What if the key to unlocking your next career opportunity isn't in your resume—but in your online presence?
On today’s bonus Toolkit Series episode, we’re diving deep into a powerful theme that sparked major interest in Season 1: personal brand building with Chief Commercial Officer of Bugaboo and mom of two, Jeanelle Teves, who’s redefining what executive leadership looks like in the digital age.
If you’ve ever wondered how to actually start building a personal brand while juggling work, motherhood, and a million to-dos, this is the episode for you. You’ll hear real-world strategies from an executive who made the leap from content consumer to creator—and gained new opportunities, confidence, and clarity in the process. Barbara also breaks it all down with a tactical solo strategy session you can do today to map out your own personal brand.
📢 The Evolution of Thought Leadership
Gone are the days when thought leadership was reserved for conference stages or PR placements. In this episode, Barbara reflects on how the definition has evolved—and how digital platforms are empowering individuals to lead with their own voice.
“Historically, being a thought leader was very much siloed… you were very much speaking on topics extremely specific to the product or company that you were representing. But now there is Instagram, TikTok, Substack, podcasts… platforms to develop your own POV and attract opportunities for yourself that can further your career or introduce a whole other aspect to living a dynamic life.” – Barbara Mighdoll
📱 Owning Your Narrative Through Social Media
Executive moms no longer need to wait for someone else to give them a microphone. Barbara shares how today’s tools let women show up as their full selves and express a brand beyond the boundaries of their day job.
“You no longer need to wait for the investment from your company's PR team to have your voice be heard. You have the power to create those opportunities in whatever areas you feel passionate about.” -Barbara Mighdoll
🔁 From Scrolling to Creating: The Mindset Shift
So what actually pushes someone to go from scrolling Instagram to publishing Reels? For Jeanelle, it was seeing a gap in the kind of content she wanted to consume—and realizing she could fill it.
“I loved looking at women who weren’t sharing the beautiful outfits, but the work behind the work and the how… And I didn’t see enough of it. So I was like, I can do this. One of my favorite sort of mantras is ‘Why not me?’” -Jeanelle Teves
🛣️ Building Career Lanes Outside the 9–5
Jeanelle describes her career as a highway—and content creation was just the beginning of building additional lanes. That decision expanded her identity beyond her corporate role and led to unexpected opportunities.
“My professional highway was one lane… and I decided, I’m really interested in building these other lanes—speaking, content, mentorship. They’ve actually all fed into each other and made me so much stronger in the corporate lane.” -Jeanelle Teves
💬 Vulnerability as a Leadership Advantage
Authenticity is more than a buzzword—Jeanelle believes it’s a powerful leadership tool. She shares how being selective and intentional about what she shares online helps her connect while still protecting her privacy.
“People are hungry for vulnerability… Leaders now more than ever are being encouraged to be their full selves. But once it’s on the internet, it’s on the internet. So I am pretty thoughtful about what that is.” -Jeanelle Teves
🗂️ The Content Creation Workflow
Jeanelle gets into the tactical side of her content creation practice—how she stays consistent while juggling the demands of executive life and motherhood.
“I try and post at least three times a week… I’m constantly taking B-roll, and I use CapCut to put it all together. I look at the times of day that do well, and that’s when I send it out into the world.” -Jeanelle Teves
🔂 The Power of Repetition and Content Pillars
Consistency is a huge part of building a memorable brand. Jeanelle explains why repeating themes and sticking to clear content pillars helps followers understand your message—and makes content creation easier.
“They’re all kind of feeding into each other… It’s okay to be repetitive because then your followers understand what you stand for. I go back to the same content themes and pillars.” -Jeanelle Teves
📝 Your Solo Strategy Session Playbook
Barbara closes the episode with a guided solo exercise you can do today. It’s your personal brand kickoff plan—from defining your goals to setting content boundaries and choosing your platform.
“Set a goal for why you’re building your personal brand… Write down your superpowers. Choose your platform. Think about the AI tools and systems you can use to stay consistent. With all of that, you’ll have what you need to put a plan into action.” -Barbara Mighdoll
Listen to the Episode
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Rather read the full interview than listen?
