How a Domain Hunt and Pink Brand Panic Led Me to Stop Trying to Sound Professional
Figuring out Me!
I've been trying so bloody hard to figure out who I actually am in business.
When I was working solely on my Gut-Zen business, I thought I needed to develop a more professional tone. Then, when I was going to do Artaura Studio design, and allow myself to step into the unknown, out of my quiet comfort zone, and just be me, that became like a spiritual love festival website. But that wasn't really me either.
Don't get me wrong, I am quite a deep and spiritual person, and I have loads of really good friends who are exactly like that, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It just isn't really me.
I was trying to find myself through different voices instead of just being who I already am.
The Great Domain Disaster of 2025
It all started with trying to find a domain name. Simple enough, right?
Wrong!
I wanted to use my actual name as a domain, simple as that. So I started searching for all the obvious combinations of my name with extensions, variations, shortened versions, anything that would let me just be me online without having to make up some business name that didn't feel right.
Every. Single. One. Was. Taken.
Not just taken, held hostage by domain squatters asking for thousands of pounds. For domain names that were about as inspiring as watching paint dry.
The search got increasingly desperate. I was throwing random words together like some sort of demented spiritual name generator. At one point, I nearly bought something that would have made me sound like MC Hammer's wellness coach. I'm not even joking.
I actually almost bought lindamc.com, thinking "YAY I've got it finally and it's short!" Then I said it out loud and thought "aww feck" - people probably wouldn't say "Linda Mac" like I was thinking in my head. They'd be like "Linda MC dot com" and say it like MC Hammer. It was off the drawing board faster than light.
That's when I had to take a step back and ask myself: what the hell am I actually doing here?
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
- Joseph Campbell
The Weird Moment of Recognition
Then something strange happened when I was playing around with "Linda Mac." It felt familiar somehow. but I couldn't get that as a dot com either, it was sitting there on an unused, under-construction nothing site. But anyway, the name was something I could live with, and as I said, it felt strangely familiar.
I sat there thinking... where have I heard this before? And then it hit me.
Years and years ago, when I was still Linda Millar, I used to daydream about being an author one day. I remember thinking "Mmmmm yeah, Linda Millar doesn't sound great as an author name." So I made up "Linda Mac" in my head.
I'd been using "Luna Mac" for years on platforms like Twitter and Telegram, so it already felt right. And now that my married name is McClure, it all just... clicked.
No more MC Hammer problem to solve, and by then I also had chosen .studio for the domain as it works and is becoming more well known since most of the dot com's have been bought forever ago.
UPDATE: March 2026 and I changed the domain again! This time, I just own all of me and my name. I realised that even with Linda Mac, it was still hiding behind some persona that did not belong to me. So now it is just Linda McClure
The Pink Brand Panic
Around the same time, I was having a complete meltdown about my brand colours.
I'd chosen vibrant neon pink for my branding. Proper in-your-face, impossible-to-ignore pink. But I was terrified about what people would think. Would they take me seriously if my website looked like a cyberpunk disco party?
When I finally showed my husband the pink design, his reaction was priceless: "EHHH PINK?? You hate pink!"
And he was right, I'm not normally a pink person at all. But as I explained to him, I don't hate neon pink in an arty way. If I was painting and creating an abstract piece of canvas art, then yeah, the pink, the orange, the turquoise, and the purple would all be part of that.
This new website and business was about bringing everything in my life together. What I love, what I'm an expert in, and being fully, without apology, my whole self. So the colours and boldness were a big part of that.
Who I Actually Am
The truth is, I'm all of these things:
The hairdresser who never shuts up and can chat to anyone about anything. The quiet, deep person behind closed doors who loves nothing more than writing and creating. The direct and professional no-bullshit person in business. The wee girl who would love nothing more than listening to music by herself and making potions, living in make-believe worlds in my head.
I am all of those things. These days, that's what I've finally accepted. I'm me - all of me. All of these parts of me have a place and deserve to be part of who I am now.
I'd been trying so hard to sound like different versions of what I thought people wanted to hear. But none of that was actually the whole me.
The Moment Everything Changed
This all came to a head when I kept asking myself, and others kept asking me, "What do people actually know you for? What would your friends say about you?"
The answer came instantly: "They would say I just don't bullshit. What you see is what you get. I don't sugar coat things and tell the truth."
