Produced By - From Diagnosis to Demand: Turning Difference Into Revenue | 148: Magali De Reu

Starting point is 00:00:00 Because of my autism and ADHD, I have excellent pattern recognition and I'm fast thinker and I am able to connect the dots real fast, which is why I know almost right away how to make a speaker or a consultant stand out because I see some patterns. And the thing that they feel hesitant or reluctant to talk about is often the thing that the leverage to boost their brand and their revenue and all that. So I love talking to people. I'm an extroverted person, which goes against the general image people have autism and ADHD. I'm not an introvert. So it's AI, personality first positioning, and helping people. Because to me, personal branding is not just some strategy or some business thing. I feel, and today, especially because everyone, people trust people so they don't trust brands anymore.

Starting point is 00:00:45 But also it's an identity thing. It's not just a brand. It's also not some fancy colors and some values slapped on some deck. It's identity work, doing the uncomfortable work, soul-searching part. And I have always loved psychology. because of my autism and ADHD. Before we dive into today's episode, please hit that subscribe button. Your support helps us grow and inspire more people on their journeys.

Starting point is 00:01:09 Thank you. Hello, Magali. Thank you for joining us today and welcome to the show. Thank you. Hi, Thomas. So, Magali, for those who don't know you, can you please introduce yourself? Yes, I can. I'm a personal brand strategist for speakers who are already speaking.

Starting point is 00:01:28 or consultants who would like to get invites for paid stages, for paid workshops and other potential revenue streams. And I do so through personality first positioning and branding. That's what I do. Interesting to me and something that definitely stands out. And before discussing that in more detail, can you, Meghala, tell us more about your background test. We just discussed.

Starting point is 00:01:54 And it's also something that I'm sure that many people have seen if they come. across you online. So yes, yes. So I have autism and ADHD, which plays a big part in where I'm at and, you know, the things I've been through, including a TED Talk. This landed me my first talk and it was TEDx. But at the same time, it wasn't always easy for me. So I have a pretty, a pretty unconventional journey, I think, because living and growing up with autism and ADHD means by default means that you're likely to struggle more in some areas, which I did, including nine to five jobs and all of that. But when I started doing this over 10 years ago, I think it was, yeah, it was over 10 years ago, I never, I always questioned the status quo. I just never wanted to,

Starting point is 00:02:45 I really wanted to fight the stigma and beliefs people had about autism ADHD and its limitations. And I'm so glad I proved them wrong. And I can imagine there are many people who have the same diagnosis or face it as well, but you are like a great inspiration for them talking about it openly. And even the success that you've got despite this, so I'm sure that you're doing great work. I think that when it comes to success, it's not in spite of this. I think it's because of it because I really, like my autism and ADHD give me like one clear goal

Starting point is 00:03:21 and I just really go for it. like I just, you know, I don't overthink it. I mean, I do overthink a lot, but I don't overthink. I overthink as well. I don't overthink the stuff I want to do. I just, you know, I'm like, okay, I've never done this before. Let's just do it. And I figure it out along the way.

Starting point is 00:03:42 And I love that because I'm not the person who, you know, buys a course and, you know, or a book to learn from. I just, you know, put in the work and then I learn from it. And that's how I have approached just about everything in my life. Learning by practice is the best one, isn't it? I remember, if I'm not mistaken from the TED talk that you said, is both curse and blessing, which I think is kind of really well said. Yeah, yeah, it is because I do get overwhelmed faster.

Starting point is 00:04:10 And sometimes, especially when the stakes are high, I feel like I see the world very black and white. I also feel, or I used to feel really, really lonely about me. And, you know, this is also an autism and ADHD thing. I don't believe in beating around the bush. I believe in, you know, telling people everything to their faces and not lying or backstabbing. I just hate that. If I don't like someone, they'll know. And if I do like someone, I'll do everything for them.

Starting point is 00:04:42 And with my clients, I'm either all in or all out. I don't have asset. I can't have asset. So, and I guess, like, a big part of my positioning and the way I approach this with clients too is I flip, I turn flaws into features. So what people describe as too intense, too direct to black and white, I translate into, that into, you know, a very, very much a go-getter, you know, results and fast progress. And it's really amazing because everyone, It's funny because the thing that people keep toning down, the parts that they keep hiding behind are typically the parts that set them apart. Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:05:30 So this is, you know, this is the entire philosophy behind personality first positioning. I like it and I think especially on LinkedIn because I feel like that people often look for some kind of secret or I don't know. But at least one of my favorite kind of pieces of advice is to be used. unique, which of course, it's easy to say, but kind of tough one, okay, be unique, but what does it mean? But as you said now, embrace such as flaws or something that makes you just different than the others and then actually makes you step out on LinkedIn. Yep, that's it. And to share a bit of context or just for the audience to know how old were you when you found out?

