How to Build an Expert Brand That Attracts the Right Clients

If you are incredibly good at what you do but your business results do not reflect that yet, this conversation was recorded with you in mind.

I work with coaches every day who are smart, capable, and deeply trained. Many of them have certifications, degrees, and years of real world experience. Yet their income, visibility, or client flow does not match the level of excellence they bring to the table. That disconnect can feel confusing and personal, even when it is not.

In this episode of The Amanda Kaufman Show, I sat down with Christine Blosdale, known as the Expert Authority Coach, to talk about why this happens and how to build an expert brand that actually attracts the right clients.

Why Most Coaches Are Not Struggling With Skill

One of the first things Christine pointed out is something I see constantly. Most coaches are not struggling because they lack ability. They are struggling because their message is not clearly communicating with the people they want to serve.

A website, a social media presence, or additional credentials do not automatically translate into clients. When those efforts fall flat, many coaches assume the problem is them. In reality, the issue is usually a lack of alignment between the offer and the audience.

Christine explained this through what she calls the stapler problem.

The Stapler Problem and Why Offers Miss the Mark

The stapler problem shows up when someone becomes deeply attached to an offer they worked hard to create, even when the audience no longer wants it. You can market it harder, discount it, or talk about it more, but if your audience is asking for something else, none of that will work.

Your audience might not want the stapler at all. They might want a sandwich.

This does not mean your offer is bad or useless. It means it may be incomplete, mistimed, or positioned at the wrong level. Christine shared how she experienced this firsthand when her audience shifted after COVID. Instead of needing one specific service, they needed a more holistic approach to branding, messaging, and visibility.

Her solution was not to abandon her expertise, but to expand it and reposition herself upstream as a strategist. That decision changed everything.

Expert Authority Is About Contribution, Not Perfection

One of the most important takeaways from this conversation is that expert authority is not about being louder, more polished, or more impressive than everyone else. Authority comes from contribution.

If you want to be seen as an expert, you have to be willing to participate in the conversation your ideal clients are already having. Many people wait until they feel confident, certain, or fully prepared before they speak. The problem is that leadership does not come from waiting on the sidelines.

You cannot lead a conversation you refuse to join.

Why Authenticity Matters More Than Ever

As we talked about where expert positioning is heading, Christine named something that feels especially true right now. Authenticity is becoming non negotiable.

People are more perceptive than ever. They can sense when something feels forced or overly curated. What they are craving is real humans who are willing to show up as themselves.

That means your personality matters. Your energy matters. Your natural style matters.

Branding is not about trying to fit an image. It is about association. When people think of you, what do they associate you with. How do they feel after interacting with you. What do they remember.

When I stopped trying to look like what I thought a coach should look like and leaned into who I actually am, everything became easier. Not because I changed who I was, but because I stopped hiding it.

How to Move Through Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome came up naturally in this conversation because it is one of the biggest reasons people avoid visibility. Those doubts are often rooted in old stories about not being enough, not being ready, or not being qualified.

Christine shared a powerful reframe. This is not about you.

If you say you want to help people, then hiding does not protect anyone. It actually withholds value from the very people you want to serve.

I added another layer to this that I see often in my work. The way we judge ourselves is usually connected to how we judge others. When you soften that judgment, both inward and outward, confidence becomes much easier to access.

Owning Your Expertise Without Apology

There is nothing wrong with saying you are good at what you do.

You can say it without arrogance. You can say it without ego. You can say it because it is true.

Owning your expertise is not about self importance. It is about leadership. When you claim your authority, you make it easier for the right people to find you, trust you, and work with you.

If you have ever felt overlooked or underpaid despite knowing you have something valuable to offer, this episode is an invitation. You do not need to become someone else to build an expert brand. You need to be intentional about showing up as who you already are.

