We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kathryn Lang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kathryn, appreciate you joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in a creative career or as an entrepreneur is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

In 2020, the world turned upside down and then a tornado fell on our house just to keep things interesting.

I went from having the house to myself, to having a house full of people in quarentine, to not having a house within the span of a few weeks.

I thought about giving up until everything settled down. But I knew that if I wanted to react my BIG DREAM goals, every day counted.

I had to learn to be flexible in where and how I got things done while remaining determined and fixed on the focus of my goals.

Kathryn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a wordsmith – I love playing with words, misquoting song lyrics and movie lines, and finding creative ways to retell the story (whatever story that might be). But THEY told me I had to get a real job, so I went to college and got a degree . . . in Leisure Services.

Yep, I got a degree in playing.

I did find ways to use the degree in the real world, but when I started having children, I leaned into my love of words once again. While I raised and homeschooled three boys, I built a full-time career writing content for companies online, writing for print publications, and even writing books.

In 2012, my mom died. As we were cleaning out her belongings, we found boxes of crafts, rough writings, and paintings. She spent her entire life working as an office manger sitting behind a desk. All the while, her heart was boxed up in a closet.

It was then that we determined never to let another heart die while boxed up in a closet.

We launched Peculiar Productions as a way to help other creatives feel less weird and dare to find their way out of the closet and into daily living.

Our focus is on finding your unique way to live your heartseed – that uniqueness that was planted in you at the beginning of time. Because you are unique in all the world and your path will be unique to you. When you uncover your unique heartseed and discover your way for walking it out – that’s when you take flight into all of your possibilities.

Peculiar Productions is about being peculiar – out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary – because when you do things the way you are designed then the rest of the world looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Despite believing in the power of unique design, I have found myself crawling back into a box that THEY made. Usually I don’t realize it until I’m securely buckled in.

In 2013, I launched my podcast – Growing HOPE. I broadcast live – which was always interesting when you are homeschooling three boys.

I got some traction and even had the show picked up by two terrestrial stations with a third scheduled for a meeting.

And then I met THEY – the person that knows all about the business and had the confidence to tell me how to do things right.

I immediately changed everything – my process, my focus, and even my website.

A year later, I was farther behind than where I had been – in time, money, and energy.

The lesson I learned: THEY can’t do it for you. No matter how much THEY know or where THEY have been, it will always be up to me to walk out my design.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are three business books that have helped me with living the entrepreneurial life:

1. The One Minute Sales Person by Spencer Johnson – because it reminded me that no matter what I’m selling or where I find myself working, it all comes down to relationships. When I am invested in having fun, making friends, and finding ways to be relentlessly helpful then the rest will fall into place.

2. Fans First by Jesse Cole – because it reminded me that others have to be the focus. The moment money becomes the driving factor or fear takes the wheel, I will end up in a ditch.

3. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – because it reminded me that mindset matters. If I focus on the right things then I’ll go to the right. If I focus on the left things then I will be left with those.

All of these elements are fundamental to living bold and unique!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.PecuProductions.com – this is the business site; https://www.KathrynLang.com – this is my personal/writing site
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theKathrynCLang or https://www.facebook.com/pecuproductions
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynlang/ or https://www.linkedin.com/company/pecuproductions
• Twitter: https://x.com/Kathrynclang
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KathrynCLang or/and https://www.youtube.com/@pecuproductions