BRAVING: A Personal Branding Blueprint

What trust has to do with how you show up in the world

Recently, I was listening to Brené Brown in a conversation with Marie Forleo. She talks about her book Braving the Wilderness, where she elaborates on the acronym BRAVING, a trust-building framework she coined earlier in her research.

It stuck with me because it felt like a quintessential analogy of personal branding.

In a world obsessed with image, visibility, and tactics, we often forget the invisible thread that holds a personal brand together: Trust.

And BRAVING helps us see trust not as a vague feeling, but as a structure — something built, brick by brick, through behaviour.

BRAVING — The Anatomy of Trust

Here’s what each letter stands for, as defined by Brené:

• B – Boundaries

• R – Reliability

• A – Accountability

• V – Vault (confidentiality)

• I – Integrity

• N – Non-judgment

• G – Generosity

And here’s how I’ve experienced these — not as ideals, but as honest struggles and gradual learning:

B – Boundaries

There were times I said yes just to be accepted. And times I said no too late.

Setting boundaries isn’t easy when you’re building a presence, but without them, your sense of self begins to erode.

Boundaries are self-respect, made visible.

R – Reliability

I’ve missed deadlines. I’ve overpromised, sometimes out of insecurity.

But over time, I’ve learned that trust grows from showing up again and again, even in small, ordinary ways. Reliability is not grand — it’s grounded.

A – Accountability

Owning mistakes is painful. But every time I’ve leaned into it — admitted where I went wrong, made amends — it actually deepened the trust others placed in me.

A strong personal brand doesn’t hide its errors. It takes responsibility and rebuilds.

V – Vault

Keeping confidences. Respecting silence. Knowing what’s mine to share and what isn’t.

These small acts create an unspoken safety around you. And that safety is part of what makes a brand feel real.

I – Integrity

Doing what’s right instead of what’s easy, or trendy, or viral — that’s been a hard-earned practice.

When your values show up in your choices, people don’t just remember your message — they remember your stance.

N – Non-judgment

I’ve judged. I’ve also been judged — often unfairly.

Non-judgment isn’t neutrality. It’s the courage to stay open, to listen without fixing, and to accept without labelling.

G – Generosity

This one asks the most of me.

It means extending the most generous interpretation to others’ words and actions.

And it starts by being generous with yourself — replacing inner criticism with clarity, not cruelty.

These are not tactics. They’re tests.

They ask, again and again:

Are you who you say you are?

Your personal brand isn’t your positioning. It’s your pattern of showing up.

And sometimes, when we don’t have enough clarity, affirmation, or feedback, we start to fill in the blanks with assumptions.

That’s when Brené’s other line hit me even harder:

“When we don’t have data, we make up stories.”

— Brené Brown

I’ve done that.

I’ve invented narratives in my head when a message was late, a response was missing, or an opportunity went quiet.

I didn’t wait for data. I filled the silence with fear.

Now, I try to pause. Ask. Clarify.

Because if trust is the spine of a personal brand, clarity is its nervous system.

Closing Note

BRAVING, as shared by Brené Brown, was created to unpack the anatomy of trust, and that is exactly how it reached me.

What you’ve read above is my personal reflection on how her framework speaks to personal branding in today’s world. The interpretations are mine, but the heart of the idea — and its integrity — is hers.

If ever she stumbles across this, I hope she sees it as a standing ovation.

Because in a world chasing followers, she reminded us to build trust first — and to build it slow.

That’s where The S-Cube and CLAPS come in.

Think of them as your navigation tools in a world that demands trust, presence, and value.

The S-Cube: Skill Up > Stand Out > Succeed >>>

→ Because building trust starts with showing up with a skill,

→ Grows when you stand out with clarity and consistency,

→ And sustains when you succeed by delivering value.

CLAPS: Communication | Language | AI | Personal Brand | Skills

→ These five are no longer optional — they are your visible proof of competence and character.

→ Especially Personal Brand, which, as we’ve explored through BRAVING, is not a performance — it’s alignment. With yourself. With your values.

And when you align, you don’t need to shout. Your presence speaks.

For more, visit my website:

https://girishmiglani.com/