, doesn't it? You can just drift along or you can actually steer towards something meaningful.
Speaker 1:Drive with intention. Define your destination, activate that future vision.
Speaker 2:Yeah, understanding that future vision and your own authentic credibility. They're really powerful tools for navigating whatever comes next.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and if you want to explore these ideas more definitely check out Kai D Wright's Brand Builder Lab newsletter on LinkedIn.
Speaker 2:And his book Follow the Feeling Brand Building in a Noisy World. It really gets into the emotional side of building brands that connect. He's got more coming too, like Hot Shot.
Speaker 1:Great recommendations. So, as you're thinking about all this, ask yourself what is your work life destination? All right, that's our time for today. See you next time in the Brand Builder Lab. Let' s Get to Work.
