Brand marketing ladyboss who builds your personal brand, LinkedIn strategy and confidence so you can change the world | LinkedIn Creator Program | Web3 Creator | Co-Owner & CMO| Lecturer & Public Speaker

Why do I call myself a ladyboss? Because I’m a powerful, loving, deeply human woman who believes real change happens one soul at a time.
 
I believe we are in the middle of a YOUman revolution.
I believe connection matters more than clout.
I believe service matters more than followers.
And I believe impact matters more than money.
 
Marketing has always been how I connect with people. I began my career at Walton Isaacson, working on brands like Unilever’s AXE and helping launch some of the earliest social-driven activations, including AXE One Nighty Only. That chapter taught me how deeply creativity depends on understanding real humans.
 
In 2016, I earned my MBA from the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. I later brought that strategic discipline into roles at Microsoft and Gartner, where I focused on scaling B2B and tech brands. I've been featured in places like The Washington Post and Branding Magazine and have been LinkedIn Top Voice since 2024.
 
Today, I’m a female founder, business owner, podcast host, mother and stepmother, building Standout Authority and YOUmanize alongside my husband, Joshua B. Lee. We help leaders and organizations find their voice and be chosen without selling.
 
How do I help leaders grow on LinkedIn without selling?
I build thought leadership strategies and social selling ecosystems that attract, engage, and convert the right people through trust, clarity, and consistent visibility.
 
What makes my approach different?
I don’t believe in scripts, hacks, or chasing algorithms. I believe in building real personal brands rooted in values, lived experience, and credibility that compounds over time.
 
Who do I work with?
I work with executives, founders, and corporate teams who want to stand out, scale visibility, and turn relationships into real opportunities, especially in B2B and professional services.
 
Why does this work?
Because people don’t buy from brands they don’t trust. I help leaders show up as real humans with clear authority, so opportunities come to them.
 
My work includes executive thought leadership strategy, LinkedIn implementation, done-for-you personal brand and content support as well as professional speaking and training. 
 
Receipts that matter:
• Led social strategy at Microsoft Inspire, driving over 1 billion impressions and earning a Speaker Excellence Award
• Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice 
• Featured in The Washington Post, KXAN, CBS
• Co-Host of YOUmanize Your Brand podcast 
 
If you’re ready to stop blending in and start building trust that scales, let’s connect.

The way people find and trust information is changing fast. Search used to be about keywords, rankings, and clicks, now it’s about answers, and more importantly, who those answers come from. That’s where Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) comes in. At its core, AEO is the evolution of SEO. 

Instead of optimizing only for traffic, you’re optimizing to be the answer that shows up in AI search, voice search, summaries, and recommendations. Fewer links, fewer clicks, more influence. 

Here’s the part most companies get wrong: the answer isn’t your brand page. It’s your people. The power of the individual voice has never been more important than it is right now. What we believe is increasingly shaped by what we see explained, repeated, and embodied by real humans we trust. Not logos, not taglines, not overly polished corporate posts. 

Most company content is boring, employees don’t want to share it, audiences don’t engage with it. So companies compensate by spending more on ads, chasing impressions that don’t lead to trust, connection, or action. 

People don’t want more content, they want perspective, context, and they want to understand how someone thinks, what they’ve learned, and why it matters. They want to experience other humans. 

In an AI-driven, zero-click world, visibility doesn’t come from posting more, it comes from showing up as a credible, consistent answer. AEO isn’t about gaming the algorithm, it’s about earning belief through clarity, humanity, and trust. 

If your brand feels harder to find lately, it might not be an awareness problem, it might be a humanity problem. The future of marketing isn’t louder brands, it’s real people who are willing to use their voice. 💜

Rachel B. Lee

Marketing in 2026 is not business as usual. It’s personal. 

This year, showing up with polish is not enough. You need to show up real.
In my January edition of WERK Your Brand, I’m breaking down why authenticity is outperforming AI and what it means for your voice, your visibility, and your brand.

Here’s what I’m unpacking in the latest newsletter:

💜 Why 2026 is a turning point for brand strategy and trust
💜 The top 4 shifts that will define marketing and how to use them
💜 Why storytelling beats strategy when it comes to building connection
💜 Where to focus your energy for AEO and visibility 

If you're building a personal brand, leading a business, or navigating AI as a creator or executive. NOW is the time to lead with what’s real.

👇 Read the full newsletter.

#WERKYourBrand #Branding #LinkedInStrategy #Leadership #WomenInBusiness #Marketing #AI

2026 is not business as usual for brand and marketing strategy because you can’t just focus on transactions, vanity metrics, demand gen and leads to c

Open article: What’s Changing for Brands and Marketing in 2026? by Rachel B. Lee • 11 min read

What’s Changing for Brands and Marketing in 2026?