Starting point is 00:06:07 That I'm autistic. Mm-hmm. And ADHD, 14 years old. So I've been living with my diagnosis for about 22 years now. Mm-hmm. Okay. And I know that there must be like many ways or many things, but what are some examples that make it for you harder or, you know, for some people without the diagnosis, it's like a sure or regular thing. But for you, it's something that you struggle with and people may not realize.

Starting point is 00:06:35 So the hardest part, sometimes I'm, because autism and ADHD, they're both considered to be disorders. but sometimes I wonder, is it a disorder because people with autism and ADHD are suffering, or is it a disorder because of the lack of willingness of society to adapt and to include us? So generally speaking, when I share my struggles, people will say things like, oh, but sometimes I'm late too, or I forget a lot too, or I tend to get overwhelmed by noise too. it's different. So for me, when I'm at a restaurant and this happened, you know, this was just the other day, I was at a restaurant, went out for dinner with my partner.

Starting point is 00:07:23 And there was like lots of background noise. It was like a large group and they were like laughing. And I couldn't focus on having a normal conversation with my partner. And because I was annoyed, I tend to hyper focus on the very thing that is annoying me. and I get so overwhelmed, and I'm very blessed and lucky to have a partner who understands this, but this, you know, it's not for everyone. The thing that I struggle with the most, I'd say, is running a household. So I really, like the gap between my job performance and me running a household, it's crazy. Like, it's like I'm really disabled.

Starting point is 00:08:06 I will forget to clean up. I don't see like the mess. And people will always assume that it was an excuse, but it wasn't because it's annoying for me too, obviously. And the way I deal with these things, and I feel, you know, again, I feel very lucky to be in such position. I outsource everything I suck at because of my disorder. Like some things, I don't believe having autism or ADHD means like just accepting some, some, some doom's fate. but I do believe that if there's things that you keep struggling with that are giving you so much, you know, pain and frustration that you should outsource those things. And this is why you outsource everything with invoices, administration and all that.

Starting point is 00:08:54 Yeah. I understand that. I mean, I think it's smart because no one really like, or not no one, but for example, when you are great, if you usually don't like doing paperwork and stuff like this. Oh my goodness. no. And something that, for example, helping with brands with, I don't know, CEOs and people like this, I think that these higher ranked people often struggle or don't really understand what is it like to outsource work because you feel like, okay, I'm the best one. I can do it. I can handle it by myself. But at the same time, you don't have 24 hours to do everything by yourself.

Starting point is 00:09:28 And you need to be realistic. It are just people who are better than you are in certain areas. Yeah, and I swear, I just a couple of weeks ago. go, I really, I almost wanted to quit because of all the paperwork. I'm like, I can't handle this because I'm behind on so many things, which is why I now hired a PA. So, and I think at the same time, at least it gives you time to focus what you're best at and also what you enjoy the most, right? Yes, yes. So true. So then what will be the areas that you enjoy the most? So I love, like I'm currently, you know, I'm all in on the AI thing, but not in the way. that everyone is, you know, all AI.

Starting point is 00:10:09 The way I see it, AI can optimize certain processes, but I don't outsource the entire process to writing. The worst thing that's happening right now, I think, is people losing common sense and critical thinking over AI. I hate it. I hate it so much. So I'm, you know, I'm figuring out how I can optimize the daunting repetitive tasks for me, how I can use it as an editor to improve my writing, since I'm not a native speaker.

Starting point is 00:10:41 English is not my first language. Thank you so much. So do you. So that's basically my area of hyperfocus, but also the personality first positioning and strategy. Because of my autism and ADHD, I have excellent pattern recognition and I'm a fast thinker and I am able to connect the dots real fast, which is why I know. almost right away how to make a speaker or consultant stand out because I see like some patterns and the thing that they feel, you know, hesitant or reluctant to talk about is often the thing that,

Starting point is 00:11:18 you know, is, you know, the leverage to, you know, boost their brand and, and their revenue and all that. So I love talking to people. I love, I'm an extroverted person, which is also, which goes against the general image people have autism and ADHD. I'm not an introvert. like I'm yeah so it's AI personality first positioning and helping people because to me personal branding is not just some strategy or like some business thing I feel and today especially because everyone people trust people so they don't trust brands anymore but also it's really it's an identity thing it's not just a brand it's it's it's also not you know some fancy colors and some values on some deck.

Starting point is 00:12:05 It's really its identity work. It's doing the uncomfortable work, soul searching part. And that's what I love. I've always been, I've always loved psychology because of my autism and ADHD, but also because of, you know, marketing is psychology, right? Yeah, I like it. And I think as we just discussed kind of AI and now what you said, I feel like that's actually what is, I think, already now, but even more in the future going to be like a

Starting point is 00:12:31 competitive advantage. As you can see with AI, a lot of content is kind of not all of it, but often so less or looks very similar. So actually, being someone who is different, distinct and stands out is going to be competitive advantage. And I'm sure that in the future it's going to be even more. Yes. Yes. Yes. It's 100%.

Starting point is 00:12:54 And I think that, like, I feel very common on every, like, clot just changed cold outreach. Claude, co-work just erased this forever. And I comment, no, it didn't. No, it hasn't. Because, you know, people love some good old rage bait, right? It's like those posts that start breaking news. Yeah, oh my goodness. It's, you know, clickbait disaster.

Starting point is 00:13:22 But hey, what are you going to do? Yeah. And I was going to say also that I'm sure that you can see too that on Lincoln, it's understandable kind of what. You've got so many personal branding experts, strategies, etc. So it might be a bit harder like to stand out in kind of credit market, but I feel like what you said, that's unique, that it's different, as you said, based on personality. So I think it's also quite smart.

Starting point is 00:13:46 It's different positioning than the others and makes you different. Yeah. Thank you for acknowledging and seeing that. But it's also like the way it is in the way it is applied. Because make no mistake, personality for it is not about posting, how you're stuck in traffic and you started to cry. It should be connected to your expertise. And the way people are writing is, you know, you can just like,

Starting point is 00:14:13 I love doing the swap test where you could just swap someone's name with anyone's name. And if, you know, if they could have written it, then it's not unique. So this is why I love to speak from lived reality. Like, for example, I did a stupid pigeon post. I don't know if you saw it, but it was about the pigeon eating the butt of cigarette. And yeah, it was about like I just saw a pigeon eat a cigarette, but it didn't, it didn't have a personal brand.

Starting point is 00:14:41 It sure didn't have a slide deck. It just saw an opportunity and went for it. Like it was so ridiculous. Yeah. Yes. And it said like DME pigeon if you want this and actually three people DME pigeon, which is hilarious because I never thought people, but see, this is the thing, this is something that makes people, what sets me apart, and I'm not saying that everyone should be doing those

Starting point is 00:15:04 pigeon posts. I also know someone who's very rational and not, you know, some people have pretty boring personalities. And, you know, if it's boring and, like, extremely dry, then play that out. Maybe that's your unfair advantage. You're, like, hyper-rational, you see? So it doesn't have to be something as extra as it is for me. So, yeah. No, I understand. I agree. Everyone is different after all, but it doesn't mean that there isn't audience. Like, if you embrace it, get your unique way, it can work. As always, I think the best way is to just test it and see how it works. Yeah, and also don't try, compete on expertise because you're not going to win. Like, AI is turning all of us into a commodity. So there's no other way than finding your,

Starting point is 00:15:56 your uncopyable core. That's what I call it. Yeah. And, Magali, if we go a bit back, how did you actually discover the passion or even idea to do this, such as Brandon, on LinkedIn, and see it as your career? Yeah, so I've worked with speakers, even some big names actually years ago. I've seen it on your LinkedIn. I was very impressed. For example, Seth Godin, Kawasaki, and even Brenny Brown, if I'm not mistaken. Yes, yes.

Starting point is 00:16:29 And, you know, the thing is, I still, I never took it for granted. And I feel like things started to really drastically change last year in July 2025. I was in a startup, an international startup, working with speakers. And it was a very toxic environment for me. So I left. My co-founder ripped me off. I'm sorry to hear that. Well, no, I mean, today I really believe it's the best thing that happened.

