From Small Town to Big Impact: Hollie Kitchens on Branding, Resilience, and Finding Your True Path

Join Jessica Nieto on The Reveal Podcast for an engaging episode with Hollie Kitchens, an inspiring figure in Branding and Podcasting. Hollie is a dynamic entrepreneur who has overcome significant obstacles, transforming her struggles into strength and success. As the host of "Unleash Your Inner Legend," Hollie shares how she found her niche and passion for podcasting by integrating her personality and passion into it. Her journey emphasizes the power of authenticity and the importance of stepping out from behind the logo to truly connect with your audience.

Three Key Takeaways from This Episode:

1. Turning Adversity into Strength: Hollie’s story shows how overcoming childhood challenges built her resilience, shaping her into the successful entrepreneur she is today. Her message is clear: your beginnings don’t define your destiny.
2. The Power of Authenticity: Learn how Hollie stopped hiding behind logos and embraced her true self, which has been key to her successfully in podcasting and branding. This is a lesson in finding your lane and leaning into it fully.
3. Starting Small and Finding Your Niche: Hollie’s journey from blogging to discovering her passion for podcasting is a testament to the importance of starting small and evolving as you find your true calling. It’s a powerful reminder that your path may shift, and that’s okay—what matters is finding what resonates with you.
4. Mastering Branding: As someone who has helped over 1,000 businesses with branding, Hollie offers invaluable insights into how to effectively brand yourself and your business, ensuring you stand out in a crowded market.

If you want to connect with our guest Hollie Kitchens, follow her on Instagram or visit her website.

• Instagram: @HollieKitchens
• Website: HollieKitchens.com

Follow host Jessica Nieto on her social platforms for more inspiring episodes and updates:

• Facebook: Jessica Nieto on Facebook
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• LinkedIn: Jessica Nieto on LinkedIn

Stay inspired and connected with The Reveal Podcast, and share your thoughts on this episode's impactful lessons in authenticity, branding, and overcoming adversity.

Transcript

  📍 yeah,

I grew up not only just in a super small town in Oklahoma, But I also grew up in low income housing.

   Why do you wear the same jeans every day? I was mortified because literally I only had one pair of black jeans to wear to school. I think that day really ingrained in my brain,  

 attention equals negativity. So anytime I was brought attention to it was always in the negative spotlight, like with bullying and things like that. 

  You can't create genuine connections being and acting like someone else. 

 I realized people want to know who they do business with

  I'm being selfish right now by being scared about what's gonna happen to me versus the content and value It's gonna bring to somebody else

   I'm super passionate about helping people stop hiding behind a logo and really put themselves out there, whether it be podcast launches, whether it be social media strategies, whether it be getting featured in media, putting yourself out there and allowing your clients to really know who they're working with, that's, what's going to set you apart from your competition.

  I just had knots in my stomach. Whenever I'm in situations like that, I almost feel like you have to show up.

 I would never back out and be flaky on someone who gave me an opportunity and an opportunity to grow too

 There's a reason why somebody calls you for a listing appointment. There's a reason why somebody invited you to go speak on a stage. That's huge. If they're inviting you to their home, you're already that person

 trust the process you go through and find something you're passionate about   

what's up, everyone? Welcome to the reveal podcast. I'm your host, Jessica Nieto. And today I am super pumped about today's guest. We've got Holly Kitchens joining us. Holly is an internationally recognized podcaster, entrepreneur, and a highly sought after branding expert. She has guided over a thousand businesses in expanding their digital footprint and continues to make significant impact. impact with her work, whether it's her podcast, her role as a branding coach,  her speaking on stages or volunteering her time and talent to nonprofits across the country. Holly is making a huge impact and imprint on the world. So let's dive into the conversation with the extraordinary Holly Kitchens and uncover the insights that can help you elevate your brand and your business.  What's up Hollie kitchens. Welcome to the reveal podcast. I'm super excited to have you in the studio today. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. Oh my gosh, thank you so much for having me and I am honored and thrilled to be here. 

Awesome. So I love, , all the things that you do within the industry. It's so unique. And what I really want to jump into with this podcast is really revealing how and when you found your niche. And for some people, it's like they go on this lifelong journey. Trying to figure out who they are, or being more of themself.

And when I think of Hollie Kitchens, I think of a person who has always just been herself. And that's what really stands out to me. So is that the truth?  I don't know how else to be. I don't, I'm definitely not an actress. Yeah, I don't know how else to be. So yeah,  that's my stuff.  And it's funny because I have one brother of mine, I remember growing up, like he would,  on his way to school, he'd wear the Levi jeans that my dad would put on him,  buy him, and then he would hide a backpack, and it would have like his gothic stuff, and he would paint his nails, and  jump into his gothic gear, and go to school, and then come back out, take it off, and put his clothes back on.

I, I only bring that up theme here, where you are a  podcaster and highlighting musicians and favorite category of music. And I was at a ton of those concerts as a young gal, and I just wanted to get a feel for Hollie as a young person, like what you've carried through your journey as an entrepreneur.

