KO Your Brand

Katrina Owens (00:00.35)
What's up guys, welcome back to another episode of KO Your Brand, the personal branding podcast for fame ready entrepreneurs. I'm your host Katrina Owens, top personal branding and PR expert joined by Dexter, resident French bulldog getting a belly rub right now. And I have to admit something to y'all. Before I recorded this or before I hit record on this, I basically recorded 13 minutes of an episode that I thought I wanted to do.

And then the entire time I was recording it, I was second guessing myself. And this is the third time this has happened to me today. I'm not kidding you guys. And I think that's what happens when you're kind of in an in-between. I'm definitely in like an in-between kind of phase. I think I said this on a previous episode, but I feel like I've been in the middle of this like quantum leap where my feet haven't quite touched the ground yet.

And the other day, I definitely did feel like my feet landed, but I think now I'm getting comfortable with where I'm at. And I'm just gonna walk you through the three things that kind of happened to me today that made me second guess my messaging and how I worked through them. Obviously you're in one of them right now. You're in this podcast episode with me. That's honestly a re-record. So.

That's ironic, but I figured we just get into, I don't know, something a bit more free flowing stream of consciousness style today because I've got a lot of tips. I'm just about to head to Nashville tomorrow morning to speak on a stage and I'm going to have so much to share after that. But the thoughts aren't coming out as clearly and as eloquently as I had hoped today. And it all started this morning.

So for your reference, it's Saturday morning in July. It's still not as hot as I would like for literally July, but I'm dealing with it. And I woke up today and I was like, wow, I am feeling like this conversation around ego has been coming up for me over the past couple of weeks. It's come up for me in conversations with my mentors. It's come up.

Katrina Owens (02:28.446)
just as I kind of observe a lot of things that are happening in my community with people who are wanting to speak on more stages or receive bigger and better opportunities, but maybe you're actually quite ready for them yet. This idea of ego keeps coming up, coming to the surface. So in all of this, I know that I'm checking mine and constantly looking to see like, where is it showing up for me? But I want to take you back to this morning.

when I posted something on social media, which was all about how your ego is killing your speaking career. And I have to share something with you guys. I know that I've been showing up a little bit more boldly, a little bit more loudly on social media over the last couple of weeks. And there are times when I wonder if I should be kind of pulling back on...

on my messaging and I second guess some of the words that I use or if I'm being too harsh or too direct. And this also came up for me actually a couple days ago, because I was sending some voice notes back and forth with a person in my inbox who's interested in some of my services and I went to her profile to just do a quick assessment of where she was at because she was asking about my group program and then felt like maybe she was in a better place for.

my one-on-one and so I wanted to make sure I could get a sense for where she was at. So I went to her Instagram and I did a quick little audit as I would do for any client and I was like, huh, there's no clear differentiator. I'm not entirely sure what her unique position is. Great content, has an engaged following, but from a press perspective, there's something missing.

And so I went back to my DMs and then I shared that with her in a voice note and I said in that voice note, took a quick look at your profile. And I think the thing that's missing for me is your unique position. I'm not sure from just what I saw of your profile. I'm not even sure like maybe what your unique position is. And as I was recording the voice note, that all kind of came tumbling out. And as I was saying it, I thought to myself, should I really be sending this?

Katrina Owens (04:47.938)
Should I really be sharing with someone who's a potential client of mine that I took a look at her profile and I don't know what her unique position is because what if she's worked really hard on her content? Obviously she's grown her brand to a certain place and she has goals. And I thought to myself, am I stepping out of line by using language like that and just calling someone out? And I actually said in my voice note, I remember saying, no offense, because I didn't want her to be offended.

And then after I sent it, I still felt a bit off. And then I felt off the next morning. And it's so interesting because I can sense that I am being more direct in how I speak, not only to my community through my social media and on this podcast, but also to my clients. I work with some really high level clients and they don't have it all together either.

And there's times when I shy away from really stepping into like my true zone of expertise because I'm scared of hurting someone's feelings or scared of giving someone like too much work to do. But I just, I'm getting to a point where I believe that I'm doing people a disservice by kind of pulling back on my message and trying to subdue my thoughts and all of that.

