Welcome to the very first episode of "Kelli Was Here," hosted by Kelli Preston—a podcast for women who are done being "digestible" and ready to reclaim their messy, authentic selves. In this passionate and deeply personal debut, Kelli, recording on her 45th birthday, shares her journey of stepping into the woman she truly wants to be, embracing vulnerability, and finally using her voice after years of holding back out of fear of criticism and judgment.

Kelli opens up about her decision to close her successful design business, Square Peg Studio, after ten years of helping women in the personal development space build their brands. She candidly discusses the challenges of navigating multi-passionate interests and the struggle of defining herself while battling business debt, shame, and burnout. As Kelli explores her "trauma era" and the complexities of midlife, she shares raw insights about depression, therapy, mental health, and the impact of overconsumption and people-pleasing.

Far from a polished branding podcast, this episode is a real-time exploration of unbranding—the courage to create content and live out loud before everything is perfectly figured out. Kelli invites listeners to accompany her through the messy process of self-discovery, personal growth, and transformation, candidly discussing everything from business pivots, coaching certifications, and career setbacks to the search for meaning, healing from trauma, and embracing change at midlife.

Throughout the episode, Kelli also teases what’s to come: honest conversations about topics we usually keep hidden, practical tips on branding, web design, and copywriting, plus midlife wisdom, self-care, and the importance of finding your own path—even if it looks nothing like what you expected.

If you’re a woman navigating entrepreneurship, reinvention, or just wanting to embrace who you’re becoming (high-maintenance hippie vibes and all), this vulnerable, genuine, and empowering premiere will resonate. Get ready to hear the quiet parts out loud, reclaim your weird, and begin building a life that finally feels like it fits.

Subscribe, share with friends, and join Kelli as she ditches perfection and embraces the beautiful mess of becoming—one honest conversation at a time.

Thanks for tuning into this episode of Kelli Was Here. If you made it this far, bless your brave little ears—and welcome to the beginning of something raw, real, and probably a little unhinged.

If this episode felt like a peek into your own brain, come hang with me on Instagram. That’s where I share behind-the-scenes chaos, brand rants, personal pivots, and questionable thoughts I probably should’ve kept in my Notes app.

More into slow-burn storytelling and “holy sh*t, did she just say that?” essays? Substack is where I write the stuff that doesn’t fit into a square or a reel—aka the uncut version of becoming.

💡 If you want someone in your corner while you do it…
That’s where I come in. I do personal brand coaching where personal branding is more like personal becoming—because this isn’t about building a shinier façade, it’s about showing up as the you that’s been dying to get out.

✨ Or skip the overthinking and stop by The Studio for done-for-you design, strategy, and copy that finally gets your genius out of your head and into the world.

📍 Start here → www.kelliwashere.com

If you’re navigating change, craving truth, or just tired of pretending you’ve got it all together, I’m your girl. Hit follow. Subscribe. Or slide into my DMs and say hi like it’s 2013.

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