 And in terms of your passions and just shit you love. Oh, all right. We'll buckle up. It's going to be a get around everyone. It's story time. Story time. It's time. Let's go.  So we're not for sure. So yeah, my journey starts in a very small town in Oklahoma called Rush Springs. I think our population was about 1300 still about is the same thing to this day.

We still don't have a stoplight or a red light. We just have a four way stop. So still super small. We haven't experienced any kind of real estate boom in my hometown, but yeah, I grew up not only just in a super small town in Oklahoma, But I also grew up in low income housing. So I was like the poor, right?

So like  rich people lived in homes that were probably worth, I don't know, like 30, 000 or so that's gives you guys an idea of how I grew up, but my mom did the best she actually could. She was single mom, four kids. None of our dads were in our lives, no child support. And I remember the struggle was real.

I knew it as a child. I literally remember eating at a, like getting food out of trash cans and eating it. And I remember getting clothes from, they call it the Samaritan house. So it's essentially where people go donate clothes. You go pick it out. That's where my back to school clothing came from.

Of course, my grandma would help out as much as she could. And I'm saying that because having, being grown up in those conditions, my mom, again, she did the best she could and I'm absolutely thrilled.  And honored to be your daughter, but when it came to going to school, kids are mean.

So I remember in first grade I had this crush on this little boy. And in my head, I'm like, I'm going to, I was like, strategizing. I'm like, I'm gonna play tag, tag him on purpose. And then he's going to turn around, look at me and he's going to propose. It's going to be after, and the rest is history. 

So I, as a, as a small kid, I was like already strategizing these little movements. So I remember I go up there, I tag him and he turns around, looks at me. And instead of, becoming Mrs. I'm not, no, I'm not saying his last name, but become,  it's a reveal podcast. No,  all the things, maybe that's something in the part too, like we're getting  teasers,  but anyways, he was like, Why do you wear the same jeans every day?

Oh, I was mortified because literally I only had one pair of black jeans. To wear to school. I only had one pair of jeans and I think that day really ingrained in my brain, obviously. 'cause I could still tell the story like it was yesterday. But it really ingrained in me. 'cause I thought in that moment, okay, attention equals negativity.

So anytime I was, brought attention to it was always in the negative spotlight, like with bullying and things like that. So I just internalized that and became super, I wouldn't say shy, but very quiet and more observant, which kind of led me down the path of, being the scene kid.

I, we hung out in the hallways with the punks, the goths, the misfits, like the hallway that everyone would always try to avoid in high school. That was our hallway. And yeah, so  laid low, but I thrived behind a keyboard, specifically at MySpace. So needless to say, I wasn't the popular kid in school. So while the popular kids were, getting drunk and doing the whole like Friday night thing, I was literally behind my keyboard, like pimping out my friends, my space pages in exchange for concert tickets at the local show.

Cause I got everybody, right? So my, I guess my entrepreneur journey might've started that in that area when I was like, all right, I want to go to the concert. How am I going to tickets? Fast forward to adulthood. I I, a little bit rewind. I at the age of.  16. I found out that I was pregnant, so I was 16 and pregnant before it was cool.

So you guys call me a trailblazer, whatever you want to say,  right? A kid having a kid. So I, I got pregnant at 16. I had my oldest son Zachary at 17 and it was like an earth awakening moment because it's like, Oh, I got to get my shit together. Excuse me. Can we cuss on this podcast?

Yes, I'll try not to I'll keep it in, but, that's how I stick together, it's not about me. Here are your tokens. Yeah, perfect. I have five of them. I put one already out on the table, but yeah, I, I was, I literally had a point in high school where I stopped going to school.

I thought I was too cool for school. Literally. And then I became pregnant and I was like, okay, now you have another person depending upon you, you can't be a loser and I'm every day. I'm so thankful for my son, Zachary. Obviously I'm thankful for my other son, Dane too, but he really changed the structure of my life, my mindset.

So I went back, put that ego aside, went back to high school, to my counselor and said, Hey, look. And I, of course, I didn't even tell her I was pregnant. I was just like trying to get it going. I was like, Hey, look, I just want to come back to school. And luckily, she made it happen to where I was on track and somehow, I was still able to graduate with the same class, that was tough, but then I got out of high school and do what the natural thing in any small town is you got to go to college.

And I was actually going to go to college for nursing because in small town, Oklahoma, money is in either the medical field or real estate. And I remember watching an episode of Dr. 90210 and literally getting like physically ill and queasy because I saw blood and I'm like, that was a realization. I was like, okay, this is not going to be for me.

If I can't even watch it on TV, how am I going to help somebody that's in pain? I was like freaking out. So I did again, the natural route. I was like, okay college isn't paying bills. Real estate is something. So I was working at a bank and then I got my real estate license and I did an interview with a guy named Jay Kinder, which I'm sure a lot of people are tuning in if you guys are at the EXP, you guys know who Kinder is.

So he was my, I always say he was, he's my only broker. Technically EXP is my broker now, I'm still under his umbrella. So anyways, I got into real estate on his team and I loved it because I still got to hide behind. A logo. I got to hide behind his face because it was the J Kinder home selling team.

So his face was on the billboard. His face was on the movie van. His face was on the website. I don't have to worry about this attention, coming to me. Of course, they always encouraged us to brand ourselves and put ourselves, socially out there and things. This is going to make me, this is going to date myself real quick, but especially how old I am, but I remember they bought flip cameras.