So was just so interesting that I had kind of expressed this. And I mean, whether she'll become a client or not after, after receiving that, guess still remains to be seen. But what I had to tell myself was, hey, this is how I coach. If she was going to be working with me, I would have to tell her we need to start with a unique position. So these are all the things that I shared.

And I mean she came to me first so we can't hold on too much, but it was just so interesting how that kind of For lack of a better word triggered something in me where I was like, huh? Who is she right now?

Katrina Owens (06:53.888)
It felt right, but then it also felt like eerily uncomfortable and a bit different than how I usually talk to people. And then today I decided that I needed to do a post that was basically calling out everyone that I have crossed paths with right now, who just simply will not start at the beginning when it comes to growing their speaking career.

And I find it so frustrating because I think for me, as I sat on my balcony with Gabriel the other day, and I literally said to him, I am doing something that most people dream of doing and never get to do. Speaking on stages literally across the continent. It's not something that I've ever done before. Something that's really new to me this summer. And I've already just booked a speaking gig for 2026.

So I know just how much things are really ramping up. And as I sat there and I said this to him, we're kind of chatting about how I got here. And I really believe I got here by willing to do what most people aren't, which is like to be totally humbled by starting at one or zero, to be honest. Because back in the day, although my very first speaking gig ever was to a room of 200.

After that, I had to go back to the drawing board because I wanted to speak on more stages, but I really wasn't there yet. I didn't even have a clear personal brand at that point. The very first speaking gig I ever did, I was following a format for a particular event. I didn't have a clear personal brand and I didn't... Oh my God, Dexter just full on farted. If that mic picked that up, it was not me. Anyways.

I had done this speaking gig and I knew I wanted to do more, but I knew that what I actually spoke on wasn't clear. So after that, if I think about the one, two, three, four, five speaking gigs I did after that, it's not like they were all at once. They were probably over the course of a year. They were to small audiences. They were workshop style.

Katrina Owens (09:14.03)
There was no fancy audio visuals or even fancy outfits at that. But I was willing to put in that work because I knew that that's where it had to start. And I knew that by speaking to a room of 20 in a random retail store at seven in the morning, I knew that that was going to be the stepping stone to eventually speaking on bigger and bigger stages.

But the thing that I'm so frustrated about is that people are always saying, I wanna speak more, I wanna do this, I wanna get paid to speak, I wanna travel to speak. And I actually think that they're just not willing to start at the zero. They're not willing to like put in the work to do something locally, small group style, workshop style. And that's such an issue and it's just so frustrating to me.

Luckily, the people that choose to work with me can see beyond that and they know the work that they need to do to get to the bigger stages, to be able to book the flights to speak. They know, but I'm just feeling like there are so many people out there that talk about wanting to be speakers and have a profitable personal brand without willing to like put the ego aside and just do the work. So today.

I created a carousel that basically called that out. Your ego is killing your speaking career, which I really believe because I think most people that say they want to be speakers won't actually become them because they're not willing to invest in their personal brands and do the brand strategy and know what their unique position is. And then they're not willing to speak to the really small rooms first. They're just not willing to do that stuff.

which means you'll never get to the very dreamy big opportunities that we see other people doing. And I think the post I have to do next is actually just sharing all of the really small things that I have done to just show and practice how I put my ego aside. Because I'm living proof that if you do that, the most freaking amazing things will happen. So I guess that's the next post.

Katrina Owens (11:35.992)
But it was so interesting because I created that carousel and I felt really strongly about it. I mean, to me, I wanted to use firm language. After I posted, I was like, wow, I really just posted a carousel where it says the words ego and killing all on the first page and really bold font. It felt like the words I really wanted to say, but a version of me.

wouldn't be comfortable expressing myself like that in a past life. But I know for me to continue to evolve and to really, really serve from where I want to serve now, I do need to be bolder in my language and in my messaging. But I guess I'm sharing this right now because I think sometimes we can feel like we're evolving and then our external presence, our personal brand kind of has to catch up.

