We recently had the chance to connect with Erin Hoy and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
My first 90 minutes are intentionally simple. I wake up, grab an English muffin, and head straight to my morning strength class. There’s something uniquely powerful about being a woman who lifts…especially at ripe height of 5’2.
That time under the bar sets the pace for me. I leave feeling steady, energized, and fully synced with myself before the rest of the day begins. It’s a small ritual, but it consistently brings me back to my own strength… in every sense of the word.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve always had that entrepreneurial spark. When I was a kid, I begged my mom for business cards for my pretend fashion business… because even then, I was determined to build something of my own. That carried into my early twenties when I launched my first real business, The Messy Brunette. I was hand-making accessories, running an e-commerce site, and growing a loyal customer base through nothing but digital storytelling. Looking back, I wasn’t just selling products, but learning how to build a brand. And I fell in love with the strategy behind it.
That curiosity led me into corporate marketing, where I joined an engineering firm as their Social & Digital Media Coordinator. And this is where everything came together. I saw, in real time, what happens when you spotlight the humans behind the work. I built a strategy that helped the firm go viral on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts — the first engineering firm in the nation to do it at that scale. We won regional and national awards, but more importantly… we proved how powerful personal branding becomes when it’s done intentionally and with heart.
And honestly? That experience cemented something I’d always known: expertise doesn’t translate unless people can see it.
I founded Her Digital Legacy to support high-level women who deserve a digital presence that reflects the level they lead at. My work exists so their credibility isn’t hidden, their impact isn’t muted, and their opportunities aren’t limited by visibility gaps.
Today, I help women take their offline authority and translate it into a digital presence that feels cohesive, compelling, and unforgettable — a presence that finally matches the weight of their work and the future they’re building.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
If I had to choose one moment that really shaped the way I see the world, it would be the realization that came much later – long after playing “pretend entrepreneur” as a kid and running my handmade hair accessory business at twenty.
It happened inside an engineering firm, of all places – where I was leading the social and digital strategy for a team of brilliant but behind-the-scenes engineers.
When I shifted our digital strategy from “Here’s the project” to “Here’s the person BEHIND the project,” everything changed. The firm went viral nationally, won awards, and reached audiences no one in that industry had ever touched… all because we stopped hiding the humans.
That experience crystallized something for me: people don’t connect with logos, they connect with people.
It changed the way I view visibility, leadership, and the work I’m meant to do. It’s the moment that made me realize that women (especially women in positions of power) deserve digital presences that reflect their real-world credibility. That moment is the reason Her Digital Legacy exists today.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There was absolutely a moment I almost gave up. Axnd it happened right in the middle of building what eventually became Her Digital Legacy.
Back then, my business was called 5 to 9 Socials, and I was offering Instagram Management for female founders. From the outside, I looked successful: fully booked, getting results, consistently growing my clients’ accounts. But inside, I felt this quiet friction I couldn’t ignore. I knew I was capable of more than “Instagram Manager,” but I didn’t quite know how to step into that next version of myself.
And then a close friend said the sentence that cracked everything open:
“You aren’t going to make it with just Instagram.”
It stung… because she was right. I was playing small. That moment forced me to rethink everything. It pushed me toward what I truly (deep down) wanted to build… and what women leaders were truly needing.
When I finally rebranded into Her Digital Legacy, I felt clearer, but not necessarily more confident. The early days were challenging. I faced skepticism around my age, my pricing, and the fact that I was positioning myself in a space many people didn’t fully understand yet. There were days when the rejections felt heavy, and I questioned whether I’d made a mistake by stepping away from the safety of my corporate career.
But even on the hardest days, I couldn’t ignore what I’d seen in my clients: brilliant, accomplished women whose digital presence didn’t match the level they led at. That gap — between who they were and how they were being perceived online — kept me going. I knew the work mattered.
And slowly, it paid off. Within the first year, the women I worked with were landing podcast interviews, magazine features, keynote invitations, and recognition they’d long deserved. My own work was featured by Kens5 and FORCE Magazine, reaffirming that this path — the harder, riskier one — was the right one.
So yes, there was a moment I almost gave up. But it became the turning point that shaped everything I do today.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is very much the real me. One of the biggest compliments I get from clients and peers is when they meet me in person and say, “You’re exactly the same as you are online.” And that’s intentional.
Even as a CEO, I don’t tone down my personality. I’m thoughtful and strategic, but I’m also lighthearted and a little goofy. So what you see online isn’t a performance — it’s simply me, communicated intentionally.
For me, that’s the point of personal branding: alignment between who you are and how you show up. When someone tells me I’m the same on and offline, it’s the highest compliment — because it means the brand is honest and true to me.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think the biggest misunderstanding about my legacy will be the assumption that personal branding is about popularity. When people hear “digital presence,” they often jump straight to likes, followers, or being loud online—and for many women, that idea feels deeply uncomfortable. We’ve been conditioned from a young age not to brag, not to take up too much space, and not to center ourselves in the conversation.
That conditioning creates hesitation. It can make sharing our work or expertise feel self-centered, when in reality, personal branding is anything but performative. For me, it’s legacy-building. It’s about documenting your impact in a space that isn’t going anywhere. The digital world has become the modern archive of our work, our leadership, and our ideas—and as AI continues to rise, human authenticity is becoming even more valuable. People are looking for faces and stories, not logos.
If there’s one misconception I hope to clear up, it’s this: visibility isn’t vanity. The work I do is about helping women build a digital legacy that supports their companies, expands their opportunities, and sustains their impact long after their title is “CEO.”
When we’re visible, people can find us. They understand who we are, what we do, and how we can help—and that clarity opens doors we may not have even realized were available.
I often explain it this way: you can’t expect people to come to dinner if you never send the invitation. Your online presence is that invitation. It lets people know you exist, that you can support them, and that there’s a seat at the table with your name on it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://herdigitallegacy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herdigitallegacy_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-hoy-personal-brand-strategist/
Image Credits
Photos by Rethlyn Photography
