Branding and brand image is an important part of business, so this week I chat with holistic branding expert, Hayley Barile. We talk about what holistic branding means (2:30), how to build a brand (5:38) and creating emotions in your brand story (9:29). Listen in for tips and Hayley’s inspirational entrepreneur journey from design agency to successful business owner.
Connect with Hayley: contact@hayleybarile.com
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Intro
Hi, my loves. Welcome back to The Wanderlover Podcast. We have a special guest on the show today. Holistic branding expert Hayley Barile Haley helps passion-driven entrepreneurs align their online brand with their business and life purpose. She is also a dear member of momentum mastermind, and we are so excited to have her with us here today. Welcome to the show Hayley.
Hayley:
Hey everyone. It’s lovely to be here.
Danielle :
Where are you in the world right now?
Hayley:
I am in Canada, Calgary, Alberta. So it’s in the west part of Canada.
How Hayley Barile got started in the world of branding.
Danielle:
Amazing. Thank you so much for being here. So to start, we would love to just hear about your story with branding and how you got into the world of branding.
Hayley:
Sure. So before I actually went to design school, I went to business school and I went to university of Calgary for general studies. I always knew that I was a creative person, but it took me a while to have the confidence to actually pursue that. So when I finally decided to pursue that and go to design school, we did all kinds of projects. And the branding projects I found were very, very enjoyable for me. It, it was so inspiring for me to tell a story through graphics and to not only tell the story, but learn about the different stories and the different, the different feelings you can get from color and the way things are arranged, and the words that you use. It’s like telling a story visually. And I really loved that. I worked for an agency for four years after graduating, where I did all kinds of design, website design, I did a little bit of branding, I did some animation work. But after I left the agency, I really had to decide what I wanted to focus on and where, where I was inspired. And so naturally branding just kind of came to be.
And so now I run my own creative business and I am specializing right now in a holistic branding, which is branding, but it’s not just creating a beautiful visual for your business. It’s diving a bit deeper and knowing the business owner and making sure that they’re happy and they’re inspired and they’re driven in their business and not just creating a beautiful facade. It’s about making sure everything is aligned and authentic.
Danielle:
I love that. And it sounds like you saw a gap in the market, right? Some graphic designers, they may only care about the facade and not really dive into the story behind every business.
Why focus on the story behind the brand.
Can you explain a little bit about what drew you to really focus on the story behind each entrepreneur and why you’re so passionate about aligning their purpose with the creativity side?
Hayley:
For sure. Yeah. So in my own life naturally through kind of all the things I’ve been through all the anxiety and past just, just the past challenges that I’ve been through naturally mindfulness and aligning my own life has been a big part of my life. And so that healing journey is something that I want to share with others. I want others to be able to not be afraid to choose the life they desire and not be afraid to align everything and know that that’s actually possible because there was a time when I didn’t even think that that was possible. It seemed like a pipe dream, but there’s definitely a gap in the market for it.
And I think, especially since COVID as well, a lot of people are kind of forced to reevaluate their lives and their jobs, and really tune more back into themselves and what they truly want in their lives, I think, I hope that I’m just the beginning of it. Like I hope every business starts, starts structuring themselves more towards a holistic standpoint.
Danielle:
Yeah. And I bet a lot of listeners can relate when you’re working towards something and it just doesn’t seem aligned or it doesn’t seem authentic or something within you, you know, feels off. And I think that can happen exactly the same with branding. Like if you are showing up online in a way that doesn’t feel aligned, it really affects how you show up and how you’re perceived to your audience. So you just want to make sure you’re talking to me on this chat. I know exactly what you sound like, what you look like. And that’s like, kind of what you want your personality and your character to show up on all of your platforms as well.
Hayley:
For sure. And like your clients and customers and anyone who interacts with your business, they can feel that instantly. Like if something’s phony, they can sense it. And it just doesn’t resonate with them at like, as such a deep level. So it’s super important.
Where do you start with building a brand?
Yeah. I would love to hear it. Maybe a listener. They have no idea what, like the world of branding even entails. When I first spoke with a graphic designer branding expert, I was like, well, I had no idea, like all of these small details make a difference. Can you just give an overview of what you start with when you start designing branding package and then like the different components, like colors, fonts, et cetera,
Hayley:
For sure. Yeah. I actually get that question a lot. When people ask me what I do and I say graphic design, they’re like, oh, so what do you do? Cause they’re like, oh, like, it can be so many different things, right? Like any sign you see on the street, any sort of pamphlet or thing on social media, it all kind of comes into graphic design. And so branding is like the overall look and feel and messaging of a company. So it’ll be anything from a logo to your typefaces, to your colors, to your messaging, to what you sell. And it all works together to feel like one cohesive brand.