And I think I'm in that catching up phase. And I can feel my ego creep in because my ego will tell me things like, should you really be like speaking this boldly or like being this loud about this right now? Are people gonna be offended? Are you gonna hurt people's feelings? And then I'm like, am I doing something wrong? Like guys, it's so funny, the thoughts, the things that crossed my mind.

in any given morning when I'm trying to like create content that really, really reflects how I'm feeling. And to be honest, like this is the content I want to be putting out there. I want the people who are really letting their ego guide them to know that they ain't going to get anywhere if they don't drop it. And so I guess this episode is like a stream of consciousness if you haven't caught on quite yet.

And it's really just because I'm in this period of like stepping into Boulder messaging and today has been all questions, no answers. Cause that's how my morning started off. So my morning started off and I was like, okay, that was weird. It brought up some like interesting feelings. I was feeling like, did I hurt someone's feelings? Obviously between like how I'm kind of speaking on social media right now, it feels like

Katrina Owens (14:03.81)
It feels like the message I really want to be putting out there. But I think I feel like a lot of my audience knows me as really, really nice Katrina. And for so long, I was such a people pleaser and I was always so careful to like not hurt people's feelings and not say the thing that people actually really needed to hear. But like, I know that I'm so good at what I do.

that I'm actually doing everybody else a disservice if I kind of subdue some of these thoughts and opinions and perspectives. But the insecurity that comes up for me is, are people gonna think like, she's changed? Are they gonna think like, she's too big for her britches? like, she's like really drinking the Kool-Aid? my God, and it's so kind of, I was gonna say it's so cool. It's kind of crazy to be,

like in this stream of consciousness right now, because I have been trying to get to the root around some discomfort I had just been feeling overall and sitting with myself over the past couple of weeks. And you know what's so interesting is there's this question that my mentors have asked me in the past, and it's like, why are you scared of success? And I've always been like, I'm not, I want more success, give it to me.

But I think as I kind of process some of the thoughts that I've been saying out loud, I actually think that some of these thoughts and some of the things I think to myself after I post something that feels a little bit bold and loud, it is coming from a place of, people gonna think that I'm like trying too hard or, you know, are they gonna think that I've gotten too big for my britches?

But this is the messaging and these are the perspectives that I know I need to share because these are the things that have got me to where I am in my career right now, which have been so successful. So I guess I'm not sure if that's landing for you guys, but as I started to say it out loud, I've been reading this book. I should just do an episode that's like Katrina's book club, honestly, because I do so much reading. So I was reading this book. I just started it last night. It's called Bold Moves. And it's basically about

Katrina Owens (16:31.448)
how you let go of anxiety to like be a bolder version of yourself. And so one of the things that you have to do is actually uncover like what are some of these narratives that you tell yourself. And I guess these are some of mine. I was having trouble thinking of what mine were when I was reading the book, but I think, cause I'm kind of at a place now, I know I had said at one point that,

I felt like I was like in this quantum leap. I've been in the air for so long. I was waiting to like land firmly on the ground. I feel like I am on the ground now. Like I feel like this is what my next level feels like right now. But it's getting comfortable here because this level and what I have to do to be a memorable personal brand and a successful business owner at this level, it actually can't be.

how I used to show up, how I used to act, how I used to talk about my services. It has to be different. And I guess for me, I have to be okay with that, not thinking that like, this is a bad transformation. It's just different because for so long, I have been told to not be so bold, to not take up space, don't be too loud. One of my triggers is actually like people telling me to like not.

talk so loud or like to be quiet. And I actually noticed this.

Katrina Owens (18:04.588)
I actually, sorry, let's take another drink. I actually have really noticed this. Well, I'll tell you one of the stories that really brought it to the forefront, but this is always how I've kind of felt. If you know me, I can be quite loud in my voice. I have a loud laugh. I can be really excitable. I don't think those are bad qualities to have. In corporate, they're not always admired or...

you know, the gold standard. And actually, when I started my business, I ended up picking up like a part time marketing director job at an agency. And so I was doing that. And I was one of the only women in that office. And I distinctly remember this one morning, I had like gotten to the office and I was talking to one of my colleagues and I was laughing or like really excited by something.