Starting point is 00:16:59 to me, I swear, because I'm still owed about 20K. I'll never see, I mean, I'll never see that money, but that's totally fine. But anyway, as I left, so it was July 2025 and I had nothing left but my LinkedIn account. So what I did was I started talking to speakers. I started posting. I started building my, you know, building my business in public. That's what they call it, right? Building in public. But not just from the, hey, look how great I am today. No, I'm like, I still suck at this and that and here's what it's teaching me right now because I feel like I don't want to put on a fake persona and I see I could tell that people were frustrated because the same big names were getting booked and rebooked and I felt like okay I saw what it did for me as I started

Starting point is 00:17:50 posting and gaining more followers and applying that to some of my clients like the personality the first approach. And then I noticed that that made all the difference. Like my clients went viral. They got invited to speak in, you know, a European client to speak in Boston, all of that. And just made me so convinced that I, I, that was the, you know, that was the direction for me to, to go. But I didn't do it all alone. Like I did a higher help from Matt Barker and Nick Burema and some great coaches. So I do want to give credit where credit is due. I mean, I'm very happy to hear that and a great point as well that, you know, there is help out there such as you just mentioned now. And there is like nothing wrong with that because it helps to speed up kind of the process and there are people who figure it out already.

Starting point is 00:18:43 And after LinkedIn is a networking platform, so take advantage of it. Yeah, yeah. And I feel like people, it's very much a networking platform, but people don't treat it such. They will post and go like, hey, nothing happened. I'm not getting any leads. I'm like, well, duh, are you like, are you starting conversations? Are you commenting? Are you, are you treating signals? Intent signals such as profile views, comment, connection requests and all that. Are you treating those as intense signals? Are you delivering those? And most of the times, the answer is no. That's a shame. Yeah. And also, also keep showing up for a while. Don't expect like any quick results after a few weeks of being there. Well, I'd like to challenge that, I believe, actually, because for me, but this, again, this is also related to the autism ADG thing. When I'm all in or all out, that also means that I either give up because I feel like, okay, it's not working for me. But also, if I see something's working, I double down on it.

Starting point is 00:19:42 And I, you know, everyone says you can get fast results with LinkedIn, but I, so I went from 7K to 24 followers in six months. and like just after yeah and just after one month I went from 7K followers to 11K followers and it wasn't because I was you know I mixed

Starting point is 00:20:04 educational and personal stuff but it was everything was wrapped into a story it was uniquely me and that's what I help people essentially become like the most unique and uncopyable version of themselves that's a good point and I'm glad that you challenged me.

Starting point is 00:20:22 I would maybe then tweak it when I said that I think that the majority of people don't double down in a way as you do. Because I think that let's be honest that people are often lazy and not everyone is like, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and not like I go 100% potentially the reps in and everything,

Starting point is 00:20:40 but it's more like, okay, give me secret how to go viral and then quick overnight, so why that happened? Yeah, I was just talking to a friend about this. Like, why? Some people really want, to all they want to, you know, all they want to do is go viral. So, and I'm like, why? Why does it matter?

Starting point is 00:20:57 Like, the chances of viral posts bring in leads. Okay, they will bring in leads, but not always the right one. So it's usually, yeah, it's a vanity metric. I agree. Sometimes I feel like that it will be nice if people experience it. So actually realize that it's not worth chasing. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Quick one, before we get back to it.

Starting point is 00:21:20 If you like this kind of conversation, I've started sharing short videos on YouTube, where I break down what I've learned from more than 150 episodes. Content, podcasting, personal brand. No fluff? Just what actually works. Just search Produced Buy on YouTube or don't. And keep figuring out the hard way. And Magali, you've got a great niche.

Starting point is 00:21:50 LinkedIn such as what you focus on, but what's your advice or your take on whether to niche or not? Because it's also quite a debate on LinkedIn. So some people say you should, some not. So what would you say? Well, that depends. I feel like niche. So I think that niche, you can niche by audience and you can niche by transformation. And I think that you should start by.

Starting point is 00:22:18 So the difference between the two is that niche by transformation. is by the unique outcome you deliver. And niche by audience is the segment, the market segment you service. So the difference between the two is that one focuses on the audience and the personas, biopersonas, and the other one focuses on the transformation. In an ideal scenario, you need both. But for me, I just switch to niching by audience, from niching by audience to niching by transformation.

