The Power of Being Seen: Marissa Brand’s Mission to Transform Brands and Lives

Marissa Brown, affectionately known as Marissa Brand, believes that visibility is a superpower. Growing up, she spent countless hours recording her favorite songs from the radio onto cassettes, a pastime that unknowingly laid the foundation for her future in brand strategy. Her adventurous spirit led her from New Zealand to London 18 years ago with nothing but a suitcase and a dream. After years of working in big advertising and shining a light on other people’s brands, Marissa had a profound realization upon becoming a mother. She discovered her true passion lay not in building someone else’s empire, but in creating something meaningful and transformative. Marissa delved deep into the psychology of branding, acquiring certifications and honing a methodology that merges creativity with strategic insight. Her mission now is to empower ballsy, beautiful women to unlock their full potential by building authentic, impactful brands. With a holistic approach that aligns personal values with business goals, Marissa aims to help women rise and thrive in a competitive world.

How did your childhood pastime of recording songs from the radio shape your understanding of what it means to capture and cherish valuable moments?

It’s funny how, when you play something enough—a song, a lyric, a verse—it gets subconsciously embedded in your mind. You plant the seed, and it grows. We’ve all experienced hearing a long-forgotten song and being swept away by nostalgia, with all the lyrics rushing back, transporting us to that very moment we first heard it. It’s like a memory mixtape.

We carry certain thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and values with us throughout our lives. That’s what we want to tap into when we brand from the inside out. I want people to realise that we all have a brand memory mixtape.

Here’s the challenge: as entrepreneurs, we have so many thoughts swirling around in our heads. How do you catch onto that one idea, that one thought, that’s going to resonate with you and your audience and lift you up? That’s where I come in—helping you identify it.

Can you share more about your initial experiences in advertising in London? What were some of the key lessons you learned during this time?

My initial experience of London? Truthfully, it was less ego, less stress, and so much more human. There’s a pressure in advertising, especially in a country with only a handful of creative agencies, where you always feel lucky to be there but could be replaced at any moment. London was a breath of fresh air, full of creative people, diverse faces, bustling streets, vibrant bars and clubs, and inspiring galleries. The city was bursting with life. I instantly felt more relaxed and at peace.

When I settled down and married an Englishman, I worked for the good guys in advertising—they became my work family. It was fun, hard work but human. Creativity flowed naturally, and it was a nourishing, positive experience where I flourished.

There was a pivotal moment when I realised big businesses often fabricate stories, while smaller businesses have genuine backstories, origins, and success stories. Today, any brand would give anything for that authenticity.

How did becoming a mother influence your perspective on life and your career? What specific changes did you make as a result of this experience?

How did becoming a mother influence my perspective and career? Oh, what a question! My mothering instincts kicked in instantly. I wanted to be a shining example of what’s possible, while my husband struggled, his energy waning. Despite sleep deprivation, my mind was craving more, questioning and searching for deeper meaning.

I didn’t set out to change, but life has a way of doing that to you, right? I intended to jump back into work exactly where I left off—a happy, busy place. But I wasn’t the same. Work was no longer my baby—my actual baby was. I found friendships beyond my work walls and realised my best creative opportunity was bringing a life into the world.

I used to say my job was to bring a brand to life, but being a mother brought me back to life. It was the breath of fresh air I needed. The late nights, sleepless nights, and zombie-walking through life weren’t the good bits. But Pablo Picasso’s quote, “The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away,” resonates deeply with me.It wasn’t until I had a child that I realised I had a nurturing spirit. I hadn’t been naturally drawn to babies before, but that wash of realisation hit me hard. My role in advertising was to nurture—to obsessively give. Do you want to work with someone who puts you at ease, makes you feel loved, props you up, asks tough questions, takes action, and gets things done? That’s me! I’m effectively a brand mother. It sounds funny, but it might just work.

I see beauty where others see cracks; I see brand strength in the struggle. I’m no pushover. My parents built their own house, so I’m no stranger to hard work. I’m tough when I need to be, hardworking, but above all, loving and caring. I know if you don’t do it now, it won’t get done.

I don’t take this lightly. I’ve worked in high-pressure environments, and having a baby was no different. I threw myself in and, in retrospect, loved every second of it. I love a project. Neurodiversity in children wasn’t a problem, just another project. I’m in the driver’s seat.

My husband saw parenting as my job, not his. He didn’t study, didn’t research, and shut himself off, which felt like a punch in the heart. But I embraced it, grew from it, and realised that nurturing and guiding are at the core of who I am.

What drew you to the deeper aspects of brand strategy? Can you describe a moment or project that solidified your passion for this field?

My first client found me on LinkedIn. When I got to know them and their business, I asked about their higher purpose. Put simply, I asked them to tell me about a cause or specific organisation they aimed to support. Suddenly, the floodgates opened, and they came to life. Their business wasn’t just about the numbers; it was about heart, passion, and inherent belief. That’s when I knew I had hit gold.

I always say the brand foundation is hidden in the founder. They are the reason the business exists—the person with the hunger for growth and the mindset to take their business to the next level. Their passion, purpose, and personality become the heartbeat and DNA of the business brand, intrinsically linked.

We’re often plagued by infinite possibilities, weighed down with worries and what-ifs. An easy analogy is cooking: you get all the ingredients and the recipe before you start. This removes the guesswork. When you work with me I have the recipe book, measurements. Ingredients and bake time. Owners and founders quickly learn their positive strengths, both soft and hard, which are crucial in building a brand. It’s about breathing life into something, giving it heart and soul. But it’s not about just slapping it on a billboard.

Branding becomes your vehicle for communication, your voice for conversation, and a way to share openly what you care about—the charity, human concerns, and values you hold dear. It’s about branding from the inside out. You need to be clear about who you are (which involves a lot of digging and soul-searching) to be clear on the outside. Find and define the human part of your business so you can stand out and be the only option.