And I just remember like the older male executives kind of like giving me the stink eye for being loud at 9 a.m. on a Wednesday or whatever it was. And it's so interesting how that's like a core memory, but I can I can like see it exactly. And I just remember feeling like, you can be loud because here's the thing that company had hired me because I was a woman.

and because of my personality. And they wanted me to like bring this kind of new energy to their office. But unfortunately, the energy was only on their terms and when it was convenient for them. And I just think that's crazy. And it's crazy to say it out loud now. But interestingly enough, I actually was re-triggered for the exact same thing. It was like probably a month ago.

I was at my personal trainer and usually when I see her, it's on like a night where it's just her and I in the studio. There's no one else there, but I think because of my travel schedule, we were on a night when there was like a group class also running. And I mean, she would die if she knew that this made me feel a certain way, but I just have to like bring this up because I do think the two things are related. So I, towards the end of the class or my session,

Katrina Owens (20:27.704)
There was end of my session. The group class was in the other room, like kind of cooling down and her and I were still chatting because we like chat and they're excited and like talk about so much stuff whenever we see each other. And I got excited about something. I can't remember what, but I started to talk louder and she like kind of like did one of those like, like not so loud. And wow, did that bring up this like

It's the same feeling. And you guys have to know something about me. I was a really shy child. Like I was not a loud child. And I started to come out of my shell over the years and whatnot. But it's so interesting now because it's like, I'm so sensitive to when people are telling me that I'm too loud. And as I'm like, I feel like I'm processing all of this, like as I'm talking about it. So for those of you that are listening to this episode and are,

sticking with me. actually appreciate you so much because, you know, once in a while I have to do one of these episodes where I just go rogue and get everything off my chest and I guess this is it. But so interesting because I think part of my life's work is stepping into who I really am and not feeling scared about what other people might think or how they respond or if they think I'm being too loud. Like that actually doesn't matter. It just matters how I feel about it.

but I can really sense my ego showing up and kind of questioning like how I'm showing up in this new way. But this is how I really believe like I always want to be my most authentic self. I believe that this is the person I'm turning into and it's gonna make me a coach, mentor, business owner, partner, because I am not so afraid.

to be more direct and to tell people what I really think and feel and to respond in whatever way I think is appropriate, which might be a bit loud, but like who gives a shit? Life is short. It's not like I'm screaming at the top of my lungs.

Katrina Owens (22:42.338)
So that was really interesting. So that was kind of this morning, like going through some of these questions and these thoughts that were coming up for me. And honestly, I was like, I got to a point where I'm like, I just gotta like go to the gym and kind of like shake some of this off. So I went to the gym and the workout didn't really, like, know, for me, workouts are kind of black and white. There are some workouts where I'm like totally into it. I'm like in the zone and it's great.

and then there are some where I can feel my mind wandering. And that was this one. And hey, maybe this has something to do with hormones too, who knows? But you know what, I did my workout. I did it, I came home. Anything part of it is I just have so much that I need to do today. Packing, I needed to record these episodes so much that I can just kind of feel like there is a clearing energetically.

and probably on my to-do list that also needs to happen. But then I knew I needed to practice my presentation for Females on Fire. I've been really trying to practice the talk every single day because it is a new one. And you know what, had some sessions with my speaking coach earlier this week. And then yesterday I recorded myself giving the talk and it's just been like.

really hitting hard. I'm super proud of it and I want to continue to practice today. Tomorrow I'm going to be flying most of the day, but eventually when I get to my Airbnb, I'm going to practice there too. I'm to practice on Monday and Tuesday morning before I go to the venue. But today, when I was practicing, I kept screwing up. The first time I did it, I like missed a part entirely. So then I stopped.

Cause I was like, okay, listen, like this is not like I could feel myself really being in my head. And then I stopped and started it over again. And the second run through was better, but there were still some hiccups. And I was like, why is this just not landing or coming out of me in a way that feels really natural right now? And here's the thing I know when it's time to actually just like kind of pack it in and like give yourself a rest.

Katrina Owens (25:04.566)
And so for me, there's no point in trying to practice it again and continuing to mess up because it's going to mess with my ego even more. It's going to kind of psych me out when I know I'm going to get up on that stage on Tuesday and absolutely crush it. But I don't want to second guess that because that's something I'm actually really confident in. But if I were to continue to practice and like try to get it right and make it perfect today, it's not going to happen.

