The Path to a Personal Brand, and Why It Matters for Authentic Storytelling
Summer Nilsson I 10-1-24
A few months ago, I was sitting in an Uber. After a few minutes, the inevitable occurred.
“What do you do?” he asked.
The go-to question. I always smile.
“I’m a storyteller,” I replied. Then I paused as twenty-five years flashed through my mind.
There is always more to the story. That’s what makes it personal. It also keeps us real. In today’s world, we are all yearning to know what’s real. We seek a peek behind the curtain of certainty, if only to understand the process by which one earned their seat. It is the context that informs perspective. Perspective spotlights experience.
I think we can all agree that storytelling starts with basic psychology. To engage others, we must know the points at which people connect. It is through connection that we may engineer a foundational infrastructure capable of facilitating trust. By establishing trust, we learn strengths, triggers, and the lines that should remain sacred.
Engineering any product is rooted in understanding these principles. But storytelling in the digital world also requires vulnerability and shared values. Shared values were easy to find twenty years ago, but irreversible shifts to our foundation occurred with the development of social media. Lines were crossed. Future generations were forever changed.
As humans, we’ve always stood at the intersection of personality and soul.* Our personality tells us to how to act. Our soul reminds us how we feel. The ego wants to succeed. The heart hopes to experience joy in the process. When these align, no goal is unattainable. When they don’t, we might as well be running on a hamster wheel, with happiness placed just outside of the cage. We can see it, but we can’t reach it. I ran on a hamster wheel for a long time.
Then, one fateful day, I went for a walk with my then 10-year-old niece. She shared her concerns that she wasn’t enough. She had never expressed those fears before. She learned them on social media. In an instant, my life changed. My search for meaning came to an abrupt halt. I’d found my purpose.
From that day forward, I’ve made significant sacrifices in the pursuit of making a difference for youth. There have been days when I felt fulfilled beyond measure. Other days, I wondered if I had anything left to give.
While on this path, I made a promise to share key learnings, with both my peers and the kids I set out to reach. Because regardless of your age, we all make trades in life. They shape us, for better or worse. The trick is to decide what you’re willing to trade before you embark on the journey. Because hindsight only surfaces with insight. Insight narrates the story. Certainly, it guides the storyteller.
My life started in a small town in Texas. I am proud to be from a rural community. I grew up playing in a park and cruising the Sonic. My family helped build plants and honored service members. At one time, we even owned the local hardware store. I was raised to believe that one’s community formed the fabric for future generations. I maintain these values today.
In fact, I write about these values and hope to instill them in readers. I am the creator of Loodor and author of the Loodor Tales Series, a bestselling book series. Told through the eyes of animals, the Loodor Tales Series is designed to instill self-worth and support mental well-being among today’s youth.
The series follows Grey the Kitten on her journey to discover who she is and how she can help others. Grey is born with a magical voice that can only be used for good. Her voice can build things or break them.
The Loodor Tales Series started in The Land of the Pines, followed by the sequel, The Land of the Strays. In The Land of the Strays, Grey meets Scout the Golden Retriever, a search and rescue dog inspired by the dogs who arrived at Ground Zero in the days following September 11th. The third installment of the series, The Land of the Trade, is available for pre-order on Amazon. It is scheduled for release in November 2024.
This past spring, I launched the “HOO Are You?” education platform to reach schools and students through general assembly presentations, curriculum, and roundtable discussions. The purpose of the ongoing tour is to address issues including false narrative, mind chatter, and imposter syndrome.
By engaging students through real conversations about empathy and kindness, we work to offset the effects of social media and cyberbullying. Our ongoing goal is to reduce suicide rates among adolescents. The second leading cause of death among youth is self-harm and suicide.
While on tour, I often share my own personal experiences with social anxiety, as well as my background with a 25-year career in publishing, media, marketing, and branding. Because the truth is, the Loodor Tales Series would not have been possible without the experience gained from two decades spent growing among the best of the best across industry.
Over a 25-year career, I’ve worked with brands including People, ELLE, Good Housekeeping, Taste of Home, InStyle, among many others. I’ve developed storylines and partnerships with Dell, Walmart, Kendra Scott, Brandon Maxwell, to name a few. I’ve constructed ecosystems and built multi-platform content strategies on behalf of brands, agencies, and talent. I’ve sat at every seat at the table, providing the insight necessary to make informed decisions.
As a result, I’ve founded four companies and co-founded a 501C3, the Nilsson Open A Dor Foundation. Our mission through the foundation is to help youth navigate the undercurrent of this modern world, paved by new realities and influences, to transform self-worth and support mental health. I also serve on the National Advisory Council for Girls Inc, own a consulting firm named NIIS Corp, and am a founding member of WE ARE THE BOARD.
THE BOARD, led by April Uchitel, is a group of experts, each of whom brings unique insight across industry sectors. This insight results in valuable efficiencies that enable brands to solve problems and find solutions faster. Whether launching products, identifying white space, or restructuring an organization’s vision, we work together to build brand equity for clients.
I would not be the author or speaker I am without the career, contacts, and experiences I have had. But at the end of the day, I am a storyteller. That’s what I do and “HOO” I am.
That’s the reason I personally financed and built Loodor from the ground up. When I stand on a stage at schools and tell students that I chose to be there… that it brings me joy to inspire them… and that my success will be measured by their success… I mean it. And when I stand before a client and inform them that it is based on the breadth of my experience that I provide value and derive confidence in making C-level decisions … again, I mean it.
For me, it’s all personal, and from my perspective, one should never trade their values.
Award-winning Creator, Summer Nilsson
Bestselling Author of the Loodor Tales Series
Featuring The Land of the Pines and sequel, The Land of the Strays
The Land of the Trade is available for pre-order at Amazon
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