Consider This Your Warning Before You Meet Me 😂

Sometimes the most random things make you stop and think about yourself a little differently.

I came across a prompt that said:

“Describe me like you’re trying to warn someone before they meet me.”

Obviously, I had to ask ChatGPT.

I expected something funny.

What I didn’t expect was to read the answer and think:

Okay… why is this actually so accurate? 😂

Here’s what it said.

So… You’re About to Meet Bri

She has a lot of energy, and somehow it’s both executive presence and “wait, I have another idea” energy at the exact same time.

She will walk into a room and start talking to people like she’s known them for years. Give her 30 minutes and she’ll know who runs what, who needs help, who has potential, and probably who should be promoted.

Do not casually mention a problem unless you’re prepared for her to start solving it.

Because now there’s a plan.

And a spreadsheet.

And probably a name for the initiative.

She can manage a ridiculous number of things simultaneously and will genuinely wonder why everyone else thinks there’s too much going on. Corporate leadership, community work, family, With Bri, Bling with Bri, Collect With Bri, job searching, travel planning, content creation, trading cards… somehow these are all active tabs in her brain.

Speaking of trading cards, do not show her a card and expect a simple “that’s nice.” You are entering a full evaluation involving PC status, rarity, serial number, player significance, price, protection method, and whether the number 3 or 12 appears anywhere on it.

If she loves something, she is ALL IN.

Stitch. Tinker Bell. Leadership. Travel. Bling. Cards. Community. Her people.

There is no casual setting.

She asks questions. Lots of them. And your first answer will probably generate seven more because she isn’t just trying to know the answer. She wants to understand the whole system.

Also, don’t confuse warmth with softness.

She is friendly, approachable, funny, and genuinely likes people. But she spent years running large scale operations, managing leaders, vendors, budgets, customer experiences, and a constant stream of competing priorities.

She notices when things don’t make sense.

And she will ask why.

Possibly several times.

She has extremely high standards, especially for herself, but she also has a habit of seeing leadership potential in people before they fully see it themselves.

So the actual warning is:

Bri is a lot.

A lot of ideas.
A lot of ambition.
A lot of curiosity.
A lot of responsibility.
A lot of personality.
A lot of heart.

And if you stay around her long enough, there is a very real possibility that you’ll leave with a new idea, a bigger goal, three action items, and somehow a side business. 😂

That’s Bri.

It’s a vibe.

But Then I Started Thinking…

As funny as the response was, there was something underneath it that stuck with me.

This is personal brand.

Not the logo.

Not the colors.

Not the perfectly written LinkedIn headline.

Not the job title.

Your personal brand is the experience people have with you.

It’s what someone says when another person asks:

“What’s it like working with her?”

It’s what your team knows they can come to you for.

It’s what people expect when you walk into a meeting.

It’s the energy you bring into a room before you ever open the presentation.

And sometimes the things we think are simply parts of our personality are actually deeply connected to how we lead.

Apparently, My “A Lot” Is Also My Leadership Style

I laughed at the part about someone mentioning a problem and suddenly having a plan, spreadsheet, and named initiative.

But that is genuinely how my brain works.

I want to understand how things connect.

I ask questions because I’m rarely satisfied understanding only the surface of a problem. I want to know what caused it, who it affects, what else it touches, and what happens if we change it.

I naturally look for structure in chaos.

I think about people and process at the same time.

And when I see potential in someone, I have a hard time pretending I don’t see it.

Throughout my career, one of the things I’ve been most proud of isn’t a metric or a project.

It’s the people who grew.

People who stepped into leadership.

People who took on bigger responsibilities.

People who discovered they were capable of more than they originally thought.

That part of the “warning” might actually be my favorite.

Because if spending time around me means you might walk away thinking a little bigger about what’s possible for yourself, I’ll gladly accept that warning label.

There’s Another Part I’m Learning to Appreciate

I really am a lot.

For a long time, I think many of us learn that being professional means editing ourselves.

Be serious here.

Be polished there.

Keep this interest separate from that part of your life.

Pick a lane.

But I’ve never been particularly good at fitting into one box.

I can talk about leadership strategy and then get ridiculously excited about finding the right trading card.

I can oversee major initiatives and still love Stitch and Tinker Bell.

I can care deeply about business, community, family, travel, collecting, creativity, style, and helping people grow.

None of those things cancel the others out.

They’re all me.

And that realization has become a big part of what With Bri represents.

You can be accomplished and still playful.

Ambitious and joyful.

Strategic and creative.

An executive and a collector.

A leader and a lifelong learner.

You don’t have to shrink the different parts of yourself to make your story easier for other people to categorize.

So, Consider Yourself Warned 😂

If we meet, I probably will ask questions.

I probably will want to know your story.

If you tell me about something that isn’t working, there is a reasonable chance I’ll start thinking about how to fix it.

If you tell me about something you want to accomplish, I may start asking what’s stopping you.

And yes, there may eventually be a spreadsheet.

But underneath all of that is something pretty simple:

I care.

I care about people.

I care about doing things well.

I care about creating experiences that matter.

I care about helping people recognize what they’re capable of.

And I care about building a life where success isn’t limited to one title, one role, or one version of who we’re supposed to be.

So yes.

Bri is a lot.

At 39, with 40 right around the corner, I think I’m finally at a place where I can say:

Good.

I don’t want to be less curious.

Less passionate.

Less ambitious.

Less invested.

Less joyful.

Less me.

I’d rather keep learning how to use all of it intentionally.

Because maybe the things someone would “warn” people about before meeting you are also some of the things that make you uniquely you.

And that might be worth paying attention to.

Now It’s Your Turn

Ask ChatGPT:

“Describe me like you’re trying to warn someone before they meet me.”

Read the funny parts.

Laugh at the painfully accurate parts.

But then look a little deeper.

What does the answer reveal about how people experience you?

You might learn something about yourself.

Or, at minimum, you’ll get a really good laugh. 😂

With Bri

Lead with Purpose • Explore with Curiosity • Elevate Yourself • Live Intentionally

It’s A Vibe.