IAM966- Entrepreneur Creates Spaces for People to be Inspired

Entrepreneur, business consultant, and lifestyle wellness coach Keetria Garner-Chambers has two decades of public relations expertise working with some of the world’s leading brands, media personalities, and entertainers. Co-founder and former Managing Director of the AMW Group, she is currently the host of Style of Business (SOB) on Apple Podcasts, and is the CEO of Hypursuit, Inc. and Style of Business (SOB) Coaching and Consulting. Also a certified personal trainer, Keetria’s deep passion for wellness, vision, and purpose is unveiled in her latest book, Courage is a Muscle—now available on Amazon.

• CEO Hack: Consuming a lot of content and having clarity
• CEO Nugget: Put yourself in a position to move forward
• CEO Defined: Being the leader of the company, responsible person and communicating with collaborators

Website: http://www.keetria.com/

Twitter: twitter.com/keetria
Facebook: facebook.com/thekeetriashow
Instagram: instagram.com/keetria

“Courage Is A Muscle – Using Heart to Power Your Entrepreneurial Dreams”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0863S7NDP/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_W049FbFFRK4NP

Style of Business The Podcast

Apple Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sob-style-of-business-the-podcast/id1096883350?mt=2

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1wVaTkAsOjtYiA5IrXxR29

Style of Business – PR&Marketing Consulting: www.styleofbusiness.co
Twitter: twitter.com/styleObusiness
Facebook: facebook.com/styleObusiness
Instagram: Instagram.com/styleofbusinessthepodcast

Full Interview:

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Transcription

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00:19 – Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:46 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gretch from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Ketra Garner Chambers of the style of business. Ketra, it's awesome to have you on the show.

00:55 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Absolutely. Thanks so much for allowing me to be on your platform. I'm excited for the interview.

01:01 – Gresham Harkless

I'm excited as well. You're doing so many phenomenal things. I've definitely been honored to be a guest on your show. So I want to read a little bit more about Ketra so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Ketra is an entrepreneur, business consultant, and lifestyle wellness coach. She has two decades of public relations experience working with some of the world's leading brands, media personalities, and entertainers. She's a co-founder and former managing director of the AMW Group, and she is currently the host of the Style of Business on Apple Podcasts and is the CEO of High Pursuit, Inc. And style of business coaching and consulting. Also, a certified personal trainer, Ketra's deep passion for wellness, vision, and purpose is unveiled. Unveiled in her latest book, Courage is a muscle. Ketra, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:47 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

I'm ready. Let's do it. I'm ready.

01:49 – Gresham Harkless

Let's. Let's do it then. So, to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit, take us through how you got started, and what led you to do all the awesome work that you're doing now.

01:57 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

All right, perfect. Yeah. So I initially got started. I called myself trying to, I was initially interested in journalism. That's where my primary background is, you know, wanting to be an entertainment journalist. You know, you kind of want to go through a different experience of internships to figure out exactly what it is that you want to do. And so through childhood error, I just found I always ended up on the side of things to where I had to kind of create more opportunities for myself because I would pitch for, you know, articles.

And especially being at that age when you're a college senior and you're trying to figure out your way, you don't really know a lot of angles. You're not experienced. So when you're pitching for these different internships and things like that, especially from, for me, who I didn't have like a mentor, you can imagine that I didn't really get the response that I wanted. So I found myself just, you know, kind of trying to create my own opportunities. And I launched the High Pursuit, which is the blog. And I initially started out doing music interviews for artists and things like that. And thankfully somebody gave me a chance in Dallas to do entertainment journalism for independent publication. They're now out of business, of course.

But, you know, it's just, just trying to find my footing. It's always been entertainment and music. I've always had a passion and love for it and, yeah, so, you know, initially, as I said, wanted to do entertainment journalism, ended up on the back end of things, working in the office, and I really got more engaged and interested in doing like the marketing and pr. So here I am a few years later, you know, and I'm just, you know, on this entrepreneur journey, trying to see where I can best fit and help other people. So that's where I am.

03:43 – Gresham Harkless

Nice. I definitely appreciate that. And, you know, when we talked and when we first initially connected, we connected on that journalism piece because something that's at my heart and my core of a lot of things that I do, I feel like I'm still a journalist at heart. But I, well, the phrase that came to me, like, when you were speaking is I see it so many times and I hear it and I try to tell myself it is, you know, sometimes making a way out of no way. And I think that's where the true entrepreneurial comes in, where it's like, okay, well, this lane isn't working, so I'm going to create my own lane this way. And it seems like you've been able to do that and build that in all the awesome work you're doing.