You guys remember like those flip cameras, like more cell phones had a good camera.  Yeah, you have to do that. So I remember checking one out.  You did a little flip thing. I checked one out of the office and I did a new construction tour.  And this was like back in 2011. And it was probably Blair Witch Project because I did not have a tripod, so I'm sure it was like shaky and it was terrible.

But I uploaded it to YouTube, and of course YouTube was not, right?  YouTube wasn't what it is today. You don't have that content strategy. You don't have the viral opportunities or whatever. But I uploaded it to YouTube because I was like, you know what? If I can get 30, 50 views, this is going to be a big win for me.

And I remember it was like a week later. So I checked the views and it was over 30, 000. And I, people nowadays, they pay for that kind of exposure. But instead that little girl in first grade came out of me and I was like, Oh my gosh, who are these people? Why do they want to see my stuff? I don't know them.

Not only did I delete that video, I deleted my entire channel because I got freaked out about it. So I was still hiding behind that logo, hiding behind a mask. And just, cause I had that deep brains in me that attention equals negativity. And it wasn't until I'm so super grateful for being able to hide behind Jay's logo because in the space, because he's absolutely the best mentor I've. 

Fast forward to 2017. I'm still licensed in thrill estate. I'm, doing some home staging, but then I was like, you know what? I've always wanted to dabble in e commerce. So as a hobby or as a side gig, whatever you want to call it, side hustle. I launched a boutique and online boutique for concert goers.

So it's called concert T's T E A S E. And but it's really boring out of necessity for myself. Cause I would go like to these concerts. Where can I go to find a cute. Concert outfit that's comfortable and I could never find something so I started that and I do what any smart business owner would do And that's hire a coach.

So I hired an econ coach and he was like, he asked me this very simple question But it was very profound. It really changed a lot of my thinking and he was like, okay So you're online only people can't go into your store. They can't feel it. They can't try it on what's, what do you have to offer different than Amazon or Target?

Like you can go to those big box retailers and you can get a guns and roses shirt for 12. Why are they going to pay two times, three times the amount  at your online only? And I was like that is a very good question. I don't know. So heavy thinking, of course. Yeah. And of course being in the world. 

J and all these other environments, I knew the power of community. And I'm like, I need to build, I need to build community within the brand. So I was thinking and thinking, and I was like, you know what, I always want to go to these concerts. It's just always happens. I either get meet and greets.

I get invited to meet the band or whatever. I'm like,  why don't I just take that and turn it into a blog, which is so silly, you guys, because grammar is not my strong suit. And this was way before AI existed to where it's a sound college. So I did an interview with Jeremy. He was at with five finger death punch at the time.

And I was so nervous. I remember whenever I was in the Omni in  Houston, whatever the very South point, Texas is. I remember the elevator doors opened and I've gone to these shows so many times and watch these, cause it's actually my sister and I's favorite band at the time. So they have that fan familiarity of me.

But I remember the doors open and I saw him, the words that came out of my mouth was, I think I'm going to throw up. And he was like, are you okay?  I'm fine. I'm just super nervous. So shout out to him because, they were selling out arenas, they were headlining like cat fest, they were headlining all these big festivals.

Are you okay? So he was good. Yeah. He was very humbly. He was very like, chill vibes. And that was really like the start of I did that interview and oh my gosh, it was so bad. I had my iPhone seven, my sister holding my iPhone seven. At this point, you think I would invest in a tripod.

My sister's holding my iPhone seven. And while I'm like interviewing, she has commentary. So she's Oh my gosh, that's so funny. Oh no. She did not just say that. That's not good. And I was like, I couldn't hear it cause I'm talking. And then I get it back and I'm like,  what the hell am I going to do with this?

Okay. There's my other token. But I'm like, what am I going to do? Before anyone ever did that? Yeah. Yes. So  I'm like, I have to save it. I'm not going to embarrass myself. I'm like, Oh, by the way, can I, waste more of your time?  So I transcribe it, I can get it to a blog. And then I'm like, wow, that was not very fun.

As far as the blog parks, I have to sit there and read it. Like I'm Heidi personality. I don't want to read all these words.  So fast forward, I I saw Vance Warped Tour was coming in that, that fall in Texas in August. And I was like, okay, I'm going to get some more interviews. I had my best friend. She flew in from West Virginia and she was just my wing man.

I'm like, girl, there's hate breed going to be there. CKY. Like these are all the people we loved listening to growing up. I'm like, I'm going to try to get interviews. I messaged these people and I just slid into a DM like it's just like a formula of, what's in it for them? Not necessarily Hey, look, I'm so cool.

And they both agreed to have an interview. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, 15 year old Hollie would be so excited that, yeah. CKY, you guys remember Jackass, you remember all these things. Yeah. Like Jess Margera, who's who I had interviewed, that's Ben Margera's brother. So having all of that, and then, having an interview with Jamie Jasta and I was like, you know what?

It came to it. I was like, this should be a podcast. This is not a blog. Like I'm not a blogger. I have very much admiration for bloggers, but that's just, I'm not the blogger girl. I'm more of a podcast type of gal. So turn it into a podcast. And then there was some lessons learned there. Like I won, I was so focused on aesthetics.

