KO Your Brand

Katrina Owens (00:01.048)
Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to the very first episode of KO Your Brand. I'm Katrina Owens. I am a personal branding and publicity expert, and I'm the founder of Knockout Directive, which helps business owners feel famous for their work using public relations. And my gosh, I'm a little bit nervous. I actually just texted my partner Gabriel to be like,

I'm recording the first podcast episode. Please don't come upstairs because I honestly like don't really know how this is going to go. I know it's going to be awesome. I'm expecting a couple of bumps along the way. Took me took me like probably an hour to get the tech all sorted and I could not figure out why I couldn't hear my test recording. And then it was because I didn't have like the right speaker setting on my laptop.

So the whole time I thought I wasn't even recording audio. I was, but the speakers just like weren't working. So those are the perils of being an entrepreneur. There is no IT department. It is all up to me, which is an empowering feeling once I like get that shit figured out. But in the meantime, it's like, a pinch stressful. Anyways, I am so glad to be here with you all.

And I'm so grateful if you are listening to this. This has been a long time coming for me. And I know I'm still like finding my footing with it all. I'm giving myself grace on the first episode or the first couple of episodes as I figure all of this out. But it took me a long time to get here. And I think it's because, scrap that, I know it's because I am a recovering perfectionist.

hands up if you can relate. And I always just want to be able to put my best foot forward with like every single project that I do. And when I think about this podcast, this is not just like another podcast that business owners like throw together and record over Zoom. If you're watching this on YouTube or Spotify, you'll see that I am in a room. It's my

Katrina Owens (02:26.944)
my old guest room. So there used to be a bed in here and people used to stay overnight like once in a while. My partner and I like live far away from most of our family and friends. So we maybe have someone like sleep in this room like once a year. So it was like almost a year ago when I said to my friend Tacey, my other friend and mentor Megan, I said, I really want to turn our guest bedroom into a podcast studio.

And I was immediately met with like, yes, hell yes, you should do it. Make it a revenue generating space, like freaking go for it. And that moment like really set off the perfectionism for me because now I wasn't just like hopping on zoom and recording this with a USB mic. I wanted there to be video and like.

good-looking video so I can repurpose this for like, you know, obviously social media and to grow a YouTube channel. And I also have like really big dreams. I have really big dreams of making this like a six-figure podcast, maybe a seven-figure podcast. I guess we should dream big seven-figure podcast. And I know that moment is far away right now, but I think because I want this to be

a revenue stream, a business opportunity for myself. I really tried to take it seriously. And that perfectionism really delayed the start of this project. So I told you a little bit about how when I wanted to convert this room into a podcast studio, I originally had it set up as a guest room. There was a bed in here, big bed. There was a bedside table. Like it was a full guest bedroom.

And then I realized, okay, well, actually, I didn't realize I bargained. Okay. I bargained with my partner, Gabriel. And I said, listen, I really want to turn this room into a podcast studio. Nobody ever stays here. My office where I work from home and run my business is right next door. Please. It would be the perfect podcast studio. And he said to me, no problem.

Katrina Owens (04:50.476)
but just to make sure you are getting like a sofa bed or something so people can still stay here. And it's really hard to find a good looking sofa bed because like, see the space, like it's kind of aesthetic. So I finally go to one of my favorite furniture stores and I finally find the perfect, beautiful sofa bed. Measure it, it's gonna fit in the room, it's gonna be perfect. So I order it.

This was back in June. I order it and it says it's on back order till the beginning of September. And I'm like, no problem. Like, it gives me lots of time to like sell the bedroom furniture in here and start to like, you know, get the other things that I need, all of the tech, everything to like really bring the podcast to life. So it's September and

The couch, the sofa bed that I had ordered is finally coming and the truck pulls up. I go out to greet the delivery man and he looks at our house, which is a townhouse, which is very standard for where we live in the greater Vancouver area, British Columbia, Canada. And he's like, there's stairs. I didn't know that there were stairs.

