We were lucky to catch up with Kathy Vogel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kathy, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

My entire life, I’ve been a multi-tasker. Relaxing is very difficult for me. I’m learning to do that more now, but my ambition and my dreams and goals are so much a part of me and my existence. I conceptualized Crack. Wise, Magazine (www.crackwisemag.com) in September 2018. I had always wanted to have my own original content-driven website, but with being a fulltime morning radio personality, and with my audiobook narration and other voice projects, it was difficult to find the time to launch something solid that would be true to the vision I had. But in August of 2018, I was separated from my fulltime radio job. That gave me the time and opportunity to craft this project close to my heart. I was not in a great place mentally, and I wanted to rise above my circumstances, so I created this online source of what I call “funformation”– fun, yet valuable information. I wanted to infuse my penchant for being quick-witted and sarcastic and funny into information and stories that would help provide an escape from the negative, downer stories people see in their social media newsfeeds. I believe that we all need a place to just leave the bad behind and just laugh it out. Crack, Wise, is growing more and more each day. It’s definitely playing the long game here. Having a successful business doesn’t happen overnight. Which I try to remind myself of every day.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Growing up, I wanted to be a theater actress. It was my passion. While my family has always been supportive, they suggested that I choose something more practical. I chose the media, radio in particular. I wouldn’t say it was a more logical choice, but I’ve been fortunate enough to work in that area of entertainment since my late teens. I currently host the afternoon show on 97.5 WONE in Akron, OH. But I’m not just a radio personality. I’m also a voice over actor, audiobook narrator, and a writer. I’ve enjoyed writing and acting in movies, writing commercial copy, writing video voiceovers, etc. I also freelance emceeing events for companies. Anything that allows me to “act” with my voice or my being, or allows me to interact with the public is something I truly enjoy. People have stories. I love learning about those stories, and sharing them as they warrant.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I love NFTs. I think it’s yet another way for someone to express themselves in a unique manner. I’m researching NFTs myself. The only thing that I find off-putting about NFTs, is I wish it would just stay purely to those of us that are undiscovered, meaning, celebrities already have such a huge platform and a huge voice. And it seems when they take advantage of things like this, it doesn’t give someone lesser known a chance to become a known quantity. That’s a turn off for me. I want to discover someone who may be in my neck of the woods doing something amazing that I can in turn share with my audience.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’m 100 percent true on the air as I am off the air. My wicked sense of humor? Same off the air. My beliefs and quirks? Same off the air. When I meet a listener, I am real. I believe that all that I have in the radio arena, or in my creative arena is my reputation. I’ve been asked in my radio career to represent a viewpoint opposite of my co-host for the sake of creating “drama” that would supposedly be compelling for the listener. I refuse to do that. I am who I am. Your voice is your voice and it’s unique and its authenticity matters, no matter what your business is. I’ve learned that people respect that truth-telling.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.crackwisemag.com and www.hausofv.com
• Instagram: @hausofv
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kathyvogelofficial
• Linkedin: kathyvogel
• Twitter: @hausofv

Image Credits
Image of myself playing the keys and singing: John C, Benson