Episode 325: Brand Voice for Women Entrepreneurs: Stop Performing and Start Attracting Your People with Patricia Viscount
You Already Have a Voice. It’s Just Been Covered Up
There is something I’ve believed for over 17 years of helping women build businesses: every single one of us has something unique to say. A unique compilation of experiences, expertise, and perspective that no one else on the planet has. And one of the most painful things a human being can experience is feeling like that voice doesn’t matter — or worse, like it doesn’t exist at all.
I always say there are three questions every human being is asking. Do you see me? Do you hear me? And do I matter? When the answer to those questions is no, we are in trouble. And when the voice you’re putting out into the world doesn’t actually sound like you — when it’s been sanded down into something professional and polished and unrecognizable — those three questions go unanswered for the very people you are trying to reach.
That is exactly why I could not wait for you to meet today’s guest. Patricia Viscount has decided it is her job to help people find their genuine voice — and after hearing her story, I completely understand why. Before building her brand voice business, Patricia served 15 years as a Public Affairs Officer in the Canadian Army, including NATO tours in Bosnia and Kosovo, followed by years as a Communication Specialist in the international energy sector. There were several points in our conversation where my mouth was just open. This woman has been through things most people haven’t. She has seen things most people haven’t seen.
In this episode of the Game On Girlfriend® podcast, Patricia and I cover why your genuine voice is your greatest business asset, what it actually looks like to stop performing professionalism and communicate as yourself, why confidence is something you can borrow before you fully have it, and how a brand voice guide removes you as the bottleneck in your own content.
This conversation is also going to remind you of how abundant your life is — and how much we all owe to the people who stand up and use their voices every day, inspiring the rest of us to do the same.
Watch the full episode
Why Brand Voice for Women Entrepreneurs Starts with Dropping the Performance
Patricia has spotted a very specific reason why so many coaches and consultants struggle to get content out the door: they are performing a version of professionalism that has nothing to do with who they actually are.
In real life — at a networking event, at a soccer game with the grandkids — they show up warm, funny, and completely themselves. But the moment they sit down to write a LinkedIn post or an email, something shifts. The grade-six grammar rules move in. The corporate voice takes over. And the content ends up sounding like it was written by a stranger wearing their name tag.
That performance drains more out of you than it’s worth. When you’re constantly running an internal filter — “Is this right? Did I do it right?” — There is almost nothing left for the actual work of building your business. So when that performance finally stops, the creative energy that floods back in is very real.
“A lot of clients go through that shedding who they are not, and figuring out who they are, and we walk together to discover, we always have your voice, it’s always there, you just need to uncover it, step into it and own it, and your clients, your raving fans are going to love you because you’re salty or buttoned up or buttoned up with a wink.” — Patricia Viscount
Patricia works with her clients to uncover what was already there — not to manufacture a new persona, but to clear away the layers that built up over years of trying to sound a certain way. One of her clients, a former Microsoft professional, landed on “professional and polished with a nudge and a wink” as her brand voice. No one invented that description. It was already true. The quiz simply gave her the language and the permission to own it.
If you want a feel for what your own brand voice actually is, Patricia’s free Brand Voice Quiz is a practical place to start. You’ll find the link in the resources below.
Ready Is a Decision, Not a Feeling
Patricia’s journey — from a toxic first job to the Canadian Army, then to corporate energy, then to entrepreneurship — did not follow a plan. Each move happened not because conditions were perfect, but because something internal shifted and she chose to act on it.
When I asked her what it was like to go from the military to corporate — and then from corporate to running her own business — she didn’t talk about logistics. Instead, she talked about the feeling of knowing it was time.
“You have this feeling inside you that you know it’s time. It’s time to make a move. It could be so scary, and you’re not prepared, but it’s interesting. Somebody told me that ready is a decision, not a feeling. So it’s, you know, you jump when you’re ready, not necessarily when everything is ready, when it’s a perfect opportunity, when you just, you know, that there’s something inside of you.” — Patricia Viscount
I hear this from clients all the time. “I’m not ready yet.” And every time, I gently push back: ready for what, exactly? There is almost never a moment that feels completely ready. The feeling follows the decision — not the other way around.
In 2016, Patricia lost her corporate position due to downsizing. She took a year off, traveled, and house-sat across California, Spain, and Australia. Eventually, she began working remotely with a former military colleague on a communications project. That is when everything shifted.
“I realized that I could have a life where I could work with people that I really loved, that aligned with my values, that lit me up. I could work on projects that moved people, that transformed lives or businesses, and I could still pay the bills. And it lit me up, and I felt so good.” — Patricia Viscount
That realization — that you can do work you love and still pay the bills — is one I watch women entrepreneurs arrive at over and over. Honestly, it is not naive. So the question is not whether it is possible. The question is whether you are willing to make the decision before the feeling of readiness shows up.
“I’m doing the things and the projects, and working with the people that truly feed my soul and that to me is more important than a corporate job or working for somebody else who may or may not be that toxic boss.” — Patricia Viscount
Confidence Is Borrowable
There is a moment in this conversation I want every woman entrepreneur to hold onto. Early in her corporate career, fresh out of 15 years in the military, Patricia sat through her very first client meeting in complete silence. In the army, you do not speak unless it is your place to speak. So she didn’t. Her boss pulled her aside afterward and told her plainly: “I hired you for your expertise and your experience. It doesn’t matter who is at that table. If you have something to say, you say something.”
That one moment gave her something to hold onto before she had built it for herself.