So I got like this 7 plug in my iPhone seven. Maybe I might've had an iPhone eight at that time. I don't know, but it was not very good quality. Plugged in that microphone is lapel mics. And I thought I was so professional. Cause I was like, at this point, I've done a lot of speaking gigs. So I was like, That looks very professional.

And I didn't realize that Jamie Jostin, who's the lead singer of hate breed, he actually owns a podcasting network and he was like, Hey, he's are these going to sound good? Like these good quality. He was like questioning, like who, who let this girl in? What is this?  And also to like to interview them, we went to the tour buses and I remember we literally had a sneak behind the security, roll down.

Like we were like, some groupies. To get to access because I acted as if I acted as if I had access to that I didn't have a media pass So I remember like going there and like people like looking at us like oh, I don't know why you guys are here I'm like whatever but we were there for professional reasons did the interview.

It was awesome. And then I just there's a thrill of  Doing that. And I think that moment in time, whenever I realized, what was different between Amazon, target and then myself, those two, they didn't have, they didn't have me. They didn't have me as the brand character, if you will, and very much emphasis on character, but they didn't have that.

So I started to put myself out there and it's, it was hard. Fill it in the gaps. Yeah.  filling in the gaps. Yeah. I love that. And that's when I realized I was like, you know what? People want to know who they do business with. So I would start putting out to like people who, ads on Facebook or whatever, targeting whoever I was interviewing next and saying, Hey, we're going to have this guest.

We'd love to hear your questions or whatever, what questions you have for them. Starting with that, that client, that customer base, because once they bought from me, they loved it. Cause I did have nice quality stuff. It was very much articulated, curated. But the funny part is I started to forget why you were even doing the podcast.

It was for the,  was a tie in. So that's why my podcast is called teaser talk is a play on words, like concert keys, teaser talk. So  podcast started to stand on its own. It did. I realized too. You guys, whoever, if you guys have ever been in boutique or retail, you have to sling a lot of shirts to get profit.

And it's a lot of time, especially cause I was one and all, it's so funny. Cause even at the, I was modeling for the online store and I would literally take pictures without my head on like a mic, just because I still don't want people to see me. I, it was so funny, but yeah, I quickly realized you got a single lot of t shirts to make profit.

And.  Gracefully tabled, put it on the back burner. There might become a point in time when I bring it back. And it's just more of a, like a drop shipping type fulfillment brand. But I still like podcasting just brought me to life. It brought, it took me out of my comfort zone. It really made me, just capture who I was on camera and audio and things like this.

So that's really the pivotal moment I think is when I made that decision to.  Step outside to build community and really let people know who they're doing business with, because I'm fabulous one on one. Once I would get leads in, like my clients would love me in the real estate sector, but I never did anything to attract them.

Jay was awesome. And he provided leads with us for at the team level, but I didn't put anything out there. So as I just started doing that and it just grew I leveraged, when I interviewed big names like Jamie Jeremy Spencer, Jamie Josta, Jess Margera, they're all really reputable, like really well respected men in the music industry.

So when I would ask the next person, I would always, okay, who are they connected with? Who are they following? And in my past people, who can I mention and say, Hey, if you want to check out that podcast, here's the one I did with, Chris Reed or whoever. They probably never watched the podcast, but I did put it in Bitly links.

And I would sit there and monitor on Michael Gate. Oh, it went up a click. Somebody clicked it. Somebody bit. Yeah, it must've been him.  I love all that. There's a couple of things that really stand out that I wanted to dive into a little deeper. So something you said, like in the very beginning was that you have this epiphany and it's funny because many entrepreneurs have this epiphany.

It always sounds like a single moment. You're like that's pregnant realized. I had to get my shit together. I had to figure it out.  And it's just one moment, but the part that everyone doesn't talk about as much is like the next day that you wake up after having that epiphany and taking action and then what you did to put that in motion and change your life and have that transformation. 

So that's probably occurred like again in life for you, right?  happens as we become these new versions of ourselves. So  take us to another time where that's happened and then what the next day looks like to take action to, to really drive that change for it. Yeah. Like I remember my first speaking public speaking opportunity.

It was with Janet Usselton in Dallas. She's the founder of HSRA. I believe she is also, she's partners with Jane and a lot of things with like investments and stuff, but anyways, she's absolutely amazing. I can't say it. I can't say enough amazing words about this woman, but she ran a home staging summit every year is a summit for home stagers.

And I was doing VP of operations at home staging. I was like, that's cool.  Yeah, sorry. My Oklahoma is going, but  she I remember she was like, okay, I'm going to add you to the speaker list. And I'm like, Oh no, like you don't want I don't speak. I like stumble my words. I'll stutter. And she's you're so smart.

Just be yourself and just talk about what you know. Like I'm, she was like, I would love for you to talk about this. I'd love to talk about this. I was like, okay. I remember like my first, like going to bed that night and then waking up. And I just had knots in my stomach. Cause that was a moment where it's like that, whenever I'm in situations like that, I almost feel like you have to you have to show up.

