Brynn Breuner – 64
Unconventional Brand & Communication Strategist, TEDx speaker coach
About me
Brynn Breuner translates vision into words. When entrepreneurs, innovators, and original thinkers get stuck trying to say what they do, Brynn uses her spidey-sense ability to tune into what matters most.
Brynn is endlessly curious and a born dot connector. Everything she’s ever learned or loved has been folded into a rich, multilayered point of view that lets her sense what clients want to express. She untangles all your pieces—history, experience, innate gifts—and uses all that to create TED-level ideas, messaging, and business offers.
Brynn’s individual coaching and group programs are informed by over 30 years of graphic design and branding for entrepreneurs and founders. With skills sharpened by 5+ years as a volunteer TEDx speaker coach, she cuts to the chase and helps you “kill your darlings” to communicate effectively in person, on stage, or your website. Emerging thought leaders who struggle to describe their work often go overboard with enthusiasm and detail. Trouble is, when you can’t express yourself clearly, simply, and succinctly, you’re losing people and don’t even know it. Brynn helps you tap into the heart of your work and communicate with a quiet, easy confidence.
Say less and you can BE so much more.
What do you do and why do you do it?
Out in the world, I’m a branding strategist and consultant. On the inside, I’m more like a human tuning fork, sensing the feeling and frequency of words. People come to me because they can’t describe the unique work they do. I’ve come to understand that language is how we discover the truth of who we are, and I find that truth by sensing and feeling yours.
To be successful in business is so much more than doing X well. You have to know who you serve, why they need you, and how you’re different from everyone else in your space. If you want to stand out as a thought leader, all those nuances have to be even more crystal clear.
What changed for you after age 50?
What changed for me after 50—but far more so after 60—was finally getting that what I had always considered shortcomings and liabilities weren’t. My “failings” turned into passageways that helped me understand critical distinctions about who and how I am in the world instead of how I thought I was supposed to be. My younger rebel self eventually evolved into an older, wise refuge for all the outcast parts who just wanted to come home.
What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?
Best news ever! All the ways you feel “weird” are little beacons of how you’re wired. Not only is nothing wrong with how you are, but all those awkward “don’t fit” pieces will become essential to the crazy genius way you connect dots everywhere you go. They’re growth edges, not flaws—lean into them as soon as you can, before you feel comfortable or confident. They will be your lighthouse and the seeds of your most important work.
What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?
Wasn’t it just the best ride ever? Didn’t you love how everything really was entirely for your growth and expansion? And hot damn, aren’t you glad you figured it out in time to really enjoy the whole experience?
What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?
If I can show up more fully, leaving nothing behind or in the shadows, then I can help all the other brilliant voices who want to come forward with their gifts and transform this world one brilliant idea at a time.
Who or what inspires you and why?
I’ve always had a ferocious belief in leaps of faith and am a champion for those who risk it all to grow, expand, and glory in their messy becoming.
Something else I’d like to share
These people who inspire my are often polyminds. Who are Polyminds, you ask…
Polyminds, as I have defined the term, are people who see the world in an entirely unique way. They are smart, passionate learners who love nothing more than satisfying their own curiosity. Polyminds can be found in every field or industry and aren’t defined by what they do, but how they do it. They slip into a flow state easily and bring multiple viewpoints to everything they do, simultaneously and continuously.
I’ve identified five super skills of a Polymind. They are:
- Super See-ers: Polyminds can see the big picture and the details. They zoom in and out fluidly, without even realizing it.
- Super Learners: Polyminds have a passion for learning and go deep in any number of subjects, reaching an almost a mini PhD level of expertise. When they know enough (or get bored) they move on to their next area of interest. Nothing however gets left behind—what they learn becomes another layer of the perspective that informs everything else they do.
- Super Synthesizers: Polyminds excel at connecting dots and synthesizing ideas. Since new possibilities spark where ideas intersect, polyminds go through the world like idea engines.
- Super Translators: Polyminds are multilingual (with “language” defined very broadly). Their ability to slip in and out of different languages and perspectives allows them to make instant connections and flying leaps from one topic to another.
- Super Detectors: Polyminds are gifted at spotting the throughline in complex projects. They grasp what’s needed, how to get there, and what the steps need to be.
Many innovators and original thinkers have a tough time describing their work. For a Polymind, that’s even harder. We’ve all been conditioned to think in job titles, and for a Polymind that can feel confusing and stifling. Again, it isn’t what they do, but how they do it.
When a person can’t perceive their unique abilities, there’s no way they can see why those abilities would matter. This makes it hard to express what they do, charge what they’re worth, or build a consistent brand. Often Polyminds leave their juiciest parts behind and despair that they can’t progress in their career like “normal” peers.
Everything changes when Polyminds embrace the unique way they’re wired. When they realize there’s nothing “wrong” with them and see instead how their mind is a valuable (and super fun) asset, it’s like the cloud lifts. Like anyone else who doesn’t fit in, fulfillment and joy comes with self-awareness and appreciation for what is, not what isn’t.
Polyminds are my perfect audience, my perfect clients., and who I want to learn and grow with.
“On aging, physically, things don’t work as well as they did, but in terms of everything else, it feels like everything’s coming online.“
Brynn Breuner
The Brief
In this episode of the Real 50 over 50, I had the pleasure of chatting with Brynn Breuner, the CEO of Mindspark Branding and THE brand champion for entrepreneurs and business leaders who do paradigm-shifting work that often feels impossible to describe. Brynn translates visions into words and has an incredible ability to connect the dots, turning complex ideas into clear messaging.
Our discussion unraveled beautifully as Brynn shared her perceptions of life beyond 50. She described hitting 60 as a moment of clarity, where everything felt like it was finally falling into place. “Physically, things don’t work as well as they did, but in terms of everything else, it feels like everything’s coming online,” she shared, laughingly describing her surprise at this newfound vitality. Brynn highlighted the wisdom that floods in with age, bringing a sense of settled confidence and an undying curiosity that’s only grown stronger over the years.
Brynn reflected on her solo parenting path and how she shared her fascination with language by creating language games to play with her now-grown son. “Mom, I feel like you gave that to me, this love of language,” her son once told her, a statement that struck a deep chord in our conversation. Brynn’s journey is a powerful reminder of how our personal and professional lives often blend, enriching each other in unexpected ways.
Brynn has a passion for working with Polyminds, who are driven by curiosity. They have the ability to see the big and small picture, to be engineers and poets. One thing will never be enough for them and they often are challenged to talk about their work. Brynn shows them how they are wonderous assets with a focus not on what they do but rather how they do it. Then she creates messaging for them that shifts with them as they embark on the next adventure.
Be sure to connect with Brynn and learn more about her work.
