Episode 52: The Leap You Are Afraid to Make: How I Left Corporate America & How You Can Too I Personal Branding Pacific Northwest

What if playing it safe in your corporate career is actually the riskiest move you could make?

In this deeply personal episode, host Kimberly Gayle pulls back the curtain on her 11-year journey in Fortune 500 corporate communications—and the courageous leap she made in May 2013 that changed everything. This isn’t just a story about leaving corporate; it’s a roadmap for how YOU can make your leap to entrepreneurship, build your personal brand strategically, and create the bold, brave life you’re meant to live.

---

Episode Highlights

The Corporate Suppression Reality

Kimberly shares what it was really like spending over a decade as a Corporate Communications leader at Fortune 500 companies—the corner office, the title, the respect—and the slow, suffocating experience of disappearing behind a “professional” mask. Every day, she toned down her ideas, filtered her voice through corporate-speak, and buried her adventurous, bold self under layers of what she thought leadership was supposed to look like.

The Courage You Already Have

One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves? “I’m not brave enough to make this leap.”

Kimberly reveals the game-changing perspective shift that helped her overcome this fear: looking back at her past and recognizing she’d ALREADY made courageous moves in her life—times when she didn’t know the exact path but leaped anyway and figured it out. You’ve already proven to yourself that you can do hard things. The leap to entrepreneurship is just the next courageous move.

The Five-Year Side Hustle

In 2008—five years before leaving corporate—Kimberly started a photography business. Not because she was planning her escape, but because she’d always loved photography and visual storytelling, and deep down, she’d always known she wanted her own thing.

For five years, she lived in both worlds: Corporate leader by day, entrepreneur by night and weekends. That side business gave her proof that she could build something, attract clients, generate income, and trust herself. It kept her entrepreneurial spirit alive during the corporate years.

The Plot Twist: Following the Joy

Here’s what nobody tells you: Sometimes the thing you THINK you’re leaving corporate for isn’t actually the thing.

Just a few months after leaving corporate and moving to the Pacific Northwest to pursue photography full-time, Kimberly felt a pull to pivot. She was networking for photography but always following the JOY—exploring, adventuring, discovering craft breweries, loving the freedom of this new life.

So she did something terrifying and vulnerable: She pivoted. She started ABVGirl—a blog about adventure, craft beer, and living boldly on your own terms. Talk about going for it. But following that joy led her to her people, her authentic voice, her husband, Final Draft Taphouse, and eventually to her calling: helping women build unstoppable personal brands.

The Personal Branding Strategy Game-Changer

Kimberly taught high-level personal branding at Target Headquarters to all new employees—but that was in a corporate context. What she didn’t know in 2013 was how personal branding would be applied outside of corporate and how it would become the foundation for everything she was building as an entrepreneur.

She learned it the hard way. But YOU don’t have to.

Here’s what’s different for you:

• If you’re still in corporate: You can start building your personal brand NOW—before you leave. Create momentum, visibility, and opportunities while you still have the security of your paycheck. When you make your leap, you won’t be starting from zero.
• If you’ve already made the leap: Personal branding strategy helps you get strategic about the transition instead of winging it. Clarify your message, attract ideal clients, and build visibility that leads to real business growth.

---

What You Need to Make the Leap

1. The Decision That You Are Worth It

Not “maybe I’m worth it.” Not “I’ll be worth it when I accomplish X.” The radical decision that you—right now, messy and uncertain and imperfect—are worth betting on.

2. Your Personal Brand (During or After the Leap)

Your personal brand is:

• Your core identity and what you stand for
• Your story and why you do what you do
• Your authentic voice and perspective
• Your visibility and how you show up consistently
• Your community and the people you attract
• Your strategic approach to being known for who you are and your expertise

3. A Side Business (Helpful But Not Required)

Building something on the side can keep your entrepreneurial spirit alive, build confidence, and provide proof—but what matters even more is building your personal brand while you’re still employed.

4. A Timeline

“Someday” never comes. Set an actual date. Kimberly gave herself two years. Your timeline might be six months, one year, three years, or five years. What matters is that you SET one.

5. Support

You cannot do this alone. Find mentors, coaches, and communities of people who are on this journey or who have already made the leap.

---

How YOU Can Make Your Leap

Step 1: Get radically honest about what you really want

Step 2: Make the decision that you’re worth it—TODAY

Step 3: Set your timeline (with an actual date)

Step 4: Start building your personal brand NOW—with strategy

Step 5: Build something on the side if it helps you keep your entrepreneurial fire alive

Step 6: Surround yourself with support

---

This Week’s Challenge: The Leap Decision Challenge

Step 1: The Honest Audit (15 minutes)

• What do I REALLY want my life to look like in 3-5 years?
• What am I currently tolerating that’s slowly killing my soul?
• If I stay on my current path, what will I regret NOT doing?
• What would I do if I truly believed I was worth betting on?

Step 2: Reflect on Your Courage (10 minutes)

Look back at your past. Write down at least 3 courageous moves you’ve already made—times when you didn’t know the exact answer or path, but you made the leap anyway and figured it out. This is your evidence that you can do hard things.

Step 3: The Leap Decision (10 minutes)

Decide RIGHT NOW: Are you going to make the leap to entrepreneurship?

Write this down: “I am making the leap to entrepreneurship. I am worth betting on.”

Step 4: Set Your Timeline (5 minutes)

When are you making this leap? 6 months? 1 year? 2 years? 3 years?

Write it down: “I am leaving corporate and launching my business by [specific date].”

Step 5: Your First Personal Brand Action (30 minutes this week)

Choose ONE action:

• Write a LinkedIn post sharing ONE authentic truth about your journey
• Start documenting your story
• Identify your core identity
• Reach out to ONE person who’s made the leap
• Join ONE community of entrepreneurs building personal brands

Step 6: Share Your Commitment Publicly

Post on Instagram: “I’m making a bold move…” (tag @kimberlygayleconsulting)

---

This Week’s Mantra

“I am worth betting on. My dreams are worth pursuing. The leap I’m afraid to make is the leap that will change everything. I decide NOW.”