When Brands Collide. My Story.

It’s weird. I started as a neuroscientist, recording brain cells from awake behaving primates to understand how the brain both controls movement and learns new movement behaviors — acquisition and execution.

After doing research in France, I saw what everyone else sees and just wrote down a dietary cultural comparison. This became a book, then 3 books (I have 4 in all, but the 4th one really isn’t readable). After returning home, people asked me to go on radio, television, and comment for print articles. 

I was just minding my own business, a garden-variety neuroscientist recording brain cells from monkeys. The next thing I knew, people knew my name. Weird. 

When I decided that I was doing more good in this world by helping people have a better relationship with food, I founded my company and started providing solutions for companies. At that point, a business brand emerged and people would call because they knew the name (Mediterranean Wellness). Again, weird. 

Having never done this before, with exactly zero training in branding / marketing / blah blah blah, I struggled with what to do with these two brands: one personal brand and one profession. Which do I keep and why? I was asked about this on this interview to let them know how I addressed this dilemma.

The bottom line for me was learning what resonated with my clients, and being at peace with the duality. Hope you enjoy this interview and would love to get your thoughts.