When people say, if only they had a better logo, the right corporate colours, or the best product, then they would have a strong “brand”, and it will lead to success – this couldn’t be further from the truth.
My university professor described branding best: “Marketing is like asking someone on a date. Branding is why they said, ‘yes.’”
At its simplest, your brand is the gut feel of how and what others think of you. The most important word here is others – it’s what sits in their heads and hearts that truly matters.
A little about me and why I can talk about “Branding”
I’ve studied and worked in marketing for a long time. It’s been my bread and butter for nearly 40 years. I’ve branded and rebranded products as well as organisations, operated at senior executive levels, and I’m currently going through a rebranding exercise as a non-executive company director.
I understand branding.
But even I struggled when it came to my own personal brand as I embarked on a new career as a keynote speaker on safety and resilience.
As a speaker on marketing or branding, I was recognised and respected. But as a keynote speaker in healthcare and high-risk industries, my brand wasn’t non-existent – it was working against me.
I was recognised. But unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons.
A trip down memory lane
I used to feel embarrassed when my friends introduced me.
“I’d like you to meet Dinaaz.” And almost in the same breath they would add, “She was operated on the wrong leg.”
I would cringe as I never wanted that to be the one thing I was remembered for. Not because it wasn’t true – but because of how I thought I was being judged.
– Careless, impulsive and even though I slept through the incident, somehow it was my fault.
What I feared most was people’s initial reaction. On hearing this, many thinking it was a joke, would laugh. And after noticing the blood drain from my face, would then apologise. It wasn’t funny then. It still isn’t funny – for my surgeon or me.
Years later, the same insecurities resurfaced when my daughter, Annita, was born. The labour was so badly managed that I underwent 11 operations before her first birthday.
Then I discovered a surgical tool had been left inside me. These are just three of my many medical adventures. So far, I’ve undergone 35 additional operations to fix what should never have happened.
So, I stayed silent. I kept my head down and hoped no one would discover my history.
When your reputation (brand) is shaped without your input
Everything changed when my arm was paralysed following a rare complication with anaesthesia. Over 14 months, I saw 49 doctors across Australia. They had never seen or heard of my condition. Instead of hearing, “I don’t know,” I experienced a direct blow to my character.
I was questioned repeatedly if I was seeking information to take legal action. I was accused of embellishing my story. I was also labelled a hypochondriac. Another doctor suggested that I should consider amputation if I couldn’t accept what I was being told.
When I was told I had Munchausen Syndrome, I’d never even heard of it. When I Googled it and got a definition, I started to question my own motives from going from one doctor to another.
At that point, my reputation – my brand – had been defined for me.
The turning point
Doctor number 49 operated.
Today, fully recovered, I’m sitting at my desk typing. Something I couldn’t do when my arm was paralysed.
After my recovery, I stepped back and asked a different question.
– Not, “Why me?”
– But, “What went wrong?”
What I found wasn’t one error – but system failures.
– Missing reports.
– Misfiled records.
– Incomplete imaging.
– Incorrect interpretations.
That’s when I understood my legacy. It was to drive change and to ensure other patients were not harmed while seeking care.
And the only way to do that was to speak up – and to work from the inside.
I went into the trenches
I joined hospital safety committees. I worked with government health departments. I spoke to medical students. I wrote my memoir, Battle Scars.
Gradually my brand began to shift.
The very people who had once questioned my credibility began seeking my insights. I was invited into boardrooms to contribute to strategy. Medical journals began writing about my experiences and work.
And then came a defining moment.
Because of my brand, I was invited to speak at the Patient Safety Conference by the World Health Organization. In my professor’s words, I went on a date, in Switzerland.
This is the power of my brand.
It didn’t come from a logo or a carefully curated message. It came from my reputation – built over time, through experience, action, consistency and hard work. I earned it.
The practical shift: how to become recognised, remembered, and paid
People don’t connect with perfection. They connect with lived experience.
When your experiences become useful to others, it builds trust. And trust creates opportunity, influence, and income.
That’s when your brand stops being managed and becomes something you are known for.
You become recognised, remembered – and paid.
Name: Dinaaz Lentin
Professional Title: Global Keynote Speaker
Bio: Dinaaz Lentin is a global keynote speaker, author of Battle Scars, and a non-executive company director. With nearly 40 years of experience in marketing, branding, and senior executive leadership, she has helped organisations strengthen systems and mitigate risk to protect reputation and brand value across multiple industries.
