The Upward Spiral: When Your Life Evolves, Your Brand Has to Catch Up

I’ve been quietly spiraling—mostly in the best ways.

Everything had been feeling heavy—summer kicked off with some grief, and then the increasing uncertainty in the world. So I did what I always do when I need momentum: I started tidying.

First, my closet. Too much didn’t fit—physically or with my current style. I sorted, donated, and stopped by the Goodwill Bins randomly ($1/lb and sustainable, count me in!) until I came home with a new wardrobe that actually felt like me now.

Then I fixed things—around the house, my schedule, my habits.

I caught up on appointments and projects I’d been avoiding (like portfolio updates!). Made food from scratch. Ate more vegetables. Made some art like I used to when I was a kid. Painted every day for a month, mostly outside, and that was stunningly good for my brain, can’t recommend it enough. Learned how to post regularly on TikTok - turned out, I just needed the right motivation to get into it. Stopped doom-scrolling so much. Read books instead. Had hard conversations. Walked more. Sang more.

Little by little, everything started to feel lighter.

I call it The Upward Spiral—one small change feeding the next, until suddenly, you’re someone new.

And every time I go through it, I land here:

When your life evolves, your brand has to catch up.

After my recent trip up and around the spiral, I found myself asking the same questions I ask clients:

• Does this version of my brand still reflect who I’ve become?

• Is it helping me say what I really want to say?

• Does it actually support the work I want to do next?

• Does it support the life I wan to live and the legacy I want to leave?

Spoiler: not quite. So I updated my brand positioning. Again. And it’s almost ready to share.

If you’re in an Upward Spiral of your own, here are some brand questions to ask:

1. What do I want now?
This is from the ground up - what do you want to do? What do you want to be? Write it all down.

2. What have I outgrown?
Fonts, colors, messaging, stories, offers—what feels like a past version of you?

3. What feels like home?
What do you want to talk about? What do you want your day-to-day to look like? How do you want to show up every day? Plan for what feels true to you so you can sustain the change with less effort.

4. What’s changed in your life that your brand doesn’t show?
Have your values shifted? Your knowledge? Your audience? Your tone of voice? Your style? Your boundaries? Your goals?

5. What support do I need to evolve this with less stress?
You don’t have to change your brand alone. That’s what I do—and I’d love to help.

More on my brand shifts soon, but in the meantime, if you need to start an Upward Spiral:

• Go clean something, organize something, or fix something. You know, that thing that keeps bugging you… get it off your brain and improve your life, at least a little.

• Then see what else in your life and business could use a refresh!

You might be surprised how clear your brand direction becomes once your life is in order.

P.S. - I have some complimentary consult spots open on my calendar and I’d be delighted to talk about ideas for YOUR Upward Spiral or anything brand or web design with you - schedule your call here!