Dain Walker on Personal Branding, Childhood Trauma & World Domination

In this episode of What Are We Drinking?, Rachel sits down with Dain Walker — personal brand strategist, founder of Rivyl, author, speaker, creator and the man known as “the internet’s brand strategist.”Dain shares the full story behind his journey, from a chaotic childhood and time in foster care, to being $200,000 in debt, working at Telstra, and having a life-changing moment after seeing Gary Vee speak live. That moment became the spark that pushed him into content, branding, entrepreneurship and building the creative empire he leads today.

Rachel and Dain dive deep into personal branding, why businesses without visible founders are already falling behind, and why people connect with people, stories and characters far more than logos. Dain breaks down the difference between authenticity and identity, why imperfect characters are more powerful, and how founders can use their story to build real trust online.

They also unpack business growth, creativity, fatherhood, leadership, podcasting, content teams, trauma, resilience and the importance of designing the person you want to become.

And yes — instead of whiskey, wine or a flashy cocktail, Dain chose vanilla custard. Naturally.

This episode is funny, raw, practical and packed with gold for anyone building a brand, business or better version of themselves.