Starting point is 00:22:46 So to give you an idea what that looks like, I would focus on, servicing keynote speakers and people who wanted to become keynote speakers. But then I noticed that the market was really, really small, especially on LinkedIn. So what I did was I shifted towards niching by outcome. So what I said was, hey, I help you get to paid stages, paid workshops, paid gigs, but not just keynote speakers. Most of the clients I service and work with are consultants, coaches, founders. So this still, you know, I'm still inside a niche, but the audience is more broad. However, I would advise if you start out, if you're just starting out, that you want to target a niche audience first. As you start to gain more traction, you can shift a niching by

Starting point is 00:23:37 transformation or by outcome. That's my advice. I like it. And I think it's good because if you also niche more, the worst thing that you find out is that there is, there is. isn't as much audience and you can go like a bit broader and then broader and not too broad and that is kind of message that applies to everyone and no one at the same time. Yes. And for me, it's an ongoing battle, to be honest. It's not always easy. At the same time, the only way to find out who you should be talking to, you should be servicing and all that is to just talk to people. And I feel like so many people are avoiding that. They just want to post and they're like, okay, this didn't work.

Starting point is 00:24:17 Moving on, and that's it. And that's a shame, really, because all of these interactions, they're data points. You can use to fine tune and tweak your offer, your posts and all of that. Do it. Then observe it, learn from it,

Starting point is 00:24:30 and improve based on it. Yes. And I'm glad that you said it, like about your focus, because honestly, when I looked at your profile or what you do, I was actually thinking, is there so many, like, a speakers on LinkedIn

Starting point is 00:24:43 to have it as your audience, So of course, LinkedIn is a professional platform, and I'm sure there are many people, but at the same time, I was thinking that there may not be enough, so I'm glad that you answered it. Yeah, because ultimately, it's different. When I say, like, I help keynote speakers, then I'm leaving behind a large group of people who identify, we don't really identify as a speaker, but identify as someone who would want to share their expertise on stage at some point in their life.

Starting point is 00:25:12 So I thought for me it was just it made sense to include those people as well. Yeah. And when you help with this type of people, do you see like any recurring patterns or obstacles that they face and you help them with? I love this question. Yeah. So what they do, they always like literally each and every one of them would go, hey, so I'm actually like I have a dual pathway. I don't, you know, I have my coaching business. I have my speaking business.

Starting point is 00:25:40 And then there's this. I want to start doing more paid gigs, but I do have a job or I do have my company. And what they do, so the pattern here is that they focus on the format first. So keynote speaking, coaching, consulting, those are formats. I focus on positioning first, which means the outcome. So for me, I do personality first branding and positioning for people who want to speak or want to get more paid gigs. I do so through keynote speaking, for example.

Starting point is 00:26:13 I do so through social selling, branding, positioning. So what I do is I do the personality first approach, but there's like a variety of formats I can use to, you know, do that. So that's the number one mistake. And because of that, they position themselves, you know, through the format. So they will go like, I'm a coach for leaders. And then I'm like a leadership coach. I'm like, what's the outcome here?

Starting point is 00:26:40 Why you? Again, this comes down to the, so for me, personality first positioning is why then, which is your ICP, ideal customer profile. Why you, which is, you know, what, you know, what have you experienced in life that led to, you know, you being you and you're you developing your unique method or signature methodology. And lastly, why now? which comes down to a Q problem, Q standing for costly, urgent, evident,

Starting point is 00:27:11 which is the moment that, you know, your buyer, your audience realizes that they need you. Yeah, really well explained. And when you work with this type of people, I can imagine that, for example, coaches, speakers, leaders, they are, you know, like a confident people who achieved a lot.

Starting point is 00:27:30 So I can imagine that I might be wrong. It might be also hard to work with. them because if it's someone who's like a confident, it might be harder for them to accept any advice. It's like, okay, my galley, why should I listen to this and that? So what is it like actually to work with them? Of course, it's different for everyone. But what's your experience? My experience is actually the opposite. Sure, there's some big egos out there and I'm happy to not be working with them. But like so many of them and it's always women too, right? They have imposter syndrome and they the thing that is holding them back.

Starting point is 00:28:04 is their, you know, their self-esteem and them questioning themselves, which is what, which, you know, loops back to what I said in the beginning. Personal branding is very much intimate, personal work. It's not just a few content pillars and strategy and that's it. No, it's really, it's identity. And when you're working on some, you know, when you're working on identity stuff, it's very vital and, and mandatory almost that you do so in a very safe, environment. But that doesn't mean that it's not as hard for me sometimes because I have to repeat myself and I just have to like a lot like a big chunk of my time goes to encouraging people and say like just do it, do it, do it. And like a supportive person to help them. Yeah, I do feel like a therapist sometimes. But I don't mind. I love helping people. It must be especially rewarding when you see the results. For example, when I do the speech, even the keynote or something

