A year ago, my life looked very different.

The startup I helped scale as VP of Marketing for five years was acquired. I started a new role as a Director of Product Marketing at a 5,000-person tech company.

I led one of the biggest marketing projects of my career — launching Cornerstone Galaxy AI, the AI technology powering my new company’s entire platform.

Alongside all of that professional transition, my personal life shifted in big ways — including the loss of a family member and major transitions within my family.

It was a season of massive change. Professionally and personally.

And somewhere along the way, my personal brand — the writing, the publishing, the projects I loved — quietly fell to the side out of necessity. After being consistent throughout the end of 2023 and most of 2024, I stopped posting.

For six months.

But stepping away wasn’t just about being “too busy.”

It was honestly about needing a break. And about reframing the passion project that is my personal brand — so it didn’t accidentally turn into a second (or third) job.

The real reason I burned out on my personal brand

Whenever I had spare time, I filled it with more work.

• More writing.
• More posting.
• More building.

I published two books. I wrote dozens of articles and produced 100+ videos. I scaled my niche marketing website to five-figure monthly views and launched a newsletter.

I loved it. It was a rush for me and it never felt like a chore.

But looking back, I see it clearly now:

I was working with no real structure. No finish line. Just constant motion.

I approached it the same way I used to approach fitness years ago — a lesson I only fully understood through therapy:

• I’d work out as much as humanly possible, constantly trying to be in “the best shape” at all times.
• No rest. No structure. Just endless effort. I’d given myself a bar to hit—one that moved higher every time I got close to it.
• And eventually, no matter how strong I got or how many reps I could do, burnout always caught up with me.

It’s the same with brand-building.

Without clear goals, structure, and patience, even something you love eventually becomes overwhelming.

My new mindset: structure over endless effort

This time, I’m approaching it differently.

Instead of chasing momentum every spare second, I’m building a system I can stick with for years, not just weeks.

Instead of trying to sprint toward “going viral” or “explosive growth,” I’m focused on building trust — quietly, steadily.

And instead of judging success by how much I can get done in a weekend, I’m measuring it by consistent progress over time — a few quality reps, week after week.

I’m also taking a page from creators like Eve Arnold, who committed to writing two focused hours every morning, even while working a full-time job.

Or Derek Hughes, who built his writing career alongside his day job by time-blocking structured creative hours every week.

They didn’t rely on bursts of energy. They relied on discipline, structure, and patience. Their success was born out of years of consistent effort, not a sprint.

That’s the model I’m following now, too.

Just like counting workouts instead of chasing perfection — it’s about showing up consistently and controlling my inputs, not chasing an endless finish line.

My new simple (but powerful) personal brand content system

With all of this in mind, I rebuilt my personal brand content system around a format that supports growth, but also structures my efforts so I don’t overdo it

Here’s what it looks like:

• One long-form article each week (published on Medium and my website, Brand Credential) — A deeper dive into one topic, idea, or lesson about personal branding and marketing— something that builds authority and trust.
• One to three LinkedIn posts each week (repurposed sections or ideas from the article) — Focused posts that highlight key takeaways, stories, or examples from the main article — creating visibility without having to create brand new ideas from scratch.
• One weekly newsletter issue (sent to my subscribers) — A lighter, conversational format that shares the story behind the week’s focus, lessons learned, and a CTA linking to the full piece.

That’s it.

No endless posting. No taking on so much that I end up having to take a long break again.

Small, steady steps every week. Steps I can enjoy vs. mandating constant effort that I know I can’t keep up with.

Why this content system works

What makes this system powerful isn’t just its simplicity — it’s how it’s designed to make my effort go further:

• Research once — Instead of researching and ideating separately for multiple platforms, I focus all my thinking into one main article each week.
• Write once — The article becomes the source of truth and key theme for the week— a foundation that holds the main story, the lessons, the examples.
• Repurpose across channels. I break down the article into LinkedIn posts (one for each major takeaway or story) and craft the weekly newsletter by pulling from the article’s core themes.

Turning one article into multiple posts (and a newsletter issue)

Each week, I use the full article to anchor that week’s newsletter — giving subscribers an overview of the story and the opportunity to go deeper via a CTA to the full article.

Then I take the key sections of the main article and turn them into dedicated LinkedIn posts — each focused on one major takeaway or story from the article’s overall theme.

Here’s how this content flows across my channels:

This small shift — from random posting to structured repurposing — lets me create once and share thoughtfully, without burning out, having to cover so much ground, or starting from scratch every week.

A mini weekly marketing campaign

I’m thinking about this as running a mini marketing campaign every week.

• The article goes deep and builds expertise.
• The newsletter shares the article’s key ideas and deepens the relationship with readers directly.
• The LinkedIn posts amplify key points to reach new audiences.

It’s a system that feels light enough to stick with even during my busiest weeks — while still being substantial enough to share real value with people.

The goals: building something sustainable

Over the next year, my focus is using this system to:

• Re-activate my weekly newsletter and reach 1,000 subscribers.
• Create a sustainable, low-burn system that fits alongside a full professional and personal life.
• Grow to $1,000/month in personal brand-driven revenue — my website revenue, Medium Partner Program Earnings, scaling my digital products, etc.

This approach isn’t flashy, and it won’t lead to any overnight success. But it’s built to last and complement my lifestyle vs. overwhelm it.

If you’re building, too

If you’re trying to grow something of your own while balancing everything else life throws at you — I’ve been there and lived through plenty of the imbalanced versions.

As I seek to find a happy medium where my personal brand work feels fulfilling (and not overwhelming) alongside the other important parts of my life, I’ll be sharing my progress, highlighting what’s working, and being transparent about what isn’t along the way.

I hope it helps you find your own version of balance and momentum.

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