☕ the hidden cost of being "likeable"


You might roll your eyes at this, but stay with me for a sec.

You need to stop fighting so hard for mass attention and start leaning more into what feels most like you.

Now before you assume this is just another “be authentic” pep talk, lemme tell you, ya girl was a chameleon for a very long time.

I spent 25+ years shapeshifting into whatever version of myself felt most likely to be liked, accepted, hired, or invited. And when I launched my business? That didn’t magically stop.

If you looked at my brand in 2020, it was a carbon copy of what “worked” for everyone else at the time.

Because the only thing scarier than being ignored…is standing out and being judged for it.

So what do we do? We “fit in” and pretend like we’re not.

We follow trends because we’re afraid of being left behind. We start convincing ourselves we like aesthetics that were never really ours.

And then we wonder: Why isn’t my content converting? Why do I keep attracting the wrong clients? Why do I feel this close 🤏to the next level, only to hit the same damn wall again?

I'll be the first one to tell you that doesn't stop until you stop.

But when you're chameleon-ing for mass appeal, people do catch glimpses of the real you.

Their ears perk up. Their attention sparks. They feel something. They might even message you something like, "OMG I had no idea you liked XYZ too!"

But then you pull back.

You default to the curated version. And they go quiet...not because they weren’t interested, but because they weren’t sure it was safe to trust you yet.

I deeply believe your brand should feel like home. To you and your best-fit clients.

But it won’t feel like home, and it won't feel "safe" if you’re building from the chameleon version of yourself.

And it’s why so many talented service providers end up rebranding over and over—not because they’re indecisive, but because no one ever helped them go a little bit deeper and build their brand from the inside out.

That’s where I come in. I partner with service-based business owners to find the root of what they're trying to do, fix the disconnect, build the strategy, and guide the creative so it finally lands and feels right to their best-fit clients.

Your brand is the house your business lives in.

It's not just about self-expression, it’s about long-term alignment.

The kind that makes your value unmistakable. The kind that turns brand clarity into better content, better clients, and more conversions.

So take this moment to ask yourself if you've been building a brand for you or the chameleon version of yourself you've been clinging to?

Because the more you dilute, the more you disappear. And I know you didn’t build this thing to blend in. You built it to stand out to the right people, for the right reasons.

And if you're ready for your brand to finally feel like home to you and your best-fit clients? I’d love to help.

Until next time,

Marissa


It's a secret, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590
Unsubscribe · Preferences

The Content Pour-Over

Just like making coffee, anyone can create content. But crafting crave-worthy content, much like a perfect pour-over, requires effort. Subscribers to the Content Pour-Over get weekly actionable insights to enhance their content through marketing psychology and brand strategy principles.

Read more from The Content Pour-Over

Have you noticed your IG and TikTok feeds are starting to feel a little like Netflix, except instead of a cozy binge night, you’re just… dropped into a show mid-season. You open your app, and bam...someone’s posting “Day 4 of XYZ,” and you have no idea what happened on Days 1–3. But suddenly you’re tapping over to their profile, scrolling backward like a digital detective trying to piece together the full plot? Samesies. And you can expect more of it because we’ve officially entered the era...

Ever done a “quick market-research scroll” and wound up questioning your whole business? There you are, mid-day social scroll, iced latte sweating on your desk, when one of your competitors pops up selling half your deliverables for double your rate. Say whaaaat? Queue the mental spiraling. ✨ "How does she justify that? Her results aren't any better than mine?" "Maybe people aren't actually buying? Maybe she's getting pushback..." "Wait, what if I doubled my rates? Could I finally take a...

Can I be blunt? F*ck it, it's my newsletter. I'll be blunt. If following the tips, tricks, and trends you saved on social media were the answer to your problems, you wouldn’t still feel this stuck. You wouldn’t be questioning why your content looks fine but feels off. You wouldn’t be wondering why clients love you but strangers scroll right past. You wouldn't be second guessing if maybe you should switch your visuals up....again. Truth? No trend or tactic will save a brand that’s unclear. And...