Starting point is 00:29:03 and deliver and you're kind of the person in the background to help them to get there to achieve it. Yes, yes. So what I do, I don't really help them with speaking techniques. Like, this is, I help them with the part that comes before the stage. So when they get, like, leads or when their posts are taking off or when they're selling, you know, 50K in one day, then I'm like, whoo. But yeah, it's incredibly rewarding. Like, that's, you know, I'm all about the dopamine, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Starting point is 00:29:31 And if you look at actually your TED talk that you did, Magali, what was the experience like for you? Oh my God, I sucked. It was the worst. Like I wouldn't, you know, I don't see my TED talk as a some sort of reference for, you know, doing a great, great speech. No, it was my first talk and I just got off a 12 hour flight. I was jet lag as fuck. But it was very like, it was very overwhelming because for me, back then it was the first time I, I publicly, I spoke in. in front of such a huge audience, a large audience about autism and ADHD. I felt very vulnerable, but at the same time, very cathartic too. Like, it was liberating almost. And I feel like this became the catalyst for so many more gigs, posts, invites. And the interesting part is that they didn't hire me because I positioned myself as a speaker. They hire me because I did not.

Starting point is 00:30:31 I was just posting a lot about autism and ADHD and what that meant for career and branding and all of that. And that's why they hire me because I was solving a clear pain point like neurodivergence, not knowing how to navigate today's society or, you know, society 10 years ago. No, you said it was a bad TED talk, but for the audience, it was a good one. I watched it yesterday and it was great. So I don't say that it was terrible. I mean, I, no, I just, I would approach it totally different. Like, I would prep more, but I was very, like, I was, you know, the adrenaline was, was huge.

Starting point is 00:31:12 And actually, they hired me back to next year to present, to host that TEDx event. Oh, my God. Wow. Yes. So I didn't do that bad. What's the location? Where is it happening? Antwerp, Antwerp in Belgium. Like one of the parties.

Starting point is 00:31:26 Yeah. And it's like a speaking like this actually something that you would like to do more? You know, in theory, yes. But I feel like I want to help other people become better speakers and also not limit themselves to just speaking. Because if you stop treating keynote speaking as a format, like I said, stop treating keynote speaking as positioning instead of a format, then it becomes the entry point to so many other opportunities, workshops, premium consult. consulting services, passive like funnels and all of that. So I try to, you know, make sure keynote speaking is part of the bigger picture because it's very hard to turn this into a full-time business and just to live off of keynotes alone. Like only that one percent, top one percent

Starting point is 00:32:15 accomplish that. But still it's such a, I cannot imagine what is it like to prepare, step on the stage, deliver it. So we're impressive and really well done. Yes, yes, it is. It definitely is definitely, it's definitely an experience. And who are, Magali, then some of your inspirations, such as people, whether it would be, as we discussed speaking or LinkedIn, Brandon, or

Starting point is 00:32:39 even outside some people that you look up to, like, follow? It could be anyone, really. I don't have like some sort of some source of inspiration, but like the anti-inspiration, I can tell you a little something about that. People

Starting point is 00:32:55 who are like faking it all the time. My offer, my three-month accelerator is called Stop Faking It. Because they will, people do, like, most coaches, and I'm not trying to dis anyone, I swear, but most coaches will make everything in their power to make you believe you need like a system, a framework, a hook templates. But all of those are so useless if you don't leverage what's uniquely yours. So yeah, sorry, I don't have any, you know, some sort of inspiration. But it makes sense. And I often ask, or I like to ask people like for advice or tips on how to grow on LinkedIn. As I said before, I don't want to say viral,

Starting point is 00:33:34 which I assume that you kind of answered, like to be unique, embrace it, standout. But besides this, have you got any other advice or tips? Yeah. So again, when I say personality first, it's not about just about being unique. You also have to solve a economic problem and address people in the hook. So when the danger with the trick,

Starting point is 00:33:57 The tricky part with personality first positioning is that people post something like, oh my God, I just missed my train and now I have to wait five more hours and I'm, and I mean, great, but why should I care, right? It's like saving for Instagram, not for LinkedIn. Yes, yes, exactly. So you want to find a way to connect that to a relevant problem, a cue problem, costly, urgent, and evident that people are already aware of a problem. If you have to make them feel the problem and make them realize that, you know, that they have a problem, then you're going to have such a, I mean, it's going to take years.