04:16 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Yeah, I mean, thankfully, as crazy as it sounds, it was like, the more no's that I, the more you end up getting some sort of nerve, you know, you end up kind of getting the courage to, to move forward. And I've always had parents and family and my dear grandmother who really just encouraged us, you know, just to move forward and just make a way and, you know, through that, just kind of making sure that I at least made an effort, you know, that I would try to do whatever it is I was looking to do. And thankfully, it panned out. I mean, in a way, I still consider myself a writer, and a journalist, because I do. But it was not in the aspect that I initially anticipated.

You know, I thought maybe I would be writing for the source, you know, some major music publication based on the opportunities that were currently available. And through the nose, I was able to really see, like, okay, you don't really need to be able. I mean, you don't need to have that major backing in order for you to pursue the things that you're interested in. So it's, you know, it worked out.

05:18 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. So funny that you say that, because when we talk, too, about the industry as a whole and just how the industry is completely different, and it'll probably be even more different, you know, five years down the line from what it is now. But we're starting to see that people have their own voices and are able to do that and to build, you know, their expertise, their insight, and still, you know, tap into those skills that are needed as a journalist but still create those, its own platform. So I love that you've been able to kind of do and build that.

05:44 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Absolutely.

05:44 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah.

05:44 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

No, it's, you know, trial and error. It's a work in progress, but it's definitely possible.

05:49 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I think when things change, we definitely need that entrepreneurial spirit and that mentality to be able to know that we can shift and change and create that only. And as we kind of talked about. So I know when I read your bio you touched on as well, too, everything that you're working on now. Could you take us through your blog, your book, your podcast, and all the awesome work that you're doing?

06:08 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Yeah, I would love to. So, as you know, I initially started my career with AMW Group, which originated in Europe, and the opportunity to really learn to perfect my expertise as far as marketing and pr are concerned. And then in 2017, you know, when you do things for so long, you just kind of get that itch to, you know, sometimes it's just hard. It's. It's time to kind of step out and step away from the typical run of the meal and routine. And so in 2007, I just decided that I really enjoyed more of a smaller scale, you know, like consulting like on one and just trying to teach people.

So I started the style of business, which is consulting and marketing, which is the goal, is to teach people how to run their own pr campaigns. In addition to that, I found myself doing the podcast, which the podcast initially started out as a music podcast because I also, was DJing at the time, and so I really enjoyed music mixes. And then over the course of maybe a couple of years, it ended up evolving into what you see now, where I go and share other entrepreneurial stories and, you know, small business owners and things like that that come in and, you know, share tips and resources.

So that's the podcast Dollar Business sodden the podcast and high Pursuit, which is like I said, I launched that years ago, you know, straight out of college, just wanting to really create a lane for myself. And it has taken many shapes and forms. It has turned, it has twisted. Whatever you think, whatever you can think of, I've done it just to be able to find that voice. And I really feel like where I am now with it, I'm really wanting to create that space for people to come and to be inspired, you know, to be inspired and know that they can. And then, of course, with that, it all ties back into everything that I'm doing. Because the podcast, of course, is inspirational for other people, aspiring entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs like you and myself, and then the consulting and things like that, is just really trying to show people that they can do it.

And then high pursuit, just another hub for inspiration. So all of it ties in. And the book, courage is a muscle. That is another piece of content that I'm proud of because it's self-published and it's something that I worked years to get completed. And I felt like when I started that project, I was just, you know how you're in the zone, right? Have you ever been in a zone where you want to get the work done? And I ended up with that project, and I kept wanting to hold it. You know how you just want to hold and say, okay, well, it's not ready.

It's not ready. But then when I realized that the information that I shared was something not for me, I mean, of course, it was an outlet for me through the writing, but I knew that that information would be good for other people who were trying to find their voice. And that's the hub. I mean, that's what the book is about, like my own personal entrepreneurial journey. So self-published that, you know, I could have done some things better, but the process of doing it, you know, doing it yourself, is really what made a difference. So that's. That's pretty much where I'm at.

09:20 – Gresham Harkless

And so I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. So this could be for you personally or your businesses or a combination of both. But what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

09:31 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Secret sauce. Through my experience, my own personal experience, I found that when you just be who you are, when you are good with what you're doing, we can't. Being in a race and trying to compete, that's really when things kind of turn into a disaster for me. I just stopped trying to keep up. I really honestly just stopped trying to keep up with what other people are doing. I work hard to mind my business and to keep my head focused on what it is that I'm trying to create.