Chapter List:

00:00 Welcome and Why Expertise Does Not Equal Visibility

01:55 Why Brilliant Experts Stay Undervalued

03:40 The Stapler Problem and Misaligned Offers

06:20 Fixing Messaging to Match What Clients Actually Want

09:05 Customization vs One-Size-Fits-All Coaching

11:30 Authentic Authority and Personal Branding

14:00 Imposter Syndrome and the Fear of Being Seen

16:20 Reframing Visibility as Service

18:05 Owning Your Expertise With Confidence

19:45 How to Connect and Next Steps

Full Transcript:

Christine Blosdale (00:00)

Well, if you don't show up because you're worried about how people are gonna think about you, then you're doing a huge disservice to that person or people that are waiting for your brilliance and your motivation,

Amanda Kaufman (00:30)

Well, hey, hey, welcome back to the Amanda Kaufman show. And in this episode, we're going to be talking to Christine Blosdale, known as the Expert Authority Coach. She's a five time number one bestselling author, an award winning radio personality and host of the Expert Authority Coach podcast. With more than 25 years in personal branding, magnetic marketing, and multimedia, she's helped entrepreneurs, coaches, and authors.

and thought leaders step into their brilliance and become the go-to authority in their niche. A former content creator for giants like American America Online and Microsoft, Christine brings unmatched media savvy and a coaching style that's simple, fun and seriously effective.

She's passionate about helping business owners rise, shine, and get seen, transforming them from overlooked to in demand through authentic visibility and confident self-promotion. Christine, welcome to the show.

Christine Blosdale (01:30)

Amanda, thank you so much. I've been really looking forward to being with you. This is going to be awesome.

Amanda Kaufman (01:35)

This is this is okay. Expert authority positioning. You know, I've been helping coaches for years and you know, my my person that I typically end up working with. So listener, I hope this is you. They are so brilliant, but their paycheck doesn't match their skill set. You know, like they they have incredible skills. Maybe they're certified as a coach. Maybe they have a lot of really amazing life experience. Maybe they've even got

you know, multiple degrees, you know, I've met lots of people that have spent literal hundreds of thousands of dollars on what they know, but their business doesn't bring them the business that really kind of matches that that level of excellence. So, Christine, when you encounter somebody like that, like what is one of the first things that you like to talk about with them?

Christine Blosdale (02:27)

Well, the first thing is usually is the messaging is not communicating with their target audience, right? There's like, well, I built a website and nobody's coming there or I posted on social media and how come I'm not getting clients or I've upskilled and I've learned this trade, I've got this certification. So there's all this frustration that's happening and we are a rather quick society. We do like to see results right away.

And what I say, it's not even so much, like you were saying, all that skillset, all that education is behind them, but they're not communicating their message to their target audience. Another huge issue is, I've seen this with coaches especially, is that some coaches, some of us will be trying to sell something that our target audience doesn't need or want, right? So I...

I give the example of the stapler. That's my favorite thing is that, you know, hi, I'm Christine. I'm a coach and I've got this stapler and it is the most amazing stapler. I want you to have this stapler and I'm going to just talk about the stapler all the time. And as a matter of fact, in the month of December, it's 50 % off. 50 % off my stapler. Don't you want my stapler? And what's happening is your target audience, your target clientele are saying, I don't want a stapler or need a stapler.

I actually just want a sandwich. Right. But, but we're so invested in this stapler because we've studied it. We've, we've got a program about it. We wrote a book about it and we really want to get the stapler sold. But there's the disconnection because your audience, your clients or potential clients don't need that. And I was guilty of that for a very long time. Pushing one thing, you know, I mean, you know, during COVID I was

Amanda Kaufman (03:52)

Yeah, absolutely.

Christine Blosdale (04:17)

training people, showing people how to create their own podcast for their brand. Cause I'm all about branding and helping businesses with their brand. So I was really pushing that and that was bread and butter. And that was really great during COVID. But then out of COVID, there was, there's this explosion of women entrepreneurs starting their own businesses, becoming coaches, those things. And I was still trying to push the podcast stapler.

And what I found is that my audience, that's not what they needed. They needed a all holistic coach to help them with their messaging, their website, my goodness, their social media, their branding. They had a book within them, but they didn't have anybody to guide them in how to publish that book, right? So I needed to be all those different things to people. And so that's when I also changed my brand.

and said this is what I can offer my clients. And instead of just the stapler, I've given them a smorgasbord of food that they can eat and that's been very successful for me. That's the biggest problem that I see with coaches.

Amanda Kaufman (05:21)

Yeah. There's a

there's a beautiful business lesson in that as well. You know, dear listener is like sometimes the answer is to go up in detail. So what Christine did was she she was like, you know, I'm focused on this one very niche specific offering. I'm to go upstream and I'm going to become the strategist that is helping somebody, you know, across all of these different things.

