Crafted Connections

BONUS Episode! - We're Taking the Summer Off (Back October 1st)  Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun  Short and even sweeter this week: I'm taking a summer break from the podcast. After Slow Girl Summer aired, I kept thinking about it. What if I actually gave her a run for her money?  Pausing the podcast felt like the perfect way to do that. I love this show. I love getting on the mic, asking ques...

Episode 67: SOLO - Bring Back Slow Girl Summer Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun A year ago, I set an intention for a Slow Girl Summer and I shared it with you publicly. I had no idea it would become my most downloaded solo episode. But here we are, a summer later, and I'm thinking about it all over again. In this episode, I'm replaying that original Slow Girl Summer episode in full, and then co...

Episode 66: Why You're Already Braver Than You Think with Julie Kratz Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This one digs deep into my entrepreneurial origin story. Julie Kratz, founder of Next Pivot Point and a thoughtful voice on allyship and inclusive leadership, has been in my life for over 10 years. She ran a goal-setting workshop in January 2016 that set me on the path to working for myself. So get...

Episode 65: SOLO - Is This Garbage? On Trusting Your Creative Process Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun A few weeks ago, I was standing in the woods in the middle of a dream project, completely convinced it was going to be garbage. I recorded a voice note to myself. I've been thinking about it ever since. This episode is a riff on what it feels like to be deep in a creative project when you have no i...

Episode 64: Alarm-Clock-Free Living with Nikol Toteva Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun Some of the best conversations happen when you're not fully prepared for them. I'll be honest — Nikol was the guest I knew the least going into this episode. We met through Content Club, had crossed paths online, but hadn't really talked . I wasn't on my A-game. We both had too much coffee. And some...

Episode 63: SOLO - Great Stories Dig into the Unknown Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun There's this pressure we put on ourselves to have a clean story. A beginning, a middle, an end. Preferably one that makes us look like we had it together the whole time. But what if the unknown drives the story? What if the most interesting thing you can share is the part that you don't have it figured out ye...

Episode 62: Sitting with the Lemons with Te'Jal Cartwright Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun Te'Jal is the kind of person who makes her corner of the world the best it can be. We met a year ago in an improv class at Black Box Improv in Dayton, Ohio. And this episode is made from the energy and fun of Improv: Level One. Te'Jal is a story coach, journalist, community builder, mom, soon-to-be...

Episode 61: SOLO - Crafting Connection vs. Just Creating Content  There's a word I keep coming back to when I talk about this show: crafted. I define "connection" as intentional, purposeful, and meaningful. And to make that clear I've thoughfully included "crafted" in the title of this pod. Lately I've been asking myself whether my own content has actually been l...

Episode 60: Why Your Insignificance is Your Superpower with Jennifer Magley Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun There are people who talk about going for it. And then there are people who literally GO FOR IT. Because like my guest Jennifer Magley says, "People don't care if you win, they just want to see you try." Jennifer is a speaker, creator, and the kind of person who doesn't just dr...

Episode 59: SOLO - How Identity Shapes Your Story Struggling to clearly communicate who you are or what you do? It might not be a content problem. It might be an identity problem. In this solo episode of Crafted Connections , Katelyn Calhoun explores how identity shapes your storytelling, personal brand, and the way you show up in your business and life. If you’ve ever felt stuck between who you a...

Episode 58: Navigating Identity and Change as a Creative with Caroline Calhoun Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week’s episode is a special one. I’m sitting down with my sister, Caroline Calhoun. She is officially the guest on Crafted Connections that I’ve known the longest and someone I deeply admire. Caroline is in the middle of a brave, real-life transition. She’s moving across the country to Sea...

Episode 57: SOLO - Reflecting on One Year of Crafted Connections Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m celebrating something that feels big: one full year of the podcast. What started as an idea I had been sitting on for years officially came to life on April 1st, 2025 and somehow, here we are, 50+ episodes later. In this solo episode, I take a moment to pause, reflect,...