There's no way like Janet was always amazing for me and to me. Like I would never back out and be flaky on someone who gave me an opportunity and an opportunity to grow too. It's not you gotta think about why am I feeling this way? It's your body's like protecting herself.

It's it's not I'm going out on a wild hunt, spear a wild boar or anything. Like I'm literally getting on stage. So it's talking yourself through that and putting, and then putting it out there. And I think, like releasing content.

Like I remember at first I was so nervous to release podcast episodes. I was so nervous to put myself out there. Yeah, and hitting that send button and I'm like  But I you know, I have to think okay. So what is it that I'm scared about? It's not like I'm like being mean or I'm scared that I'm gonna hurt somebody's feelings.

I'm scared Really for selfish reasons because somebody might think differently of me, right? But like first off like I said, it's like a selfish way You gotta understand wait I'm being selfish right now by being scared about what's gonna happen to me versus the content and value It's gonna bring to somebody else, but then also to your work Okay, so you're scared that you may maybe the internet trolls will come after you.

Let's just say I heard of them come They start blowing up your comments Okay, what does their opinion mean? I think I had that great distinction and Brian Moses actually had said something similar to the sense of You have to understand where people are coming from when they come from a place of love Like accept that criticism obviously, right like play, you know Obviously people in the industry like jessica if you were to message me like hey, like I just said I don't know if I vibe with this and you like, I think it's best if you took this post down or something like that,  because you are coming from a place of love.

You're not coming at me, make me feel bad and to destroy me. You're just saying, Hey, you're looking out for me. My mom, I love her to death. Some of the stuff I'm like, thanks mom. I'm like,  but anyways, she's a person. This rando on the internet that might be 12 years old. I don't know.

That's saying, they're not coming from a place of love. So why would I waste my energy and time and effort and all that? So I think having that reminder of okay, so where's this feedback coming from? Is it somebody that I need to actually listen to? Is it somebody who has a place that's coming from a place of love?

Is it somebody that, a client of mine or something like that to where I'm like, if they're putting either like their emotional, emotionally supportive friendship, whatever, if they're writing me a check,  I will listen to you, but these randos, they're not, they're not saying anything.

That's such a beautiful, that's so beautifully articulated and such a great skill for everyone to, or like a tool really, is it's behavior, right? You're making a decision, a conscious, and you're creating that awareness. not just of your surroundings, but of yourself. Like you said, why am I thinking about this?

Why am I feeling this way? And then you can really decide, okay, now I know what's going on. Now I get to make the decision. I'm the one in control. I absolutely love that. I have to share a quick concert version story because I absolutely was the girl that, or the woman, even, As a, in my 20s, I was the one that I didn't care if my friends left, like I wasn't leaving the concert, I would find a ride home, I didn't really give a shit, right?

And, yeah, and I would go through the employee entrance as a, as an usher. With my backpack and just yeah, Hey, what's up? Is Bill here? And walk in and then dress in the bathroom and go and do my, I was obsessed with concerts. I just did them over and over.

And there's something about what you said about community, it's about. Being in a place where it's not that everyone is like you because that's not what we're striving for. We want people to be different, have that diversity of thought, but it's just where people like have a shared interest that's about love and community. 

That's what I love about being at concerts and love music. I feel like music's like the universal love language. It's the universal language that everyone enjoys. Everyone's cool here, right?  100%. And honestly my passion for music, it really generates, I'm not, and I always get asked this oh are you in the industry?

Can you sing? Absolutely not. You don't want this singing. If I'm singing karaoke, please send me home in an Uber.  That's why I'm married to an artist. Yeah, there it is. But  when it came to music, I feel like music was there when I, this one sounds super cliche, but it's very true. Music was there when I didn't have anything or anyone.

I remember being, Oh, that's so real.  Though being super, like I said, we were super poor. Like we would literally get cassette tapes and record it. But like we'd get them like a tape over the end. So you can record on the radio and then have your favorite songs on the cassette. You ever get so close where you're like the stop and the fast forward.

And you're like, yeah, we were all in like little mixers. We were self producers back then. Bootleg. Oh man. I can't believe. How much we saved for our double wide boombox. It's legit. My sister, their older ones always got it. So I was always envious, but when I got a new one or something, I'd get their hand me downs, but yeah, no, it's just universal language.

And speaking of cassettes, I have a very cool story and I'll tell it super fast, but it aligns with who I had recently interviewed, actually my last episode that I dropped, but I remember me and my sister, Tiffany, we were literally saving up our change to get a cassette tape or get new music.

And this was, when record stores were everywhere because there was no streaming services, right? You had to go buy the album you had to go buy the seat, the cassette, or if you were rich, you got the CD, right? We saved up our pennies, and I remember they had a demo bin, so it was like, they had three or four songs.

on a cassette tape for you to get a taste of it. So that's pretty much like all of our change had accumulated to get a demo tape. And I remember like we put our money together. So we're like digging in and we're both, we have an ingredients Hey, we both want whatever we pick. We both have to agree on.

And I remember she picked up this cassette tape and it was called, it was a band that we hadn't heard of. Yeah, it wasn't really mainstream, in Oklahoma or no, but it was a band called Third Eye Blind. And I was like, I'm a little sister, so I'm trying to be cool. I'm like, yeah, cool.

