something I hadn't seen while I was still inside it: I had a brand identity crisis.
Six years of writing in everyone else's voice left me not knowing what mine sounded like anymore. I couldn't tell you what made my work different, or what I actually believed, or how to talk about what I did in a way that felt real. I had the skills and the experience, but I had nothing to stand on because I had never built the foundation for myself.
So before I built anything for anyone else, I built it for myself. I went through the same extraction process I now take clients through. I found the words for the things I'd been doing on instinct for years. I documented my voice, my story, my point of view. I built the system on myself first.
In fact, just a few years ago you could have found me working in the middle of the night building everyone else's brands while mine sat on ice. I was exhausted but comfortable hiding behind the scenes.
Then I hit burnout. Hard.
The market turned fast. Our team shrank while the workload increased. I had two young kids, was sleep deprived, and barely holding it together.
The hardest part? I'd spent six years making other people visible while I stayed invisible.
So I walked away with no backup plan, just a belief that I could figure it out. And I did.
When I finally landed on the other side, I understood
I’m a small-town Montana brand strategist, educator, PodcastER and a mom with big dreams.
Very into: honey lattes, good memes, and creating a life you don’t have to pretend to like. Avoiding small talk since the 80's.
hey there,
I'm Katie
Six years ago, I was the best-kept secret in someone else's business.
I'm probably recording a podcast, or chasing after my rowdy kids with a honey latte in hand.
What lights me up?
Helping people close the gap between who they are and how they show up. Busting the myth that you need to "perform" to build a brand. Showing the exhausted loan officer that their story is their competitive advantage. Redefining what it means to be visible in a world that can't tell the difference between AI slop and a unique post.
I'm probably recording a podcast, or chasing after my rowdy kids with a honey latte in hand.
Want to know what lights me up?
Helping people close the gap between who they are and how they show up. Busting the myth that you need to "perform" to build a brand. Showing the exhausted loan officer that their story is their competitive advantage. Redefining what it means to be visible in a world that can't tell the difference between AI slop and a unique post.
My life currently
Xoxo, Katie
If you want to start building your foundation yourself, Brand Brief is the place to start. If you want it done with you, Brand Builder is the call.
Either way, the work starts with knowing who you are before handing anything to AI.
Not in a salesy way. In a let's figure out what you actually need kind of way.
If any of this landed, let's talk.
Trust beats templates, quality beats quantity, & your voice is your power.
In case you're new around here, I believe:
