No matter your background or walk of life you come from, you never know what others are going through behind closed doors. And such is true for the Dutchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
In a recent segment of CBS Sunday Morning, Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, discussed their latest initiative, The Parents’ Network, a support group for parents and caregivers whose children have been severely affected by social media, specifically self-harm.
Markle took time to open up about the pain and trauma she’s experienced from public bullying and expressed a desire to prevent others from feeling the same way.
“When you've been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey, certainly part of mine, is being able to be really open about it,” she told host, Jane Pauley.
“I haven't really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way, and I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans, and I would never want someone else to not be believed."
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images
For Markle, one of the steps to prevention is sharing one’s personal struggles to encourage others to look beyond appearances and check in on those around them.
“So if me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really genuinely check in on them and not assume that [their] appearance is good, so everything's okay? Then that's worth it, I'll take a hit for that,” she noted.
During a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Markle broke her silence and revealed the mental effect of bullying she’s faced while being in the public eye.
“I was really ashamed to say it at the time, and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he suffered,” the Duchess of Sussex shared in conversation with Oprah. “But I knew that if I didn't say it, that I would do it, and I just didn't want to be alive anymore.”
The Parents' Network, born out of the Archwell Foundation, addresses the dangers posed by online platforms, which often expose children to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and abuse.
The network advocates for safer online spaces where young people can connect, learn, and thrive while sharing stories and resources, and taking collective action to protect children.
Although self-harm and suicidal thoughts are difficult topics, they are a reality that many people experience daily. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal ideation, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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