The people closest to Keren Eldad thought her content was so embarrassing they offered her a loan, a place to live, and her old job back. Keren Eldad, better known online as Coach Keren, is a coach, author, and speaker who built a business around mindset, identity, and behavior change. In this episode, we get into why Keren started calling herself “Coach Keren” before the business even existed, why claiming an identity before you feel ready matters, and the exact reason most people stay trapped in the cringe phase of building a personal brand. She explains why consistency is the only metric that matters in the beginning, why self-doubt is built on a false narrative, and how to stop waiting until you’re “qualified enough” to start sharing what you know. We also get into what she calls “Purgatory” the place where people have 400 post drafts, multiple coaches, endless strategies, and still haven’t hit publish. Keren shares the mindset shift that’s helped thousands of clients finally take action, her “assume everybody likes you” rule, and why most fears around personal branding are just scarcity stories wearing different outfits. Oh, we get into speaking. She breaks down how she landed two TEDx talks, why most aspiring speakers should stop waiting for invitations and start creating their own opportunities, and the outreach strategy she’d use if she wanted another TEDx talk tomorrow. Plus: books, comparison, criticism, trolls, and the one thing she believes every ambitious person owes themselves.If you’ve been waiting until you feel ready to put yourself out there, this conversation is your wake-up call. 📘 Career Cheat Codes - IT’S OUT!!!My new book Career Cheat Codes is now available to order. It’s a practical guide to building career leverage, growing your visibility, and turning your expertise into real opportunities.Order yours → penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807588/career-cheat-codes-by-courtney-johnson/ 03:53 Why she started calling herself “Coach Keren” before she had clients04:45 The imposter syndrome that came with claiming the identity first09:13 Her boss asked if she needed her old job back11:27 Cringe is just self-doubt wearing a costume22:09 The danger of having 400 drafts and posting none of them24:15 Taylor Swift’s approach to trolls.34:23 The books she considers non-negotiable reading36:19 How speaking became her career42:47 The TEDx application strategy she’d use today57:05 The real reason she wrote GILDED and GILT FREE About Keren EldadA thought leader in the coaching world, Keren Eldad ("Coach Keren") specializes in taking high achievers out of the futility of constant pursuit and into the greatest levels of success and fulfillment. Her coaching clients include Olympic athletes, politicians, Hollywood stars, supermodels, Special Forces operatives and serial entrepreneurs, as well as renowned global organizations such as Estée Lauder, J.P. Morgan, and Nike.Recognized as a Top Ten Executive Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Real Leaders Magazine, & Goop, Keren maintains gold-standard coaching credentials on top of her advanced academic degrees from The London School of Economics and the University of Jerusalem. She is also a former C-suite executive, who has lived and worked in 17 countries and on four continents, and now coaches leaders all around the globe in four languages: English, Spanish, Hebrew and French. With half a million views on her TEDx talks, and speaking engagements all over the world, Keren's message seems to transcend borders. She hopes it resonates with you. Connect with Keren👍 Instagram: @coachkeren💼 LinkedIn: Keren Eldad🌐 Website: kereneldad.com Stay connected with me📧 Contact: courtney@smoothmedia.co👍 Instagram: @builtinpublicpod👍 Instagram: @courtlynnjohnson💼 LinkedIn: Courtney Johnson🎶 TikTok: @courtney..johnson