That sounds good. Whatever. So of course it had their hits on there or whatever, like the three, four songs. And I'm telling you, Jessica, we played that cassette tape that summer until the ribbon broke. Like we absolutely loved it. So fast forward to 2019, I find myself. getting escorted through security with third eye blinds manager to do an interview with their guitarist.

And I think that was like a very surreal moment where I was like, Oh my gosh, what the F am I doing? That imposter syndrome does kicking. Cause I'm like, what does a small town from  Oklahoma? Yeah. I'm like, okay, I don't belong here. I don't whatever, I just going to the gym, whenever it's painful, you still work on it to, to keep going. Yeah.  But yeah, I remember like doing the interview and Chris, I was telling him the story and Chris actually had a very similar thing regarding Prince. That was his favorite. Artist and he had saved up his money and had, saved up all the points.

It was cool to see have these conversations with people. And it's actually a really funny episode. I was like, Oh my gosh, that's so many years ago, 2019. Last week or this week, I dropped that episode, but a week or so ago, I actually went to Dallas and it was cool because it evolved from little girl from rush spring, same here, change up to get a demo cassette tape to interviewing them whenever they were on tour in Dallas.

To now, a couple of weeks ago, Chris is texting me. He's Hey, is our whole foods by do you want to doing a beer run for us? Like they want to like a Japanese blogger or something. I don't know, like some kind of special beer. And I'm like, you know what, this is so cool. Like I never would have thought, like you just trust the process you go through and find something you're passionate about. And, I interviewed him and it was late. It was actually, we had to do after the show. And they had to still pack up and everything. So we were like, okay, we're gonna do a part two. And then afterwards he's dude, just text me.

Like whenever you were in a city or if you're in a city or playing, just text me, I'll add you and whoever else to the guest list. So creating those relationships and those friendships with people that honestly, I would have never imagined doing that. And that's why I'm super passionate about what I do is because I know that feeling of being scared and putting yourself out there.

I know that feeling of being there. Still like somebody had messaged me today. A friend of mine was like. Oh my gosh, you'd be a perfect guest on this podcast and he's a really well known podcaster or whatever sends me the link and the guy is like over 150, 000 followers on Instagram. I'm like, okay, that's gonna be like uncomfortable in the sense of putting myself on being a podcaster to where masses, right?

So I just, I'm super passionate about it just because I remember feeling like that. But then I also remember feeling the responsive from people who admired me for being myself and putting myself out there and saying, Hey, that's really cool. Or making connections. Just like you and I, like you talked about going to pretty much all the same shows that I have gone to, right?

That's a connection. You would have never known that if I didn't  talk about it all the time. But yeah. Putting that out there and it's aligning and bringing and attracting your people. And that's why I'm super passionate about helping people stop hiding behind a logo and really put themselves out there, whether it be podcast launches, whether it be social media strategies, whether it be getting featured in media, putting yourself out there and allowing your clients to really know who they're working with, that's, what's going to set you apart from your competition.

I'll give you guys a couple of examples. Let's see Grant Cardone, Jordan Belfort, pretty sure everyone listened to it, especially if you guys are in real estate, you guys know who those guys are, love them or hate them.  They have dialed in their brand like, you know It's in their walk, it's in their talk, it's in their branding, everything.

And I think one thing I want to touch on too, when it comes to branding and putting yourself out there is we see people like that, but then, you'll see who try to be Grant Cardone. People who try to be Jordan Belfort and you know it too, because you're like that 10 X logo looks awful eerily familiar.

You know what I mean?  And I'm like, there's some great lessons to be learned from these guys. Don't get me wrong. They're brilliant marketers. But when you take those,  you have that emotional, I didn't want to interrupt you. Keep going. No, I was just like, these are brilliant guys. They've done fantastic, great marketing and branding themselves, but take those lessons and apply it in a way that  amplifies your characteristics.

I always tell people like, think about whenever you watch Netflix, they, we watched, yeah, we watched movies because of the story, but really truly we stay tuned because of the characters. What role are you playing? What is it that whenever you're meeting with somebody, what is it that attracts people to you?

Is it because you're funny? Is it because you are wicked smart? Is it because you're very kind? Is it because like you are bold and you do bring yourself and you carry yourself a certain way? Regardless that it is you can ask people you can go through your timeline I see what post people are reacting to You'll see right there.

The proof is right there that people are attracted to some sort of certain part of your personality. So then it's okay, cool. Study those great people who are crushing it both for marketing and their companies as well as personal branding, but apply it to the areas where people are attracted to you as an individual.

Because  I, like I said, I am just myself. I don't know how else to be like, I would just be quiet if I didn't share what my thoughts are and stuff like that. But I do see people, They might go to a big conference and let's just say grant card and they'll go to a 10x con and then they'll come back and all of a sudden they are dressing like Grant.

They're acting like that's cool.  Whenever that's supposed to be somebody else, but  as much as I'd love for Halloween to be every day, it's not. So take those lessons learned and find ways. That you can amplify yourself. And then that way too, because I just feel like that's not sustainable.