So companies like Nike do this really, really well. You know, they have this like just do it motto it’s, it’s this whole feeling of motivation and empowerment. And that’s actually what the brand is, not athletic clothing. Their brand is like empowerment and motivation. And so when I build your brand, we’re going to dive deep and we’re going to take a look at first of all, why you’re so inspired by the business that you created. But then we’re going to take a look at what it is that you want to sell in your messaging. Like we’re going to take a look at the value that you’re providing for your customer.
So for example, if you’re selling, let’s think let’s take your end a brand. For example, you’re selling like jewelry. You’re not just selling jewelry. You’re selling this feeling of being on a beach, this feeling of, you know, women empowerment, this feeling of treating yourself, you know? And so that’s something that you’re going to put into your branding and your photography and the colors that you use. You know, you’re not going to use a blocky type face because that just doesn’t feel like your brand. So branding is a strategy, but it’s also a lot about the feeling, you know, cause that’s how you’re connecting with your customer through the motion.
Hayley:
That’s how you’re going to build that lasting relationship.
Danielle:
Yeah. And I think what’s fascinating is for the consumers, like you see the end point of branding, you see when it’s all produced and shown to you and you absorb the emotion and you absorb everything presented. But what you do is like taking a step back before the feelings even come into play. It’s like, how do we produce that feeling? Right? Like what can we do so that as soon as they see it, this is how the brand comes off. And I think it’s like almost psychological because it’s not just, let’s pair these colors with these fonts, with this message. It’s literally like you create this beautiful holistic package from scratch, but once the consumer or the end customer sees it, it all makes sense. And they’re like, whoa, this is exactly who she is or who they are.
Hayley:
Yeah, totally. And with that too, like there’s a lot of back and forth and like testing things out as well. Like seeing what works, what doesn’t getting a lot of opinions on it. Cause things like colors can be so subjective. You know, one person can think it’s powerful and another person can think it’s sexy. You know? So it’s, it’s definitely like, a team effort I think. And getting them, getting more people involved is going to make your brand more effective.
Sparking emotions in your brand story.
What are your favorite, I guess, types of businesses to work with and what are some emotions that you help your clients evoke in their branding?
Hayley:
I love this question. Okay. So yeah, the clients that I’m looking for in a way they’re similar to me, but in the sense of like, I like clients who are open-minded, you know, they’re open to new ideas, they’re passion driven in their business. They love what they do. They are inspired and they want to make the world a better place. That’s a huge one, like businesses with good intentions. Like I’m so attracted to that. When I see that you love what you do and you’re in your, into your business. That’s so attractive to me in like a branding perspective.
I love to do branding for businesses that are in line with my passions and interests. So things like travel music, surfing, dancing, spirituality, all that kind of stuff. So maybe it’s like a crystal company or maybe even a jewelry company or a surf shack or even little restaurants, you know? And it doesn’t even have to be along the lines of my interests. But when I see that a client is passionate about what they do and they really provide a quality product or service and can tell a story that’s so attractive to me, I love hearing different stories from all the different business owners.
Danielle:
Yeah. And it sounds like you showing up in your business as an entrepreneur and sharing what you do, what you’re interested in. Like that’s how people align to your message, which in a way like you living your most aligned, authentic self in your business attracts your aligned ideal clients. And I think it’s so powerful because knowing you, knowing your story, I just want to highlight two events in your life where you told your former self, no, this is no longer aligned. Let me take a new direction. And it was scary. The first that I noticed was when you went from business school, like, you know, a business is really technical. Like it’s almost like glorified and you decided to pursue something creative, right?
And that was a commitment to yourself and your passions and honoring what you up. Then the second major event was committing to entrepreneurship from like a really safe, stable job working for someone else. But you said to yourself at that moment, like this is no longer aligned. I feel unfulfilled. And I’m going to take this somewhat crazy new direction and like trust in myself and it’s going to be messy. It’s going to be scary, but I deserve the best. And by making those two really major shifts in your life, it has caused drastic changes in who you are as a person, but also who you help in your lifetime.
So by making those decisions, you’re now running this incredibly aligned business and helping your clients do the same.
