Valerie is a leading voice in AI, personal branding, and the creator economy. In the last year, her insights have generated over 120 million impressions across LinkedIn, earning her features in Fortune Magazine, CNBC, and Harper’s Bazaar for her work in AI and digital influence. Through her content, workshops, and consulting, she is redefining how women build influence and opportunity in the AI era.
AI is reshaping the professional landscape, and for women leaders, it is both a disruption and an opportunity. In a recent talk, Valerie Chapman, Founder and CMO of IN>FRM, outlined how she used AI to transform her career and build a personal brand that has reached more than 120 million people. Her insights revealed a blueprint for executives who want to strengthen visibility, expand influence, and close persistent equity gaps.
Here are the five key takeaways from her session:
Chapman believes personal brands gain power when rooted in purpose. For her, that mission is helping women close the gender wage gap through AI. “I picked a mission that would blow my mind if I accomplished it. And for me, that was closing the wage gap. That’s what keeps me showing up online every day,” she explained. By articulating a bold “why,” professionals transform from simply being present online to galvanizing communities around shared goals. Whether it is equity, sustainability, or innovation, a clear mission becomes the throughline people remember.
While many executives see LinkedIn as a digital résumé, Chapman described it as “the most important piece of real estate you own.” She noted that most users only post about promotions or press mentions, missing the platform’s potential to position themselves as thought leaders. Her advice: write headlines in the format, “I help [who] achieve [what] using [how],” use banner images strategically, and showcase achievements in the Featured section. “You are not your job title. You are the impact behind that title – and LinkedIn is where people need to see it,” she said.
A recurring theme was the reluctance many women feel about posting, often due to imposter syndrome. Chapman recalled conversations with senior executives who admitted, “I just don’t know what to say, I’m afraid of sounding cringe.” Her response: “You have 25 years of expertise. There is no one better to speak on these topics than you.” She emphasized that knowledge is a form of currency, and sharing it regularly is what builds influence. Posting three to five times per week may feel uncomfortable at first, but “if you operate like an outlier, you too can become an outlier.”
Chapman positioned AI as an accelerator rather than a replacement. “I take little seeds of ideas, things I’d jot down on a walk, and in ten to fifteen minutes, AI helps me turn them into full LinkedIn posts,” she shared. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity allow her to streamline research, refine phrasing, and maintain publishing consistency. Valerie recommends Claude for thought leadership writing, while ChatGPT is a stronger research tool to dive deeper. The point is not to automate your voice, but to free up time for strategy.
Perhaps the most powerful takeaway was that authenticity drives the deepest connection. Chapman openly discussed being laid off twice by the age of 25, a story she has repeated across platforms. “My mom told me to stop talking about it, that it was embarrassing. But that vulnerability got me featured in Fortune magazine,” she reflected. In a digital environment saturated with polished content, honesty cuts through. If you want people to resonate with you, don’t hide the setbacks. Vulnerability plus AI is the most powerful mix you have.
Chapman’s message was both pragmatic and aspirational: women cannot afford to stand on the sidelines of AI. By anchoring in purpose, optimizing platforms like LinkedIn, posting with consistency, leveraging AI tools, and embracing vulnerability, executives can build brands that extend beyond their résumés and accelerate progress toward equity and influence in the digital era.
