Katrijn woke up one morning and couldn't speak, couldn't write, couldn't get back to the person she was the day before, and she had to decide what to do with that.

In this episode she talks about what it actually looks like to build work around what you have, not what you planned, including the moment a stranger's creative chaos became her unexpected calling.

If you're somewhere between who you were and who you're becoming, and you're not sure the two will ever connect, this one is for you.

How Your Voice Shapes Your Personal Brand

Sound is something we experience every day, yet very few people think about how powerful it really is.

In this episode, María Lucia Romero speaks with Christophe Strotz, singer, creative audio producer, and Managing Director of Linster Studios in Luxembourg.

Their conversation explores the emotional power behind sound and why tone of voice plays a deeper role in communication and branding than many people realize.

Christophe shares his personal story, from arriving in Luxembourg as an adopted child from South Korea to discovering how music allowed him to connect with people even before he fully understood the language around him.

Through that experience, he began to understand something powerful. Sound communicates emotion faster than words.

Together, María Lucia and Christophe reflect on how tone of voice shapes the way we connect with others, whether in personal relationships, public speaking, leadership, or brand communication.

From the recognizable sound of global brands to the simple act of recording and listening to your own voice, this episode invites listeners to think about communication in a completely different way.

Because sometimes, the most powerful message is not what we say.
It is how we sound when we say it.

What does it truly mean to lead when you are the only one of your kind in the room?

Sharon March joins me to explore the powerful acronym WIN: What’s Important Now.

With over 25 years in corporate finance and international boardrooms, Sharon offers a perspective on leadership that goes far beyond strategy.

We talk about the essential "inner work" of defining your values before the world tries to define them for you.

Sharon shares her journey of dealing with high-pressure environments with a "can-do" attitude, the importance of quality education as a lifelong anchor, and why feeling uncomfortable is often the surest sign of growth.

This episode is an invitation to stop second-guessing your seat at the table and start trusting the foundation you’ve built.

It’s a warm, honest look at how character, ethics, and a simple question can shift the way we show up in our lives and our careers.

Josh’s story does not follow a straight line.

From studying psychology in England, to working in luxury fashion at Harrods, to moving into higher education in Luxembourg, to starting his own boutique consulting space… his path looks far from conventional.

What becomes clear in this conversation is that none of those chapters were random. Each one shaped his understanding of identity, self-worth, and contribution.

We talk about burnout. Divorce. Starting again at 34. The courage it takes to stop apologizing for who you are. And the idea behind his book Delightfully Dysfunctional, which challenges the stigma around the traits we label as “too much” or “not enough.”

If you have ever felt behind, misaligned, or unsure whether you are on the “right” path… this episode might feel very close to home.

Find the links to his book here: https://jnb.lu/

In industries driven by speed and scalability, other ways of building often remain unseen.

In this episode No. 124 of the Brilliantly Branded Podcast, María Lucia Romero speaks with Ase Elvebakk, Cofounder of Natural Nuance, about building a circular luxury brand while working with time-intensive processes, artisans, and long-term thinking.

Ase shares her transition from tech and innovation into product creation, how motherhood influenced the questions she asks as an entrepreneur, and why clarity of direction matters before empowerment can take place.

The conversation touches on vision, responsibility, and the practical realities of creating inside the luxury industry without following the pace of fast fashion.

You don’t suddenly lose motivation at work.
It usually happens little by little.

You feel drained.
Less engaged.
Less recognised.

In this episode of The Brilliantly Branded Podcast, María Lucia Romero speaks with Raphael H Cohen, professor and leadership expert, about toxic behaviors in organisations and how abuse of power impacts people, teams, and performance.

Professor Cohen explains how these behaviors can be recognised by their impact. Feeling diminished, de-energised, unmotivated, and not recognised. He also explains why organisations often tolerate this behavior, how some people manage to shine upward while creating damage below, and why the real cost often stays invisible.

During the conversation, he shares a free tool that allows organisations to observe engagement levels and understand how managers influence people’s desire to give their best.

👉 Access the free Employee Appreciation Score (EAS) tool here:
https://www.eazymirror.com/EAS?c=BBfriend

This episode gives words to experiences many professionals already live.
And offers a concrete way to observe what is happening inside teams.

Networking is often misunderstood.
For many people, it feels uncomfortable, forced, or even exhausting.

In this episode of the Brilliantly Branded Podcast, I welcome Caroline Durand, entrepreneur and corporate trainer, for a conversation about what networking truly means.

We talk about why traditional networking approaches often fail, how mindset shapes the quality of our connections, and why building relationships based on service and shared values creates stronger, more sustainable opportunities.

Caroline shares practical reflections on:
• Why networking is not about selling
• How to approach conversations without pressure
• The importance of purpose, values, and follow-up
• How to build an ecosystem of trusted professionals over time
• Where AI can support networking without replacing authenticity

This episode is an invitation to rethink networking as a human experience rather than a transactional one.

If networking has ever felt heavy or unnatural for you, this conversation will help you see it from a new perspective.

In this episode of the Brilliantly Branded Podcast, we talk about something many professionals recognise but rarely name. Masking to fit.

Bruno Wozniak, digital innovation consultant and now author of The Reinvention Playbook, shares how years of adapting to corporate expectations slowly muted his real self.

From reading the room and softening opinions, to constantly changing his behaviour to match what others wanted, he built a solid career but felt his energy and curiosity fade over time.

Our conversation starts with a simple question. What happens when we stop managing appearances and start showing up as real in our work, our leadership and our life.

Bruno explains how the concept of “masking” entered his vocabulary through a course on neurodiversity, and how he suddenly realised that he had been doing the same thing for years.

Not lying, but letting situations decide who he was.

We talk about.
• The difference between healthy adaptation and losing yourself to please the room.
• The subtle signals that you are disappearing behind a professional mask, even if your career looks good from outside.
• How authenticity changed his teaching style, his consulting work and the level of trust he builds with clients.
• Why saying “I don’t know, let us figure it out together” can create more authority and connection, not less.
• How a period without a job became the starting point for his book The Reinvention Playbook, and the five part process he developed to rebuild identity, direction and confidence after a job ends.

If you feel you are performing a version of yourself at work, if you are in a transition after leaving a role, or if you want to lead with more humanity without losing respect, this episode will speak to you.

Listen in to explore how to use masks intentionally when you need them, how to stop wearing them all the time, and how to reconnect with the parts of you that bring real energy, creativity and impact to your work.

You can get Bruno’s book through the link.:

https://a.co/d/cWnNiFK