And that's pretty much it. Just trying to maintain my own sense of balance and just being off to myself to where I can stay focused and not be disrupted and distracted by too many things. Of course, I do consider myself, like, I'm not anti-social, you know, like anti-people, but I know for me, it's best for me to just stay in my lane and to really capitalize off the things that I bring to the table as far as creativity and anything else is concerned. Like, I know where I excel and I know where I need to take a step back.

10:31 – Gresham Harkless

Love that. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

10:42 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

I consume a lot of podcast content just to try to get. And it's not so industry-wise as it is more inspirational, like. Like just trying to figure out what. What makes a person more productive when it comes to just the mental part of it? Right. Because once you get your mindset situated, you know, you know what you're focused on, then you can be efficient, then you can work. So for me, it's just kind of consuming the right types of content. Like, I know what I'm looking for. And not, not only that, but there are different books. Like, I really enjoyed Contagious.

I forgot the guy who wrote it, but that's a great book, Napoleon Hill. You can never get too much of that, you know, and there are other things that I do just to really disconnect and to really be able to refresh myself, you know, meditation, of course, is, you know, something by default, but as far as being productive and what I do is just pretty much making sure that my mind is not cluttered and that I have a sense of clarity. So, you know, the go-to for me is definitely podcast anything that's going to uplift, inspire, and motivate and just, you know, select. Select books that, you know, people recommend and things like that.

11:59 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I absolutely love that. And I was going to ask you if that would be what I call your CEO nugget, which is kind of like a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Is it that kind of understanding that just like? That's why I love the title of your book. You know, courage is a must because I think so many times we think courage is something that you're born with, but it's just like a muscle where you continue to have to work that out. You continue to have to be okay with being uncomfortable in maybe having that imposter syndrome but still continue to kind of take those actions and work that out. Is that what you consider to be, a really good word or piece of advice?

12:31 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you definitely got to do it. Courage is the most. So for sure, like, even now, there's things that I. That I struggle with and. But I. I think I've gotten really good at realizing that if I don't put myself in the positions to move forward, then it really just keeps me where I am.

12:50 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely appreciate that, nugget. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEO's on the show. So, Keecher, what does being a CEO mean to you?

13:02 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Oh, my God. It means being the person that is. I mean, of course, you know, you are the leader of your company, and, you know, whatever it is you're guiding your people towards. You know, you're the go-to person. So I think with me, it's just more of being responsible and just being a person who is open and communicating with the people that you work with, your collaborators or whoever it is. But to me, I mean, it's not all fun and games. It's work, you know? And I think being a CEO means that you are dedicated to whatever the job is, a position, and you're just working to build other people up and pull them up as well. So that's what I've experienced.

13:48 – Gresham Harkless

Nice. I love that definition, and I love that workpiece because it, to me, brings up, like, what we talked about before that, you know, kind of, I don't know if I would say loving the process because all the times, it's not always the sunshine and rainbows that we always think it is. But I think being able to kind of balance between those things is so huge and understand that if we have a strong vision, if we know where we want to be if we want to see our team members, our clients, our podcast listeners at a certain place, to be able to kind of, you know, roll up the sleeves and get into that work to make sure that happens is absolutely huge. So I love that perspective and definition.

14:22 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

Yeah, perfect. Yeah. You gotta be ready for anything.

14:28 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. So, Ketra, truly appreciate that definition. I appreciate your time even more. What I want to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know and of course, how best they can get a hold of you, subscribe to the podcast, get a copy of the book, and hear about all the awesome things you're doing.

14:43 – Keetria Garner-Chambers

All right, let's go. Let's go. All right, so I think we covered it all, but I would love to connect with anybody who is interested. You can find me@ketraker.com I'm spelling my name to figure out that it's a website. So it's Ketra. Ketrtria.com directly. That's the website to me. And also my social media handles are all at Ketra. K e t r I a. Like I said, the podcast would love for you guys to subscribe. Check me out. Style of business. It is on Apple podcast and pretty much everywhere else. And of course the pr, consulting, and marketing. If anybody is interested and needs some help with putting together your campaigns, we'd love to connect. And that is a style of business. Last but not least, my book, courage is a muscle that is currently available on Amazon and you can also get more information on it on my website, which is ketra.com dot.

15:43 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much again, Ketra. We will have the links and information in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can follow up with you. But I appreciate all the awesome work you do all the time you took today and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

15:55 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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