“When you see somebody else’s belief in you and confidence in you, and then you actually sit there and think about, okay, what is it that I’m doing right? And then you get that confidence. I don’t like the phrase "fake it till you make it" because that’s not what you’re doing. You are doing everything right. You just need to believe in it.” — Patricia Viscount
This is something I talk about in my own coaching all the time: confidence is borrowable. When someone else believes in you before you can fully believe in yourself, you can hold onto their certainty long enough to build your own. That is not faking anything. It is a completely human strategy. Patricia’s mentor did not sugarcoat or coddle her. He simply stated that she was capable, and it was time to show up that way. That kind of direct, honest belief is one of the most powerful gifts one person can offer another.
So if you are in a season where your confidence feels shaky, look around at who in your life sees you clearly. Borrowing their certainty for a while is not a shortcut. It is a bridge.
What a Brand Voice for Women Entrepreneurs Actually Does for Your Business
Once your brand voice is clear and genuinely grounded in who you are, a lot of things get easier. Emails actually get sent instead of sitting in drafts. Website copy stops needing a full rewrite every few months. Social posts start to sound like the version of you that your best clients already know and trust.
The payoff goes further than that, though — especially as your business grows and you are no longer doing everything yourself. When you bring on a VA, a contractor, or anyone helping with your content, a brand voice guide is what stops you from becoming the bottleneck. Instead of reviewing and rewriting every piece before it goes live, you hand that person a document that explains exactly how your brand sounds, what words and phrases feel like you, and what your personality looks like across every platform.
“Your content, your communication, everything becomes so much easier because you are who you are.” — Patricia Viscount
Patricia calls the guide she builds for clients “the bible of your brand voice.” It covers personality, specific phrases, and formatting preferences — all of it. Not something vague like “just write the way I write.” Instead, it is specific, usable guidance that lets someone else carry your voice forward without pulling you back into every single content decision.
That is what getting out of your own content bottleneck actually looks like. Not more hustle — a clearer foundation.
Your Voice Already Exists. You Just Need to Uncover It
The piece of this conversation I keep coming back to is simple: Patricia is not in the business of building new voices from scratch. She helps people find the one that was already there — layered over with years of trying to sound professional, polished, or like the version of themselves the world seemed to expect.
“You always have your voice. It’s there. You just need to uncover it and step into it and own it.” — Patricia Viscount
Because the answer is almost always closer than you think. It just takes someone willing to point directly at it and say, "That is yours." Own it.
Your voice works the same way. It has been showing up in your best conversations, your most natural emails, and the moments when a client says, “You said exactly what I needed to hear.” Manufacturing it was never the point. Claiming it is.
About Patricia Viscount
Before starting her business, Patricia had a 15-year career as a Public Affairs Officer in the Canadian Army, with NATO tours in Bosnia and Kosovo. This was followed by a diverse career as a Communication Specialist in the international energy sector, where she continued to herd all the cats. She helps coaching and consulting businesses refine their Brand Voice and messaging, and streamline their content — website, sales pages, and email marketing — so they can grow and attract aligned, premium clients with ease.
Connect with Patricia
- Website: Patricia Viscount
- LinkedIn: Patricia Viscount
- Instagram: @patricia_viscount_comms
Patricia’s Free Resource
Brand Voice Quiz — Discover your brand voice personality
Related Episodes You’ll Love
Episode 283: How to Find Your Signature Talk with Speaking Coach Jen Oliver
Jen coaches women to use their real story, their mission, and their genuine presence to speak with impact — which runs directly parallel to Patricia’s work on finding and owning your brand voice. If this episode sparked something in you, Jen’s conversation will take it further. Listen here
Episode 309: How One Woman Entrepreneur Built Confidence by Showing Up Where She Didn’t Belong with Sarai Martinez
The through-line here is the courage to show up as yourself, even when the environment does not feel built for you. That is exactly what Patricia’s journey illustrates — from the army to corporate to entrepreneurship. Sarai’s story covers the same territory from a completely different angle. Listen here
Episode 231: Finding Your Purpose After Hitting Rock Bottom with Jacki Semerau Tait
Patricia spoke about the defining moments that shaped her mission — including a chance meeting at a wedding show that changed the entire direction of her life. Jacki’s conversation explores that same idea: how the hardest experiences become the foundation for work that matters. And as Jacki says, the best stories are shared from a scar, not a wound. Listen here
Let’s Keep This Conversation Going
If you're ready to build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it, let's talk. Let’s talk about what that looks like for you specifically.
I offer free 15-minute consultation calls. We’ll talk about where you are in your business and see if working together feels right.
Connect with Sarah
- Instagram: @thesarahwalton
- LinkedIn: Sarah Walton
- Free resources for you
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Love This Episode?
If this conversation reminded you that your voice is already enough — and gave you a clearer picture of how to put it to work — pass it along to a woman entrepreneur in your world who could use that reminder. The more of us who show up as ourselves, the better every conversation gets.
About Sarah Walton
Sarah Walton is a business coach and the host of the Game On Girlfriend® podcast. Her mission is simple: to put more money in the hands of more women. She helps women entrepreneurs build profitable, sustainable businesses without burnout — working through both the mindset and the strategy sides of growth. Because when women have more financial power, they don’t just keep it — they use it to take care of their families, support their communities, and build something bigger than themselves. Through her programs — including the Abundance Academy and The Art of Receiving — along with her online courses and one-on-one coaching, Sarah works with women who are ready to build profitable businesses and use that financial power to make a real difference in the world around them.
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