Abbey Naylor’s Post

How to show up and share your expertise when you're new to your career or don’t quite feel like an 'expert' yet. Lastnight, I was on the panel alongside Monica Walmsley at the RCSA Australia and New Zealand Next Gen event. It felt like home diving back into my recruitment roots, and reconnecting with the industry that started it all for me, especially with the familiar and clever face Laura Paixao who helped organised and bring the event to life. I’ve always had a soft spot for the recruitment industry, especially for those starting out in their first five years and looking to lean into the power of personal branding. There’s so much potential for recruiters to stand out by simply showing up and sharing their journey and expertise. Gone are the days when simply posting a job ad on LinkedIn would do the trick—people don’t want to be sold to anymore; they want to connect with the person behind the brand. If you're starting out in your recruitment career (or any) and you don't quite know what your brand is yet, but you want to position yourself as an 'expert', try this: → Be curious and experiment—soak up everything you can. → Dive into your industry by asking questions, follow and reach out to leaders or creators, listen to podcasts, document the conversations you're having with clients and colleagues, and read up on everything you can get your hands on. → Share what you learn in your own way. Show up, be yourself, and let people in on the journey. People will connect with your authenticity and growth—so don’t stress about having it all figured out in the beginning. The growth happens in the experimenting and iterating on what works for you, and your brand will build itself naturally over time. Thanks for having me RCSA Australia and New Zealand and for creating a space for the new gen. If you were there, drop a comment below—I’d love to connect with you! #boldmood #linkedingrowth #recruitment

This might ruffle some feathers, but.. This is YOUR LinkedIn, not your employer’s. Yesterday, I had a few people ask me about how to balance building a personal brand on LinkedIn while working for someone else. The common concern was, "I want to post more on LinkedIn, but I don’t want to upset my employer." The reality is, most businesses (well, smart ones) will encourage their employees to build their personal brands intentionally. Why? 1. It highlights that they have proactive, thought leaders on their team. 2. With the right intent, it can drive traffic to the company page or business. 3. It shows that the company values and supports its employees' career growth beyond just their role. Of course, it's important to be aware of your employer’s policies around social media and branding. But remember, they don’t own your social media. Your personal brand can be separate from your day job or aligned with it, depending on your goals. I'd love to hear your take on this. Let me know below. And if you’re looking to start sharing your story and expertise, but aren’t sure how to balance this with your 9-to-5, let’s connect. #boldmood #linkedingrowth

BRB, just ticking off my 2024 vision board. It was one of those days where, instead of rushing to the next goal post, I took a moment to soak up this one. How often do we achieve something and then immediately move on without taking a breath to appreciate it? Or instantly think what you could have done better instead of focusing on what went well? Today wasn’t that day for me. Today, I was the guest speaker at the Gen Collective event, where I was joined by 50 engaged, curious, and eager-to-learn business owners, leaders, and professionals. We covered mindset blocks, laid the groundwork for building an influential personal brand, and explored how to optimise LinkedIn profiles to increase opportunities and leads. I’ve hosted plenty of masterclasses and workshops online, but there’s just something special about the energy of an in-person event—or maybe it was this incredible community. So, if you’re ready to learn more about how you or your team can build an influential personal brand to increase leads and opportunities on LinkedIn, I’ve got 2 spots left for my online or in-person masterclass this September. DM me to secure your spot! PS, take this as your sign to pause and appreciate how far you’ve come. #boldmood #linkedingrowth

Over the weekend, I went camping (and by camping, I of course mean glamping in a cosy cabin with running water) to celebrate my friend's 30th. No laptop. No notifications. No deadlines. Just a chance to unplug and be present. Unheard of right?? The road trip and long drive are always a highlight for me—a great opp to reflect, catch up on calls, or listen to the audiobooks I’ve been saving. This time, I chose the latter and finally listened to ‘The Mountain Is You’ by Brianna Wiest. With every chapter, I found myself nodding along to all the aha moments, feeling like Wiest was speaking directly to me. But there was one particular line that really hit home: “Instead of perfection, focus on progress. Instead of having something done perfectly, focus on just getting it done. From there, you can edit, build, grow, and develop it to exactly what your vision is.” I see people getting caught up in the perfection mindset when it comes to showing up online. I’ve been there too, especially when I first started out. I remember overthinking every little thing: “How many !!! is it too many?” “I feel like I’m just repeating myself.” “Will anyone even care what I’m posting about?” The reality is, progress beats perfection every time. The sooner you take that first step, the sooner you can refine, adapt, and even inspire others to do the same. But if you don’t get started, you’ll never arrive. Today’s a great day to take that first step and build the muscle. Let’s connect and get you started. PS, how good is it to switch off, go off the grid with loved ones and taking a real break ft no screens or emails? Take this as your sign to book some time off grid. And if you're based in NSW, I recommend this place. DM for deets. #boldmood #linkedingrowth

