Introduction
"I've lost clients. I've lost quite a few things, because I've decided to speak up about certain things." Dr Tru Powell, publicity expert and founder of Aston Performing Arts Academy, is candid about what an authentic personal brand actually costs. One of seven children raised by a single parent in inner-city Birmingham, he and his twin brother were ridiculed and had their masculinity questioned for loving performing arts as boys. That experience became the founding reason for an academy that has shaped hundreds of young lives, and the same instinct now shapes a personal brand built on four deliberate pillars. This conversation covers what happened to that brand after George Floyd's murder, what his wife had to teach him about the expectations that come with visibility, and why he measures success in rewards rather than awards.
Ridicule, a twin brother, and a promise to build a safe space
Growing up in Aston, Birmingham, one of six boys in a family of seven raised by a single mother, Tru and his twin brother developed a love of music and performing arts from their mother's record collection and their church's praise and worship. Living it out publicly as boys came at a cost. He describes their manhood and sexuality being questioned in cruel terms simply for wanting to sing and perform. He credits having a twin brother, someone to weather the ridicule alongside, with making it survivable, and says the two of them made a promise early on: when they were old enough, they would build the safe space for performing arts that they never had. That promise became Aston Performing Arts Academy, now regarded as one of the leading performing arts organisations in the Midlands.
A mother's rule: address it, then solve it
Tru attributes much of his resilience, and his brothers', to a single principle their mother instilled: when something is wrong, address it directly and find a solution, rather than dwelling on it. He is direct that statistically, six Black boys raised in poverty in the inner city were expected to end up in very different circumstances. Instead, he says, every brother but one is married with children and working in stable careers, something he credits directly to that early, repeated lesson in problem-solving over self-pity.
What twenty-two years with his wife has taught him
Asked about lessons from over two decades with his wife, married for around twelve of those years, Tru names patience, knowing when to step back from an escalating disagreement, and a shared commitment to finding solutions rather than letting conflict fester. He shares a recent example: bringing his wife, tired from work, to a formal evening event without warning her of the dress code. Her upset, he realised only after reflection, was not really about the event itself but about a shift in what being his wife now means publicly, given how visible his own brand has become. He describes having to set aside his ego, apologise, and adapt his own behaviour, now always confirming dress codes and context with her in advance, as a direct result.
Building a personal brand around four pillars
Tru became deliberate about his personal brand in 2018, working with a coach to write a short brand strategy. \[CHECK: the names of the specific book, author and coach referenced in this section are unclear in the transcript and should be confirmed before publishing.\] The result is four fixed pillars, family, entrepreneurship, fitness and social activism, that everything he posts has to align to. He is strict about this discipline: if content does not serve one of the four pillars, it does not go out, on the basis that inconsistency confuses an audience and dilutes a brand.
George Floyd and an unplanned brand pivot
The one element Tru did not originally plan for was social activism. He says George Floyd's murder changed what he was willing to stay silent about, and that having a public platform without speaking to what mattered no longer sat right with him. He is clear this wasn't a calculated addition for engagement, but a genuine shift in what he needed to say, which then had to be absorbed into the brand regardless of the professional risk.
The real cost of speaking up
That shift has come at a measurable cost. Tru describes losing friends, sponsors and clients directly because of his outspokenness on racial justice, and says his visibility, appearing on television and in the press, makes both him and his family a target for backlash in a way his other brand pillars never have. His response is to keep a trusted filter in place: his wife reviews anything he is uncertain about before it goes out, not to soften his message, but to catch anything that could cause harm without adding value. He argues that what he loses in comfort he gains in alignment, since the people who stay are genuinely invested in his message rather than passively present.
Awards versus rewards
Asked which of his many accolades, including an honorary doctorate, national television appearances and multiple award wins, means the most, Tru rejects the premise. He draws a firm line between awards, the visible, public recognition, and rewards, the often invisible outcomes that are the actual reason he does the work. His clearest example is a young man from a troubled background who came through Aston Performing Arts Academy and went on to study theatre and later act professionally. That, he says, outweighs any trophy, because it is proof the work did what it was meant to do.
Leading by example, at home and at the academy
Tru says his approach to parenting mirrors his approach to leadership: model the behaviour you want to see, rather than simply instructing it. In his household, sharing is enforced regardless of individual ownership of a toy or device, on the belief that the habit built now shapes generosity later. He is equally deliberate about his children's early digital footprint, coaching them from around age thirteen, when they open their first social media accounts, to think carefully about what they post, since a digital footprint outlasts the moment it was created and can affect future opportunities.
Defining leadership
Asked to define leadership, Tru returns to the idea of leading by example rather than instruction: trusting your own voice and decision-making enough to communicate a vision clearly, so that a team buys into the journey even when they do not agree with every individual choice along the way.
