When 20% Is Your 100%: Building a Brand with Heart While Managing Chronic Illness | Brilliant Chaos: When Life Gets Loud Podcast
Building a brand while managing a chronic illness might seem impossible, but Katie Smetherman Holmes is proof that it can be done with heart, empathy, and strategic thinking. On Brilliant Chaos: When Life Gets Loud, Katie sat down with host Tracy Hoobyar, sharing her journey of creating a purpose-driven business while navigating chronic migraines, demonstrating that scaling doesn’t have to come at the cost of your humanity.
From leading with empathy to leveraging support systems, Katie provides actionable insights for entrepreneurs looking to grow sustainably without sacrificing their well-being.
LEAD WITH HEART, NOT JUST STRATEGY
Katie emphasizes the importance of connecting emotionally with clients, team members, and collaborators. She shared that a business built purely on metrics and financials misses the depth and authenticity that lasting relationships bring. By prioritizing human connection, you can align your brand’s purpose with your clients’ passions, creating a more meaningful business impact.
“When you approach clients, it’s about making friends, asking about them, what drives them, what they feel is their purpose on earth, what brings them joy and happiness.”
– Katie Smetherman Holmes
Katie is encouraging entrepreneurs to go beyond transactional relationships. By understanding clients’ personal and professional motivations, you can craft strategies that resonate more deeply, creating loyalty, trust, and long-term success.
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE: 20% CAN BE 100%
Balancing a chronic illness with entrepreneurship requires patience and self-compassion. Katie explains that on days when she can only give 20% of her energy, that effort still counts as 100 percent of what she can contribute at that moment. This mindset reframes productivity and encourages sustainable business practices.
“Today may not be your best day, today may be the twenty percent, but if you are giving twenty percent, that means you’re giving one hundred percent of what you can offer that day.”
– Katie Smetherman Holmes
Katie is redefining success in the context of personal limitations. She highlights that self-worth should not be tied to constant high output, and that honoring your capacity ultimately supports consistent progress over time. This mindset encourages entrepreneurs to give themselves grace, reduce guilt, and recognize that even small contributions matter when they reflect their full effort for the day.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS ARE ESSENTIAL
No entrepreneur succeeds alone. Katie stresses the value of surrounding yourself with supportive family, friends, and team members who can step in when needed. Outsourcing, asking for help, and cultivating a network of care enable sustainable business growth, especially when managing personal health challenges. This kind of support not only lightens the workload it also provides emotional stability during the tougher seasons of entrepreneurship.
“I’m fortunate that I’ve found the right team members who can help in the areas where I’m struggling… they’ll say, ‘Got it, we’ll take control of it,’ and they manage it.”
– Katie Smetherman Holmes
Katie shows that delegation and trust are not signs of weakness; they’re essential strategies for managing workload and staying grounded. This shows how her team not only supports her but also steps in with confidence and ownership, giving her space to focus on higher-level decisions. A strong support system ensures that leaders can protect their well-being while still growing their business with intention.
HUMAN-FOCUS BRANDING STANDS OUT
In a world increasingly driven by AI and automation, Katie explains that emotional intelligence, empathy, and purpose-driven strategies remain irreplaceable. Heart-centered branding focuses on human connection, aligning every visual, word, and interaction with both the business’s mission and the client’s values. She reminds entrepreneurs that lasting loyalty comes from making people feel seen.
“Art is meant to be human. It is meant to be made by humans, and connecting with humans is what makes art meaningful.”
– Katie Smetherman Holmes
Katie emphasizes that while technology can support creative work, authentic human insight is what truly resonates. A brand infused with empathy and purpose differentiates itself by creating emotional impact that no algorithm can replicate.
Katie’s journey is a reminder that building a business with heart is possible, even when life gets loud. By leading with empathy, embracing limits, and cultivating support, entrepreneurs can create sustainable success that aligns with their personal values. Her story shows that scaling a business doesn’t have to come at the cost of your well-being, and that authenticity, patience, and heart-centered leadership can be just as powerful as strategy and revenue goals. Whether you’re navigating health challenges, building a team, or defining your brand, Katie’s insights offer practical guidance and inspiration for doing it all with intention.
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Rephonic, Amazon Music, and iHeart Podcast to hear Katie share more about building a brand with purpose.
XOXO, Katie
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