I can’t say that I’ve always been a fan of Gabrielle Union, but I did begin to pay more attention to her and her body of work when I started watching “Being Mary Jane” a few years ago. On the show, Gabrielle portrayed Mary Jane Paul’s lead character, a successful news reporter looking for love while climbing the corporate ladder. 

Her character was easy to relate to in more ways than one, as her struggles mirrored so many of the same struggles that many upwardly mobile women face daily, especially Black women. The show has long been canceled, but I have continued to follow Gabrielle’s personal quest to use her voice to explore and shed light on the topics of gender equity, mental health, and the various issues women face as they undertake motherhood.

Fast-forward to this month (March 2022) and the launch of “Getting Real with Gabrielle Union,” a three-month series that she is doing with LinkedIn focused on addressing the issues that underrepresented entrepreneurs and professionals face. The goal is to uplift these underrepresented individuals by exploring the areas that present challenges and solutions that challenge the status quo.

The series is a part of LinkedIn’s ongoing #IAmProfessional campaign, which seeks to reevaluate what being “professional” means in today’s world. Back to Gabrielle, she shared in the Hollywood Reporter that she agreed to be a part of the campaign because she “felt that the mission aligned with her own businesses, which are focused on expanding and amplifying Black and Brown communities..” 

Her statement is the key message of this article. When building a solid personal brand, you must be crystal clear about what that brand represents. Make sure that you can answer the following questions:

• What do you stand for?
• What is off-limits?
• What makes you different from others like you?

AND…. once you have the answers…make sure that EVERYTHING you do is in line with them.
You can join Gabrielle’s thought-provoking discussion on LinkedIn by following her profile here!