There's a certain energy when September hits. Stale and stagnant feeling of Winter leaves our system (in Australia) and we all have the will to leave the house again as the weather heats up and the days get longer. Also, it's when events heat back up in my world 🔥 If you've been interesting in learning more about LinkedIn or what it's like to work with me, here's what's coming up that you can get involved in: → First up, the Gen Collective event, sponsored by ASR Recruitment on Tuesday, September 10th in Newcastle. I’ll be leading a workshop on managing limiting beliefs about showing up online and laying the foundations for an influential personal brand. Only 10 tickets left—link in the comments. → I’ll reconnect with my roots in the recruitment industry at the RCSA Australia and New Zealand's Next Gen event on Thursday, September 12th in Sydney. Joined by Monica Walmsley, we'll be speaking to those about the power of personal branding in the first 5 years of your recruitment career. → Emma Williams who runs Maxx Marketing, has built an impressive community of nearly 100K followers on Instagram and an award-winning business. I’m excited to join their member lounge as an expert speaker, where I’ll be discussing all things LinkedIn—how to get started and build the foundations of an influential personal brand. If you’re looking for someone whose professional love language is all things personal branding on LinkedIn, and your community, team, or business wants to learn how to leverage its potential, let’s connect. I’d love to speak at your next event. #boldmood #personalbranding #linkedingrowth

End of week reminder. If you want to connect with people in DMs (and you do), but replying feels like an extreme sport for you, do this. Use the voice note feature. → It's more efficient (if you're not a chronic over thinker who gets distracted easily 👀) → It's personalised and people can pick up on your vibe and tone. → You can do it whilst you're frantically running between meetings. This feature has saved my butt a few times when replies were staring me down in my inbox. Friendly tip: try to keep it short and sharp and not a mini podcast ep. I wrote this for me 😆 Do you use this feature? And what are some other Linkedin features that help make your life easier? Let me know below. #personalbranding #linkedingrowth

There will be people who just don’t like you, because you’re you. There will be people who enjoy your content but never engage with it. There will be people who misunderstand you no matter what you do. There will be people who judge you based on a past version of yourself. But there will also be people who are inspired by you, who see your growth and resonate with your journey. What you’ll realise is that people can only perceive you from their own level of growth and healing. The beauty in personal branding lies in showing up, even when it feels vulnerable and you're still figuring things out. You don't learn by just thinking about sharing your story and expertise—you do it by experimenting, iterating, and doing (and letting go of worrying about what the wrong people think). Creativity thrives in the absence of perfection. If you’re ready to build an influential personal brand and show up confidently on Linkedin, let's connect. DM me to chat. #boldmood #personalbranding #linkedingrowth

The algorithm can be a beast. So, I’ve simplified and shared the most important insights to help you tackle the weird and wonderful world of LinkedIn with confidence in this month's newsletter. In my final edition, I've covered: → Learn how your interactions on LinkedIn can directly influence what you see—and who sees you. → Discover which types of posts perform best and how to use them to your advantage. → Mobile vs. desktop → The do's and don't of external links in your posts (the impact might shock you). → Get the lowdown on when and how often to post for the best results. So, grab your coffee, and like, share, and tell your LinkedIn friends. And don't forget to subscribe to stay in the loop 👇 #boldmood #linkedingrowth

12 month ago, I jumped on a flight to Bali to meet people I had only met on LinkedIn. At the time, Bold Mood was only 2 months old and a side gig alongside my corporate gig. I was overwhelmed, overworked and overstimulated. It showed in how present I was in conversations, my energy and mood and the cute stress eczema I developed—even though I’d never had eczema before. Earlier in the year, I was juggling university, building my business, and my career, pushing myself as hard as I could. I believed that working harder and playing less would lead to better results and faster progress. Turns out, when you're stuck in a scarcity mindset and haven't taken a proper holiday in over 9 years, it’s a recipe for what felt like burnout. I put in leave from my corporate gig even before I heard about Bali—I just knew I needed some time off regardless of what it was. When I got the message from Shane Hatton and Declan Edwards about putting together a business-style retreat in Bali, I knew the timing was no coincidence—the universe was practically screaming at me. Next thing I know, I'm standing next to Tahnee McWhirter in the airport line whilst messaging her "Where are you? I'm in the line at the airport", followed by one of the most transformative and vulnerable weeks, where I let my inner child run free again after being so tightly wound and stuck in hustle mode. I don’t think I’ve ever managed to tell a long story short (clearly, lol), but the moral is this: take the break you need, connect with people who inspire you and allow you to be yourself, and finally schedule that coffee catch-up with a LinkedIn connection you’ve been putting off—you never know where the conversation might lead. One connection became a client, and the others have remained some of my biggest supporters in business. When’s the last time you reached out to a LinkedIn connection or did something outside of your comfort zone? #boldmood #baliretreat