Making Your Presence Felt
From established C-suite executives to budding entrepreneurs, image consultant Bridgett Battles ignites personal transformations to improve leadership skills, boost confidence, and spur lasting career success.
Bridgett Battles, an image consultant who specializes in developing executive presence for a wide range of professionals, believes that we all have a power word that best defines who we are. Hers is “contagious.” All it takes is a few minutes of conversation with her to understand why.
With no shortage of energy or confidence whatsoever, Battles’ positive vibes tend to easily spread to those around her. That’s why so many C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners have entrusted her with their personal transformation in the nearly 15 years since she founded her firm, The BBExperience.
“Anybody who I come into contact with, I want my level of confidence to transfer to them so that they know they can do, be, or have whatever it is they desire,” Battles says. “It is not based on anybody else; it is about you showing up for you.”
Battles speaks from personal experience. A native of High Point, North Carolina, she moved to the Philadelphia area 20 years ago and entered the corporate world. While enjoying a certain level of success, she yearned for more. She then went about figuring out how to achieve her goals.
“I’ve always had a good work ethic and good skill sets, but I struggled with getting promoted in the beginning of my career,” she says. “I went through the phase of identifying what it is I want out of life, how I wanted to view myself, and the impact I wanted to make. Then I went through the process of networking, meeting people, getting a mentor and a coach, and understanding that I wasn’t packaged and positioned properly for me to get the promotion. I learned that I needed to elevate my executive presence.
“Through the course of me going on this journey, I created a strategy,” she continues. “That strategy helped me as a professional, and what started out just for me, years later has flourished into a business.”
Inspired by a desire to share her knowledge with others, Battles started her company with a mission to teach clients that having the right skills can take you only so far. She helps them build a powerful presence both inside and out—not only remaking their appearance, but also fostering a mindset shift that changes how they are perceived and how they command authority, and allows them to reach the next level of leadership.
Her process is broken down into three parts, each lasting one month. In the first, she focuses on leading the clients to a “breakthrough moment,” and overcoming any negative feelings that might be holding them back from changing their brand. The second moves on to identifying their power word, starting their makeover, and enhancing their digital footprint.
The final step is what Battles calls “bankable”—when she shows clients that it’s not enough to speak your value; you have to demonstrate it, too.
“Your confidence will start helping you be the leader that you desire [to be],” she explains. “That, in turn, leads to more revenue. Your overall packaging impacts your bottom line, so working with me not only are you getting a makeover and creating your executive presence with your image, but we’re also pairing it with your confidence and leadership.
“We teach you business tactics like where to sit at the meeting table, how to involve people in the conversation, and what things you want to make sure you clearly articulate,” she continues. “We show you how to position yourself so that when you’re in these meetings, you’re not viewed as a transaction, but you’re viewed as a partner.”
Battles enjoys working with women and men alike, though most of her clients are women who struggle to demand the credit they deserve.
“When it comes to women, a lot of times we’re afraid to take ownership because we fear the perception if we act a certain way,” she says. “So one of the things I teach is that you can’t be afraid to talk about yourself. If you don’t talk about yourself, nobody actually knows the skill set that you possess, but also they don’t know the areas of specific value that you have.”
Battles’ insights are not just reserved for her clients. She is also a frequent guest speaker on a number of topics, and her book, Beauty & Her Battle: 30-Day Style Guide, was published in 2016.
All of her success is even more remarkable considering the personal struggles she overcame in the process of starting The BBExperience.
“I was going through a divorce, growing a business, and my dad was dying of cancer, and that’s why I call that time period a beautiful disaster,” she says. “Even in the midst of all these things that were falling apart, I still was able to not only grow the business but also see a transformation in clients’ lives. For me, it’s about the transformation and the impact, and despite the feelings that I felt going through trauma in my old life, I have now created a pathway to help other people move forward.”
Battles encourages people to visit her website to receive a free gift of seven essential items to change their wardrobe. They can also learn more about her services and decide if they are ready to take a major career leap.
“Seeing men’s and women’s lives change is always special,” Battles says. “But you have to understand that your executive presence is more than just your image. It’s your image, it’s your confidence, it’s your presentation, it’s the way you show up, and it’s understanding that you have to be your authentic self. You move from a space of thinking to a space of doing to a space of being.
“My ultimate goal,” she continues, “is to empower people and equip them with confidence, and that people change their belief in themselves. This is a pivotal moment in your success.”
The BBExperience
Philadelphia
(215) 995-0129
www.thebbexperience.com
Philadelphia
(215) 995-0129
www.thebbexperience.com
Photo by Jeff Anderson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, September 2025.
