In this Reel from Mandy Penn, watch as she goes behind the scenes of a branding photo shoot with Kate.

When you hear the term personal brand or personal branding, what comes into your mind? Do you think you need to package yourself like a product, like a box of cereal or a pair of shoes? I hope not.

I would like to invite you to think of your personal brand as your reputation and your reputation is made up of your integrity, your values, your expertise, and even your professional influence.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Growing up, I wanted to be the next Diane Sawyer on CBS TV’s ’60 Minutes’ news program.

While that never happened. I did come close. Sort of.

During college in the late ‘80s, I was accepted as a production assistant intern at 'CBS This Morning' (during the Harry Smith and Maria Shriver co-anchor days), and later, working as an intern in the Northeast Bureau of the ‘CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.’

Being an intern in those days was certainly not paid (college credit only), and if you were lucky, a national correspondent might buy you a cup of coffee or a Snickers bar on occasion.

And while I was so gung-ho and ready to do anything and everything that was asked of me, it didn’t take me long to realize that being in front of the camera was not going to be my thing.

In fact, working in corporate broadcast was not where I wanted to be either. Interning at CBS was an enormous opportunity for me to realize what I didn’t want to do. It was at CBS News where I learned I wanted to do research, be behind the camera, and work – some day – as a producer. My slap-up-side-the-head moment at the time was that I knew I wanted to tell stories of some kind (news or other), provide meaningful information, but ultimately, this Vermont girl did not want to live in the Big City.

Those almost three years at CBS was where I started to develop my chops as a rookie journalist. (It’s where I also realized I didn’t want to wear caked-on makeup, have my nails done, nor have freeze-dried hair just to be on camera to tell the news.) I learned to be bold, not to whine, and how to do some kick-ass research. To this day, my research skills carry me through my personal and professional life daily. I’m good at getting to the guts of just about anything.

After graduating from college, I returned to my home state of Vermont. Turns out I could carry my love of research, storytelling, and video and photography work back home. There certainly weren’t as many opportunities in the news world here but I found my way. Slowly but steadily.

My entrepreneurial drive revealed itself soon after graduating and within three years I’d established my own video production business. Remember, of course, this would have been the early ‘90s and there was no such thing as digital anything at the time. No internet, no cell phones, etc. (I’m totally dating myself.) We used tape and film and lots and lots of heavy equipment.

A few cool projects came my way during that time. Most notably was when I was hired to be a still photographer for a group of mystery VIPs coming to Vermont from all over the world for some global TV event. A local PR gentleman and family friend referred me to this company from England. The company? Range Rover. As in the car company.

While working on a project with Range Rover sounded very cool, I couldn’t imagine the VIPs would be anyone of personal interest to me. Probably car magnates, executives, adventurists, and maybe a recognized spokesperson or two.

The project was tightly held under the radar and no news organizations were to learn of the event. Once the VIPs arrived in the Green Mountains, it would be different but they didn’t want any advance PR throughout the state until the project was underway.

I was directed to show up at the Stowe/Morrisville airport one sunny fall afternoon. My calendar was booked with this group for the next 10 days. I was paid $800, in advance, and I was thrilled. But I had to agree to give over all my film on the spot, and couldn’t keep any negatives for myself.

My curiosity was piqued, to be sure.

I waited on the tarmac, two cameras on the ready hanging off my neck. Finally, a couple small jets landed at the rural airport and a few shiny new Range Rovers pulled up close to each of the planes.

The VIPs stepped off the planes and at first I didn’t recognize any of the people. Except one, a stout gentleman with a beard and glasses.

He looked very familiar: it was Francis Ford Coppola, one of the most respected and well-known film directors in the world who directed, among many other Oscar-winning movies, ‘The Godfather’, ‘Apocalypse Now’, and Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula.’

I was stunned! My job, I’d been told, was to “be in the background” and take photos of the daily goings on of this group, the Range Rover crew, and the London-based TV crew, which would be arranging daily, global satellite telecasts over the next several days. The photos were being used just to have as a record of the event and none would be used for any kind of publication.

While I stayed in the background at first, mostly with the crew, several of the guests introduced themselves to me and over the coming days, we became fast friends. A retired editor of National Geographic, a publisher of Earth Watch magazine, world famous photographer, Lord Patrick Lichfield (and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth), and many others.

Do you ever experience a recurring bad dream? Especially one that might be filled with anxiety and fear?

I attended a writing workshop recently, which focused on a dream (good or bad) that we would analyze and then write about to make relevant to our business.

At first, I was skeptical as to how dream analysis might help my business as the two seem completely disconnected. I soon realized that reflecting on a dream can not only help you take a look at yourself but can tell a story. A personal story. And stories help define our personal brand.

The dream I worked with in the workshop has been recurring for decades since I was in my late teens. It’s an unpleasant dream about not being able to run away from someone who is chasing me. I struggle to get my legs to run in sync and therefore can’t move fast enough. While I never actually get caught in the dream, I’m anxious, tense, and scared.