You know what I mean? Like you can't create genuine connections being and acting like someone else. And I think  one important thing that you said was you want to integrate yourself, but what is the emotional feeling that people have when they think about you?

And one of those unique things, but how can you put that into a brand? And I think that's where people get stuck. Because they're thinking more like of what they don't know as much like you, not educated maybe about branding and the difference between brand and branding. Educated is a very heavy word.

But  it's I don't consider education like Harvard, like education for me is you have been actively doing this stuff behind the computer since you were young. So you really learn and you understand the difference, but for, let's really like dumb it, not dumb it down, but like really make it simple.

A  lot of people will say I need branding and they talk about, they think about logos and colors and all of those things. And that's part of it. But really it is the emotional feeling that people experience when they think of you. And I loved what you said. I think this is one of the number one activities that you can do to discover it, which is to ask people what they experience when they experience you.

Because a lot of times people see things about us that we don't see in ourself or we're not as aware of, or we don't understand that people really appreciate or love that about us. So what would you add to that? If someone's out there and okay, I really need to get my brand dialed in.

I'm all over the place. Like last week, my logo was green this week. It's hot pink. And to me, I'm always like, okay, so before you even create a logo, it's really self discovery. It's Going through there and say, okay, what are the pinpoints that people are attracted to me? Why are they, why do they do business with me and lay into those?

So if you're like a luxury real estate agent and you are very great at negotiating, you're carrying yourself with class and you walk a certain way, like that's going to be the, where you lay in, like all of your posts should,  Embody that personality every live, every post, even reshare, whatever it is, it has to stay on brand.

If you want to, send memes or something like send it, deem that to your friend if it's off brand, but like your public needs to be knowing who it is that you are at your core. And what it is that you're, I guess putting out there as far as content goes, what do you want to attract?

Yeah, exactly. So I think that self discovery phase in I always tell people when I take them through that process, it's called discovering your brand character. So brand character it's, and I know it says character, it's not like a fictional thing in the sense of Hey, be Grant Cardone.

No, it's that character. It's okay, whenever I am in at networking events, whenever I'm eXpCon, this is who I am. This is how I am. Of course, it's going to be authentic, but you've got to dig deep and see what it is that People are attracted to and then, and lay that into your brownies. So once you have that self discovery of okay, for me, the example is I feel like a lot of people gravitate towards me because I'm quirky.

Like I, my morbid sense of humor shows way too much than it probably should, but I'm just probably fun, quirky, I'm real. And then I don't know what, but I'm also like, a lot of people think I'm like mysterious and I'm like, no, I just I always, when I meet people, I always go in with the intent of, I want to know more about them than they know about me.

In the sense of it's interesting though, because it's like when you're interested in someone more than you're trying to be interesting, it makes people like wonder okay, who is this person? Like, why is they do? Why are they doing this? So how about self discovery? What is it? What are your personalities?

Are you quirky? Are you very professional? Are you super classy? Are old school, whatever it is, everyone has a vibe and everyone hat can pinpoint that. So once you've gathered that, then you've got a crystal clear on who it is that I'm going to serve, right? Obviously in real estate, we have a lot of people to serve.

We have not just buyers and sellers, but then we have first time homeowners. We have empty nesters. We have newly married people. We have divorces. We have, all these different types of buyers and sellers. You make that list out of, okay, so here's all of my avatars. Here's my ideal client profile.

Okay. So now what keeps them up at night? Where are they hanging out with? Are they on Tik TOK? Are they on here? Whatever it is. Okay, cool. So now that I've got that list together, I know who I am. Now let's focus on the brand. And if you're like curious for me, honestly, it was an easy way to brand myself because I'm like, I always wear black, so black is my brand.

I would feel really weird if I came out with a hot pink logo, like it would just not feel natural. So look in your closet. What color, what majority color is in your closet? Is it, if it's pastels, maybe you go with a pastel. If it's like hot pinks, if it's rainbow, go with rainbow. If it's black, go with black, but look and see what are you attracted to and put that into your design?

Because, a lot of people they. think that their logo is something that they aspire to be, but it really should be who you are and involved with, right?  Yes. That's so good. Start. And then then now we start focusing on the design part. And once we know who we are, what we're going to embrace as our character, who we're going to serve.

And then, going through, and I would tell people like, look at psychology of color, look at font styles, think about Jeep, like that's rugged, rough, and tough. They're not going to use, they're not going to use like cursive. Yeah.  Popping stuff, like they're outdoorsy. So be, that was your brand, like embody that and take in consideration. If I was working with, let's just say the young generation, I probably wouldn't go with like the blocky 90 style font. Unlike, things that look good.  Old and dated dilapidated, right? Go with that and understand who you're serving and how you can align with them and vibe with them as your authentic self  You're awesome.

Hollie. I'm so glad I got to know you a little bit better. It was fun I was I thought I really just want to talk to Hollie about her experience and how she got started with her podcast because it's so it's just so fascinating and another thing that you said that I believe is something that we all, something that I've had to embody in my life to get through things, which is to act as if,  and acting as if it doesn't mean be reckless.

To a very good degree, like reckless, but it is pretty reckless, but you're acting as if meaning You have to assume the person that you're trying to become and no one knows that person. Yeah, nobody knows. So walk us through a little mindset shift for an entrepreneur to act as if. Like to me, I'm like, you're already that person.