Starting point is 00:34:37 So find a problem and, you know, repeat that. So people often, you know, people are scared that they're going to sound repetitive, right? But that's good. You have to repeat the problem. Not everyone is, you know, watching you and, like, judging you, hey, you already posted this. Two weeks ago, you already said that, like in some other posts, hey, here, let me find it. It was five months ago. No, just repeat yourself and find that uncopyable core that makes you the person to share expertise with your client and, you know, make you hired for your expertise.

Starting point is 00:35:16 So that would be my advice. Yeah, it's a great point. And it's also something that I sometimes struggle or struggled with as well. because I was about to post or mention something. I was like, I said that recently, it's going to be repetitive. But then you don't know, or there are so many people who, for example, see your content for the first time or people don't remember because you are bombarded with content all the time from everywhere.

Starting point is 00:35:40 So it's easy to forget. So it's just a great reminder for me as well. Yeah, awesome. And Magalie, we discussed it, what you did before, whether it's podcast or other things, which to me sounds like that you've done and you do so much. So when it comes to your time management, how do you manage to do, you know, so many things such as build a brand,

Starting point is 00:36:02 help people, business, and et cetera. Well, the blessing and, you know, both the blessing and curse, I'd say is that I don't see, and it's a cliche, because at the end of the day, you're still doing work and you're still being focused and you're still, you know, you're still, you know, overwhelming yourself with, you know, input and all of that. but I don't see my work as work like I love it, which is, you know, why it's, it's a work in progress for me to log off, like literally log off. So yesterday I went to the movies when my partner

Starting point is 00:36:31 went for dinner. Then I, you know, and, I mean, I don't always succeed, right? So just, you know, this week I went to a concert and I, you know, I was selling out my cohort and I saw these ThriveCard notifications like, oh my God, oh my God. So I couldn't even properly enjoy the concert because I was in some place else. I was elsewhere with my brain. But, yeah, like, again, I hired a PA to help me manage my time. I also don't think time is something you can manage priorities. Like, you manage priorities, not your time.

Starting point is 00:37:06 That is true. So, yeah. And I also like that you are willing or not afraid. Like, for example, what you said now, to talk about not only highs and successes, but even the real side of things. Because especially on LinkedIn or social media, you see often people posting and flexing about success and what they did well. But you don't really see what's the whole picture and what's behind it.

Starting point is 00:37:33 Yeah. And that there is much more in the background that happens, but people don't see or don't realize. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Like, and this is I really want to, you know, make people see the bigger picture, which is why I'm not going to share like the hero story. I want to talk about, you know, the mess, even while I'm still in it. Because that's the reality that everyone goes through.

Starting point is 00:37:56 And I think sometimes LinkedIn, or maybe even other platforms, look a bit too overpolished. So it's easy to compare yourself and then kind of unrealistic expectations. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. And then, Magali, I like to ask kind of lighter questions by the end of the recording. So what are some of your hobbies or what you'd like to do? in your free time. I do like to travel. I love to, you know, like to enjoy some good weather. And I actually, I feel like it's almost, you know, like a controversial to reveal this. But I love me some luxury, but not just for the luxury, because it looks just luxurious,

Starting point is 00:38:41 but because of the comfort. So I fly business class because it gives me more peace of mind, less sensory overwhelmed, not because of it. because I'm a, you know, I feel like a special little princess. So, yeah, because of, you know, the work I do, it's very, like, it gets overwhelming. So I need to be able to completely log off and to unwind. So. And do three more to ourselves. Yes, of course.

Starting point is 00:39:07 And I love doing puzzles. I love true crime, watching true crime as well. And I love taking my friends and my partner out for dinner or brunch for that matter. Yeah, and, you know, visiting family and, and, you know, spending time with them. So then what's your favorite destination? Well, that's a very loaded question. Because it used to be United States. It used to be California.

Starting point is 00:39:35 But obviously in this day and age, it's a bit, you know, I used to go, I used to travel at least three times a year to the U.S. And now I don't because of, you know, like, like, because of the turmoil. And so, yeah, and so today I probably say Portugal or Italy or some, you know, because it's sunny and it's cozy and it's, you know. And it's at least closer as well for you. Yes, yes. So it's like behind the corner, yeah. Yes, yes. And then you mentioned true crime.

Starting point is 00:40:13 I'm not that much into it, but what are, whether it's books or, I don't know, series or something, what are your favorite ones? I love JCS. There's like a YouTube channel where he analyzes the body language and then interrogation techniques from actual serial killers, which is really interesting.