Hayley:
Yeah. It’s crazy how that works. But you know, you just reach a point where you just can’t keep doing what you’re doing and you need to take that step for yourself. And even though it’s scary, like the pain of staying is so much worse than pain of leaving. And that’s really what pushed me in both of those instances was that, and then also too, just realizing like how short life is and that it’s just like a free for all. You really got to go for what you want. Like you’re never going to be safe. You’re never going to be safe from pain. You’re never going to be like, like you think working at a nine to five, like, oh, I have a stable income. I’m safe.
It’s like, yeah, but you’re not because mentally you’re unhappy. And you know, so you really gotta, people should definitely follow their intuition more, I think. And although it’s scary, like it’s so worth it. And your, your body knows what’s right. So
Danielle:
I think I recently saw this quote on Instagram, paraphrasing, but it’s like, you’re always going to have problems. And your life is just made up of problems that you choose to deal with or to focus on. Sometimes people get so bogged down by insignificant problems. While other times people have like giant problems that they choose not to deal with, but problems never go away. And if you’re unhappy with your current life or what you’re doing, you can choose to not put up with that and introduce new problems, right? Like with entrepreneurship, it’s not easy, but if it makes you happier and the problems are worth dealing with, then it’s just a sign.
Like this is what lights me up and let me choose what is going to make me the happiest.
Hayley:
Totally. And when you are more aligned in your own life and grounded and happy in your own life, the problems don’t seem so bad. You know what I mean? When you’re feeling more like yourself and like you’re making your own choices and following what you love problems, they’re just like, that’s fine. Like, you know, but, but when you’re burnt out at a job that you hate and like you can’t even, you know, your, your health is bad. You’re getting headaches all the time. And like, how are you supposed to deal with the problems if you’re not healthy? Do you know what I mean?
What was Hayleys hardest thing to overcome when shifting into entrepreneurship?
So I would love to hear what has been the hardest thing about shifting into entrepreneurship.
Hayley:
I would say, you know, I’ve always been a creative person and doing the work has never been a problem for me. The biggest fear for me is putting, or was putting myself out there. That’s always been really, really scary for me being seen. And so it was like crippling for me, as you remember on my first call with the group, not only just putting my face and my personality out there, but like stepping into my own power as well. It’s, it’s just a frightening, and it didn’t feel natural to me because I had not done it for so long.
So stepping into, that’s definitely been a learning curve and stepping into the spotlight, as you could say, has definitely been scary. But so far, you know, it’s like the, what we were talking about in our call the other day, too, you get this like thrill over facing your fears and it makes you like, feel so, so empowered. So I’ve been in a mix of, oh my God, I’m so scared. And like, wow, I can do.
Danielle:
Yeah. And it’s crazy because I bet the people listening are like, oh my gosh, you’re speaking on a podcast. Like I could never, and even maybe like you a few months ago, seeing like yourself in June 2022, speaking on a podcast, representing yourself, voicing what you do, the business that is just so aligned. Like, what do you think you would have thought about this moment a few months ago?
Hayley:
Oh, I probably just wouldn’t have even like, ah, no, that’s not going to happen. It wouldn’t have seemed real. You know, just like my business wouldn’t have seemed real. Like I still can’t believe how far it’s come just in a few months, you know, it’s like the frame thing we were talking about as well. You can only see what’s in your frame and then once you zoom out, you can see, oh my gosh, like there’s so much more than that.
Danielle:
Yeah. So I want to just bring this up. What we did in a past call of momentum. We had everyone named their upper limits and lower limits and recognize where their frame of reference on this like infinite timeline and infinite range is, and what we can identify is what was once an upper limit for us. So say in this example, speaking on a podcast a few months ago would have been like, there’s no way, like that’s never going to happen. I can’t do that. Whatever the limiting belief is, the action and the event is the same. So speaking on a podcast that hasn’t changed, but your perception of it has, right. And in this instance, you are proving your past self wrong because you are doing exactly what you thought the upper limit was.
And now going forward, speaking on a podcast is your lower limit, right? You’re like, I’ve done that before. That’s easy. I can do that. And within a matter of months, you’re able to change who you are and your perception. So we’re constantly identifying our upper limits and recognizing they’re always going to be there, but it’s just as easy to change because you’ve done it so many times before and you can easily move your upper limits to your lower limits. And you are an example of doing that so fast and so quickly,
Hayley:
One more thing I wanted to add as well as, and I kind of talk about this on my website as well. Is that kind of what everyone else does isn’t necessarily right? And like, whatever else says, isn’t always necessarily right. But I think this is also true for yourself is that whatever you think is, is also not necessarily right. It’s like, don’t believe your thoughts, you know, believe, just sit in whatever moment you’re in. And that’s, what’s real because whatever’s in your head, your mind is going to go all these crazy places, but that’s not reality. And that’s been, that’s been huge for me because like you said, the situation hasn’t changed, but it’s your perception around the situation.
