One of the best things about our work is the partnerships we have with other incredible creative entrepreneurs, founders, and individuals who are changing the game with their talent, passion, and commitment to their craft. We’ve had the opportunity to sit down with these create entrepreneurs changemakers in our own interview series, Beyond the Brand. We’re recapping all of our BTB interviews to reflect on what we’ve learned from them. Plus, we get to revel in their inspiring stories, too!

Kristina Klaas on Manifesting Your Dream & Finding Community

To kick things off, we’re headed back to our very first Beyond the Brand interview with the one and only Kristina Klaas. Not only is Kristina a former client of ours, but she is a successful founder and fundraising strategist of her own fundraising agency, Kristina Klaas & Co.

In short, Kristina gives support, guides, and empowers purpose-driven organizations to achieve sustainable, holistic fundraising. We’ve been reminded of the power of manifesting your own dreams throughout our discussion with her. Kristina demonstrated this when she quit her nonprofit fundraising job to start her own agency, right at the height of the pandemic. She showcased incredible bravery when she leaned into her heart and went all-in to bring her vision to life. To read our full interview with her, head on over here.

Jaclyn Tracy on Spearheading Conscious Consumerism

Next up, we’re dialing in on our interview with Jaclyn Tracy, the founder of the conscious marketplace, SISTAIN, and the holistic marketing firm, Brand Effect.

Jaclyn is a true tour-de-force in the marketing realm, with an unparalleled commitment to conscious consumerism. With her leadership at the helm, she showed us that the zero-waste movement is possible and a worthwhile way of living that welcomes intentional change and a whole new community. Jaclyn says it best, “Success is in collective impact.” You can find our interview with her here. Trust us, it’s worth a read!

Bree McCool on Celebrating Reflection & Engaging Your Passions

Now we’re onto our interview with entrepreneur and creative Bree McCool. She’s the face behind Bree McCool Photography and The Artful Archive, a unique membership platform inviting people to reflect, remember and honor their experiences through creative workshops, journal prompts, and community.

We’re so inspired by Bree’s commitment to celebrating reflection. Looking back and carrying that happiness to the present to create an enjoyable future is such a unique way to serve the creative community. Check out our full interview with Bree here.

Candace Molatore on Bringing Authenticity to Social Media

Our next stop on our BTB journey is our interview with content creator Candace Molatore, and her brand, @hey.candace.

Candace has fostered a trusted community on social media platforms to discuss all things life, fashion, and mental health. She showed us the power of authenticity and how there’s a great need to be vulnerable and real on the ‘gram. Candace is helping us rethink our relationship with social media and how we can use it as a tool to connect and create instead of bringing about anxiety and comparison. Read our full interview with Candace here.

Leilani Banayat on Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone

We’re bringing it home with our friend and incredibly talented creative, Leilani Banayat.

Leilani is a lifestyle and wedding photographer based in Portland, Oregon—our neck of the woods! She pursued her childhood love of photography and has transformed it into a one-of-a-kind photography business with a documentary style. She’s fabricating less and simply focusing on capturing the unraveling story before her. We learned so much from her courage to take the leap to “solopreneurship.” As she said, the path to your dream isn’t always easy, and there will be plenty of trial and error along the way, but the journey is worth it. Get the full scoop on our interview with Leilani here.

That’s a wrap on our Beyond the Brand interviewee recap! It’s been such a treat to sit down with these women and hear more about their stories. They continue to inspire us with their vision for change and positive impact. Be sure to check out their pages and give them a follow! In the meantime, we’ll be picking up where we left off and interviewing another guest next month. If you have someone in mind who is a good fit for the series, send them our way to hello@laerstudio.com.

We’ve got more where that came from. Subscribe to our newsletter to read more on copywriting insights, creative community shoutouts, and general studio musings.