Episode 56: Fidelity to Your Craft with Jerald Harkness  Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections, I'm joined by filmmaker, mentor, and dear friend Jerald Harkness — someone who has spent over 30 years building a career in storytelling. Jerald and I first connected on LinkedIn in 2022, and what started as a generous outreach became one of the most meaningful professional rel...

Episode 55: Meet Me in My Mess: The CEO Support Role with Jill Neuhaus Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections, I'm joined by someone who started as a stranger on the internet and became one of my closest business besties... Jill Neuhaus! We met through a content creation group and connected over a vulnerable LinkedIn post about wanting to make real friends, and have since...

Episode 54: SOLO - Building a Brand Ecosystem Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections, I’m sharing something I’ve been actively navigating in real time: what it looks like to build a brand ecosystem instead of forcing yourself into a neat, tidy box. This episode starts with a simple moment — a DM conversation with a friend where I admitted that everything I’m working on feels li...

Episode 53: A Whole Lot of Stories from the Video Industry with Keith Toombs & Matthew Brown Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections, I'm doing something a little different — and honestly, a little experimental. I brought two guests to the table for the very first time: Keith Toombs and Matthew Brown, two production professionals I've had the pleasure of working al...

Episode 52: SOLO - Your Permission Slip to Ditch the Pitch Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m sharing a solo episode that starts with a confession: I am not great at pitching. Put me in front of someone and ask for an elevator pitch and I’m likely to word-vomit, talk too fast, forget to breathe, and leave the other person confused. Not exactly a winning sales strategy...

Episode 51: Building Community Like a Human with Caitlin Wuethrich Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m joined by the incredible Caitlin Wuethrich . Caitlin is a business owner, mama, and someone who approaches both entrepreneurship and motherhood with honesty and heart. Caitlin and I talk about what it really looks like to work for yourself — the pivots, the risks, the...

Episode 50: SOLO - Find Your Superfans (Before You Chase Followers) Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m unpacking a concept that has quietly reshaped how I think about growth, business, and community: Superfans. In my last solo episode , I shared my big, scary goal of paying myself a $100,000 salary this year — and the six adjustments I’m making to support it. The most...

Episode 49: How to Be Both a Baddie and a Villager with Avagail Lozano Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m joined by the one and only Avagail Lozano . She is a Bay Area baddie, longtime content creator, community-builder, and someone who lives life fully and unapologetically. Ava and I met through a virtual book club last year, and from the jump, I was struck by how bo...

Episode 48: SOLO - 6 Life Adjustments I Made to Support a $100,000 Paycheck in 2026 Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m sharing a solo episode — and naming a big, scary goal out loud. In this conversation, I walk through my commitment to paying myself a $100,000 salary and, more importantly, the six life and business adjustments I’m making to support that goal in a sus...

Episode 47: Endurance, Curiosity, and the Brain with Dr. Grace Houser Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m joined by one of my oldest friends — Dr. Grace Houser — for a wide-ranging, deeply human conversation about endurance, curiosity, mentorship, and what it means to stay committed to a long path when the outcome isn’t always clear. Grace and I grew up together in the...

Episode 46: SOLO - A Check-In, A Celebration, and an Invitation Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This episode is a check-in — a moment to pause, reflect, and open the door for deeper connection with you, the listener. After nearly a year of publishing the podcast consistently, I recently crossed a milestone I’m really proud of: 1,000 downloads . And instead of immediately pushing forward to the next goal...

Episode 45: Iteration and the Art of Building Connection with Félix Medina Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m joined by my longtime friend and collaborator Félix Medina for a wide-ranging, honest conversation about identity, entrepreneurship, and what it really means to build meaningful connections with other humans. Félix and I have known each other for nearly a deca...

Episode 44: SOLO - A Softer Way to Set Resolutions  (& My Three Loving Commitments for 2026) Hosted by Katelyn Calhoun This week on Crafted Connections , I’m kicking off the year with a solo episode —  and the first solo of 2026 — to talk honestly about resolutions, intentions, and the complicated relationship many of us have with both . For a long time, resolutions weren’t a healthy tool for...