And that's when it all clicked.
And I realised my brand wasn't about choosing one part of me over another. It was about leading with the one principle that connects them all: honesty.
What "Professional" Actually Means to me
Here's what I learned: being professional doesn't mean being fake.
It doesn't mean using fancy spiritual words when simple ones will do. It doesn't mean pretending you're all love and light when sometimes you need to tell someone the uncomfortable truth. And it definitely doesn't mean sounding like anyone else who's run their voice through the same mystical filter.
To me, it means:
- Doing what you say you'll do
- Being honest about what you can and can't deliver
- Being able to honestly tell someone when something will NOT work
- Knowing your stuff inside and out
- If you do not know something, own it and say you will find out
- Not wasting people's time with bullshit
I was always like this as a hairdresser and I don't intend to change. I'm a great believer that if you're not willing to listen to someone when you're asking for help, then you're not ready for that help.
None of that requires you to sound like an upbeat salesperson.
Why Authentic Actually Works Better
The funny thing is, the moment I stopped trying to sound spiritual or like a scientist and started being myself, everything got easier.
My website copy flowed because I was finally writing in my own voice. Conversations with potential clients felt natural instead of forced. People actually engaged with my content because it sounded like a real human had written it, not some mystical marketing department, or a science journal re-hashed by ChatGpt.
And you know what? People started saying things like "I can tell you actually give a shit" and "you don't sound like everyone else in this space." "I can hear your voice when I read it." This is what is really important. To me anyway.
Turns out, that's exactly what most people are looking for.
You don't need to hide and try to sound like an upbeat sales person. Just be yourself. People love real, they don't like fake.
I'm so much happier thinking about what I'm saying now that I'm not trying to sell something and just being me with offers there, than I ever did when I thought about what it sounded like all the time.
The Domain Hunt Happy Ending
I eventually found the perfect domain, but not in the way I expected. It wasn't some clever combination of spiritual buzzwords. It was just... me.
Linda Mac Studio. Simple. Clear. And it felt right in a way that all those "transformational" options never did.
The domain hunt disaster taught me something valuable: sometimes the best solution isn't the one you planned for. Sometimes you have to stop trying so hard and just let things be what they actually are.
What This Means for Your Business
If you're struggling to find your voice in business, here's my advice: stop trying to sound like everyone else.
Your personality isn't a bug, it's a feature. The things that make you different are exactly what will make you memorable.
Yes, you need to know your stuff. Yes, you need to deliver on your promises. But you don't need to hide behind spiritual speak or corporate jargon to do either of those things.
The people who are meant to work with you? They're looking for exactly what you've got. Not some polished, perfect version of you. Just... you.
Some People will love you..... Some won't!
These days, my website is an explosion of neon pink and teal. I describe it as a "cyberpunk disco party" and invite people to put on their sunglasses and dancing shoes before reading it.
Some people will hate it. Those aren't my people.
The ones who love it? They're exactly who I want to work with. They get that business doesn't have to be boring or mystical or corporate. They understand that you can be professional without being fake.
And they trust me to help them with their health or their business systems because I'm not trying to be someone I'm not.
"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls."
The domain hunt and pink brand panic, all of it, taught me something important: authenticity isn't just a buzzword. It's actually good business.
When you stop trying to sound like everyone else, you start attracting the people who are looking for exactly what you offer. When you embrace what makes you different instead of trying to hide it, you become impossible to ignore.
And when you finally stop apologising for who you are and start owning it instead? That's when the real magic happens.
So stop trying to be something you're not. It's okay to be and sound spiritual if that's who you actually are. Just the same as it's okay to sound like a science geek if that's who you are. But whatever it is, just be yourself.
Your business will thank you for it.
I'm a complete geek - the science geek and the quiet creator, but I'm also a tech nerd and can be loud and forget to stop talking when I get excited about stuff. For some people, I'm too much and for others not enough.
All of that is okay to me these days as I am fully accepting who I am, and I am never going to apologise for being me again. Well, unless I do something wrong.
And..... It's okay for you to be you, too.
Want to find out more about my work and how I could help you with your business?
Linda McClure
Cut the Bullshit
In Health | In Business | In Life
Bespoke Branding | Creative Web Design | Low Carb Nutrition Expert