And I was like, I literally filled out a questionnaire like for the delivery that asked if there were stairs. And I said, yes, there are two flights and also like most homes have stairs. anyways, he's like, we can't deliver this today. I need another crew. So you'll have to reschedule. So he leaves. I was annoyed, but he leaves. And then I rescheduled the delivery. Gabriel and I were going away on, on vacation. So I had to reschedule to the end of September.

So I reschedule it and now I'm like so excited because I'm like now the sofa bed is gonna get here and then I can finally start this freaking chapter.

Katrina Owens (06:54.702)
So it's like a Sunday morning, waiting patiently. I cleared the pathway for this freaking couch to like come upstairs to the room. And the guys bring it up the first flight of steps, no problem. And then when they try to bring it up the second flight of steps, they simply cannot because I live in a fricking vertical narrow townhouse and that second staircase is tight.

And me being a girl's girl, I did not measure the staircase. Didn't even cross my mind, honestly. So when they tried to deliver that couch the second time, I just thought this thing was getting up here and I was going to be on with my life, but it was a whole ordeal. So they're like, hey, we actually can't deliver this. So unfortunately, we're going to take it back to the warehouse and you will get a refund and the whole thing.

And that was when I started to feel really stuck because all of that happened at a period of time in my business when I had really kind of lost faith in myself and my business and what I was doing or what I was meant to do. I always wanted to do public relations and personal branding coaching, and I offered those services alongside my more traditional agency services. So if you're listening to this and you know me,

You'll know that for most of the length of my business, I've done social media management, brand and web design, public relations management, and all of those things I offered alongside me trying to build up these coaching programs. And in the summer, right before the whole couch fiasco in September, I had just run the most successful launch I'd ever done. I had never launched anything before that, but...

Um, I had sold 11 spots into my group publicity coaching program, five weeks, still famous. And I didn't believe that I could do it again. I had so much momentum. I had sold out this program. It was amazing. It was changing lives. One of the participants got signed to a talent agency. Another one secured her very first speaking gig ever. And then I thought.

Katrina Owens (09:20.046)
If I really wanted to make like real money, I had to focus on growing my agency like everybody else seemed to be doing. So I stopped selling my coaching programs altogether. And it was during that time that I got really scared and scarce when it came to money. So that couch not being delivered was like my out because I hadn't bought anything else yet. I hadn't bought this fancy microphone.

camera, the lights, all of the things. I hadn't bought those things yet. So that was my out to start holding on to my money. And if you're an entrepreneur, you'll know that that's when shit starts to go a bit sideways. So that was September and then October came along and Gabriel, my partner kept asking me like, have you found a new couch? Nope, haven't looked yet. Haven't looked, haven't looked.

And then it was Halloween and a client of mine that was one of my management clients, a recurring revenue client, messaged me to let me know that come the new year, we would no longer be working together because they were bringing the services that my agency provided. They were taking them in-house. And that's when I realized if I don't figure something out,

I'm going to have zero revenue in 2025. So dialed 911 to my mentor, Megan, who is a mentor in the living in balance space, which I am in. It's changed my life. You'll hear a lot about it on this podcast, you know, in future episodes, but we won't get too far down that rabbit hole today, but just know that I called her. She got me on the phone, her and one of the senior mentors, Andy.

And Andy encouraged me to understand, take a look at my business and understand why my business was mad at me. Because she was mad. I had gone from making the most money I'd ever made in my life to the least. And I couldn't figure out why. And upon reflection, it's because I stopped believing in it.

Katrina Owens (11:47.18)
I started focusing all of my efforts around my agency, totally neglecting all of the actual dreams I had. The dreams I had for like building coaching programs and really being an expert in the PR and personal branding space. The podcast, which was going to be an amazing marketing tool for my business. All of the things I just like totally pressed pause on and I was like stuck.

and scared and not doing anything.

So I realized that my business was pissed and because she's an energy source. And it was that conversation that helped me realize, you know, through some other actions or activities that Andy and Megan had me do. They had me dive into all of my revenue streams, break them all apart, look at my entire last year and really figure out what is the most profitable arm on my business.