Starting point is 00:40:33 Scary at this event. Oh my God. Yes, but it's also, it's, you know, that's the psychology part. Like there's so much, there's so many things people reveal from their body language and from the, you know,

Starting point is 00:40:47 the way they, they, you know, they behave and all that. I love, yeah, obviously I'm a big Ted Bundy. Not a fan of Ted Bundy, but, you know, very, you know, I read the book and I barely read books. So that's something. Yeah. So I, but I don't want to, I never want to glorify serial killer. It's not like that.

Starting point is 00:41:10 It's more like the motivations and intentions and the psychology bits of it all, I guess. Yeah. And I was about to ask you. about her favorite books, but you just said that you don't really read that much. Yeah, so I don't really read that much because of, I think it's an ADHD thing, because I can't stay focused. I'm more of like a visual person, a visual learner too. I tried audiobooks, but it's not the same, it's just not the same, but if I had to, like one book I did finish was Bad Blood by John Kerry Rao.

Starting point is 00:41:44 Oh, it's about Elizabeth Holmes. Yes, yeah. I remember when I read it and I couldn't believe that something like that actually happened. Yes, and it's such a, it's, again, it's psychology, the narcissism and the way that people use manipulation to get what they want. It's insane. It's insane. But also, again, that's also biosecology. So I, yeah, I really think it's interesting. Yeah, but it's a good one because since then I've seen like so many times in the videos, I think there was a series. But when I read it back then, I was like, wow, this actually is actually. happened. It's crazy. Yes, it's crazy. It's really crazy. And we discussed it, Magali, before the recording, about your skills with languages. So can you remind, actually, how many languages you speak and if you are planning to learn another one? I do want to get,

Starting point is 00:42:35 so I speak Dutch is my native language. Do you speak English, French, German? And I do want to get better at German because my partner is from Germany and we go to Germany a lot to visit her family and friends and I do want to get better at it because then it will be less overwhelming too right so I understand everything speaking is you know can be hard but I mean I manage but I do want to you know become more fluent and so I do want to improve the those languages and maybe Spanish at some point because it's also like a global language yeah but I love like it yeah then when you go there for holidays I don't that you said Portugal but maybe we didn't go to Spain which is like No, it's impressive, yeah.

Starting point is 00:43:21 And Magali, can you please summarize where people can find you, follow you and promote any of your services? So they can follow me on LinkedIn, obviously. I'm also launching a substack, the bookable expert on everything, personality first branding and positioning. And, you know, pretty hard to miss. So they'll find me on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the best place. Yeah. Yes.

Starting point is 00:43:41 And I will always leave any links in the show notes. And actually, are there any like a plan's goals or anything that you are planning in upcoming weeks or months that audience can be excited about? Yes. I want to help people make money from being their true selves and showing up accordingly instead of, you know, putting on some fake persona and whether that's autism, ADHD, extroversion, introversion, it doesn't matter as long as people can focus. on what it is, they're, you know, best at with their personality instead of hiding it, then, you know, and I'll, so I just launched my cohort, but I'm also launching a keynote, like I'm not working on tools and all of that with AI. So I'm pretty excited about those. So, yeah, but if you follow me on LinkedIn, you'll be the first no. Yeah, that's the best advice. And then very last question, Magali, is there anything I should have asked you at the not,

Starting point is 00:44:43 or anything you would like to share before we finish? It's very kind, but no, there's nothing I can think of. Maybe, probably if I, you know, once we stop the recording, I'll go like, oh my God, I should have said this. No, no, no, worry, just in case. I appreciate you asking. Of course. And I think we can then finish my galley.

Starting point is 00:45:07 I want to say huge, thank you. I really enjoy your content on LinkedIn. I think it's not only valuable, but I think it's also funny. And I think if it stands out, it makes you laugh. And it's just different than other stuff. Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure. And as we discussed, you are so real and authentic,

Starting point is 00:45:25 which I think gets people to talk about it quite a lot on LinkedIn, but at the same time, not everyone really is real and authentic. Yeah. I think you do it well. So I just encourage people to follow, reach out to say, once again, thank you very much for joining me. I really enjoyed it. and I will be wishing you all the best.

Starting point is 00:45:42 So thank you very much. Thank you, Thomas. Thank you. It was pleasure. Thanks for listening to Produce by with Tomen. Check the show notes for all the links. And don't forget to subscribe, like and share your feedback. Speak soon.

Produced By - From Diagnosis to Demand: Turning Difference Into Revenue | 148: Magali De Reu

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