Brand Building: Living The Whole Picture with Jama Pantel
Brand Building: Living the Whole Picture is the go-to podcast for ambitious women ready to elevate their visibility, build authentic confidence, and become the face of their brand.
Hosted by luxury portrait photographer, author, educator, and former influencer Jama Pantel, this podcast delivers actionable strategies on personal branding, photography, and business growth—so you can step into the spotlight with clarity and purpose.
If you've ever felt unseen in your industry, struggled with confidence on camera, or hesitated to show up boldly, this is your roadmap to build a powerful presence that gets you noticed and respected.
Join Jama as she helps you build a brand that stands out, master your presence in photos and video, and turn your expertise into a magnetic business.
It’s time to stop playing small and start showing up like the leader you were meant to be.
Brand Building: Living The Whole Picture with Jama Pantel
You’re Not Bragging. You’re Just Used to Playing Small.
You know you're supposed to be building your brand, but every time you talk about yourself it feels a little off. You’re not trying to be flashy. You just want people to understand what you do. So why does promoting yourself feel more like bragging?
In this episode of Living the Whole Picture, I’m getting real about one of the most common mindset blocks I see in smart, capable women: the fear of sounding arrogant. I’ll walk you through why this shows up, how to reframe it, and what self-promotion can look like when it comes from a place of clarity and service.
If you've ever downplayed your work to avoid being “too much,” this one's for you.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Why self-promotion feels uncomfortable for so many women
00:58 – Reframing the difference between bragging and informing
01:55 – Three practical ways to promote your work without sounding salesy
02:36 – A personal shift that helped me show up more confidently
03:03 – What holding back is really costing you
03:40 – A simple next step to start showing up with clarity
Key Takeaways:
- You’re not bragging when you speak clearly about your work. You’re building trust and helping people understand how you can serve them.
- Bragging is about inflating. Promotion is about informing. That distinction matters more than you think.
- Three ways to promote yourself without feeling gross:
- Share the transformation, not just the outcome
- Use your clients’ words to reflect your impact
- Educate while you promote — give value without overselling
- When you shrink, your impact shrinks with you. Confidence in your message is part of your leadership.
Free Resource Mentioned:
Want to start showing up online without overthinking every post?
Download my free Personal Brand Prompts: ✔️ 30 Days of Personal Brand Prompts. You’ll get 30 simple ideas for what to say online so you can promote your work with clarity, not cringe.
If This Episode Resonated:
Share it with a friend who's been holding back. Sometimes all it takes is a small shift in language to unlock a big wave of confidence.
Next episode drops soon. Until then, keep showing up—and keep living the whole picture.
You know you're supposed to be building your brand, but every time you talk about yourself it feels a little gross. You're not trying to be flashy, you just want people to know who you are and what you do, but instead you hold back, you downplay, you say less than you mean, just to avoid sounding full of yourself. If this sounds familiar, today's episode's for you. Hey y'all, it's your podcast, bestie Jama again. And today we're talking about one of the biggest mindset blocks. I see smart, capable women make. You want to be visible, you want to lead, but when it comes time to promote yourself, you freeze up. Trust me, I've been there and I'm still there quite a bit. Because somewhere along the way you were taught that confidence sounds like arrogance, that speaking clearly about your wins or your work would make you look like you're too much. So instead of taking up space, you shrink.
Jama Pantel:It's time we change that. Why do we equate self-promotion with bragging? This didn't just come out of nowhere. Many of us were taught to stay humble, keep our heads down and let our work speak for itself. But here's the truth. Your work can't speak if no one knows what you do when you're a personal brand. Staying silent isn't modesty, it's invisibility. Bragging is about inflating. Promotion is about informing, and that distinction really matters. Let's talk about what self-promotion actually looks like and let's reframe it. Promoting yourself isn't about saying look how amazing I am. It's about saying here's how I can help you. That shift in tone changes everything. It becomes service oriented. You're not just shouting into the void. You're showing up with value, clarity and a willingness to lead.
Jama Pantel:Here's how to do that well. Number one: share the transformation, not just the trophy. People connect with the before and after, not just the polished outcome. Talk about how you got there, what you learned, who's it for? Number two: use your client's own words. Let your audience reflect your impact. A short story or quote from someone you've helped is powerful and organic. And number three: educate. Don't exaggerate. Give value while you promote. For example, if you're launching a course, teach something from it in a post. That way, people get a taste of your work without feeling sold to.
Jama Pantel:What helped me show up differently? I used to hesitate all the time too. I'd post something, start instantly wondering was that too much? Even though it was true, even though it was helpful, I was afraid someone would think I was showing off or talking too much about myself, but staying quiet wasn't helping anyone either. When I shifted my lens from how do I look to who can this help? Everything got easier.
Jama Pantel:So the bottom line is you're not bragging. When you speak clearly about your work, you're building trust, you're letting people know what's possible, you're giving someone else permission to take action, and if you're holding back out of fear of what someone else might think, you're also withholding your impact. If this episode felt like a mirror, I want to help you take one small step forward. Download my free personal brand prompts at jamapantel. com. I'll link them in the show notes below as well. That'll give you 30 simple ideas for what you can say online so you can promote your work with clarity, not cringe, because confidence isn't bragging, it's leadership. That's all I've got for today. So if you know someone who's been holding back, share this episode with them and remember the right people need to hear what you have to say. So stop playing small and start showing up. Until next time, keep living the whole picture.