We were going to figure out what the core of my business really had to be. And when I started to do that exercise, I was actually going to leave out my personal branding and publicity coaching programs. I don't know why. To me, they didn't feel like real revenue streams. They didn't feel like viable parts of my business, which is so crazy now. But for whatever reason, I thought I had to be like a real agency owner.

That's my ego talking. She loves to think we have to scale this big business with all these employees, which is so just not what I want.

Katrina Owens (13:25.506)
But my ego thought that that's how I was going to make money. And she told me that all my dreams, my actual dreams just weren't possible. So I totally disconnected from my vision. But it was that conversation with Megan and Andy that helped me realize that the most profitable revenue streams are my publicity coaching and personal branding programs. And we did that exercise on November 1st. And when

I had that permission to just sell those programs, changed my entire life. And that's when I got back on the train of this podcast and putting it back into action, but I had to find a new couch. then Black Friday was coming up. So I was like, okay, know, revenue was still down. So was trying to do things cost efficiently. So I found an amazing Black Friday deal.

I don't think I should mention the name of the furniture brand on here, just in case this podcast blows up one day. it's a company that hasn't actually filed for bankruptcy yet. But I ordered that couch on Black Friday, and it had said that it was going to be delivered the first week of January. And it was the first week of January, fast forward, once I placed that order, and I had heard nothing.

So I had emailed customer service. tried calling, no answer, no answer. And then I start deep diving into Reddit. And all these people on Reddit are complaining about this Canadian furniture brand that has stopped answering their customer service line, their emails, and there was all the speculation around it filing for bankruptcy.

So again, I actually still have an outstanding order and credit card dispute with this company and have not heard back yet. That was the beginning of January. And then I was like, great, I'm stuck again. And through the month of January, I was actually traveling for three weeks. So I obviously couldn't place any orders then because I was traveling and I didn't want something to like get delivered while I was away. But then once I got home from all of my travels, I was like, now this has got to happen.

Katrina Owens (15:46.016)
Like I was so reconnected to my vision by that point that I'm like freaking find me a couch, order that thing and let's get this show on the road. So if you can see it, this, this gorgeous couch is from Buclair, another Canadian brand. love to see it. And they delivered so fast on time so easily. And now here I am unstuck, ready to give you all of the personal branding and public relations.

thoughts and insights and opinions that you're craving. This podcast is for the fame ready entrepreneur. If you follow me on social media, you'll know that I love to talk about being famous, feeling famous for your work. And that's what I really inspire every person that I work with or every listener.

to really start embracing the power of public relations, to build their personal brand and really start to feel famous for the amazing work that you do. So that's what this podcast is going to be about. And why I wanted to do this podcast, okay, if we take it all the way back to like 2017, I was like an early adopter of podcasts, okay? I listened to the Lady Gang, Skinny Confidential, The Toast, and I always thought,

how freaking cool to be a podcaster and just get paid to talk. One day, I'll do an episode that's more about me and my career and my journey. But I did actually start my career thinking that I would be in sports broadcasting. sometimes people tell me that they can totally see that. So I feel like that might be a dream that's coming back to me one day. So.

Anyways, I always thought like, how cool to like have a podcast. But for most of my podcast listening years, I was a corporate girl. I did not think I was that interesting. And I like majorly shied away from the spotlight. I didn't have like anything I could think of to talk about that like felt different than what was already being talked about out there. I didn't think I had novel ideas. All the things, all the excuses.

Katrina Owens (18:03.65)
all the excuses that old Katrina loved to make. But then as it became a business owner, I realized all these other business owners had podcasts. And then I was like, cue Mindy Kaling, why not me? And why not make this a revenue stream? So here I am, episode number one.

I know this road is going to be a long one, but I'm here for it. And over the course of the past two years of growing my business and using public relations to grow my own business, I've guested on a ton of podcasts. And if you ever take like any of the programs that I offer, you'll know that podcast guesting is such a great way to understand what that podcast journey would be like for you.

