From Starting at Zero to Industry Thought Leader: How a Holistic Leadership Coach Transformed Her LinkedIn™ Presence—and Her Business—in Just 90 Days

For many experts with years of experience, LinkedIn™ can feel like unfamiliar territory—a place where personal branding and content creation seem reserved for influencers and marketers. But for leaders, coaches, and consultants, LinkedIn™ isn’t just a platform—it’s a powerful tool to build credibility, attract clients, and establish yourself as a trusted voice in your space. 

That’s exactly what Rebecca Fitzsimmons, founder of Tactical Harmony, discovered. After spending more than two decades leading in the tech world, Rebecca was ready to step into her next chapter—helping professionals navigate leadership with a holistic mindset. The problem? None of that showed up online. With no LinkedIn™ strategy, no optimized profile, and no consistent content, her insights were limited to the rooms she was already in—not the audience she wanted to reach. 

When Rebecca partnered with The Borden Group, she wasn’t just looking for visibility—she wanted to build a personal brand that felt true to her voice, one that could evolve alongside her growing business. In just 90 days, Rebecca went from zero online presence to a recognized thought leader, using LinkedIn™ as a launchpad for her ideas, her podcast, and her larger mission.

The Challenge: Building a Personal & Professional Brand From Scratch

When Rebecca first stepped onto LinkedIn™ with the intention of building her personal brand, it felt like she was starting from scratch—because she was. Despite her decades of experience as a leader and coach, her online presence didn’t reflect any of it. Her profile was underdeveloped, her content was nonexistent, and she had no clear plan for how to show up in a way that felt both professional and authentic. 

The challenge wasn’t just a blank profile—it was a blank slate across the board. Rebecca had multiple passions and services—from leadership coaching to speaking, from training to digital products—but no cohesive story to connect the dots. That left her wondering: how do you package years of experience and a diverse set of offerings into one clear, compelling personal brand? 

On top of that, Rebecca was promoting her podcast, Tactical Harmony, and wanted to use LinkedIn™ as a funnel—but with no existing audience or content strategy, driving listeners felt like an uphill battle. LinkedIn™ didn’t feel like a tool—it felt like a mystery. What to say, how to say it, and how to actually connect with the right people all felt out of reach. 

Rebecca needed more than just content ideas—she needed a complete roadmap for building her personal brand from the ground up. That meant creating alignment between her profile, her content, and her larger business goals—and building the confidence to show up consistently, even before her audience was there.

The Borden Group’s Strategic Approach

From the very beginning, we knew Rebecca didn’t just need a LinkedIn™ makeover—she needed a strategy that made sense for her voice, her values, and her vision for Tactical Harmony. That meant going far beyond profile updates and post prompts. Instead, we built a holistic strategy that combined personal brand development, content creation, and audience engagement—all designed to help Rebecca show up consistently and confidently without losing her authentic style. 

The first step was building her personal brand story. We worked with Rebecca to uncover the core message at the heart of everything she offers, ensuring her leadership philosophy, coaching expertise, and holistic approach were all reflected in her profile. Every section—from her headline to her “About” summary—was rewritten to speak directly to her ideal audience, giving her profile the clarity and confidence that had been missing. 

Next, we developed a 90-day content plan designed to position Rebecca as a thought leader while keeping her content creation process manageable. This wasn’t about forcing Rebecca to create viral posts—it was about helping her share what she already knew in a way that felt natural, educational, and aligned with her broader business goals. We introduced her to LinkedIn™ newsletters, giving her a dedicated space to share longer-form leadership insights and deepen connections with her audience. 

We also built relationship-building strategies because visibility isn’t just about posting—it’s about engagement. Rebecca learned how to connect thoughtfully with peers, potential clients, and podcast guests through comments, DMs, and intentional networking, turning LinkedIn™ from a one-way broadcast platform into a two-way conversation tool. 

Finally, we helped Rebecca ensure her off-platform presence matched her LinkedIn™ visibility. We guided her through aligning her messaging and ensuring that every touchpoint—whether someone found her on LinkedIn™, her website, or her podcast—told the same cohesive story.

Results: From 0 to 98,000 Impressions—and a Thriving Thought Leadership Platform

In just 90 days, Rebecca’s LinkedIn™ presence went from invisible to influential—and the numbers prove just how powerful that transformation was. Starting with virtually no visibility at all, Rebecca’s content generated over 98,000 impressions, instantly expanding her reach to the exact audience she had struggled to connect with before. 

Her audience growth followed that same upward trend. Rebecca gained over 200 highly targeted followers, bringing her total to 834 professionals actively choosing to follow her insights and leadership advice. More importantly, these weren’t random connections—they were the right people: professionals interested in holistic leadership strategies, potential clients, and fellow thought leaders who could help amplify her message even further.

The engagement was just as impressive. Over those 90 days, Rebecca’s posts sparked 3,600+ reactions, 836 comments, and 102 shares—a clear sign that her content wasn’t just being seen, it was resonating. Her newly launched LinkedIn™ newsletter quickly grew to more than 150 subscribers, creating a direct line of communication with her audience and establishing Rebecca as a trusted voice they actively wanted to hear from. 

But the most valuable transformation wasn’t in the numbers—it was in Rebecca’s confidence as a thought leader. LinkedIn™ went from feeling like an overwhelming chore to becoming an authentic extension of her voice, helping her not only promote her work but also engage in meaningful conversations, build her reputation, and attract new opportunities.

Conclusion

Rebecca’s story is proof that thought leadership isn’t reserved for people with massive platforms or years of content creation experience. It’s built step by step—with clarity, consistency, and the courage to show up before you feel ready. In just 90 days, Rebecca didn’t just grow her LinkedIn™ presence from zero to 98,000 impressions—she built a foundation for long-term influence, one that will continue opening doors to new clients, collaborations, and opportunities for years to come. 

If you’re ready to step out from behind the scenes and start building your own authentic, high-impact presence on LinkedIn™, you don’t have to figure it out alone. The same systems, templates, and personal branding strategies that helped Rebecca find her voice are available for you inside The Borden Group’s Creator Store. 

👉 Explore the Creator Store to find LinkedIn™ templates, personal branding resources, and expert guidance designed to help leaders and entrepreneurs show up confidently, connect authentically, and grow intentionally—just like Rebecca did. 

Are you ready to move from lurking to leveraging your personal brand? Schedule a discovery call with me today—I’d love to help you take your personal brand to the next level with actionable tips and strategies that work. 

Want to learn more about this topic? Make sure to follow Melanie Borden and The Borden Group on LinkedIn™.