[00:00:00] Hi everyone. Welcome to the toolkit series from the new Modern Mom podcast. I'm thrilled to bring you this bonus series in between seasons. Each episode will be a quick, actionable deep dive into some of the most important themes from season one. Plus we'll explore a few niche conversations that didn't quite make the final cut, but are just too good not to share. [00:00:20] My goal is to help you build the tools you need so they're ready and waiting in your toolkit, the ones you're going to reach for to calm the chaos of career in motherhood. So today I am going to be sharing an unreleased clip from my recording with Janelle Tavis, the Chief Commercial Officer at Bugaboo and Mom of two on the very important topic of personal brand building as we advance in our careers. [00:00:44] Content creation as it pertains to being a thought leader is so important. Historically, being a thought leader was very much siloed in terms of. Opportunities to speaking at events or having an active [00:01:00] PR and byline strategy where you were very much speaking on topics extremely specific to the product or company that you were representing. [00:01:08] Then it was, how do you extend that to LinkedIn and Twitter? But again, very much focused on the company or the industry that you were working for in representing. But now there is Instagram, TikTok Substack podcasts as a platform to develop your own POV and attract opportunities for yourself that can further your own career or introduce a whole other aspect to living a dynamic life. [00:01:38] what I think is so cool about. The rise of these platforms is that you can actually create your own lanes that can be complimentary to the industry that you work in, but really give you the opportunity to develop your own personal brand and focus on your own interests, rather than the agenda of the [00:02:00] company that you represent. [00:02:01] You no longer. Need to wait for the investment from your company's PR team to have your voice be heard. You have the power to create those opportunities in whatever areas you feel passionate about, and Janelle really leaned into leveraging social media to build her own personal brand, I wanted to bring in expert insights from Janelle, an executive, and a mom who leaned into personal brand building to grow personally in and outside of her quote unquote work. And I think as such a great example to show that truly the world is your oyster if you can invest the time in yourself. [00:02:36] So let's listen to the playbook that she shared during our original recording of this podcast last year. [00:02:43] you made the conscious decision to shift from scrolling Instagram to creating content. What was the catalyst for this decision? I. The genesis of me deciding to make that shift from consuming content to creating content was really twofold. One, I. [00:02:59] Looked [00:03:00] at what I gravitated towards. And I loved looking at women who weren't sharing the beautiful outfits, but the work behind the work and the how and those little glimpses of like, this is how I get things done. But I didn't see a lot of it and enough of it, and I. Was really inspired by a lot of that, and so I was like, I, I can do this. [00:03:23] That's one of my favorite sort of mantras is why not me? And so after years of just like watching and learning and absorbing, I really wanted to take a swing at it. One of my favorite mentors, Craig Siegel, he describes his life as a highway and for a really long time, my professional highway was one lane, which was executive corporate digital strategists. [00:03:47] Great marketer and I decided, Hey, these other lanes, like I'm really interested in building these other lanes, like I'm really interested in speaking, so maybe this is another lane I can create for myself. And then, okay. I really love [00:04:00] content and I see social media as a modern tool right now for women in business. [00:04:04] Let me try my hand at creating content as a way to just brand myself. And then that ended up being an incredible lane. And then that has actually fed into other lanes I didn't even think about. Writing a book, being an advisor, coaching and mentoring women mentorship has become another lane and and they actually all feed into each other and they have made me so much stronger in the corporate lane because I can see this modern sort of diversification of content creatorship and how to connect with consumers online. [00:04:38] Being at the other side of the table has actually really helped my day job, which is. Being at the C-suite because not a lot of people at that level are fully dialed and tapped into some of the modern tools like TikTok and Instagram and YouTube, and so all the lanes are kind of like feeding each other now, which has been an amazing benefit that I didn't even know [00:05:00] was there. [00:05:00] I think in general, people are hungry for vulnerability, and whether that's online or offline, leaders now more than ever, are being welcomed and encouraged to be their full selves because this archaic one dimension. Thought, which is you cannot be great at your career and be a mother and be a friend and be a partner is sort of aging out. [00:05:23] And so even if an executive has zero online presence, I think that what the next generation of talent and it's actually celebrated now, honesty and vulnerability in the right way. So how do I sort of navigate that online? I share a lot about the tools and the how and certain slices of my day, but there's also a lot that I don't share because it's private. [00:05:49] And that's a great thing about being on social. You can make the choices of the areas that you do share. [00:05:54] But the lens that I always go through is, here's a tool or here's a system [00:06:00] that I use and it has helped me. Insert situation in the morning or having a direct conversation, having a difficult conversation, becoming a manager for the first time, being in the boardroom for the first time. So I always try and paint the picture of here's the scenario and then here's the tool. [00:06:19] And then if you take only 1% of that and use that, and that made you 1%. Happier in the mornings, or it made that conversation with your boss 1% easier, then that is all I could hope for. But I'm pretty selective on what those scenarios are because there's a lot that I do share. But once it's on the internet, it's on the internet. [00:06:38] So I am pretty thoughtful about what that is. When you think about building this platform and creating your content, how have you actually been able to commit to that? Because it is such a big job. I would love if you can share if you have any specific approaches like batching or if you outsource some aspects of that, because content creation is a full-time job [00:07:00] on top of your full-time job as a mom and full-time job at Bugaboo. [00:07:04] so