And the other the other choice is to like go downstream. So like particular types of podcasts or particular sizes of podcasts or things like that. And, you know, the biggest thing was she figured out where it didn't work and she moved. And I think one of the things I noticed when I'm working on messaging with with coaches, I'm so glad you said that because I would say the same thing. It's always the message. And I love your stapler example.

What I see happen is that especially coaches, tend to be very emotionally sensitive people. And sometimes that feeling of like, you don't want my stapler. You don't want me. You know, it brings up like all this drama of all the the traumas of times when we were rejected or we were, you know, not taking care of the way we wanted to. And like

Christine Blosdale (06:26)

Bingo. Bingo Bongo. Yes.

Amanda Kaufman (06:39)

One of the biggest things I've had to learn, I'm curious how you how you lead people through this is just like it's they just don't want the stapler or they don't want the stapler without the other stuff, right? Like they there's there's a need that if you really listen to the need, you can match and package what you're doing to meet that need. It's not that you, the person, are not worthy or you, the person, don't deserve success. It's it's simply like you said, it's the rejection of

of that particular opportunity. It's not that you can't come up with another one. So how do you help people move through kind of that valley of despair of like, I had such a brilliant idea, I worked on it for years, what do you mean nobody wants it?

Christine Blosdale (07:22)

Well, the other thing that the other mistake that a lot of coaches do is sort of that idea of fitting the, you know, the square peg in the round hole. Right. And so what we do is we go, we have a program or we have a formula and we're trying to put that on everybody. And what I, one thing, what I love about being a coach is that I get to work with extremely talented, but very different human beings. We're all different. We all have different skillsets. We all have different learning.

um, styles, you know, some are more visual, some are more auditory, some have to actually get their hands in it, right? But everybody is so different. So I think like one of the ways that you can be very successful is to take the approach that each client, each person who even is a potential client who comes in through your doors, maybe through a discovery call or a strategy session that they're very unique. And so you're going to piece together a program or a coaching plan.

that's just for them. Number one, you're gonna be more successful. Number two, you're gonna make them feel like a king or a queen of the world because they're having something that's custom for them. And you'll, again, it'll be much easier going down that road. I have some clients that there's no way would I suggest that they become a podcast host. That's not their personality. And I know their schedule. And I know how, I know the work that's involved in creating a podcast and marketing a podcast. So,

I don't even mention it to them. But I do say for those people who are not a podcast host ready personality, but they've written a book or they're a speaker or they're a coach themselves, I will say you want to be a guest on podcasts because being a guest on podcasts is incredible. You reach an audience you could never reach. It helps you craft your message.

Every single time you come on a show, you get a little bit better. You get a little bit better and you get very comfortable saying what it is that you do. So for certain clients, I recommend be a podcast guest and then I help train them to be, because you don't just, you know, show up and go, it's magic. You need to actually have a strategy as well. So it's customizing that experience for your client. think it's going to be the most successful route.

Amanda Kaufman (09:40)

I think that's a really good point. know, what came through for me as you were talking about that is just the overall idea that for you to lead a conversation with expert positioning and authority, that prerequisite skill, I would say, is to be able to contribute.

as an expert authority in a conversation. And a lot of people like they're not even participating in the conversation, much less contributing to it, much less leading it. Right. Like, what does it really mean to be an expert authority? You know, especially as we're heading into twenty twenty six. What do you think is going to be super important for people to focus on this year?

Christine Blosdale (10:16)

well, authenticity is going to be huge. We see all around us, the world. We're becoming more savvy. We can smell poop. We can see it. We know it. We're like, you're a charlatan. You're fake. the, the, days of, you know, Kardashianism perfection. we see it crumbling in politics. We see it crumbling in the music industry and, and, and Hollywood. And we're craving real authentic people.

Amanda Kaufman (10:19)

Yeah.

Christine Blosdale (10:42)

And so that means if you've got a quirky personality, babe, you know, show it. If you're someone who's quite nerdy and you're just all about the facts, ma'am, then embrace that. But it is about your brand. If you're a coach, in order, not even in order to stand out, but to really fully become who you really can be and want to be, you have to also realize that you're the brand.