LinkedIn just released its Jobs on the Rise for 2026 list, and while the dominance of AI roles isn’t surprising, the overall pattern is worth slowing down and really looking at.

Yes, AI engineers and AI consultants are at the top, which makes sense given how deeply artificial intelligence is now shaping how businesses operate. But what caught my attention most was the rise of roles that don’t sit neatly inside traditional corporate structures, founders, independent consultants, and strategic advisors. Those titles signal something bigger than job growth. They point to a shift in how value is being created.

What this list quietly reflects is a growing demand for people who can think broadly, adapt quickly, and make thoughtful decisions even when the path isn’t fully clear. Skills like judgment, context, and the ability to connect ideas across disciplines are becoming just as important as technical expertise. In many cases, they’re what make the technical work actually useful.

That’s why entrepreneurship, side projects, and advisory work are showing up as real career paths rather than side notes. Not because everyone should go start a company, but because building optionality matters more than it used to. 

Developing skills that travel with you, regardless of title or organization, is becoming a form of stability. The future of work isn’t only about keeping up with new tools. It’s about cultivating the ability to build, pivot, and create clarity in moments of uncertainty.

I’m curious what stood out to you on the list, and whether it reflects what you’re seeing in your own work right now. 💜 

https://lnkd.in/gA-6RVm3

#AI #JobEconomy #Founder #Entrepreneur #CareerJourney #FutureOfWork

Matthew McConaughey just trademarked his voice, his lines, his energy. Bold and smart move!

Because in an AI world, being inimitable is strategy. We have to own our voice and be clear what’s ours and nobody else’s. 

And honestly? Most personal brands are still way too easy to copy.

What it means for you:
Your voice, your vibe, your digital presence — they’re assets now.

And if you don’t define them, AI might do it for you.

So what do you chooses Memorable or replaceable?? 👇

#PersonalBranding #AIandBranding #VoiceMatters #BrandClarity #MarketingLeadership

I’m going to be honest; I’m tired of hearing the word "AI." Every headline, every pitch, every tool seems to have “AI” slapped on it like a shiny sticker. But underneath all the hype, there’s something deeper going on, something that should matter to every brand, marketer, and business leader right now. 

💜 Trust. 

In this episode of YOUmanize™ Your Brand, Joshua B. Lee and I talked about what AI is really doing to marketing, not from a tech angle, but from a human one. We explored how automation and machine learning are shifting the way people show up online, the risk of losing our voices in the noise, and the question that matters most: who do you still trust when everything sounds the same? 

AI is already everywhere. It’s in our workflows, our content, and even our conversations. But no matter how smart it gets, it can’t replace critical thinking, emotional connection, or integrity. It can’t replace you. 

That’s why the future of marketing won’t belong to those who automate the fastest, it’ll belong to those who build trust the deepest. 

💜 Episode 015: AI Marketing, Trust & The Human Algorithm is out now and it’s one of my favorites yet. We get real about what’s coming, what’s worth questioning, and how to stay human through it all. 

🎧 Listen wherever you subscribe to your podcasts. 
https://lnkd.in/g3s8-Sc2

#YOUmanize #Marketing #AI #Leadership #BrandStrategy #PersonalBranding #Podcast

AI isn’t coming for your job, it’s coming for your voice. In a world where automation writes faster than we can think, the only thing that truly differentiates you is your story.  

That’s what this episode of YOUmanize™ Your Brand is all about, how AI and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) are reshaping visibility, and why authenticity has become your greatest competitive edge. 

Personal branding isn’t just for influencers anymore, it’s for executives, entrepreneurs, and every professional who wants to stay relevant in a digital world that rewards real connection. 

The question is no longer if you need a personal brand; it’s whether you’re going to author your own narrative or let AI and algorithms do it for you. 

In this conversation, Joshua B. Lee and I break down what it means to build a brand with heart in a high tech world: 

💜 How to balance vulnerability with authority 
💜 Why your story, not your title, builds trust 
💜 And how to train your AI tools with your real voice, not just the “perfect” one 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the noise, let this be your reminder: your humanity is your advantage. 

🎧 Episode 016: Will AI Replace Humans? Personal Branding, AEO, and the Future of Work in 2026 is out now wherever you subscribe to podcasts. 
https://lnkd.in/gh_SiNZt

#YOUmanize #AI #PersonalBranding #Leadership #AEO #MarketingStrategy #Podcast #FutureOfWork

Open video: Will AI Replace Humans? Personal Branding, AEO, and the Future of Work in 2026 on youtu.be

Will AI Replace Humans? Personal Branding, AEO, and the Future of Work in 2026

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