Dear Colleague,

What if your next leadership and/or career reset isn't about changing who you are-but becoming more intentional about who you already are at your best?

September is a natural time to pause, reflect and recalibrate. As we head into the final months of the year, take a moment to revisit your goals and intentions. What still matters? What has changed? And most importantly, are you showing up as the leader-and person-you want to be?

To Thine Own Self Be True. Authentic leadership begins with knowing yourself-your strengths, your blind spots, your purpose and what you stand for. This is at the heart of servant leadership. We can't effectively lead and serve others if we are not strongly grounded in ourselves. Being authentic means being grounded in who you are while remaining open to learning, growth and others' perspectives. This is the essence of our personal brand/leadership brand! Know Your Values. Live Your Values.

Here's a September challenge: Identify your five most important values. Then ask: Are these values reflected in the way I lead, make decisions and treat others? Values aren't simply what we say-they're what people experience from us, especially when things get difficult. My top 5 values are: integrity, spirituality, self-actualization, inner peace and autonomy. What are yours?

So as you reset for the months ahead, don't only ask "What do I want to accomplish?" Ask: Am I true to who I want to be? How do I want to lead? And what do I want to stand for?

Reflect. Refresh. Reset. And stay true to your best authentic self.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP
I grew up in an immigrant family where I learned to give back from the time I was a child. I watched my parents serve in so many capacities offering their time, talents, resources, funds and spirit within our community and circles. That was role modeled for me and inspired me to do the same. I have served in so many ways on committees within my community, industry and profession. Currently, I serve as a board member of the Board of Bar Overseers of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court as well as a board member of Seeding Labs.

I invite you to join me with Seeding Labs for an incredible upcoming panel discussion event bringing together scientists, academics, and development experts, focused on building scientific infrastructure and the importance of international collaboration on October 1st in Cambridge. Please join us, register here, and I hope to see you there!

Best Regards,

Rita Balian Allen

My Books

My PERSONAL BRANDING AND MARKETING YOURSELF COMPANION WORKBOOK launched last year and is available here, as well as on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is a sequel to my first book, Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself and will equip readers with the tools they need to actualize the career they aspire to achieve. The duo will serve as a one-stop resource for managing your career yet can be used independently or collectively.

Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself Discussion
Belmont Public Library
September 16, 2026, 6:30 PM

Please reach out if you would like me to present an interactive session at your organization, for your team, a book club, at your local book store, library and/or your professional or community association. I welcome your requests and can be reached at rita@ritaballenassociates.com.

On my website, you can see several sessions I have led in many different venues. You can also find several other resources; articles, blogs, radio interviews, videos, and more on my website.

Personal Branding Group Coaching Program

I also have a new Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself Group Coaching Program for small Co-Horts. It will provide an opportunity for a deep dive into establishing, building, articulating and enhancing your personal brand while connecting and networking with other participants, peer coaching and learning together. This program will offer tools, resources, and best practices to identify your value-add, your best authentic self to achieve career fulfillment and influence effectively. If you are interested in attending, or have a team member you would like to attend, please reach out to me at rita@ritaballenassociates.com to learn more.

20 Key Lessons Learned Over 20 Years in Business

As I celebrated this milestone last year, I so enjoyed reflecting on and sharing
20 Lessons Learned over 20 Years
of starting and growing my business! The year went by so fast yet these reflections enabled me to step back and truly gain focused insight on getting here to empower me to start the next phase! Stay tuned for more ways I hope to make these learnings available to you! And, as always, I welcome and encourage you to share your insights and experiences with me so I can learn from you too!

Power of Strategic Alliances and Partnerships

I am proud to partner with the following organizations:

• Whole Balanced Nutrition
  Achieve your health goals this new year with meal plans, workbooks, and bundles designed for real, sustainable results by a Registered Dietitian. Create a balanced new year meal plan and mindful nourishment workbook to help you start the year feeling nourished and supported; as well as to find balance, build awareness, and reconnect with your body. Learn how to build balanced habits and a healthy relationship with food. Reach out to Registered Dietitian, Jillian Robillard at jillian@wholebalancednutrition.com.

• The Leadership Wellness Group
  An ICF-accredited program I completed to be a Resilience Coach which helped me (and my clients) build resilience, navigate challenges, and find more balance in life. I always felt I had strong tools to help my clients (and myself) yet I gained a proven framework, professional growth and personal transformation through this 12 week certification program - a real game-changer. Contact me at rita@ritaballenassociates.com if you would like to learn more about this program!

• Seeding Labs
  Seeding Labs equips scientists everywhere to lead the way to brighter and healthier futures. Science transforms lives. Everyone deserves access. If you would like to get involved, volunteer, contribute resources, equipment, and/or funds, please contact me at rita@ritaballenassociates.com to learn more.

• Kind Cards
  Kind Cards, created by my colleague and friend, Jamie Gracefffa, is a simple yet effective way to help individuals and teams develop their kindness skills and create a kinder workplace, ultimately making an exceptional employee experience for everyone. Kind Cards are a powerful resource for all leaders. If you would like to learn more, please contact me at rita@ritaballenassociates.com.

Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Discussion Series Continues

I am thrilled to say I am in the seventh year of leading my discussion series that I started in 2020 during the pandemic. My objective is to provide a forum to discuss important topics of the moment with a panel of influential leaders who share their experiences, stories, learnings and best practices. I am honored to share I have had conversations with over 90 leaders on 30 different topics with a strong mix of attendees from a variety of backgrounds. Stay tuned for the details on the next one coming soon! You can view recordings of all the previous discussions at
www.ritaballenassociates.com/discussionseries.html.

About Rita

Rita Balian Allen is the president of Rita B. Allen Associates, an international career management firm specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, management training and career development. She is a lecturer at Northeastern University, a sought-after speaker and presenter, the author of numerous articles, blogs and the books; Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself: The Three Ps Marketing Technique as a Guide to Career Empowerment, and Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself: The Companion Workbook. Her mission is to help empower individuals to take charge of their careers and organizations to maximize their talent potential. Rita brings much human resources experience to her practice and has worked with leaders across all industries and professions. She holds an MS in Organizational Leadership and a BS in Business Administration; is an Advanced Certified Personal and Executive Coach, a Certified Resilience Coach, and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). Rita currently serves as a member of the Board of Bar Overseers of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court as well as the Board of Directors of Seeding Labs.

Services

Rita B. Allen Associates offers customized career management consulting and coaching services to individuals and organizations with specialties in a variety of talent management content areas including: