Katia Designs - When a Whisper From the Universe Becomes a Business

Ramon Vela (00:03.379)
Welcome back everyone. This is going to be a great show. I have with me today Katya Rudnik, who is the founder of Katya Designs. Welcome to the show.

Katia (00:33.367)
Hi Ramon, thank you for having me.

Ramon Vela (00:35.357)
Thank you so much. By the way, we can always pause this or edit this part out. Pause. Did I say that correctly? Katnia Rudnik? Katya. Okay, I'm sorry about that. I should have asked you that beforehand.

Katia (00:43.391)
It's Katja. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (00:53.039)
And Redneck is your last name correct? Okay. And then what title did you want me to put in there?

Katia (00:56.217)
Yeah, right.

Founder.

Ramon Vela (01:00.347)
Okay. I'm sorry, it occurred to me afterward that I didn't ask you this. Okay, let me do that again.

One, two, pause, one, two, three. Welcome back everyone. Today is going to be a great show. I have with me Katya Rudnik, who is the founder of Katya Designs. Welcome to the show.

Katia (01:24.664)
Thank you so much, Roman.

Ramon Vela (01:26.653)
Well, I appreciate you making time. I know you're busy. You've got you're running a business. You're designing. You're doing all of the of the all of the things and and for you to make a little time for me and my audience. I truly appreciate it. So thank you so much. I can't wait to dive into your story, into your brand, into what doing to learning why you do what you do. But I always like to start off my interviews with a question of gratitude and the reason why I do that for anyone.

Katia (01:37.677)
Thank

Ramon Vela (01:56.089)
new listeners is for two reasons. One is I'm a big believer in gratitude. It is something that's free. It's available to all of us and it's so powerful. If you are feeling stress, if you're feeling anxiety, it has helped me through some of my darkest moments and it can help you relieve your stress and anxiety by putting things in context. There's a lot to it, but it's so easy. You could pray, you could journal, you could meditate, which is something I do, but I'm telling you it is

very very powerful and once you do it and keep doing it, it really gets even better and better and better. The other reason why I ask that question is that I feel like it's very easy for consumers and people out there to see a product online or on the shelf in some place and just simply think it's a faceless corporation. They don't realize that there's people behind it, there's a story behind it, there's...

Katia (02:47.43)
Okay.

Ramon Vela (02:50.067)
a mission or a reason why people do what they do. And they don't realize how much people care. There's a lot of people who care in the back end. Katya and her team, I'm sure they do lots and lots of things. They bleed, sweat and tear over doing what they're doing. And I really just want the consumers and the listeners to know the people behind that and the things that they go through. And so one great way of doing that and getting to know people is by understanding what they're grateful for. So with all of that said, Katya, if you don't mind.

Can you share a moment or a memory when someone did something for you that just made you feel grateful because it meant that they believed in you, your vision, or your potential?

Katia (03:28.832)
You know Ramon, this subject is very dear to me. I think that I have a special connection to it just like you do because the practice of gratitude is something that can influence your whole life experience.

You know, that happened to me when I was going through my own challenges in life and I found that giving your attention to things that are great in your life.

really changes the way you experience life in general because the simple practice of whatever you give your attention to expands justifies that practice because if you're grateful you cannot be miserable when you're feeling grateful you are feeling love when you're grateful and so the more you practice that the happier life experience you have right so and and actually

Ramon Vela (04:28.338)
Yeah, I believe it.

Katia (04:32.04)
Interestingly enough, my number one necklace seller this year is a choker, a sunburst choker that says grateful on the back of it. So I think it's a collective message that reaches to so many of us. But, you know, this I was thinking about it because this question is so general because there's so many people and events that I am grateful for in my life.

Ramon Vela (04:45.968)
Hehehe.

Katia (05:02.464)
Yet I was meditating this morning and I thought, you know what, I'm going to share this because it felt appropriate. When I first started in my garage and when I started to create my jewelry and I wanted to put messages of inspiration, empowerment, and I created this design and then I was ready to start doing little shows and pop-ups in my area.

That was very scary in the beginning. But then this women that started to come to my table and look at my jewelry and the response, immediate response was, wow, wow, this is amazing. This is beautiful. My magnetic clasp idea. were like, wow, this is genius. This is great. And in the beginning of my journey, having that those the women

response to this idea that I came up with. It was so encouraging. It was like filling me up with energy that I was like, wow, because I was excited about it. But then to hear that from all these women and I could feel it and I could feel how their emotions and passions

was coming through it and it was feeding me into wanting to create more and more. And in the beginning of this journey, and I think a lot of us sometimes need that, know, that we want someone to say, wow, you're on the right path. You're doing amazing. Keep going. And I am so grateful for that. In the beginning, it was so important. And then it continued. It continued as I started to do more and grow more.

And it continues into this day when I'm getting a review or a comment and we have so many and I feel the same way. am so, so grateful for the response that I hear from women, how my product that I came up with and what I emotionally wanted to put into it resonates with them. So grateful for that.

Ramon Vela (07:26.77)
Wow, you know, and I've heard people say that before and I actually had a guest who gave me a really great phrase. He said that when people say these things to you and they kind of validate you and or they validate what you're doing and or they give you encouraging words.

you know, especially during those moments where you feel a little, you're feeling scared or nervous, or maybe you're feeling down. And because, know, there's a lot of obstacles in the way to building a business. He used the word transfer of belief. He says that when people, you know, share things with you, it's almost like they're transferring. It's an energy, right? Like they're transferring something to you. They're transferring belief, they're transferring.

Katia (08:02.716)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (08:17.738)
love, they're transferring something and it's a lot of times it's just a phrase or a word that they use or encouragement or a hug or whatever it is, but you know, it's these little things that really give us the energy and the, you know, the fuel to keep going.

Katia (08:35.433)
Yeah, the fuel is right and you feel it in your gut. You know, it's this co-creative moment when you feel it and you just you can feel the energy when it's yes, it can be words of encouragement, but you feel it deeply on the deeper level. Don't you think?

Ramon Vela (08:39.943)
Hmm.

Ramon Vela (08:56.614)
Yeah, no, I agree. And it's so important. And I think it's really important. And it's not just, it applies to a lot of people, but we're talking here about entrepreneurship and about building something. And I think it's really important, especially in entrepreneurship, because we work so hard in the backend. We work so hard creating the thing that we want to provide to the world. We work so hard on...

Katia (09:24.202)
Okay.

Ramon Vela (09:25.392)
All the little things, the details, the materials, engravings, whatever it is, we work so hard and there are sometimes hours and hours and hours of this work before anyone says anything to us, before anyone looks at it, before anyone, you know, and so it could be nerve wracking and it could play with your head and it could, you you start to think like, what if people don't like this or what if this doesn't do well or what if this isn't,

Katia (09:39.792)
Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (09:54.599)
You know, it's really, it's really difficult, you know, when you choose to be an entrepreneur and, just any, like a creator, I often think that entrepreneurship and in some ways is akin to like artistry, because you're creating something from nothing, you know, and and it feels like, you know, it, you know, it feels like this creation can go and, and you,

Katia (10:14.163)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (10:21.978)
you build it and then sometimes it has a life of its own and then it continues to go and to grow with other folks. So it's really interesting. But thank you for this. And I think this is a great segue into kind of getting started on why you do what you do. Because I love this idea of this, you know, going out to pop-ups and I find that those are really great sort of customer labs where you...

You get, you know, like for you, you know, you're getting this feedback from them and it's a great way to get feedback from people, especially early on in your journey. There's nothing like being in front of a consumer or customer, someone who's buying your, your jewelry or your, whatever it is and seeing what their feedback is right away. There's nothing like it. And, and I love that. And I think every brand should get, should do something like that in the very beginning. Cause I think it's just so helpful. but walk us back.

Katia (10:53.993)
Yeah. Yeah.

Katia (11:17.04)
it's so helpful.

Ramon Vela (11:20.098)
just a few steps back from from you showing your stuff to people. What was it about creating what you're creating? What was it about doing this that that made you want to do it? And how did it get started?

Katia (11:25.597)
Yeah.

Katia (11:38.202)
So I was in my 40s and I was I think approaching the time in my life as a lot of women do at that age and maybe not just women I think all of us I think men and women where we are searching we just think we started thinking about things that

Why? Why? Why and how? And what is this all about? And I was really searching and I started looking, listening to different...

Katia (12:17.879)
audiobooks, lot of teachers. You know when they say when the student is ready the teacher appears? And so I was going through that and I would read, I would look into so much information. I was trying to make things, sense of things because you know I was a mom, a wife, I was involved in, you me and my husband we had different businesses and he was

very entrepreneurial and I was kind of assisting in so many different ways. We had a chain of medical spas that I was involved with, but yet I didn't feel really passionate about it. You know, I was just doing my thing. I was using my creativity, my natural senses that have developed. You know, I, back then I didn't think that I was so entrepreneurial, but

Now I realize I think I was, I just was not as passionate about things. And when I was in my mid forties, I started searching. And then one day I shared this story. Sometimes I was in yoga class and I was an upside down dog. And I saw this woman behind me wearing this really cool medallion bracelet. And by the way, Ramon, I was never into jewelry.

Ramon Vela (13:15.986)
Thank

Katia (13:42.554)
I was never into it. My husband would make fun of me because I was like, I don't care, you know, what rings you buy me. But somehow at that yoga class and as you, I don't know if you practice yoga, but it's a very spiritual practice and you, it's a meditation really. So I noticed this woman wearing this bracelet and then in the end of the class I approached her and I said,

Where did you get this? This looks really cool. This big medallion. And she shared the information with me. After the class, I looked it up. I couldn't find it. And I was like, you know what? I wonder if I can make it myself. This just came out of nowhere. And then because I'm pretty good with my hands. would, I always, I like to draw, paint, crochet, create since I was a little kid. And

I looked, I Googled it and I couldn't find it. And I'm like, okay, you know what? I wonder if there's a jewelry place that a jewelry school that can teach me how to do it. So I Googled it and there was a local jewelry class in Boca Art Museum where they offer a lot of different classes for, for little kids to adults. And there was a jewelry class that was metal clay.

Ramon Vela (14:58.599)
Hmm.

Katia (15:09.989)
that I saw it was there was one that day and I just got into my car and I drove there. And so I walked into the school and I often refer to it as a Wizard of Oz moment where it's from black and white in turn to color because this whole creative space was so fun and inspiring to me. I just, I, it felt good being in there.

And I walked into this class and this teacher showed me this medium that I was never introduced to before. It was metal clay where you take clay and you form it almost like sculpting into whatever you want. You put it in the kiln and it comes out as a solid metal, either bronze or silver or copper, whatever it is. And I was like, my God, this is magical. And

Went home and I was like, okay. I could not stop thinking about it. It was it was almost like it was infectious. I Started buying books. I started watching YouTube videos everything that I could get my hands on about this and the idea of creating inspirational messages on those metal pieces came to me immediately

And I think it was because I was going through that in my life. was searching and messages like gratitude or anything is possible or all is well or you got this. All those things that were helping me. I wanted to put it on those pendants. And so I started like that. It's.

Ramon Vela (17:03.346)
Hmm.

Katia (17:09.378)
All I could do is just think of what messages I want to put on those beautiful pendants. And I did that for a few months creating it. And it was very immature work, you might call it. But then, you know, you have to always start from somewhere. You don't just it didn't look like it looks today. When I scroll back on my Instagram today, one, it looked very, very different. And I was inspired by nature.

Ramon Vela (17:28.07)
Yeah.

Katia (17:39.183)
I was inspired by so many different things, there was always messages that I wouldn't put on it.

Maybe a few months into it, I was sitting at a kitchen table playing with my pendants. I was putting it on beaded necklaces and stones and crystals. And I was playing with the necklace. And then I was like, you know what? I figured out a way how you can wear one necklace different ways by using this magnetic clasp. I was like, wait, I've never seen that before.

Ramon Vela (18:14.93)
Mm-hmm.

Katia (18:18.815)
I wonder if it exists because I've never seen this idea before. And so I actually ran into the room, my husband is in next room and I was like, check this out. This is so cool. How you can do this? Look at this necklace. He looked at me and he was not impressed. was like,

Ramon Vela (18:32.242)
Thank

Katia (18:43.66)
And I think because obviously it was not his thing. can't blame him, but I did not care. said, you know what? This is really, really interesting. So next thing I started doing this pop up shows. was scary in the beginning, but then I had to get over my fear. I looked up what green markets, what little events were in my area.

and I started setting up a table and then I put all my jewelry on the stands and women would come up to my table and I would show them my my idea and they were like wow this is amazing this is genius which was like okay they like it and then they started looking at the messages and they're like wow there's so many I said you know just go one by one and the message that

Ramon Vela (19:27.602)
you

Katia (19:42.117)
is for you, you'll know. And then they would turn those pendants around and it could be all is well, could be she believes she could, so she did, or it could be remember who the F you are, which is our one of our best sellers. But whatever message there was and I could see they would turn the pendant and they would stop.

Ramon Vela (19:44.017)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (19:56.316)
Mm-hmm.

Katia (20:07.692)
And I knew because I was watching them, I knew that there was a reaction and it's very personal. could be something that they were striving for. It could be something that they were grateful for. It was something that maybe was that they had to overcome, but it was personal. And then they would say, wow, I need this one. And that and I, I still get chills thinking about that because

Ramon Vela (20:17.221)
Mm-hmm.

Ramon Vela (20:29.521)
Hmm.

Katia (20:37.226)
It's very similar today on a much bigger scale when someone messages and says, there's just so many things I love. I don't know which one I should get. I always say, just go through the messages and find the one that speaks to your heart. But anyway, I started doing that. And when I saw how

women responded to my jewelry and how they responded to my design. I went again back to my husband. said, you know what? This idea is pretty cool. I think I should patent it. So we went to a patent attorney and he said, listen, this journey can be it's an open, open,

Ramon Vela (21:17.445)
and

Katia (21:31.478)
might be an open never-ending process. don't know if you have other people that you spoke to about this. He said, you don't know if it's going to get approved. It can cost so much money. It can take years. And I said, well, you know what, let's try it. And we filled out the paperwork, we started this process and we got approved on the first try.

Ramon Vela (21:35.216)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (21:57.969)
Hmm.

Katia (21:59.391)
And I was like, wow, that's pretty cool. So I have the patent on this design and the way I guess I like to describe my brand and my jewelry line and what sets us apart is number one, it's the message. It's how it makes you feel. Our tagline is it's not just jewelry, it's a feeling.

How it makes you feel when you put that piece on is my number one priority when it comes to my customers. Number two is the magnetic clasp and this fun idea of how you can wear a necklace so many different ways. It's easy. It takes a second to put on and then you can design it. You can put the pendant on the top, on the bottom. You can layer it so many different ways. So there's that. And then number three,

It's beautiful and it makes them feel good and they get compliments all the time. So they come back and they want more. And I think in the ocean of million jewelry companies out there, I think those three factors is what sets us apart. And that's, I always lead with that.

Ramon Vela (23:21.039)
Hmm.

Katia (23:25.805)
You know, because you can't, you're right. To be an entrepreneur can be challenging because especially with the social media and how many things you see, it's really easy to get lost. Because you were like, should I be like this one? Should I be like that one? Maybe I should do like this, or maybe I'm not doing this enough, or maybe this, or maybe that. And it's...

Ramon Vela (23:43.471)
Mm-hmm.

Katia (23:54.083)
you don't, it's easy to get lost. Especially when someone says, no, you shouldn't do that. No, you should do this. And that's another conversation. How do you get focused on what you're doing? I think it's really important to stick with is authentic to you and just be real.

Ramon Vela (23:58.544)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (24:22.075)
Mm-hmm.

Katia (24:24.002)
and do what speaks to what feels right to you. And then your people will find you.

Ramon Vela (24:31.824)
Hmm.

Katia (24:33.794)
Don't you think?

Ramon Vela (24:34.513)
Yeah, no, I, a hundred percent agree. And, you know, and I actually want to take a step back to something you said earlier that I found fascinating because I think a lot of people are feeling have a feel this way. And I don't know if it's, I don't think it's necessarily the timeframe because you said you were in your forties, but, um, but I do think people in their forties do feel this way, but it could be others that feel like

And I don't know, I don't even know. It's different for everybody else, for everybody. You feel like you have something inside that wants to come out. Sometimes you don't know what it is. Sometimes you feel like maybe you have more to give than you've given. Maybe you have something to offer to the world that you haven't. Maybe there's...

Katia (25:04.418)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (25:25.425)
There's something inside you that just doesn't, that feels like it wants to come out, but you don't even know what it is. And a lot of times people have this feeling and they never find it. And then that's why you have that literary phrase, lives, what is it called? Lives of quiet desperation, right? It's like they feel like they want something, they're, you know.

Katia (25:45.889)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (25:53.126)
They don't, never do what they do want to do. And I just feel like what you, what happened to you is really interesting because you weren't, it feels like it was, it was happening to you. You know, like it was happening through you. but you didn't really have any control of it because you said you didn't really care for jewelry, but it was just sort of like, you you saw the bracelet or the pendant on the woman's, on the woman and you.

Katia (26:15.906)
I was receiving it.

Ramon Vela (26:19.053)
searched for it, then you saw the class and then it was the same day and then you drove there and it's like, felt like it just sort of like it was just happening to you. Like you were, like, you you were just like, you were, like it, like it literally was moving you forward. Some force was moving you forward. Yeah. And I'm curious, you know, now that you've had some time to think about it and to, and to, and to think about those moments and, and how you got started. what do you think that was?

Katia (26:41.184)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (26:48.879)
What do you think that was that pulled you, that moved you forward to that?

Katia (26:54.623)
I know exactly what it was. I know exactly, and I think you do too. It was a whisper from the universe. It was a whisper from my, from the source, from my being. It was a whisper, it's the kind of whisper that we often disregard because you know what? That day I could have just moved on to whatever else I had to do that day, know, food shopping or take care of this or that.

But somehow it evoked something in me and I walked toward it. I was not... In that moment I was flowing, I was not worried about things. I was open and I received it and I followed it. And I think that... And it taught me and I've practiced it so many different times in my life since.

I know that...

If I can create more of those moments, that I get that whisper about so many other different things that I do, either professionally or personally.

and it's quieting your mind. It's meditating. It's doing things that make you feel good. It's listening to the music. It's spending time in the nature. It's doing things that bring you joy. The more we do that, the louder that voice gets. Because when we're in the scarcity, when we're stressed out, yes, in those moments we...

Ramon Vela (28:31.397)
you

Ramon Vela (28:36.752)
Hmm.

Katia (28:44.891)
the desires are born. I don't want it this way because I want it differently. But yet those true inspirational moments, feel like, because everything starts from a thought, right? And when we're open, when we feel just joy and love.

Ramon Vela (28:47.729)
Thank you.

Ramon Vela (28:58.619)
Hmm.

Katia (29:06.632)
Those ideas just come to us in such a natural way.

Ramon Vela (29:11.823)
Yeah. Well, know, somebody you said earlier too about yoga and I haven't done yoga in a while, but I love yoga and what I've noticed about yoga and it happens with other things too. Like I have found that this happens also with running. If you're a runner, that when you sort of empty your mind and you just focus on like, instead of all the noise and everything going on around you.

Katia (29:26.442)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (29:38.308)
Even stuff we are not even aware of, right? Like there's always stuff going around us. But when you do a Sunday morning run or a Saturday morning run and you're just by yourself and it's early morning, the air is cool and you're just yourself, it's like, you're able to just focus on just one thing. You're just focused on the running. You're just focused on your breath, you know, on yoga. You just focus on your pose, you know, lock the knee or whatever those phrases. I love that stuff.

Katia (29:48.269)
Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (30:05.817)
And you're just focused and it's almost like you've emptied your mind and you've kind of filter out everything else. And that's when the universe or whatever it is comes to you. Like that's when those moments come to you. I remember doing poses in yoga and then all of a sudden this idea would pop in my head. I'm like, wow, like just all of sudden this idea just popped in my head. It's because you, you were allowing our minds to finally just relax rest and just like.

Katia (30:28.436)
Yeah.

Katia (30:35.338)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (30:36.207)
give us something without all the filters and all the messages and all the junk in our head. Cause a lot of times we just don't hear it. But the really thing I wanted to mention to you is what you just said right now is in my opinion, is what you've captured and what you've almost like bottled in your jewelry. It's like you've captured this and this is what you provide to your customers, to the women who buy this because

Katia (31:03.925)
Yes.

Ramon Vela (31:05.905)
exactly the way you just described a second ago is how I imagine and how you kind of described the women who are the people who go to your table or look at your jewelry and look at the different ones and then think like, this one speaks to me. It's because they themselves are in that kind of that place where you are or were and are looking for that whisper.

Katia (31:13.246)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (31:35.666)
And that's what that is. are the vehicle for that whisper in some, I mean, maybe I'm over reading this, but I'm saying, it just feels like that you are the vehicle for that whisper. So that when someone goes through your jewelry and they find that, they might look at all of them and they're, oh, that's nice, that's nice, that's nice. And then they look at that one and think, okay, that one's for me. That's the one that speaks to me because they're hard.

Katia (31:40.767)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (32:04.497)
is yearning for something and you've captured in your jewelry and now you're that vehicle to allow them to be where you were, to do what you do and to do the things that they wanna do. I don't know, maybe I'm over reading this, but that's I feel like year.

Katia (32:18.853)
No, no, you're not you you you're not over reading it I think you captured it pretty well, you know, and it's obviously The business is very different today than it was when I was doing pop-ups Today I communicate through the videos the social media

Mostly and that's how we've built this company Where before it was one-on-one At the event now I had I'm able to reach thousands of women through my videos through the posts on Instagram or Facebook or in tic-tac and I think that when I talk about things that are important to me

Ramon Vela (32:47.057)
Mm-hmm.

Katia (33:07.313)
things that have helped me when I connect those messages with what I'm trying to communicate to my customers through my jewelry. Women that become our customers, they feel it on an emotional level. They understand that it's not a sparkly necklace that they buy.

they're buying a tool. It's something that they wear that enhances their day and makes them feel stronger. It makes them feel more empowered. It gives them the oomph. we have customers, know, 50 % of our daily sales come from repeat customers, which I think I'm very proud of. I brag about it because not a lot of

Ramon Vela (34:00.208)
Yeah.

Katia (34:06.248)
companies can say that. And so what happens is when someone comes in the door and they buy that first piece and they wear it and it makes them feel certain way and they love the product and they love the customer service that we provide, they feel comfortable, they know that we're a real deal. And then they come back and they look at other messages and they look at other designs and they

Ramon Vela (34:07.749)
Mm-hmm.

Katia (34:35.773)
listen to me and what I preach, which I'm preaching. I want women to feel good. Okay. I want them to be selfish. I want them to step into their power. I share what helped me. don't want to tell them how to live their lives. No, I just share what helped me. And if it resonates with them, then that's great.

Ramon Vela (34:38.001)
Okay.

Katia (35:03.601)
I want them to feel better wherever they are either in their despair or they feel like they're a badass. I want them to feel even better from that spot on. so having that following, having that those customers that connect to my pieces and then they start collecting it because what happens to them and I gotta again tell you

We have customers that bought so many pieces that they share their videos and pictures of their collections and

I it's again, I'm bragging, but they could open Katya Design store if they wanted to. But they show also, I mean, walls covered with pieces. And sometimes it's their morning ritual is when they go and pick out the message that they need that day. What do they need that day? Is it I am enough or is it just breathe or resilient AF? Like, you know, there's so many.

Ramon Vela (35:58.865)
Hmm.

Katia (36:10.318)
different things that you need that day. Sometimes my customers would share their messages and they would say, know what, today I had to meet my boss and I was so nervous and I was wearing a necklace and I was, I stepped into that meeting and I felt so good. I felt so strong.

I put my hand on my heart like you told me to do. And I just wanted to thank you. And if you look at our reviews, we have over 10,000 reviews on our website. We have over 4,000 on Google. And I often say, I compare them to love letters because they're not just like, great product. No, you should, they almost don't look real.

Ramon Vela (36:54.084)
Wow.

Ramon Vela (37:06.629)
He

Katia (37:06.843)
Because my husband always makes fun of me. He's like, I can't believe I cannot believe those messages. And sometimes I can't even believe it myself that they take time of their day to write those beautiful notes, how my jewelry, how my messages have helped them, how they would use it as they were going through their battle with cancer or through their divorce.

Ramon Vela (37:36.676)
Thank you.

Katia (37:36.923)
or through some tough moments in their life. And it does not get old Ramon. This does not. Like I read every one of them. And as I said in the beginning, that it fuels me to continue and to do more and more and more, you know? And our company now, we, you know, I have, I have big staff. My team is incredible. I couldn't be, I wouldn't be able to do what I do without them. Thank God.

and they

buy into this. I think the energy that I was trying to send through, now that I have this incredible team of women that work for me, they're feeling it. And the energy that they put into this is our collective too, because they see this, they see the messages, the reviews, the comments, they see how our customers feel about us.

Ramon Vela (38:27.183)
Mm-hmm.

Katia (38:36.642)
And they feel good. So all of this is just... It's a feel good company, guess that's all I can say.

Ramon Vela (38:42.35)
Yeah. No, no, no. I love it. and I think that's, know, from a leadership standpoint, I think that's, that's amazing. I had an, a founder of a brand called Anyday and, she talks about that, how, she worked with, she had worked with, the founder of Just Egg, you know, the guy who, the, company that makes, you know, the eggs, you know, the vegetarian, the plant-based eggs and, and they were very mission driven. And what she learned from him was.

Katia (39:07.982)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (39:11.93)
you know, that you need to have conviction. And that conviction isn't just like you to hoard for yourself. That conviction needs to be shared with not only at your employees and your teammates, but also your partners and your vendors. Everybody should know like what this is what we're about. This is our mission. This is us. And the other thing I was thinking of when you were speaking was that, you know, you've actually

Back to the phrase I used earlier, like what you're doing, it's not just jewelry, it's a transfer of belief or it's a transfer of energy. And this is what I think are so powerful for people because when they go through these things, they're using this. you know, it's really actually, this is ancient in many ways. I don't know if you've read up on some of the stuff in history, but in mythologies, in ancient cultures and so forth,

Katia (39:50.81)
for.

Ramon Vela (40:08.814)
You know, these items, these pendants, these pieces of jewelry, staffs, know, wands, whatever it is, they're all used as vehicles to transfer energy. you know, even Thor's hammer, you know, like in the movies, you know, it's really just a tool to transfer his energy. Or, you know, when you see pendants, I mean...

This is an ancient, it's almost like an ancient practice. It's using jewelry as a vehicle to transfer energy. And I feel like that's what's working through you. I think it's work is the reason why people feel that they feel this energy of the different messages and they really, they really just are drawn to it magnetically. And, and, you know, it also tells us, you know, that there's a lot of people who are searching and who are looking.

for this, who really need this. So, in some ways, you're not just, like I said, you're not just selling jewelry, like you're really helping people. mean, yes, it's a product, I'm not, yes, it's a business, but at the same time though, the reason why those comments sound so amazing and so personal and so dramatic or whatever it is, is because you've really touched.

Katia (41:04.331)
Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

Katia (41:23.546)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (41:28.784)
people on a different level than just a jewelry. For them, this jewelry is like what I just mentioned, those ancient items, whether it's a pendant or a staff or a wand or whatever it is, it's an item that holds energy and it's something that they can hold and use in some ways through their tough moments, whether it's divorce or cancer or whatever it is.

Katia (41:50.137)
It is, it's a feeling, know, it's a vessel because even though we use gemstones in my jewelry,

Ramon Vela (41:55.525)
I think that's what you're providing people. mean, we'll talk about the jewelry in a second. We'll go to the website. But I'm just thinking that like, this is really what the product is. It's like...

Katia (42:16.125)
I never really led with that because I don't want to, I never felt comfortable saying this is what's going to help you or heal you even though many gemstones provide all those healing powers. It's a reminder, the way I always felt about my jewelry is that you already have this inside you.

My jewelry is a reminder. So when you, you know, when a necklace says, remember who the F you are, the necklace doesn't give you strength. It's just a reminder because you have that power within you already. It's just a tool and it's an energetic tool, you know, and I feel I feel very passionate about

sending those messages and reminders to women, either it's in a necklace or a ring or earrings. Each one of those has a message and however they go through their day and whatever moment they need that help, it's like, okay, I look at my ring, it says keep going. It's just a token here, but the passion of

and the desire and the decision is within me. So I think of like, how can I remind you of all those amazing tools that you have already inside you? I believe in you. I know that you can do it. And yeah, it's energy transferred.

Ramon Vela (44:03.598)
Yeah, no, I agree. I love this. I want to make sure people know where to go. So if you want to take a look at what we've been talking about, this fascinating, and I can talk about this forever because I love this conversation. Because, know, really, like I'm a big believer in, I love history and I love mythology and I read a lot of ancient texts and so forth as a a like a hobby.

And I'm just fascinated, you know, that we as humans, we, think we're so modern, you know, we think we're like so technologically advanced and so forth, but we still cling to a lot of the things that we have for thousands and thousands of years. And there's a reason why we're drawn to those things. There's a reason why, you know, all of that, there's a reason why people love entrepreneurs, right? They'd love, even if they're not entrepreneurs, they love this entrepreneur because there is that.

Katia (44:54.912)
And.

Ramon Vela (45:00.014)
what Joseph Campbell refers to as a hero's journey. Like we just love it. We love it when people take on a task and go through these obstacles and face these trials and tribulations. And then at the very end or at some point they transformed into something new, like a different person. And that's your journey, right? And that's every entrepreneur's journey is like, hopefully you go through these things and at some point you're at, now you have a big team when

Katia (45:16.759)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (45:29.518)
before it was just you and your pop-up, you you go through the journey and you're a different person now. You're transformed, you know, like you are now, maybe you are the person now that you, that you had a, that you didn't even know you wanted to be back then when you were like thinking like, you know, you were searching for something. You're that person now, cause you've transformed. And I think, see, that's, this is the thing is that all around us, there's all this, there's all this,

Katia (45:42.647)
I know that we can talk about this for hours because that's that's a subject that all

Ramon Vela (45:57.071)
there's things going on and we don't even realize it. And I think that's what also draws people to your jewelry. anyhow, see, I'm telling you, I can talk about this stuff forever.

Katia (46:11.959)
I'm a very introverted person and I don't do well with small talk, but this subject I can talk for hours also. I'm so passionate about it, so forget about it.

Ramon Vela (46:24.944)
Yeah, me too. I don't do well with small talk either. I always like to have like meaningful conversation. So go to Katia Designs. So it's Katia Designs, two words, Katia, K-A-T-I-A, second word, designs with an S, .com is the website. So this has been fascinating. Like I said, we can talk about this forever, but I want to make sure people kind of have an idea of what's on the website, what they can buy, what they can see, where did they start?

Katia (46:42.724)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (46:53.144)
So if someone's listening to this and they're fascinated by this conversation, they're excited by it, and maybe they're searching too. Maybe they're looking for that something to help that vehicle, that piece that's going to help them transfer their energy to the things that they're looking for in their life or world, or the things that's going to help them through their dark moments, whether it's...

Katia (47:01.61)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (47:20.577)
illness or it's a divorce or whatever it is, where do you want them to start? So if someone's listening to this once, loves what you're saying, where do they start?

Katia (47:31.628)
Well, they can certainly go to my website katidesigns.com. Also, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, also katidesigns, you'll be able to see a lot of my videos, a lot of my posts where I talk a lot about what we have talked about here. And I do recommend starting with the message.

Ramon Vela (47:34.755)
Thank

Katia (47:54.183)
And we have a lot of necklaces. have rings, we have earrings. And to start with, because that's almost like your, your, your, your entrance into my product is with one or two pieces, go with the message. And then when you get it and you start playing with different design ideas, you start with a magnetic clasp and you get a taste for it, you will

watch more of my videos, you see how I layer it, how I bundle it and there's different colors, there's different designs and you will feel more and more comfortable because a lot of women also have a challenge where they're intimidated by layering because you you see a lot of fashionista have this beautiful layering designs and they're just intimidated they don't know how to do it. We are masters at that because you just

Clip it on with a magnetic clasp like this, you know It takes a second to put on and then you create this layering idea and you tell a story with it It could be a necklace that says love it could be a necklace that says I am enough. It could be grateful Thankful blessed and you go through your day and you're like, okay, you know what I feel pretty good about it And then somebody is gonna say wow, this is a pretty layering

thing you have on, what is this? And they're like, wait, let me show you. And that's by the way, is another thing how we grow organically because people share us with other women, really women who share our product with other women. And besides the website and social media, it just goes, it grows very organically also because they love to gift it to someone. Like this holiday season is crazy time for us of the year because

This is, you know, instead of buying something that, yes, of course you can buy Tiffany's, it's great, you know, or another jewelry. But when you gift Katie Designs piece of jewelry, then it becomes a lot more than just a pretty necklace. You know, when someone opens the gift and they possibly maybe start crying, that's when you know that you're a gift actually.

Ramon Vela (50:16.304)
you

Katia (50:18.004)
is more than just a pretty thing. It brought an emotion of some kind and then you know that it's gonna be so much more meaningful than just something that is pretty, that is gonna end up in the back of the closet or something. yeah, find a piece that speaks to your heart or to someone that you'll know it will speak to their heart.

And that makes me happy when I think about it. think about someone smiling, about someone being somehow emotionally responsive to my product. That's what makes me happy.

Ramon Vela (50:58.8)
Yeah, I love it. I'm going through the website right now, which is by the way, again, it's katiadesigns.com, designs is with an S, katiadesigns, K-A-T-I-A, designs with an S.com. And you've got new arrivals, you've got best sellers, you've got gift sets. You can do...

Katia (51:10.11)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (51:23.876)
I'm looking at shop by bundles, necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, apparel shop all. and yeah, I mean, it's just really beautiful. And, and I'm looking at them and you know, there's so many really great messages in there that people can, can look to. I, again, I, I just go back to the sense that, you can buy beautiful jewelry and jewelry can be beautiful just on its own. But I think what you're, what you're doing is more than just a.

Katia (51:24.757)
.

Katia (51:35.636)
Yeah.

Ramon Vela (51:53.935)
When, you know, as if you're giving this gift to someone, you're basically, it's a transfer of belief for them. And for someone who's wearing it, it's, it's, it's could be so meaningful, especially if they get to choose with the, with the messages and it speaks to them. And I think that's why people want to share. You know, their, you know, their layering or whatever it is with others, because they, they feel, they feel.

Katia (52:08.498)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (52:22.096)
personally connected to it. It's not just like, look at this really beautiful piece of jewelry. It's nicely designed, it's beautiful, it has a diamond in there, whatever it is. These speak to people about the different things. And there's so many in here. I'll just read a couple just for people. Remember who the F you are, necklace, you've got the Grateful one as well.

Katia (52:32.884)
Yes, please do.

Ramon Vela (52:51.214)
You've got, I own my piece with another one. There's, you're doing F and great. That's a good one. There's all sorts of them down here that you can take a look at. And you're right on the website itself, there's lots of previews and reviews and lots of people talking about it. from everything from these look great to there's even longer ones that I can't read because they're too long.

Katia (52:59.814)
Thank

Yeah.

Ramon Vela (53:19.964)
but no, these are fantastic. for the holidays, anything happening? What would, so I believe we're going to release this before the holidays. So probably next week, because the holidays are coming out in, in just like two, two short weeks, I think. what do you want them to know about the holidays? Are there, are they, are gifts, are there promotions, are there, what's going on? And then can, is.

Katia (53:31.497)
Yeah. Amazing. Yeah.

Katia (53:45.139)
The website is they definitely go to the website. We also have Facebook and Instagram shop. So if you're watching a video, usually there is a link to that. And I would definitely recommend sets or bundles.

Ramon Vela (53:49.848)
Is the website the only place they can find your designs or can they go other places too?

Katia (54:12.337)
because the beauty of those is that you save a lot and you get multiple pieces. So you can keep them all, you can keep one and gift another to someone else. And it also gives you room to play with different pieces, get a sense of the different necklaces, how they can be layered together. We are gonna be running many, many different promotions throughout.

Black Friday and prior to Christmas, I do suggest starting sooner than later because all of our collections are limited. we sell out. whatever I design, typically, I, we just didn't discuss it in this, in this interview, but I just come up with a message. I come up with a design.

I'm not a jewelry designer by the way. I'm just like you know I just because I have sort of a creative mind that's how I was always done it but a message comes to me I put it on a piece of jewelry I create it we make small collection of it once it sells out it sells out so we do have some core collection that just so popular like the remember who the f you are but most of our pieces there's only a small collection of

So if there is something that is smiling at you and you absolutely love, I do suggest getting it because it might not be there tomorrow, especially with this pre-holiday season.

Ramon Vela (55:46.353)
Hmm. Yeah. Um, and you know, it occurred to me too, is that people are looking for a gift to give to someone, especially someone that you care deeply about and that you know, intimately, you know, whether they're your, you know, uh, spouse or partner or friend, or maybe you're their parent or whatever it is. Um, you know, these make great gifts because you know, you want to

You want to encourage someone. You want to share with them. You want to remind them about who they are. Like for instance, when I was looking at, remember who the F you are. I was just thinking like, I would love that. I would love that for my daughter, right? Like my daughter would love that. I loved also the just breathe. I love the just breathe one as well. I love that.

Katia (56:34.597)
Yeah.

Thank

Ramon Vela (56:45.392)
Because we did the little breathing exercise before we started. People don't breathe enough. I know that it's silly in some ways because we would be dead if we weren't breathing, but we're not really breathing the way that our lungs and our brains and everything really want us to so that when we do take a moment to breathe, we get that little feeling in our brains, lightheadedness, because our brains are saying thank you for the oxygen.

Katia (56:46.321)
Thank you. Yeah.

Katia (56:57.469)
Yeah. Yeah.

Ramon Vela (57:14.789)
And we always, we forget to do that. And I love that. Just breathe.

Katia (57:18.683)
I have that message in a lot of pieces in my jewelry. I encourage that a lot. Breathe is in rings, earrings, necklaces. You'll find it in a lot of messages there.

Ramon Vela (57:32.654)
Yeah, no, I love this. So, okay, so I want to be respectful of your time. Let's, we'll leave them with where they, you know, again, where they can go and where do you want them to go? Obviously the website. And then you can give us a social media as well. But before we do that, what would you like to leave with the audience?

Katia (57:57.517)
You know, I wanted to thank you for having me on here. I think that for me it's always been about brand exposure because I at this point know that my product is special and I know it speaks to women's hearts and when I get a chance to talk about my product

When I get a chance to talk about my brand, about people that work behind the scenes, it's a gift. thank you for having me on. is because again, the product speaks for itself. And if I get a chance to have someone new that comes in through whatever channel and get introduced to what I do and what I'm trying to do, it's a blessing.

Ramon Vela (58:41.2)
Thank

Ramon Vela (58:54.672)
Well, I appreciate that so much. And thank you from my side. I really appreciate having you on. I love people who are so passionate about what they do. And I love what you're producing and creating and what you're providing for people. So it's not just for me, it doesn't feel like just jewelry. It's more than that. It's like what we talked about, a transfer of belief.

And by the way, we could have talked more about all of that, but we could have also talked a little bit more about entrepreneurship and so forth. But I found the conversation fascinating. And that just means that you're more than welcome back at a later date. We will pick this up again, maybe when you have something to update on the website or products. So let us know where they should go, the website, social media.

Katia (59:27.751)
Thank you.

Katia (59:40.59)
Yeah, go to katidesigns.com, can go to Instagram and Facebook, katidesigns, and just follow me. And I think that once you watch few of my videos and you find it interesting, it's going to be much easier for you to follow how this product can be applied to your life and how you can share it with your loved ones also.

Ramon Vela (01:00:08.272)
Okay, thank you so much for that. This is has been a fascinating conversation. Thank you so much for for everything I truly appreciate it and everyone out there we have just had Katya Rudnik who is the founder of Katya Designs and I the website is katyadesigns.com we're gonna have that link and also her Instagram her other social on our podcast description which you could find on Apple, Spotify,

Katia (01:00:31.833)
Thank

Ramon Vela (01:00:35.842)
And pretty much anywhere you listen to podcasts, simply type in the story of a brand show and you should be able to find it. Beyond that, I really feel like this is meets our tagline, which is products worth buying, brands we're supporting, because I really feel like I want to support this brand. I think this is more than just jewelry. I think this can really help people in so many different ways. We're all searching for something. We're all longing for something. And if we find it, then we're very fortunate. But this is

Katia (01:00:37.932)
Thank

Katia (01:00:49.103)
So.

Ramon Vela (01:01:04.398)
These are the type of things that I think can help speak to you or that provide you that whisper like we talked about earlier. So definitely go check it out. And as always, stay safe, stay sane, stay healthy. And one last thing, we've all been going through a lot of stuff with the pandemic and with geopolitical wars and with politics and with just the economy, all sorts of stuff going on. Let's do ourselves a favor and remember that everyone is going through something.

Katia (01:01:18.544)
. This.

Ramon Vela (01:01:32.652)
And if we together can be a little bit kinder to each other, I know we can make this human experience a better one. Beyond that, thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to another episode of the story of a brand.