And so if you just like put perception on pause for a second and look at the situation, you realize that everything is just like the same. That makes the loss of my head. They’re all half way through.
Danielle:
No, it totally makes sense that I think I know exactly what you’re talking about because I remember once I was having like a rollercoaster of an emotional day, just so many things happening and my mood was going like up and down and up and down. And then in the afternoon I realized like, whoa, I think I laughed. And I cried. But the whole day I was just sitting in my chair, like in front of my laptop. My reality literally has not changed. Like I’m sitting here
Hayley:
So weird. It’s so weird. I, I don’t know if you read <inaudible> book
Danielle :
A new earth,
Hayley:
A new earth and the power of now as well. They both kind of have similar themes, but in one of them he talks about in this line, just stuck with me in my head is that he said that most people don’t live in a reality, but they live in a conceptualized reality. So like most people don’t even really experience reality because they’re just in their head all the time. Like, oh, I’m worried about this. Or I’m thinking about this dah, dah, dah. And so that to me, I was like, oh my gosh, no, like I want to live reality. I want to live my life. You know, I don’t want to just be in my head all the time.
Danielle:
Yeah. And once you realize that it’s so transformative, because you realize like, whoa, I can think about this thought and feel a certain way. Like I can read a sad story and cry, or I can read a happy story and laugh. But if you can distance your emotions from those thoughts, then it doesn’t control you
Hayley:
Totally. You’re separate. You realize that, oh, I’m just this like living breathing thing. And then my emotions are beside, you know, it’s not, you’re not so intertwined in them. Yeah.
Prioritizing self care while running a business.
So as an entrepreneur, what have you incorporated in your day to day to really prioritize alignment and self care with building your business and all of the masculine energy that goes into showing up and posting and systems and growing?
Hayley:
That’s a good question too. And that’s something that I’m working on integrating even more into my life as I go, when I first started, I didn’t know how to balance anything. So I was like working hours and hours and hours, and then I would feel burnt-out and it’s so, so important to find that balance in your life. So I make sure every day to exercise, to spend some time outside, to have a healthy diet. And it’s not like I see them as chores. I see them as like, I like to do them because they feel good. Just like I like to do my work. Cause it feels good. It’s all about balance. So having that masculine energy side and then also having the feminine and energy side, it’s super, super important.
And then obviously there are some days where I just can’t, I’m just so stressed out and that’s okay too. You know, it’s not, nothing’s going to be perfect. And I want people listening to this to, to know that as well, like that there are days when, you know, nothing’s working and you just need to cry and that’s okay too. You know, It’s okay to take a few days off. Like, that’s one thing that in my business, I really want to in the holistic branding part as well, is that when I left my agency job, that sort of feeling of like the grind, the hustle, and like people kind of priding themselves on overworking and priding themselves on oh one so busy, like it’s a compliment, like, yes, it’s good to be busy, but you know, are you happy?
Is the bottom question? You know, because nothing matters in life unless you’re happy. And so that’s kind of where I always come back to I’m like, does this make me happy? It doesn’t feel good in my body.
Danielle:
Yeah. And if you take a few days off, you realize like what was once a worst case scenario? Like I could never take time off for myself. I can never just like cry for a few days and express my emotions. That’s almost like I don’t even know what happened. That’s just impossible. But then you go through that and you’re testing your limits once again. And you realize I’m still alive. Life goes on. And if anything, I feel more empowered. I feel more believed that was cathartic. I needed that. And you learn how to honor your own emotions instead of operating at someone else’s standard and expectations of you. And so I think that’s, what’s just another really empowering thing about entrepreneurship is you’re constantly proving yourself wrong and your perception of what is possible for you.
Danielle:
And the more you realize, like you’re only limited by your own thoughts at any given time. You’re like, there’s no way I can take time off and not do anything. But like, of course there is, right, of course, there’s a way you can do this. And at any given moment, like right now, you might be thinking it’s impossible to make five figures a month every single month, but that’s obviously possible. And the more you’re able to see your limits and your limiting beliefs at any time and realize like, it’s just impossible for me at this moment, but it’s so possible for me.
Hayley:
Yeah. Things are possible.
Danielle:
Yeah. And I love hearing how you’ve managed even as a person recognizing like, I am scared. It’s not going to be easy, but still trusting in yourself to do it. It’s going to empower and impact so many more people than if you had stayed as your older self.