So for me, I realized that it was so hard for me to really go into the details and the nuance of the work that I do on somebody else's podcast. And while I love writing, you can really only convey so much through writing either. So I knew that the time was coming. So that's what this podcast is for. It's for me to be able to go really deep on all of the topics. And there are so many topics that I just can't wait to cover with you guys.

Everything from pitching, how to build your speaking career, know, probably a lot about podcasting, building up your personal brand using PR. What are the places that people get stuck? What are the mistakes I see? So every week you'll get one long form episode, kind of like this, anywhere from like 30 to 60 minutes designed for you to listen to while you're on a commute.

or cooking, cleaning, taking the dog for a walk, getting ready, putting your makeup on, whatever it is, this episode is for you to really like go into the deep details with me on a certain topic. So that's what we're going to do once a week. And then we're also going to do something else once a week. And that is a short form podcast, probably around 10 to 15 minutes called Pulling Punches.

Katrina Owens (20:23.456)
And I'm trying to stay away from like making too many boxing references in this podcast because that's really not what this is about. My company as a side note is called Knockout Directive because of my initials, Katrina Owens. Not a boxer by any means, though I know there's lots of like cute boxing analogies we can make. When I use the word knockout, it's more like in the realm of like a bombshell, like, you know, you're a knockout. Who doesn't want to be a knockout, right?

So that's the context that I'm looking at it in. But anyways, we are gonna do a segment every week called Pull In Punches. And that's gonna be like a 10 to 15 minute episode where I give you one actionable takeaway. Maybe it's a hot take, maybe it's an action item, but it's gonna be inspired by like some of the shit I see on the internet about PR, personal branding, because there is a lot of shit out there. And yes, I am swearing. You know, I'm kind of a swear bear.

It's not gonna be so overwhelming, but I just had to let that thing go. I was like, am I gonna swear on this podcast or am I gonna keep that part of myself to myself? And honestly, the more comfortable I get doing this, I just know it's gonna come out. So now you know, that's me. But anyways, I see a lot of stuff out there online.

I see a lot of pitches. work with a lot of business owners on their pitches. And I want you guys to know what works, what doesn't, and how you can be better at this whole PR for personal brands game. Because in turn, you get to build a beautiful business. You get to claim the spotlight for yourself. You get to charge more money for the amazing service that you offer. So that's what we're going to do around here.

And I hope you love it. Honestly, it's a passion of mine to talk about this work. Because honestly, public relations and building up my own personal brand really changed my life. And I won't go into all the ins and outs on this episode. But if you are new here, if we ever haven't had a chance to meet yet, this is what I want you to know. I started my personal brand from zero.

Katrina Owens (22:42.572)
two years ago. I did not have the confidence that you see here today. Actually, two years ago, I was working part time for a marketing agency and I wanted to do a podcast so bad, I actually suggested that I do a podcast for them. That is how much I didn't believe in myself and my own name. And obviously they jumped at the opportunity because

everyone else could recognize my potential before I did. And now I see her, me, I see her for who she really is, Katrina Owens, KO. And honestly, she's the woman I've always wanted to be. And it's still really uncomfortable sometimes. And I know that showing up isn't always easy, but showing up online and in person as the person, the business owner that I've always envisioned myself to be.

That's changed my life. And it's really changed everything. How much money I earn, what my daily life looks like, the possibilities that have opened up for me. So if you're listening to this and you're like, Katrina, I don't feel fame ready. That's OK. Neither did I.

But I think that's what's gonna make this podcast so awesome because as you listen to me and as we grow and connect together, you are going to feel fame ready eventually because I have been in your shoes. I know what it's like to feel a bit shy or to not even know like what you wanna build your personal brand around. These are all things that I've gone through myself and I've built.

a beautiful personal brand in business in a very short period of time. So that's just what I want you to keep in mind. I don't want anyone to think that this podcast isn't for them because I really believe public relations is for everybody. Whether you're working a corporate job right now or you are building your business from the ground up, you know, I've been in all of those shoes, honestly. Maybe you're starting over because I kind of did that too.

