Are you walking in the shadows of your brand archetype?

Recently, it was lovingly pointed out to me that I was living my values for other people, but not always for myself.

​Cue: internal collapse + eldest-daughter-sigh.

With Red Balloon Station's brand archetypes being the Magician and Caregiver, I suddenly realized I wasn’t just embodying the archetypes, I was operating in her shadows.

Not surprising for an eldest daughter, but a big lesson in how archetypes show up in our business.

So let's look at how we can be aware of our shadows, what that means for us and our businesses, and how we can step back into our own light.

When I first mapped Red Balloon Station as a Caregiving Magician—with Magician as the primary archetype—everything suddenly felt aligned in my business. My messaging flowed, my visuals came together, and I stepped out in my witchiest boots to unleash some serious magic.

The Magician felt like home: transforming experiences, challenging how people thought about their messaging, creating meaningful change. And the Caregiver, too. The Caregiver even seemed necessary, because “service” is one of my highest values.

So what does “Archetype Shadow” mean?

Each archetype has a light side–your gifts, strengths, and natural power. And it has a shadow–when your gift gets distorted or over-expressed.

Shadow isn't “bad.” It’s simply overuse, imbalance, or self-sacrifice in disguise.
For example:

The Magician's light results in expanding possibility and transformation; whereas, it's shadow can lead to over-responsibility and feeling like you must fix everything.

The Caregiver's light is in service, compassion, and nurturing; but it's shadows mean self-abandonment, self-sacrifice, emotional labor, martyr mode, taking care of everyone. 

Can you feel the difference? 

How this translated into how I was conducting my business?

• Putting my clients’ needs above my own capacity
  
  
  
• Over-giving to prove value
  
  
  
• “Holding” everyone instead of being supported too
  
  
  
• Prioritizing service over sustainability
  
  
  

That wasn’t devotion, it was depletion. And it was costing me my energy, creativity, and revenue.
🧭 Two Choices: Recalibrate or Re-Evaluate

When archetype shadow shows up, we have two paths:

🎈 RecalibrateThis looks like staying with your archetype, but expressing it differently, and leading with its strengths again. It means bringing boundaries and alignment back.

So for me: Magician leading again, Caregiver supporting, not controlling.
​
🎈 Re-EvaluateSometimes the archetype you chose reflected a past identity, not your current or emerging one. Sometimes the archetype chose you before you chose yourself. And sometimes… you evolve.

In my case, through mentorship + reflection, I realized that while innately Caregiver is an archetype I possess, it’s perhaps not an archetype that should be dominant in my brand archetype.


And honestly? It was uncomfortable letting go of the identity that once worked. Ir takes courage, and trust in who you're becoming. 

Not to mention, the way I learned about archetypes, I was taught and developed the belief that our archetypes shouldn’t change. That causes confusion. 

In fact, there’s a story about Nike deviating away from its well-known Hero and Every Person identity–”Everyone can do it. Just do it.” It lost $20 million in a day after they released a campaign that decided to go full on Ruler and changed their messaging to “not everyone can win.”

That didn’t sit well with their audience.

But what I’m coming to believe is that our archetypes can gradually evolve or make natural shifts that aren’t jarring to our audience.

Take Chanel, for example. When Gabrielle Chanel started making hats and clothes for French women in the early 20th century, she was cutting out corsets and popularizing pants for them. If that doesn’t scream Rebel energy, I don’t know what does.

But today, Chanel is far from its Rebel days and more often associated with the Lover. Instead of redefining feminism, their messaging is more about connecting with your femininity and feminine power.

Remember, archetypes are tools for:

• Alignment
• ​​Self-awareness
• ​Boundaries
• Energy stewardship
• ​Embodied leadership

They reveal where we're powerful, and where we're leaking power.

Try this: 

1️⃣ Map your primary archetype and your supporting energies. Notice which feels dominant and which feels underutilized.

2️⃣ Spot the shadows. Are you overextending or leaning too heavily into one archetype in ways that don’t serve you?

3️⃣ Align your business actions with authentic energy. Make sure your messaging, offers, and storytelling reflect the archetype you want to lead with.

When you meet your archetype with honesty and compassion, you don’t just clarify your message…
You reclaim your energy, your voice, and your leadership.

And this is just the first of a couple of major shifts in how I view archetypes now. As I deepen my knowledge and use of them in my brand voice and messaging work, I’ve been confronted with another big question: do brand archetypes need to be decolonized?

Stay tuned, for my next newsletter to read what’s been on my mind about the answer to that question!

In the meantime, I’d love to hear where you may be walking in the shadows of your own archetype. Feel free to share in the comments or DM me to continue the convo about this.

Stay curious,
🎈Justine

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Red Balloon Station is a creative hub for storytelling and brand messaging, dedicated to amplifying the voices of equity-driven Women of Color entrepreneurs and creatives. Through strategy, storytelling, and sales, we’re here to help you harness your own words and stories, forging meaningful connections with your dream audience and making a lasting impact on people, the planet, and culture.


Justine Wentzell-Chang is an Eldest Daughter of Immigrants, Mother, Activist, and your Station Master/Chief Word Witch at Red Balloon Station bringing you strategic messaging and story-centered, conscious copywriting services. 

With a law degree and over a decade of experience making & writing movies that sell globally, I learned a thing or two about writing stories that sell. Now I’m here to give you a spoonful of strategy and conviction to make your words convert...in the most unforgettable way!

Your story deserves to be told—by you. For too long, others have controlled the narrative, distorting the brilliance, resilience, and impact of Women of Color. But we’re here to change that, because you’re not just building a brand; you’re shaping culture, challenging the status quo, and creating a ripple effect of empathy, equity, and positive change. My job? To make sure your messaging reflects that power—clearly, confidently, and with staying power.