there's the art and the science of it. Right. And I think the science of it, I try and post at least three times a week and there are things at certain times that the algorithm likes and you learn that. also asking a lot of, of my peers around me, so a couple. Content creators that are either in similar spaces or they're in a completely different industry, but I have a lot of respect for how they're growing their platforms will trade insights and it's, it's super generous and it goes two ways, [00:07:33] One thing that I talk about a lot is my morning routine. It is certainly not groundbreaking. A lot of women have talked about morning routines for decades, but for me, I have a really specific morning routine. I made a reel about it that did extremely well, and then. I create an in an infographic around that, and then every morning I'm like taking stories of the breakfast that I talk about in the reels. [00:07:58] And so they're all kind [00:08:00] of feeding into each other. And what I've realized is that it's okay to be repetitive because then your followers understand what it is that you stand for. So. I go back to the same content themes and pillars. I think another thing that works really well for me is I'm constantly taking B roll. [00:08:18] And if you notice, my style around reels is very narrative, so It's like a 32nd reel of many different behind the scenes shots. And I overlay a voiceover around it, usually with one really crisp tool. I'm making a coffee, I'm taking B roll of it. I am walking to the subway, I'm taking B roll of it, and then I just, I use cap cut, which is a great edit editing tool, and I just drop in all that B roll. [00:08:45] I cut it up a certain way. That's kind of my style. Then the voiceover is, I mean, that, that's where my special sauce comes in. I have always loved storytelling, English, writing. Those were always my favorite classes in college, and I've just kind of tapped into [00:09:00] what has always come naturally to me, and I try and tell a story in 30 seconds, and I put it all together and look at your insights. [00:09:08] Look at the times of day that do well, that your followers are most online. And that's when I send it out into the world. [00:09:14] Wow. I am so amazed by how much Janelle was able to share in such a short part of our interview. Lots to work with here. let's get started . [00:09:22] So what is a tangible tool that you can put away in your toolkit on this topic? Here is your strategy session playbook. What I want you to do is schedule a two hour solo strategy session to set the plan on building your personal brand. [00:09:41] Here's the exact agenda to follow for that session. One, set a goal for why you are building your personal brand. Is it to land that promotion? Is it to change industries? Is it to provide mentorship? Is it to start planting the seeds to start your [00:10:00] own business? Is it because you have deep passions outside of work and wanna connect with others? [00:10:05] On the same. Next, define the skill sets that make you really good at your job. Think of past performance evaluations. Are there particular skills that have been noted repeatedly? What do you think you're really good at? Then I want you to write down what your superpowers are, and I know defining this can sometimes be challenging and overwhelming, so. [00:10:28] I want you to think about a couple of things. What are the types of projects at work or at home that make you energized? What did you bring to the table on those projects that made them successful? Or ask yourself, what moments in your career or life have you felt most proud hone in on these areas to start thinking about what makes you you. [00:10:52] What is your superpower? Then you need to think about the subjects you're passionate about, in what subset [00:11:00] of topics underneath you feel you would add value to. These are topics that you want to go heavy and deep dive into research. These are topics that you feel like you are incredibly knowledgeable on. [00:11:12] These will become your content pillars, which are those repeatable topics. You will create content on consistently. Then you need to choose your platform. My advice, do few things, but do them very well. I. Pick one platform only to start. Are you passionate about visuals and videos? Maybe consider Instagram. [00:11:33] Do you like to write? If short form, maybe LinkedIn is the right answer. Or if you like longer form content, maybe Substack and starting a newsletter is the right choice. Do you like to talk? Maybe starting a podcast and placing it on YouTube could be interesting for you. Then you need to think about. What the AI landscape looks like and what tools you can integrate into your process to make everything easier. [00:11:59] Here's a little [00:12:00] behind the scenes tip. I use AI in like every single process of my content creation plan. Next, you need to think about what. Systems to put in place to be consistent, which Janelle kind of refers to as like the science part of it. So how many times a week are you going to commit to posting? [00:12:19] Are you going to focus on certain formats? So for example, if you are going to focus on Instagram, are you going to lean into reels? Are you going to lean into both? Next, think about pre-scheduling all of your content in the form of time batching. So what time of the day are you going to write content? Is there certain. [00:12:39] Day of the week that you're going to write content. Time batching is such a critical skill for staying consistent. Then you need to think personally about the concept of boundaries in content creation. What do you want to share and what do you not want to share? Ultimately, going back to your content pillars and where you feel like you can [00:13:00] provide value is going to help shape what those boundaries look like for you. [00:13:05] With all of that, you will have just what you need to put a plan into action and start building a personal brand that will lead to new opportunities. [00:13:14] Alright, thanks for tuning in to this toolkit series on the new Modern Mom podcast. [00:13:19] I hope today's tips help simplify the chaos of career in motherhood one tool at a time. [00:13:25] I would seriously love to hear from you. My dms are always open, and I wanna know if this toolkit was helpful. Have you started putting together your personal brand building plan? What topics do you plan to talk about? What platform are you focused on? Let me know. [00:13:40] If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to subscribe. Give a five star rating and leave a review. You can always connect with me on LinkedIn. Follow new Modern Mom on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter. [00:13:52] Your support means so much as I continue my mission to help more moms find work life fulfillment. Until next time. [00:14:00]Author