You are the brand all in all the skills and all the things you can teach people or show people or help people with. Those are your tools, but you are the brand. so with Amanda Kaufman, Amanda Kaufman comes with a signature, like an energy imprint, right? She's got a certain energy. She's got a certain style and you can always expect that from her. So that's going to help you is if you can make yourself your, your business be more branded.

and then you can actually connect with people. They'll remember you. Like I can remember you, Manda, right away. I'll remember you right away. And you have a special place in my world because of who you are and what you've done.

Amanda Kaufman (11:40)

Mm-hmm. think people, and I know that was, what's that?

Mmm, that's so good. I mean like I love Leila her Moses definition of branding because it was really the first one that I was like, yeah I get it. Okay, I understand which is she she she says it's associations so it's like if people remember you based on what they associate you with and so like so today I decided that I was gonna keep rocking my grumpy cat null shirt because I think

First of all, I love the shirt. It makes me really happy. But it's also like a shirt like this reflects that I enjoy humor. I enjoy, you know, casual like a printed t-shirt. You know, there's a lot of coaches who would never be caught dead wearing a printed t-shirt because they want their associations that they're going for is like maybe like corporate dress or things like that. And all of these things, like I didn't think of these as...

Christine Blosdale (12:27)

Yes.

Yes. Yes.

Amanda Kaufman (12:45)

specific branding choices, I suppose. I was kind of anti-branding for a long time simply because I didn't know what it was. But I think the thing about branding is it's so pervasive. It's like association. So when people think of me, they often are like, she's very reliable. She's very on time. She's a bit nerdy. She likes to laugh. She's got good energy. But like all of those things are things that people have reflected back at me over the years.

And then I just decided to kind of like lean into them more, right? Just lean into them more. So like when you're working with somebody, how do you like to take them through that authentic authenticity thing? Because when I talk to people about it, sometimes the first thing that comes up is they go, well, I won't be successful like that.

Christine Blosdale (13:16)

Yeah.

Amanda Kaufman (13:32)

Like if I'm like that, like that, whatever they're judging themselves for being, then I won't be successful like that. So it just sort of feels like you have to be so intentional, you know, and over, I guess, over curated and well designed. Can you speak to that a little bit about like what is actually required to be successful here?

Christine Blosdale (13:51)

Yeah.

Well, one of the toughest things that we as coaches have to deal with are people who think in a negative space, right? A lot of times that has a bit of imposter syndrome. They might have that in them. Somebody when they were five years old said, you know, you're stupid or who are you or you're fat or whatever. And that sat with them in their subconscious mind. Even they can have all the diplomas and degrees and successes along the way, but

even being 50, 60 years old, you know, those little subconscious things are still rolling around in your head. And so when you're asked to stretch, when you're asked to do something that you're not used to, when you've never done it, when it's a little uncomfortable, it's a scary, it's a scary thing. somebody asked me to speak at the local business chamber. I can't do that. Who am I? All these things, all those doubts come in, right? And that is one of the, the

Amanda Kaufman (14:29)

Mm-hmm.

Christine Blosdale (14:50)

core things that I think we as coaches have to pay attention to with our clients because they will not succeed if they have that belief system, right? That they're less than, I'm stupid, I'm too old, I'm too old to do this, right? All those things. Or.

Amanda Kaufman (15:06)

I hear that one all the time.

I'm too old, I'm not techie enough, I'm not cool enough in some way.

Christine Blosdale (15:10)

Yes.

Yes. And it's like, stop it. One way to help them, help your clients get over that is to say, and again, I know that branding is about you, but it's not about you. It's about the clients. It's about the people that you say you want to help. So if I have a client who's heavy in imposter syndrome or I can't, I can't, I won't, you know, all those things, I'll say, you know what? It's about, it's not about you.

Suzy, it's about the people that you say you wanna help. You wanna become a fitness coach, right? You say you wanna become a fitness coach, you wanna help people live longer lives and be healthier and happier. Well, if you don't show up because you're worried about how people are gonna think about you, then you're doing a huge disservice to that person or people that are waiting for your brilliance and your motivation,

right? So when you shift it from the person

Amanda Kaufman (16:03)

Mm.