Ultimately, a brand is not just one thing you do—it’s everything you do. It’s the way you walk, talk, work, and engage with your ideal client. Once you realise this, the magic happens. This will define, position, and align you with your ideal client. Taking something from two-dimensional to three-dimensional gives it heart, soul, and life.

Your daughter’s illness must have been a profoundly challenging time. How did this experience impact your professional and personal life, and what did you learn from it?

This is slightly painful but…

My daughter’s illness was the catalyst that ignited a fire in my belly. It turned my fear into fire. During this time, I told myself three key stories that have shaped me.

Firstly, strength comes from struggle. Life is unpredictable, and many things are beyond our control. Instead of resisting, I learned to roll with it, find the light, and focus on the good. Our life experiences shape our beliefs, values, and purpose, lighting the path for our personal and business journeys.

The second lesson was about mindset. I had engineered my own mental prison, over years of being meek and hoping someone else would sort out my problems. Mirela talks about thinking being a disease, and for me, it was true. Jim Rohn’s quote, “Life doesn’t get better by chance; it gets better by change,” became my guiding light.

The third lesson was about priorities. I had been prioritising my work family over my real family, wearing my work pride like a badge of honour. But waking up before the sun and coming home after dark was poisonous. It was time to stop wrapping my value in my work and start doing it for my fam, not the man.

So yeah, cradling an eight-month-old, seeing my world collapsed I couldn’t just throw my hands up and say, “I give up”. My husband and I spent days and weeks in the hospital, waiting and hoping. When she finally started to heal, I felt a surge of empowerment to stop wishing and start making things happen.

It was time to start saying ‘F**k you’ to life! If life wasn’t going to be great on its own, I was going to make it great. I decided to stop going it alone and let people in. This painful moment helped me find my light. These experiences shape us, changing the lens through which I see the world, take the bad make it good take it as a lesson and learn.

It’s not about asking God ‘why am I suffering?’ but ‘where are you taking me?’ The moment my daughter got sick gave me a reason to wise up and value every precious moment. Every chance encounter, every wonderful person I meet is a gift. I’ve already met so many wonderful people, but I want to meet so many more. I want to continue growing and learning, even if it means experiencing pain.

When talking to clients, I ask about the basket of ingredients that make up their unique brand personality. This story is one of mine. You could say the negative navigated me through leaving my job, starting my own business, and being there for my family. It took reaching my rock bottom to truly lift me up. 

You mention the importance of having a vision and purpose in business. How do you help your clients uncover and articulate their own vision and purpose?

Vision and purpose are the bedrock fundamentals of a brand. They steer the ship and influence every move you make, shaping how your brand walks, talks, and communicates the unique value it brings. When you clarify these, you get a clear North Star to follow, allowing you to focus and concentrate without being distracted by all the shiny objects vying for your attention.

To achieve this clarity, I dig deep and ask a simple set of questions: Who are you? Who are you helping? What are you helping them with? What emotional results do you want to deliver? What impact do you want to make in their lives? What knock-on effect does this have on their everyday lives? Finally, what do you want to achieve? What do you want to change? What are you committed to? If you had a following of clients, what would you want them to say about you?

By exploring these questions, we can define the core of your brand, ensuring it resonates authentically and powerfully with your audience.

Can you elaborate on your three-step methodology for brand building? How do you integrate the founder’s personal beliefs and vision into their brand?

“Brand from the Inside Out” takes the guesswork out of branding. I believe it’s my job to draw out the essence of your brand. We all have a unique voice inside, and my three-step methodology lets you own your brand and overcome the overwhelm. It’s a simple process, perfect for time-poor business owners.

It’s all about encouraging conversation and discovering your unique voice. We need to talk, bounce ideas off each other, and test the waters. It’s like trying on different outfits to see what fits. Once we find what fits like a glove, we take action to implement our discoveries make your brand come alive both visual and verbally.

Think of it as gathering all the building blocks or ingredients in your basket. Like on “Ready Steady Cook,” we take these unique ingredients, mix them with creative ideas, and bake a tasty, compelling brand. I’m all about breathing life into your brand, peppering in the passion, purpose, and personality. I’ll help you transform your brand from two-dimensional to three-dimensional.

You aim to work with “ballsy, beautiful, smart women.” What qualities do you believe are essential for women to succeed in business, and how do you foster these qualities in your workshops?

Building your own business takes guts, whether you’re a man or a woman. By reaching out to me, you’re already demonstrating that we share a crucial belief: real success stems from being genuine, authentic, and brave enough to reveal your true self. Your story is your strength, and your voice is your greatest ally. You’re ready to step into the spotlight and make your brand both visible and vibrant.

You understand that you can’t do this alone and that you don’t want to be sold a dream only to be left in the lurch, struggling to piece it all together. What you need is a conductor – someone who can guide you from concept to completion, turning those bold ideas into tangible reality. Whether it’s crafting a brand, designing a website, creating social posts, developing a pitch deck, or launching a campaign, I’m here to ensure you’re never left high and dry.

I’m all about transforming your ambitious vision from mere words on a page into a brand that truly comes to life. And here’s the icing on the cake: I naturally nurture. My role in advertising became all about nurturing – obsessively supporting and giving. Do you want to work with someone who puts you at ease, makes you feel valued, supports you, asks the tough questions, takes decisive action, and gets things done? That’s me! Essentially, I’m like a brand’s mother.

It might sound a bit quirky, but I’m here to support, guide, challenge, and navigate. To plot, plan, and forge ahead. I see beauty where others spot flaws; I see brand strength in the struggle and in the values that make you unique. I’m here to help you stand out, rise above, and truly shine.