So there's always, again, it's like back to our barbaric ways of. Oh no. Like flight we're not going to fight. We're going to fly. We're going to take off running. So doing that and having that in mind to where once that moment starts happening. And one thing that I had learned and is from Jen she is amazing on social media and Instagram.

I, oh my gosh, her last name's coming, not coming to my mind, but she had what's called a bad ass list. Write down a list of your accomplishments. They could, for me, this is going to sound silly, but one of my accomplishments is a high school diploma. Yeah. A lot of people are like, really like cool for you.

Everyone's got one pretty much, but no, it was a big deal for me because I had that moment of,  I had to, yeah, I had to get up and put my big girl pants on and start, acting whatever. So making that list, if it's Hey, I got a cool person on my podcast, I sold a, a 2 million listing.

I did whatever it is, make that list. So whenever you pull up to that next listing appointment. And you're like, Oh my gosh, I don't know. What if they start asking me questions? I don't know. You start doubting yourself. You have the imposter syndrome, taking that list and reminding yourself like, no, I'm a badass.

I've got this. I am that person. They called me because they have faith in me. And it would be very disturbing to them to call and cancel. Cause we all want to do that. Like you pull up and you're like, What if I just hit it in reverse and drive off?  Many people have done that. You deleted your video with 30, 000 views.

I could be Mr. Beast or something. And then here I am  back at it, but it's just it's having that mindset, but it's also, it's like going to the gym. You guys I still did. I daily struggle with it. I think I would be like, probably like a psychopath if I was like, no, now I'm mine.

Everything's great. I have nothing to worry about. No, but it's just but as you the more and more you do it the more comfortable you feel the more episodes of podcast you record the more comfortable you can feel the next one the more speaking More listing appointments the more fire showings, whatever it is.

Like the more you do It's going to give you more of that confidence, right? Like we've all had that moment in time where we're like, we got slapped back with, Oh my gosh, like that client is never gonna call me again. Or I forgot the key or I didn't get into the house and they're like, who's this girl?

That's fine. Just take that and say, okay, next time I'm not going to let this happen because I'm going to make sure that I arrived 15 minutes early and I opened doors or do whatever, setting those conditions to where you learn those lessons and not let those lessons become defeating.  Perfect.

Perfect example was if I were interviewing you when I started my podcast, I would be super, super nervous because I thought wow, Hollie kitchens, look at her podcast. She's just a bad ass. She's doing all this brand coaching and just, I really just resonated with you. I just love your style. And then we became friends.

Friends through doing work and volunteer work to build community at exp within one exp. And I got to know you a little bit and I'm like, Hollie's so human. Like she's real  . I had that thought showing up today to talk with you. So no, a hundred percent. And I think that was too there were some people like I said, like the elevator doors open.

I looked at Jeremy Spencer and I was like, I think I'm gonna throw up. You know what I mean? But then  really realizing too Hey, they're humids too. You know what I mean? Humans. And you treat humans like humans, they're going to act like humans. So like you just, and I think that's why I've gathered so many friends in the music industry.

And that's why Chris was like, Hey, just text me. You got my number. Like just text me, whatever.  You get that because I wasn't like fangirling. I wasn't being creepy fan, like stalker vibe. I just like being Hollie. Yes.  Be myself. And I need to allow you to be yourself because people will put their guard up if you act a certain way, whether it be an international rock star or it's a, it's a.

Seller, if you come in there like nervous or you come with bad energy, they're going to pick up on that. And then they're going to feel like, now I'm going to put my wall up because this is weird. So being yourself, you're relaxed like that shows, and it's just a muscle. You got to keep doing it.

Keep doing it. I love it. Hollie. Thank you so much for joining us today on the reveal podcast. Where can we find you? We can find you on Instagram. Is that the best place? Yep. Hollie kitchens Hollie with an IE and Holliekitchens. com smoke signals, wherever you go. Send me a kitchen to Oklahoma. No, but Holliekitchens.

com is like the hub for everything, but at Hollie kitchens is where you can catch me. DM me if you guys have questions. I'm also a workplace. Yeah.  Awesome. Thanks Hollie. I look forward to it. Thank you for all you do for the community everywhere you show up. You're just a badass. I know you're badass list.

I hopefully it's on one of your walls behind you and you're reminded every day of how much you serve and impact. So thanks again, Hollie. We'll see ya. 

   📍  What a powerful and inspiring conversation we've had today with Holly Kitchens. Her journey from facing incredible challenges to becoming a successful entrepreneur is a testament to her strength and perseverance. And she reminds us that success often starts small. It's about digging deep and deeper and finding your lane.

And that by truly embracing who we are, Stepping out of the shadows and pursuing our passions. We can rewrite our stories and create the lives that we've always dreamed of. And reflecting on Holly's story, I'm reminded of a quote by Brene Brown. Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen. 

And if Holly's journey has resonated with you, don't forget to subscribe to the reveal podcast and leave us a review. Share this episode with your friends who could use a little inspiration to step into their greatness. So stay connected, stay inspired, and as always, keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

Until next time, I'll see you soon.