Another anxiety-ridden part of that same, recurring dream is that I’m late for an exam in high school or college. In fact, I haven’t even taken the class and I don’t know why I missed it, much less how I would take and pass the test. In the dream, I can’t find the class, I know I’m going to be late, and I wake up out of breath and nervous.

The writing prompt was to face the dream within the context of writing a letter to it as though it’s a separate entity. To begin with “Dear Dream” made it much easier to write conversationally and in detail. The first couple of paragraphs were about the specifics of the dream and why it bothered me. By the end of my “Dear Dream” letter, I’d said that I wasn’t going be chased or shamed anymore. I told my dream that I was going to learn to run instead of limp.

After I wrote the letter and analyzed it with the workshop facilitator and fellow participants, I had my “A-ha” moment. The dream is about fear, self-doubt, and is the voice of my inner critic. We’ve all faced our inner critic at one time or another, I’m sure.

What was my take away? To stop my self-doubt and silence my inner critic, I need to just switch them off.

I felt empowered as I said that and committed the resolution to paper as I wrote. Then that sneaky self-doubt appeared shortly after and said, “Easier said than done.” I imagined giving the talk-to-the-hand gesture to my inner critic.

As I reflect upon this further, I discover that my self-doubt plays a part in my professional life. In fact, it may negatively affect how I make business decisions or stay open to new ways of growing my business.

My resolution and insight, to share with you, should you take on this exercise for yourself, are to consider the value you offer in your business and how you demonstrate that through your expertise and personal brand.

Commit to thinking of yourself as an expert, because you are an expert. Do you often think there’s someone else who knows more than you and, therefore, you don’t have the “right” to consider yourself an expert?

You know what? You’d be correct. There will always be someone who knows more than you, but you also know more than those who do not. An expert is always learning and seeking knowledge. If you ever think you don’t need to learn anymore, then, I dare say, you should stop doing what you do.

The inner critic takes away some of our confidence. When working in your professional life, having a lack of confidence – even if you don’t display it outwardly – may lead to poor decision making. It may make you feel “less than” and that, of course, is a lousy way to feel.

Instead of being held back by your inner critic, think of it as an entity outside yourself. Face it, and tell it to leave you alone. Tell the voice of self-doubt that you thank it for what it’s done for you but you can now take it from here. Know you have the power and control to push it aside, which will allow you to be the leader and expert that you are.

As I learned in a leadership course recently, practice your power pose in whatever way that may look for you.

Silencing the inner critic – or even having it take a back seat – will be extremely liberating. Your thought leadership and confidence will return and be reinforced. Your true self will resonate and it will draw people to you. Those people may be colleagues, prospective clients, mentors, or customers. They’ll know they’ve found the expert to solve their challenges and that they’re in the right place, and safely in your hands.

Imagine how that will transform your business and how you want to “be” in your business. It will show itself through your reputation and how others see you. It will help you develop and sustain your personal brand.

Your customers, peers, and colleagues will like and trust you, and all buyers seek that more than ever in today’s competitive business environment.

Everyone’s talking about storytelling these days. You may ask yourself, “What does it all mean? How does telling my story benefit me? Do I even have a story, and do I want to share it?"

The answer to all of the above is rather simple, really. It’s what makes you unique, it’s the differentiator between you and someone else, it’s what sets you apart, and makes you interesting. And, yes, you DO have a story. Everyone has a story.

If you take your story into the career realm, you’ll soon realize that it can be effective for your personal brand. To have a personal brand, you don’t need to be a business owner, a corporate executive, a public figure or celebrity; you just need to be your authentic self. You can have a personal brand whether you’re an employee, a manager, a solo-entrepreneur, anyone!

YOU are your brand, your brand IS your reputation, and your reputation is made up of your values, your integrity, and your expertise.

Once you’ve discovered your story and its relevancy to your professional life, it’s a powerful way for others to get to know, like, and trust you. (It’s called the KLT factor.) Your story will reinforce your KLT Factor and they’ll learn about who you are instead of just what you do.

Remember: you’re more than your job title.

This is where your story comes in and where it will make you stand out. If you’re not sure what your story is, consider the following:

Reflect on the college degree you received and the major you studied. Now examine what you’re doing today. If, for example, you graduated with a degree in fine arts, and you’re now in a leadership role within a nonprofit agency, which helps at-risk youth; then ask yourself how you got there? There’s likely a story there about why you went from fine arts to working with at-risk youth. Tell that story and weave it into the fabric of your current role and expertise. I’m certain you had an “A-ha” moment in there somewhere.

What is one thing you really love to do outside of work? Are you a horse lover and ride every chance you get? There’s a story there, too. It might not seem like this would tie into who you are in business but it’s a vital part of you. It’s what excites and nurtures you. I’ll bet there are overlapping skills between learning and becoming a good rider and how you may have applied some of those same skills in your profession.