And it's just gonna leave me even more frustrated. So I did it, I guess one and a half times, and then I just packed. So I picked out all my outfits, I tried them all on, packed them all into my suitcase, and now I just have to do like the worst part of packing, which is like toiletries. Packing like, you know, the actual like, all those things. I just hate, like as a woman, it's like so much makeup.

and their products, especially when you're going to speak on a stage and go to a conference where they're going to get content every single day. it's just a lot. And then I was like, I still got to record some podcast episodes so can stay on schedule.

And then the same fricking thing happened. I recorded 13 minutes of an episode and as I was recording the episode, I was not totally present. I could feel my brain being like, does this episode make sense? Are you even talking about your ego and what's happening and speaking gigs in a way that makes sense to a listener? Like I was just questioning the whole thing. And to be 13 minutes in, when I also like, am hungry.

need to make some dinner or order some dinner or whatever Gabriel and I are going to do. Like that doesn't help either because now I'm like, am I going to continue on this episode or like, should I just like cut it and try again? And so I ended up cutting it and trying again. And I actually just asked Chachi PT. I was like, today, the words are not flowing. I keep getting caught up in my own bullshit. Because.

Katrina Owens (27:11.65)
How I approached the podcast recording was exactly what was happening as I was doing that talk too. There's like chatter in the back of my mind.

It's so interesting to be conscious of it right now. It's like this chatter has been here all day and I need it to just like not.

But hey, Chad GPT was like, why don't you just record that? And I guess this is how this stream of consciousness came to be. the last time I did one of these episodes, which is a little bit more unfocused and obviously doesn't really offer a lot of tangible PR and personal branding tips, was actually really, really well received. So I just had to let go of the fact that like, unfortunately I'm not given tangible tips in this one. So that's what you were expecting.

We're like 28 minutes in and I apologize for wasting your time. But I actually think this is also like a really real reflection of being an entrepreneur. Because here's the crazy part. I could have just decided that I'm not gonna record these episodes today. But I was looking at my calendar and I was like, okay, if I don't do these today, the next time I'm be able to do them is when I get home next Friday.

And I'm not sure that's what I want to spend my Friday doing when I will have like gotten home at midnight. I probably just need to sleep. I definitely just need to rest. So I was like, discipline, holding myself accountable. And then the thoughts about like, because there are so many business owners with podcasts who don't.

Katrina Owens (28:56.27)
put out episodes every single week and they'll skip a couple of weeks or a couple of months and then show up randomly again. And I'm just not that. I'm so committed to this because I have such a big goal. Like I want to be the seven figure podcaster. And the more that I say it and the more that I commit to showing up like a seven figure podcaster, which is quite honestly recording this sometimes when like it's not going to be perfect.

But I know for my target audience, the people that enjoy connecting with me, I know you're going to get something out of this. I'm not sure what that is. So like send me a DM once you listen. I love when you do that, by the way, when you send me a DM telling me, listen to the episode. I'd love to know like what you got out of this. Because I think I'm like moving through something pretty significant right now, as I kind of took you on this journey of all of the questioning and chatter.

And second guessing that kind of came up for me today. It's a very interesting pattern to observe. And had I not sat down to record this podcast, I don't know that I would be that conscious of it. And I think just being able to announce and share to the world with all of you that like, I do feel like I've arrived at this next level. And it is a bit different than how I've shown up before and how I talked before and how I've acted before.

There's this question that always comes up, right? When you're a business owner growing and advancing and quantum leaping, the worst term ever. But there's this question that always comes up, which is who do you need to be or who do you need to become to reach that next goal, whatever it is. And whatever got you from like A to B is not gonna be the thing that gets you from C to D. It's just not.

And if you're someone who's happy with where you're at in your business and your personal brand and your success, then actually that's totally fine because maybe you're not striving for the next thing and you're happy to just like be where you're at. And that's just not me. I am like on an uphill swing. I'm climbing a mountain. I have really big goals that I know take discipline. They take self accountability. They take showing up when you don't feel like showing up. Well,

Katrina Owens (31:19.744)
Also, being able to surrender a little bit. Because I think what I did today, the surrendering of trying to practice my presentation, it wasn't perfect. I did it full through and still wasn't totally happy with it, but I just surrendered. And I was like, it's okay. I'm not gonna try this again. Maybe I will before I go to sleep, just to see. But I'm actually okay with just calling it a day.

