About Brand New

A newsletter about brand, work, and becoming—by someone who’s always mid-rebrand.

Hi, I’m Joei.

For a long time, I felt like I had to live in two worlds.

There was "Work Joei"—brand and content director at fast-growing tech startups. On LinkedIn. Building brands. Leading teams. Launching big campaigns with big numbers.

And then there was…the rest of me. On TikTok, in yoga retreats, journaling after meditation, brunch-loving, matcha-sipping Hong Kong girl in Paris. Deep into energy, intuition, identity, and what it really means to live a life that feels good.

Two worlds. Two versions of me.
One that “made sense” professionally.
And one that felt like me.

For a while, I kept them separate.
I always thought I had to choose between those two selves:
Be strategic, or be spiritual.
Be professional, or be personal.
Be the brand, or be a whole-ass human.

Brand New is where I stop choosing.

Because the truth is:
The best brands—and the best lives—are built from the inside out.
And the fullest version of me is the most compelling one.
It’s also the most freeing.

So this is me. Rebranding, again.

👋 So who am I, really?

I’ve spent the last 10+ years helping fast-growing startups find their voice, shape their message, and build brands that resonate. I’ve led global content teams, launched brand campaigns, and somehow kept ending up as the face of the company. (The Leo in me didn’t mind.)

But I’ve also:

• Moved across the world. (Win, mostly.)

• Built my whole life from scratch in a new country (Win, but exhausting.)

• Been fired—twice. (Technically a fail, spiritually a win.)

• Navigated visa stress, burnout, and creative shame. (Messy middle, necessary chapter.)

• Started more projects than I’ve finished. (Feels like a fail, but maybe the point.)

For a long time, I saw most of that as failure.

Now, I see it as my story. My plot twists. My rebrand in motion.

✨So… what is Brand New?

It’s where I think aloud about:

• What AI can’t fake (and why brand is your only moat)

• What happens when you get fired and your identity implodes

• How to build content that feels like you, not a marketing robot

• The shame underneath burnout, and the courage of rest

• How leadership and culture shape what your brand really feels like

• The spiritual and strategic layers of starting over

• And how we rebrand ourselves—again and again—through the choices we make

I don’t think branding is just a job.
And it’s definitely not just for companies.

It’s how we show up in the world.
It’s how we become.
It’s the stories we tell—at work, in life, and about ourselves.

Who this is for:

If you're building something, rethinking everything, or quietly trying to become someone new—this is for you.

If you're a brand or marketing pro craving honesty, nuance, and soul—this is for you.

If you’re in the middle of a rebrand—personal, professional, or existential—welcome.
I hope this space makes you feel a little more seen.
And a little more okay with not having it all figured out.

Because we’re all a rebrand in progress.

Welcome to Brand New. Let’s see where this goes.

—Joei✨