An Inspired Chat with Michelle Rose of Denver Highlands

We recently had the chance to connect with Michelle Rose and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
Oh, absolutely! You know, early in my career, I was in sales and marketing roles that just weren’t fulfilling me. There was this pressure to keep climbing that ladder, but I made what felt like a pretty radical choice at the time. I stopped. I chose patience over momentum.

I went to grad school to become a counselor, and through my own therapy journey, I discovered this love for walking alongside people through their identity work. I built a successful therapy practice, and somewhere in that process, I unlocked this creative side I didn’t even know was there.

The real “aha moment” came when I rebranded my therapy website for the fourth time in three years. I remember feeling this pure joy and realizing I love this process of capturing someone’s essence and helping their identity take shape.

If I had acted fast, I think I would’ve built something much more superficial. All hustle, all cognitive. But because I took the time to heal and really understand people on a deeper level, that’s what makes Rosessence different. I bring my counselor’s intuition to branding. I see what isn’t being said. I help business owners uncover what makes them truly unique and strong.

So yeah, patience gave me a business I actually needed when I was starting out, and one I know other people need too.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Michelle Rose, founder of Rosessence Branding House, based here in Denver but working with clients all over the world. What I do is pretty unique. I combine my background as a counselor with my love for creative strategy to help entrepreneurs and small business owners with strong missions build brands that truly reflect who they are.

I offer everything from full rebrands and brand strategy to website design, branding photoshoots, and what I call “brand essence building.” That’s where my counseling background really comes in. I have this gift for seeing what isn’t being said, for uncovering the deeper story beneath the surface. And the beauty of how we work is that most of these services happen in-house, so there’s a continuity and cohesiveness that’s really hard to replicate when you’re coordinating between multiple creative businesses.

I’m endlessly inspired by the beauty of nature and light, and how we all capture and share it in different ways. That influences everything I create. Over the last two years, I’ve also been intentional about prioritizing women-owned small businesses in our community, because I believe in lifting each other up and building something meaningful together.

At the heart of it all, Rosessence is about helping people feel seen. I create brands that don’t just look good, they feel true.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was creative, curious, and completely captivated by beauty. I spent hours painting, coloring, drawing, dancing around to music. I’d get lost watching the tree in my front yard, just mesmerized by the way the leaves moved in the breeze, how the light filtered through them differently depending on the season or time of day. There was this sense of wonder in the simple, quiet moments.

But the hustle of the world, college, grad school, it all pulls you to be so cognitive, so logic-driven. Slowly, without even realizing it, I left behind those sparks of joy and exploration. The world told me that kind of wonder was for kids, not for adults building careers.

What’s beautiful is that starting my own business actually cracked that back open for me. When I began reconnecting with some of my favorite hobbies and doing the creative work that starting a business requires, it was like permission to play again. To explore. To find joy in the process, not just the outcome.

That little girl who watched the light move through the leaves? She’s still here. And now she gets to help other people reconnect with their own sense of wonder and authenticity through their brands. It turns out, the world was wrong. That creativity, that curiosity, that’s not just for kids. It’s the most valuable part of who we are.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that I wasn’t stuck. For so long, I believed my past defined my future. That belief drove me to burnout and hustling through jobs that drained me, accepting struggle as my permanent reality.

Through a decade-long healing journey, I learned that we can choose our reality. We can fill it with adventure and peace. We can even choose our difficulties, the ones that feel worth it.

Success says keep climbing. But suffering stopped me and asked, “Is this really what you want?” It gave me permission to choose differently.

Now I choose to play and enjoy my work and life. And I help my clients see that their brand can be a reflection of who they’re becoming, not who they used to be.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie is that there’s a formula. That if you just follow the trends, use the right fonts, say the right things, you’ll succeed. But people can feel when something is real and when it’s not. The brands that last, the ones that build real connection and loyalty, are the ones brave enough to be themselves, even when that doesn’t look like everyone else.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
What I’m doing now feels like what I was actually meant to do. In the past, I followed the path that made sense and looked successful from the outside. I chose what was practical and validated by others. Rosessence Branding House came from a much deeper place. It blends intuition, creativity, and strategy in a way that feels natural to me. I’m doing this work not because it was expected or suggested, but because it feels like my most authentic way of creating and contributing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rosessencebrandinghouse.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosessencebrandinghouse

Image Credits
Michelle Rose Photography under Rosessence Branding House