We were lucky to catch up with Natalie Kirby recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Natalie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

I think one of the best investments I made for myself as a tarot reader was getting my tarot certification. To be clear, there are currently no regulations or guidelines to being a tarot reader. Technically, ANYONE can pick up a deck of cards and read tarot. That’s not a good thing/bad thing; it’s just how it is, and it’s one thing I really like about tarot too, how available it is to everyone.

However, the challenge that comes with this availability is a an overly saturated market of tarot readers with little experience, limited knowledge of the systems, and limited accountability. The spiritual/metaphysical industry is a vulnerable market serving vulnerable people who are searching for guidance, hope, and understanding, usually in situations where there is none. First and foremost, I believe that people should seek professional counseling services from certified and licensed therapists. Secondly, there needs to be a high level of discernment and discretion when allowing a tarot reader to conduct a reading for a client. The client should do some research to determine what levels of credibility and accountability the tarot reader has, and yes, sometimes that includes any investments into honing and developing their practice.

This goes beyond just “years spent reading tarot” – who tests the tarot reader? Does the tarot reader have a mentor, a teacher, or an advisor? Not that these are necessary, but who is keeping who aware of their responsibilities? I think this is where taking the time to get a certification comes in. It shows that time, money, and energy was invested to make sure the tarot reader has equipped themselves with the knowledge, skills, and as much acumen as possible to provide the best experience possible for their clients.

I went through the 22 Teachings School of Hermetic Science and Magical Arts for my tarot certification. It was nine weeks of virtual, classroom style training taught by an instructor who was able to share their own lineage of training. I was already an established tarot reader during this time, but I still learned and discovered so much from this experience, and more importantly, I made new friends and connections that have continued to be part of my development and growth of my practice. The certification program set a standard for its tarot readers, concluding with an comprehensive exam that went beyond memorizing meanings on cards.

I can’t even begin to express how much this investment CONTINUES to give me, and I would encourage any tarot reader, no matter how tenured, to continue to invest in their practice.

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 background and context?

My name is Natalie, and I am a tarot reader under the name “A Tarot Storyteller”. This discipline or practice of reading tarot cards is a culmination of the different aspects of myself that range from my upbringing, my continuously developing spiritual practice, my personal life experiences, my education, and my natural characteristics, somehow all rolled into this really weird ability of looking at cards with pictures on them, and using those pictures as a form of communication, explanation, and guidance to the client or “Seeker”.

I use my natural idiosyncrasies of analogy, anecdotes, and little stories to help convey the message to the Seeker. I used “A Tarot Storyteller” because I found myself using these “stories” to share the message in the same way that folk tales or fairy tales do; They tell the Seeker what they already know, but they give them something to WORK out, and that’s what people need to do most- work out their own problems and situations, and tarot helps provide those options. I absolutely use tarot as a form of “active imagination”, a term used by Carl Gustav Jung that helps “act out” the situation for people from a different perspective, oftentimes that alone offers the solution, or some kind of consolation that people need.

My readings ARE WORK. When a client leaves, they should have a list of action items, or things they will need to do. That might be a little different than the typical tarot reading, but I’ve found that by having something to do, there’s a sense of empowerment and accountability- ownership. The Seeker has free will, after all, and sometimes, I think people need to be reminded of that.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think I’m still building my reputation, but I can tell you what helped me most was following through with what I said I was going to do. Showing up. Being present. Even if the turnout was low, or maybe an event didn’t meet my expectations, I know that it’s important to be present. People remember that. Sometimes, I might only have ONE client, but that one reading was everything for them (and sometimes even me).

The more consistently you show up, again and again, the more familiar you become to other people around you. Eventually, they even come around and will get a reading from me, and then share that experience with others. Being present at events, commitments, or appointments is relationship building with your business.

In turn, this DOES make me selective with the events I choose to read at or my availability with my private appointments. I want to make sure that I am using my time and energy wisely, and above all, that I am intentional with how I conduct my business.

Again, you can’t build your reputation if you aren’t present, so I can’t stress how important it is to show up.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I’m going to answer this question because I actually don’t have an answer to this question.

Currently, the ways I “keep” in touch are pretty indirect- it’s either through social media or reconnecting at markets/faires.

I don’t have a newsletter or email that I send out. I’m not honestly sure that’s the way I should go about it because I’m one of those “unsubscribe” from emails kind of people, and I would hate to spend so much time and energy on something that isn’t really interesting, getting read, or worse…getting unsubscribed.

My greatest challenge is I’m a one-on-one connector, and these methods are really broad, more of a collective communication. So far, that hasn’t felt genuine nor authentic for me, but I’m still figuring out options and I am not closed to practicing collectively. It goes back to being responsible with this craft, and discovering how to make it personal and authentic.

My questions are usually- What’s the incentive for someone to read anything I send out, and how does it maintain engagement and nurture a client relationship? I don’t know the answer to that, and I don’t doubt in the least that it’s a priority. All of my clients are important to me, and that’s exactly the problem! I don’t want them to become a mass distribution list.

As of right now, however, Instagram and Facebook are my most active forms of “keeping in touch”, which is NOT my ideal method of engagement (for the aforementioned reasons), but it does at least allow for communications in the comments/stories/or direct messaging.

I care, though! I really do care! Hopefully, I can be inspired to find something that can meet my expectations of practicality and authenticity one day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/atarotstoryteller
• Instagram: @atarotstoryteller
• Facebook: @atarotstoryteller
• Twitter: @atarotstoryteller