I'm probably going to rebrand again

And why you should consider it too

I am no stranger to the pivots and left turns of following Jesus with a surrendered heart into the unknown. He is already there. These crossroads, in the middle, moments never catch him by surprise. He knew all the decisions we would ever make before we were formed. And yet, I find myself constantly arriving at this place—the in-between who I thought I was and who God is calling me to be.

Life looks nothing like my younger self-imagined. I am not mad at it. I’ve encountered Jesus in ways I did not know were possible. Encounter demands transformation. Each step into the unknown sometimes taps on dormant feelings, feelings we have to stand face to face with, placing under the subjection of Jesus. Feelings are fleeting and fickle, but we must face them head-on to experience the change.

Twenty-nine.

I’m nine months away from a new decade. A decade my younger self thought was ancient. I only imagined life from a career standpoint, desiring to become a creative director for ESPN. To be a wife, away from family, living in Texas, fully immersed in full-time entrepreneurship, where the last twelve months since God shifted me into this place has been more surrender than presentation. I came into 2024 with intentionality. I put a 12-week plan in place and revised my authenticity statement as I set out to become monetized on YouTube. I found that marriage is a mirror to all the things that can’t go into the future. Somehow, I have not lost my individuality while accommodating another human God saw fit to cover all of me.

A picture of me and my husband (August 2024)

I look at my husband often and thank God for being mindful of me.

Marriage is a form of character development. It’s a way for God to make us more like him. I know that I prayed for this, and I couldn’t have a 1:1 meeting with God about how it should be handled, but God saw fit to add “wife” to my resume of refinement. For the last four years, I’ve weathered this storm of disappointment. Finding God in unusual places of my frustration. He met me in my disdain. He softened my hardened heart that felt this was too difficult to complete. I showed up anyway. I created content. I moved in a direction I felt he was leading me until he told me to make a left turn on the path of trusting and acknowledging him in all my ways.

A picture of me doing client work

From January to July, people sought me out for brand development and web design. I fine-tuned my skill sets to package them into retainer services. The money came until it didn’t. Now, again, at this crossroads, I must pivot. I am not who I was. August felt like a manna season where faith comes by hearing. God using my obedience to mature my husband, shifting him into the role of provider and me, the helpmate, leaning on God to supply my contribution.

I transferred my business from NC just in time to handle the latest direction. I changed my messaging from helping you discover the power in your voice, own your story, and brand it well to inspiring women to grow in life, faith, and business. I ditched naked and exposed as an active brand t0 for the one like me. The name still doesn’t feel right. Neither do I.

Pivoting is rebranding.

Rebranding is a continuation.

It’s taking everything we learned in the last season to reflect, asking ourselves intentional questions, to reveal what God’s been doing in our hearts for now. It’s not a future moment. This is not where we cast a 5 to 10-year vision. I don’t know what it looks like, but I do know social media feels disingenuous. It gives the illusion of connection. Where images in the mirror seem closer than they appear. I’m curious to see if I can build something through Substack and YouTube without the pressure of self-promotion. I write from my curiosity, asking questions only you can answer about yourself. It’s self-reflection, not empowerment. It’s dependence on God and the power of leaning on one another.

It’s cultivating a community of like-minded believers who are encouraged to be everything God said despite the path required to achieve it. Wisdom is a far greater teacher than experience when we don’t have to experience what wisdom has already walked through unless wisdom stops at the gate where only experience can carry us forth as we become no strangers to pivots and left turns.

You aren’t who you were. This isn’t a new book; it’s a continuation of the last chapter. Don’t be afraid to pivot. Rebranding looks good on you, and this crossroad is another opportunity to trust God as you keep going.

Your friend,

Janae Carlee