Hayley:
I hope so. And also too, like, so if I had stayed at that job and kept burning out and not that it was a horrible job, I love the people I work with, but it just wasn’t for me and staying in anything that isn’t for you, when that affects you, then you go out into the world and you’re like low energy affects everyone else. You know? So the more you can care for yourself, the more that you’re going to help everyone else. And the more that you’re going to be able to inspire and uplift everyone else
Danielle:
And living to that value, I’ve had a few conversations where like people who are still in corporate or they have like a different way of thinking, they’ll sometimes argue with you. They’re like, you can’t be optimistic all the time. Like you can’t do what you love. Not everyone can do what they love. And you’re not almost like you’re not allowed to feel this way and live this way. And it’s always so interesting because it’s like, who are they to think that they’re allowed to bring other people down or like be so pessimistic about things? Like, why is it that you’re allowed to be pessimistic, but not optimistic about things.
So that’s like another instance where perception and just recognizing your own biases, your own beliefs, like being able to see it for what it is. Well, make this world a better place overall.
Hayley:
Yeah. And too, when, when people kind of challenge you like that, it’s because you’re challenging their own beliefs that they have about. So they’re like, wait in their head. They’re like, wait, if Danielle can work on a beach, like that means that I like that’s possible. You know? And so if I wanted that, then I’d actually have to go for it and that’s terrifying for them. So they, they reject it, you know?
Danielle:
Yeah. And overall, you know, everyone’s just projecting their internal struggles. So like, don’t take things personally. I’m sure. Like you’ve learned that through entrepreneurship.
Hayley:
Yeah. Not just through entrepreneurship, but even just in life, you know, like everyone’s reactions, everyone’s opinions, everyone. Just the way people are is because of just their own stories and their own stuff. And I really don’t think anyone should take anything personally, even if you’re personally attacked, it has nothing to do with you. It has much more to do with them and what they’re going through. You know, if they were totally happy in their life, they would not feel the need to attack you. You know what I mean?
What if I’m challenging my own beliefs right now?
And so what would happen if a listener’s challenging their own beliefs right now? And they’re like, I don’t understand how if someone says something bad about me, it’s a reflection on them. It must be about me. What would you say to that?
Hayley:
I would say that just step into the shoes of the person who is being mean to you for a second, you know, if they feel like they have to bring you down, that really says something about their own self-worth and their own beliefs about themselves. And you’d actually be surprised if you respond to someone who’s really vile. If you respond to them with love, how like, they’re like, they don’t know what to do because they were looking for a rise out of you to fill their, to fill their energy. But when you actually care back and I’ve done this before and people have gotten really emotional because maybe they don’t feel like they have someone to talk to, you know, and they’re just acting out.
I honestly, this is going to sound so like hippy, but I honestly think like we just need more love. People need to be more loving and compassionate and just understanding of others. And this won’t just help, you know, you in your business. I think this will just help make the world a better place. Like think about a political leader. That’s like if they were so happy with their life and like loved themselves, like imagine how different the climate of the world would be. Right.
Danielle:
They just got chills. This is such an empowering conversation that kind of just expanded beyond the realms of what I had planned for this episode. But I think it’s so important. And another thing I wanted to go off of, like, if you put yourself in another person’s shoes, like what would it take for you to go out of your way? You know, to comment something nasty on someone else’s Instagram or to write a nasty email, like you must be coming from such an awful place. Because most people, even if you’re going through a tough time, you might like, think that thought, but you would never go out of your way to take action on it. Right. So it must be from a place where we just don’t understand it’s outside of our frame of reference.
And that’s why we can’t take it personally, because it has nothing to do with where we are at. It’s called out where they’re at.
Hayley:
Totally. And I kind of see it, like the hurting animal, you know, like an animal that’s really in pain. They’re going to bite you. You know what I mean? But it’s not because you’ve done anything wrong. It’s because they’re in pain and they’re just flashed, you know?
Finishing up
Yeah. I love that. Well, thank you so much for sharing all of your wisdom around aligning your own life, but then also offering your services to help others do the same. If someone wants to reach out or to find you, what’s the best way to contact you
Hayley:
So they can visit my website, which is Hayleybarile.com, or they can email me directly at contact@hayleybarile.com. You can also find me on Instagram, DM me and I’ll respond as well!
Danielle:
Okay. I will link all of those in the episode description. And if you are listening to this episode and would like to join our next round of momentum mastermind, sign up for the waitlist in the episode description. Thank you so much for being on the show. Hayley,
Hayley:
Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, it was really, really great being on here.
Danielle:
I have an amazing week guys.
~~~
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