I want to tell you something I don’t say often enough.
Most people think I’m an extrovert.
I run live Bootcamps. I host a podcast. I show up on Substack and Notes. I start conversations with strangers on the internet for breakfast.
But…I am an introvert. A living, breathing one who learned a long time ago that the answer was never to become someone else.
Because if you are too, you’ve probably heard this your whole life:
“Just be more extrovert.”
I wrote my MBA thesis on identity-based brand building. The idea that your brand grows from your DNA — your values, your voice, your lived experience. I’ve taught this to hundreds of writers. I help all Beyond Members from the Online Writing Club build their writer thumbprint from exactly this.
And yet.
I still see the best writers I know going quiet. Not because they have nothing to say. Because they keep trying to say it in someone else’s voice.
This is what I call The Quieting.
And during my last Bootcamp, I met someone who has spent 30 years studying exactly how to stop it.
Melitta Campbell’s entire life’s work is the thing I wrote my MBA thesis about. Values. Identity. Building your brand from the inside out.
“I’m known as the Value Whisperer because I help people to really understand the value that they bring and how to communicate that in a way that resonates deeper instead of shouting louder.”
That’s the antidote to The Quieting.
Not more noise. More you. “The YOU-ier, the better.”1
So I’m jumping out of my skin excited bringing to you this week’s podcast guest and LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel Bootcamp grad Melitta Campbell who shared:
“If we are an introvert and we’ve been told just be more extrovert, you’re trying to be someone else and that’s never going to be the way that you’re going to connect with the right people.”
Amen! 🙏🏻
So let’s stop doing that.
Who is Melitta Campbell and why should you care
Melitta Campbell is known as the value whisperer.
30 years in marketing and communications. The UN. Fortune 500s. A TEDx talk: An Introvert’s Guide to Having Quiet Impact. Author of A Shy Girl’s Guide to Networking and Value Whispering: The Smarter Way to Market Your Business.2 Twice named Most Influential Business Coach for Women in Europe. Based in Switzerland.
So let’s bust some myths now, shall we?!
MYTH #1: You need to be loud
Melitta’s words:
“I help people to really understand the value that they bring and how to communicate that in a way that resonates deeper instead of shouting louder.”
You don’t need more volume. You need more resonance.
MYTH #2: Marketing means selling yourself
Melitta’s truth:
“If marketing does well, it doesn't feel like marketing. It feels like connection, building a relationship, having wonderful conversations.”
That’s what you’re aiming for.
MYTH #3: Hide your story
She explains:
“But over time, we've been told too often that, you know, don't be loud. Don't tell people about your successes and your achievements. No one loves people who brag. So we hide that away. And then on the other hand, we're told don't tell people about your weaknesses and the way you failed because that shows you're not good enough. But if we're not allowed to talk about those two things, we end up stuck in the middle, the same as everyone else.”
And the middle? That’s where no one notices you.
Your value sweet spot
Melitta’s framework:
“You want to look at the overlap… that’s what I call your value sweet spot.”
Your skills
Your experience
Your lessons
Your client
That’s your edge.
Why introverts get stuck
Not because they lack skill.
Because:
“Introverts have a bias for overthinking so they can stay stuck just go in this sort of downward spiral.”
So what’s the move?
“The antidote is action.”
The 4 golden rules of communication
Campbell boiled decades of experience down to this:
“Have a purpose”
“Know your audience”
“Keep it clear and simple”
“Plan”
Simple. Powerful. Enough.
The AI trap
In our comversation Melitta said:
“I see people say, oh, I don't know what I'm about. So I asked ChatGPT and it said, oh, this is what you're all about. This is your ideal clients is like no it shouldn't be telling you because it's the average of the average you should be telling it and helping it help you amplify that voice”
And:
“It shouldn’t be telling you because it’s the average of the average…”
Use AI to amplify your voice. Not replace it. You don’t need to be louder.
“As I mentioned, it's all about not being louder, but resonating deeper.”
Melitta’s words:
“You can get out there and share your voice.”
So do it! Hype up yourself. Will you?
We go much deeper in the full podcast conversation 👀
→ Finding your value
→ Stopping overthinking
→ Marketing without burnout
→ Turning your ideas into real offers
And…
I’m bringing Melitta inside the Online Writing Club.
Exclusive masterclass
Small group
Personalized feedback
So you don’t just read or listen to our conversation … you actually apply it.
If you’re an introvert…
🙋♀️ raise your hand in the comments.
Tell us what makes you feel stuck and what could unstuck you.
And if you have questions…
drop them below.👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
PS. Want to get instant access to the LinkedIn-Substack Flywheel course Melitta attended? Grab it here.
PPS. As an indie publisher, your feedback is a spark that keeps me going. Drop a comment to share your thoughts. For some extra love 🔁, re-stack (share) this with a friend who might need to hear Karen’s message today! 🔁