Katrina Owens (25:07.01)
I had to start over, like when my agency, I mean, I haven't really actually shared this publicly yet, but I guess here's a good place to start. my agency doesn't really exist anymore. And that's by design. I realized that that was just not something that I wanted to do. So back in November, December, I started to phase out all of my agency clients.

Hence why freaked out when one of my agency clients actually gave me the out because they were taking their everything in house. I was trying to control it a little bit more, but I think all of those things happened for a reason. And now here we are. And I get to run amazing personal branding and public relations programs for entrepreneurs, and they have such a big impact. And nobody does the work that I do.

And I'm not someone that ever thought I would invent something or have a novel idea, okay? I think I mentioned that already in this podcast. But I'm so connected to my gifts and my vision and my purpose. And I do that all through the living in balance space. But I'm so connected to all of these deeper parts of me that like, I know now this is what I've been put on earth to do. And I'm just so grateful.

that you guys are all giving me this lesson and are here to share that with me. So with that, it is March 28th, 2025. This podcast is being released on the day of my launch party, Launch and Learn presented by K.O. your brand. And that's a whole like other thing that we're going to dive into. Don't you worry. I'm going to do a whole episode.

unpacking why I felt it was important to do a launch party, why that's important from a personal branding and PR perspective. And I'm going to tell you all the learnings that I had too. But if you didn't make it to the launch party this time around, I think there's more events up my sleeve. So stay tuned for more of that.

Katrina Owens (27:22.646)
And what did just, I'm just soaking in like how monumental this day really is for me. And it's so funny. Cause like, you know, as I say all of this, I just can't believe that this gets to be my life now and it gets to be this good. And with that, before I wrap up, I just want to let you know that I am running the very last cohort of my group publicity coaching program, five weeks till famous this spring.

Registration is open right now and this program has helped countless clients of mine land placements in Women's Health Magazine, Yahoo Finance, Authority Magazine, Top Podcasts. It's helped entrepreneurs land their very first speaking gig. One of my clients even got signed to a talent agency because of what she learned in the program. So because this is my freaking podcast,

I get to shamelessly plug this program and just how impactful it is. But I'm running it for the very last time because I am working on making things bigger and better. And this podcast is really going to be the most accessible way for you to get public relations and personal branding information. It used to be that you would take five weeks to famous to learn about my processes and all of that. But you know, as businesses scale,

the cost of working with different coaches also increases. And that's the journey that I mine. So while Five Weeks Still Famous will still exist in different ways and forms, if you want to join this program that has literally changed people's businesses because they can generate brand awareness and authority using PR, you've got to register right now. I will leave the link in the show notes. my God. I can't imagine.

I can't believe I just said that. Wow, I feel like a real podcaster now. The link to register for Five Weeks Still Famous, the very last cohort ever, will be in the show notes. If you even want to just learn more about the program, click the link, sign up, get all the details. But this program is designed to help you along your journey, regardless of where you are. Even if you've done PR before, but you want a little refresher on what it looks like for you.

Katrina Owens (29:42.824)
Maybe you are just starting your personal brand and you just want to see if using public relations is something that you'd like to do. It's for you too. One thing's for sure is this program is so impactful and I just know it's already changed the businesses for so many talented entrepreneurs. So if this is something that interests you, I want you to jump into that program for the very last time.

because we always go out with a bang. So this time around, I think we're going to throw in a few more surprises. And I just know that this last cohort is really going to blow the roof off this thing. So with that, that's it for me. Thank you so much for tuning in, for listening. Please rate and review this podcast.

Anywhere you listen to podcasts, Apple, Spotify, you can even watch on YouTube if you like a little video action. If you want to see me and my face and all my hand gestures, because you know I love to hand talk. Hand talk, that's such a funny, funny word. Anyways, that's it from me. I cannot wait to chat with you guys all next week. And I hope you KO your brand. Is that a cool ending? I don't know.

Let me know, send me a DM on Instagram if you like that ending. I think we got to workshop it a bit. Okay, toodles.