I Had to Lose My Voice to Find It
Published on June 14, 2025
by Kennedy Kero
For almost four years, I was building someone else’s dream, and I was thriving in it.
We launched a membership community for female entrepreneurs (InnerFifth). I built systems, led teams, ran events, and showed up every single day to support ambitious women chasing big goals. I wasn’t just along for the ride—I was driving the bus. And for a while, it felt like everything I wanted.
Until it didn’t.
Somewhere in the middle of all that momentum… I realized I couldn’t hear myself anymore.
When You Sacrifice Yourself for Someone Else
Let me be clear: I’m endlessly grateful for the experience I had in that season. Working as the right hand to a serial entrepreneur and being entrusted to run a start-up that supported visionary founders and put me in the room with powerhouses in every industry taught me everything I know about community, marketing, presence, and leadership.
It shaped my work ethic but also led me to really understand who I am and what I bring to the table. It expanded my network. It ignited my entrepreneurial spirit.
But it also made it easy to lose sight of myself.
It was subtle at first, like lowering your voice in a room that’s too loud.
And when my full-time role shifted to a part-time contractor position, the emotional waves hit all at once:
Grief.
Relief.
A bit of an identity crisis.
And then… clarity.
My Biggest Epiphany That Changed My Life’s Trajectory
I didn’t want a job.
I didn’t want to apply for new roles.
I have been searching and searching for my future self, and I know for certain that she does not live in a corporate 9-to-5 job.
What I wanted was to chase my goals and dreams again… but first I had to figure out what the heck those were.
To gain clarity on who I was beyond the company I had helped build. To reconnect with the future version of myself, I used to have such a vivid picture of it, but I had lost it somewhere in the day-to-day grind of being a really effective second-in-command.
So I did something I’ve helped other founders do a hundred times—but had never done for myself:
I started building my own thing.
The Problem I See Over and Over Again in Founders
Through my work supporting high-performing women, I noticed a significant gap: brilliant, purpose-driven founders were doing everything right in their businesses. Still, they were completely disconnected from their personal brand.
They had the results. The vision. The story.
But their presence didn’t match their power.
Their messaging felt disconnected.
Their content didn’t convert—or worse, it exhausted them.
Their brand didn’t feel like them.
And because of that, they were hitting visibility ceilings, which then creates revenue ceilings, which we never want to have if we are working day and night to scale a company. Scaling felt harder than it needed to be. And in many cases, they were heading toward burnout.
So I started a company to solve that.
Now I help founders develop personal brand strategies that build authority, create credibility, and support sustainable visibility—without burning out or becoming someone they’re not.
I Also Started a Newsletter
Because… of course I did. I love to talk and I love to be heard.
It’s called One More Thing—because I always have one more story, one more lesson, one more brand insight, I wish I had more room to share.
It’s a newsletter for the founder, creative, or still-figuring-it-out person who’s building something real—and trying to stay true to themselves while they do it.
Inside, I share:
Voice & visibility I usually reserve for clients
Branding shifts that make showing up feel good
Personal reflections from this in-between season
Thoughts that don’t make it to LinkedIn… or my “professional” bio
You Can’t Build a Personal Brand Without a Voice
If you’ve lost yourself inside someone else’s dream, this is for you.
If you’re craving a personal brand that feels like home and opens doors, this is for you.
You don’t have to perform to be visible.
You don’t need a job title to have a voice.
You don’t need a perfect brand to start building one that feels true.
You need a moment of clarity and the courage to start.
This is mine.
If you’re looking for yours, I hope One More Thing helps you find it.
With love (and maybe a little reverb),
Kennedy
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