Christine Blosdale (16:06)

and how they look or how they're gonna be perceived to the people that they actually say that they wanna help, it does make a difference. There's a shift, right? So you just gotta keep them on that path, yeah.

Amanda Kaufman (16:15)

Yes. And, you know, the energy

coach in me also wants to shout out that whole, you know, obsession with self. The imposter syndrome is like really an obsession with like your reaction, your emotions, how you're being impacted. Right. And one of the things that I've noticed makes the biggest difference in this shift is actually recognizing where are you judging other people for those things?

So where are you judging other people for being too stupid? Where are you judging other people for not being physically perfect? Where are you judging other people for their money? Where are you judging everybody else? Because that self-loathing is really just a reflection of what your perceptions are about those things. So really examine, how are you projecting those things onto other people? Just because you don't say it doesn't mean that you're not thinking it.

Christine Blosdale (16:40)

Mmm.

reflection.

Amanda Kaufman (17:08)

And if you're thinking it about yourself, there's a very good chance that you're also thinking about that when you're interacting with other people. And that's a powerful shift because when I point that out to people, they go, whoa, like a conscious version of me would never, right? Would never think those things about another person. And it actually makes it more absurd to think those things about yourself as well. Yeah, that's so good. Yeah.

Christine Blosdale (17:09)

Right.

Yes, yes.

That's a great little exercise to bring people to, I think. Because we're not, and those things are, what people don't realize is that those thoughts are very powerful. The words that you say are even more powerful because, and not to get too woo woo, but I can get woo woo with you. When you say I am, it's a very powerful statement to the universe. And whatever you say after that,

Amanda Kaufman (17:37)

Yeah.

Yep.

Christine Blosdale (17:56)

is extremely important. So if you say, I am stupid, I am too old, then you're saying to the universe, you want more of that experience. And I really like to tell people, say, if you're really good at what you do, and you've been doing it, and you feel any bit of confidence, state it, I am damn good at what I do. You and I both can go anywhere.

Amanda Kaufman (18:20)

Yeah, I'm proud of this. Yeah.

Christine Blosdale (18:25)

in the world and we can talk to somebody or a crowd of people and say, you know what, there's no ego in this at all, but I am damn good at what I do.

Amanda Kaufman (18:37)

That's it. Yeah, that's the secret sauce. Christine, how can people follow you?

Christine Blosdale (18:41)

Easy, easy peasy. They can go to my website, expertauthoritycoach.com. It's right there. It's got all the stuff that I do, links to my books, links to the podcast. I do three podcasts, although I do, I think one or two of them are like kind of missing my, my parenting. But yes, I, all that information is that expertauthoritycoach.com.

Amanda Kaufman (19:02)

It's a great domain and dear listener, we'll make sure to have that available for you in the show notes below. Christine, thank you so much for being here.

Christine Blosdale (19:11)

Yes. And, and is it okay to give your, your wonderful listeners a present, a gift?

Amanda Kaufman (19:17)

Absolutely, let's do it. We love presents around here.

Christine Blosdale (19:19)

Okay.

So my latest book, which thankfully was a bestseller as well, is the Social Media and Branding Survival Guide, Digital Marketing So Irresistible Even Your Ex Will Want to Follow You. It's written in a very humorous way, but it's all my great tips and strategies on social media and branding. And I will give you, Amanda, the link that they can get that for absolutely free.

Amanda Kaufman (19:44)

Absolutely. That's amazing, Christine. And great title. That was hilarious. It's so good. So good. Tells me a little about her brand, I think.

Christine Blosdale (19:46)

Yes. ⁓ It gives you a hint into inside. Right.

Yes. Yeah.

Amanda Kaufman (19:54)

So

good. Well, dear listener, if this was awesome and empowering for you as it was for me, make sure you grab the link to the episode and share it with three of your friends. Just text it to them, email it to them, send it in a handwritten letter, however you want to share the link. And if you haven't hit subscribe, make sure you do that so you never miss another episode. And finally, if you're loving our show, one of the ways that we really feel that love from you is through an honest review. So just taking two minutes to share wherever you have

to be listening to this, what your thoughts are, and whether you'd recommend this helps a lot when new listeners are stopping by and considering it. All right, thank you so much for being here and until the next time you do what matters.