Perhaps your story is more personal and you or a loved one have suffered from an illness or cancer. Trying times always test our mettle and we discover parts of ourselves we didn’t know we possessed. There’s a lot we learn, which helps us to be more empathetic, and may tie into how we operate in our work lives.

Hopefully, you get the idea. Our stories have shaped us and they can work in our favor once we recognize them and how we can appropriately tie them into our professional selves.

There are many ways you can use your story to represent who you are as a professional. First, identify your story and how you will talk or write about it, and then how you will showcase it online and offline.

Great platforms to present your story online include: LinkedIn, the About Me page (this is a great example) on your website, the description area of your Facebook page (personal or business), and certainly the description of you if you’re a blogger. (But if you’re a blogger, you already know that!)

If you belong to an industry or trade organization, there’s likely a listing of members with a place to insert your bio. Have yours stand out from your peers who’ve likely condensed their resume and submitted it in that formulaic style. I call that the “laundry list” bio. If you have both a long and short version of your professional bio, revise them to reflect more about you as a person and make it relevant to the professional, thought leadership part of you.

If you’re going to be speaking at an event and someone introduces you from the compelling bio you’ve provided, your audience will already be captivated before you’ve even given your speech or presentation. Your audience is hooked, and they’re engaged.

Remember, everyone loves a story. What’s yours?

Whether you’re a professional, a small business owner, or a job seeker, you need to recognize the importance of your personal brand. Your personal brand is the image you reflect, your story, your values, and your expertise. In essence, your personal brand is your reputation.

The realization that “you” and your image are a brand can be unsettling. We tend to associate brands with businesses and products; not ourselves. By developing your own personal brand, however, you can shape the way that potential customers, employers, and your peers see you; how they remember you.

Reflect upon your values, your integrity, and the things that make you, you. Be sure that’s the way you want to be perceived and develop your personal brand accordingly. In today’s online world, there is no better tool to develop your personal brand than with your LinkedIn profile.

Most people still perceive LinkedIn to be a job-seeking tool. And admittedly, that was the purpose behind LinkedIn’s creation several years ago but LinkedIn has since developed their online offerings, beyond just a repository of electronic resumes, into a robust marketing tool for individuals and businesses.

Cutting and pasting your physical resume onto a LinkedIn page is no longer a good practice. A potential customer, client, or hiring manager wants to learn more about you. They want a “value add” when they arrive at your profile page.

It still amazes me how many LinkedIn profiles lack even basic personalization like a photo. LinkedIn reports that people who include a professional-looking photo makes you 14x more likely be found on LinkedIn. If you think about yourself as a brand, then your photo is like your logo.

Some people are self-conscious about putting their image online, so don’t just grab one of your profile pictures from Facebook, get a professional-looking photo, which will showcase your authentic self.

When developing your profile to highlight your brand (you), use the Summary section to tell your story and show your human side. Remember: we are more than our job titles and we all want to connect with people we know, like, and trust. A reader wants to learn about who you are and not just what you do.

A solid profile tells the reader a story and makes it relevant to why you do what you do. The goal is to weave your story and your professional experience together into a compelling message. Your profile should help someone learn why they should retain your services or hire you at their business. If you can do this one thing, your profile will be very different from others who still use a form of a digital resume.

You want a prospective employer, client, or customer to read a few sentences into your profile and say, “Wow, we’ve got to meet this person!” Remember, though, that authenticity is key. The person who walks into the office for an interview or to present a proposal needs to be the same person reflected in their LinkedIn profile. Be honest, be true, and be your best self not only on LinkedIn but across all your social media profiles, and most importantly in REAL LIFE!

It’s a cliché but your goal is to stand out from the crowd and the internet is a very, very big crowd. If you know your story (and, yes, everybody has one), values, abilities, and are able to communicate them effectively, you will already be a leap above others. And don’t confuse “professional” with “boring”; you can have a professional profile that is still interesting and engaging.

Try to associate your personal brand with others who are seen as influencers and thought leaders. For example, did you attend a school with an excellent reputation? Or work for a company that has a recognizable name? Make sure they’re listed in the Education section, with links to those relevant organizational or company LinkedIn pages.

Creating a network of people, businesses, schools, and organizations on your profile will, by association, enhance your personal brand.

You also want a potential employer or client to be able to find you among all that online chaos. Like Google, LinkedIn has a search algorithm, which is designed to give searchers better, targeted results. Having a search engine optimized profile will help you get found online, not only because of your name, but because of your skills and expertise. Tying in search engine optimization (SEO) with a sound profile is extremely effective.

LinkedIn is not the only tool clients or hiring managers use to learn more about you. To maintain a strong, authentic personal brand, you need to be aware of all its aspects. Perhaps it’s time to refresh your Facebook profile, delete some of those old Tweets, or simply Google yourself and see what shows up. Once you know what’s out there, you can start to gain more control of your online presence and get a handle on your brand.

It’s not enough anymore to just recite your elevator speech about what you do. Leave people knowing your story and how your professional experience can help them, and they’ll want to learn more. They’ll want to connect both in person and online.

Do you know your story?