I am not a marketing expert. In fact, for a long time, the word “branding” felt a little too corporate, a little too manufactured for my taste.
But after my recent conversation with publicist Sarah Snyder, I had a realization that I wanted to unpack in this week’s solo episode of the Earn & Invest podcast: In the digital age, everyone has a brand. You create one every time you post online, whether you realize it or not.
If you hate the concept of marketing yourself, I get it. But ignoring your brand doesn’t make it go away; it just leaves it up to chance. In this week’s “10 Things” episode, I break down my personal philosophy on how to take control of your narrative.
Here is a look at what we cover:
The Foundation of a Brand (Things 1-4)
Your brand is simply a lens through which the public interprets your actions. To work, that lens must accurately reflect your internal identity. For years, I viewed myself strictly as a physician. But over time, I realized my core identity was actually being a communicator. The content you create must clearly and authentically reflect your deepest intentions.
Intention is Your Armor (Thing 5)
When you build a brand dripping with good intentions—like genuinely wanting to help others—it serves as a protective shield. We are all human. We all make mistakes or accidentally post things that land the wrong way. If your foundation is built on genuine goodwill, your audience will give you the benefit of the doubt rather than assuming malice.
The Power of Categorization (Thing 6)
There is simply too much information on the internet. To survive, human beings rely on categorization. If you are just a generic “financial independence guy,” you get lost in the noise. But if you are a “hospice doctor who talks about wealth and purpose,” you give people a specific hook to understand exactly what you are about.
The Friction of the Pivot (Thing 7)
Changing your brand is incredibly difficult. I learned this the hard way when I transitioned from being a wonky health-policy blogger in the early 2000s to a creator focused on personal finance and purpose. A pivot will inevitably alienate old followers who no longer understand your direction, and it takes years of consistent effort to rebuild.
Bypass the Marketing Jargon (Thing 8)
If the traditional idea of branding makes you cringe, throw the jargon out the window. Replace the word “branding” with “intentionality.” Focus entirely on ensuring your intentions are consistent in every single thing you put out into the world.
The Magnet Effect (Thing 9)
A clear brand creates opportunities. Because I was highly specific about my focus on purpose and the end of life, it acted as a magnet. It is exactly what led personal finance expert Christine Benz to interview me for the final chapter of her fantastic book, How to Retire, which opened the door to a massive new audience.
The Vacuum (Thing 10)
This is perhaps the most important takeaway: The absence of a brand creates a vacuum. If you do not intentionally define who you are, the public will define it for you—and they will do so on their own terms, which may not be kind, and certainly won’t be accurate.
The After-Show: Addressing the “Intimacy Gap”
In the community segment of this episode, I read a fascinating email from a listener, James Rowan, who recently finished my new book, The Healthcare Heist.
James shared his own reflections on the systemic problems in modern medicine, noting his relatively positive experiences with socialized military and VA healthcare. But he also brought up a profound concept: the “intimacy gap.” He described his experience with a highly skilled, yet incredibly arrogant knee surgeon—a brilliant mechanic of the body who completely lacked the human connection we crave when we are vulnerable.
It is a perfect example of why I wrote the book. The broken machinery of our healthcare system cannot be fixed by administrators or politicians. It will only be fixed by a grassroots revolution of shared stakeholders—patients and doctors—coming together to demand a system that prioritizes both skill and intimacy.
Ready to take control of your narrative? > Listen to the full “10 Things” solo episode of Earn & Invest right now, available wherever you get your podcasts.