And then same with this podcast episode. I when I got 13 minutes into the first recording and was like, I was actually like, should I just not do this this week? Should I just not put out an episode or should I just like wait until next week and see how I feel? maybe, I mean, I'll be coming back from females on fire. I'll have so much to share.

but this is the part of showing up. This is actually the work that most people don't do. And this actually brings me full circle, which, okay, I'm so glad I knew we'd get full circle eventually. But when I talk about dropping your ego to like have a speaking career or to build a bigger or more profitable personal brand, this is the stuff that most people aren't willing to do. And sure, there are parts of my life that are very soft, okay?

very kind to myself. I am very well balanced. I don't hustle 24-7. I don't do all of those things, but I do know when I have to show up for my business even if it's gonna stretch me a little bit. And sometimes that means willing to just put out something even if it's not perfect. It's putting out something even though I'm like, people gonna hate the fact that there's no personal branding or PR tips in here? Some of them probably will.

But some of my audience, the right people will appreciate that this is actually just as important. It's this processing, it's this willing to reflect, to acknowledge, to understand what it is your ego coming up and what you actually need to do to gain traction in your business, to make headway, to clear out old thoughts, to just acknowledge the insecurities, to have such a deep self-awareness. This is the work.

Katrina Owens (33:41.452)
And this is probably the hardest work, the work that most people aren't willing to do because it is so uncomfortable. And I know when this episode comes out, I'm going to be like, ugh, are people going to hate this? And the chatter will be back and the questioning will be back. But the more that I acknowledge the chatter and I know that that's actually not me talking, it's actually a really beautiful acknowledgement.

Can't remember what book I was reading. I've read so many books, you guys, in the past. I got my Kobo back in May. Kobo is like an e-reader. I it back in May, and I've read like 15 books already. So like in three months, like five books a month. So, spot on. My favorite genre of book is anything to do with like mind and like mind, brain, and mindset. Like that's my genre. It give me anything to do with like...

managing my thoughts, rewiring my brain, all of that, I'm in. And one of the books that I read, I think it was The Untethered Soul, which is a bit deeper. That's not quite a mindset book. That's something else. That's like spirituality. But in that book, it actually talks about how the voice that we have in our head, that's actually not us. Because

If it was, we wouldn't be able to observe it and hear it, right? And that's such a powerful acknowledgement to make that this voice actually isn't us talking. And the more that we understand that it's a separate entity and we can respond, the more powerful we become. And the more that we know that our thoughts can't be the things responsible for holding us back. How cool is that?

So I can hear Gabriel downstairs in the kitchen. I know that he wanted to order sushi soon for dinner. So I think I got to go just do that. I think the rest of this evening, I've just got to fucking finish packing. So annoying. I've got to do that. And then I think I've just got to be present, grounded, acknowledge some of these thoughts that keep kind of flowing in and flowing out.

Katrina Owens (36:08.939)
I think we accomplished something today. I think for me, it's becoming more aware of the things that may have been holding me back when I was previously trying to land firmly on the ground from my quantum leap. And I finally have. And it's this acknowledgement right here that tells me this awareness, this new level of consciousness and awareness, by the way, that tells me I've arrived and now it's just a matter of being more comfortable.

with being here. It's very cool. And this is all just as I'm about to do some things that I've never done before. Speaking in Nashville, speaking in New York City, speaking in Toronto. I just booked another speaking gig for 2026 in an American city. All the things that are already in the calendar and all the things that aren't actually there yet. And...

just how much more receiving can I actually do if I just surrender to the present and just know that this is the discomfort that comes with being willing to do the things that most people won't.

But here's the thing, I kind of love it here, as uncomfortable as it is. It's definitely where I'm supposed to be. So if you liked this episode, please rate and review this podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts. Please follow me at Katrina Owens PR. You can follow the podcast on Instagram at KO your brand. I'll see you next week. Toodles.