Direct Sales Done Right

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

What happens when the business model you built your success around no longer feels like the right fit? In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Katy Ursta continues her candid conversation about building beyond direct sales, exploring the questions around identity, business model fit, energy, audience, and what it really means to make a change. Through her own experience and a real-world creator example, Katy shares what can happen when your brand becomes too closely tied to performance—and what it looks like to create space to evolve.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

1:52 The Foundational Question

3:04 From Product Seller to Personal Brand

7:22 Katy’s Own Transition

8:58 Why Build Beyond Direct Sales?

11:01 What Will You Offer and Who Will You Serve?

13:12 How Will You Balance Both?

13:53 Where to Market Your Offer and When to Launch

15:44 Next Steps and Resources

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Take the Ambition Audit here: https://katyursta.com/ambition-audit
• Subscribe to Katy’s Weekly Emails here: https://katyursta.com/weekly-email 

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Website: www.katyursta.com

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Katy Ursta opens up about how a major health journey changed the way she thinks about success, ambition, and what really matters.

It’s a deeply personal conversation that also marks a new chapter for the podcast. Katy shares why she’s ready to look beyond direct sales and explore the bigger conversations that shape all of our lives—health, identity, growth, purpose, and what it means to create a life and business that truly feel aligned.

This episode is the beginning of an exciting new direction for the podcast—and a reminder that sometimes, the biggest shifts in business start with a shift in how we see ourselves.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:00 Introduction to This Episode and Redefining Ambition 

3:06 Rethinking Success

6:00 Business Losses and Reinvention

8:37 Beyond Direct Sales

15:28 A New Direction

19:55 Future Insights and Podcast Direction 

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Take the Ambition Audit here: https://katyursta.com/ambition-audit
• Subscribe to Katy’s Weekly Emails here: https://katyursta.com/weekly-email 

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Website: www.katyursta.com

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

Instagram isn’t your business model—and Em Connors is living proof. After watching her reach, engagement, and confidence take a hit from the algorithm, she made a bold pivot back to the one thing she truly owns: her email list.

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Em Connors shares how stepping away from Instagram helped her simplify her business, clarify her message, and build a more profitable marketing strategy. You’ll learn how she uses the simple 3-2-1 newsletter format, why cleaning your email list can improve deliverability, how she turns podcast transcripts into newsletter content, and why unsubscribes can actually be a good thing.  If you’re exhausted by constant content creation and ready for a more sustainable way to build trust, stay visible, and turn your audience into buyers, this conversation is for you.

Who is Em?

Em Connors is a newsletter and email marketing strategist, one of just 43 Canva Verified Experts in the world, a sold-out course creator, and founder of The Content Coven Membership. She built it all from her fourth spare bedroom while raising two small kids and staying intentional about what matters most. 

In 2021, Em left her rigid 9–5 to build a business that prioritized time freedom—not just making money. She wanted digital offers that worked with her life, not against it, without trading her time for dollars or missing slow mornings with her kids.

For years, Em was known as the Canva and Instagram girl. But behind the scenes, it was her beloved email list that quietly drove her business. She’s sent a weekly newsletter for more than five years—300+ newsletters without missing one—and grown her list to 25,000 subscribers. It’s the one channel she truly owns, and where she believes the real trust and sales happen.

Today, Em teaches female solopreneurs how to build an email list they own, show up consistently in their audience’s inboxes, and turn their newsletter into a powerful tool for connection and sales—all with simple systems that make marketing strategic, easy, and even fun. For entrepreneurs ready to ditch perfectionism, stop winging it, and build the one marketing channel the algorithm can’t touch, Em shows them exactly how.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:00 Introduction to Em Conners and her Pivot Journey

3:14 Why Instagram Stopped Working

10:02 Taking a Break to Reset

13:16 A Simple Weekly Newsletter Format

17:38 List Hygiene & Stronger Open Rates

21:04 Navigating an Entrepreneurial Pivot 

27:44 Email vs. Instagram: Owning Your Audience

31:11 Inside the Newsletter System

33:38 Finding Your Aligned Business Focus

35:34 Navigating Change as an Entrepreneur

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Em Conner’s The Newsletter System™: https://www.thecreativebodega.com/new-the-newsletter-system 
• Connect with Em Conners on Instagram: @its.em.connors 
• Subscribe to Katy’s Weekly Emails here: https://katyursta.com/weekly-email 

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Website: www.katyursta.com

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In the final installment of the Seven Stories That Sell series, Katy Ursta dives into the Evolution Story—the story you tell when your life, business, or perspective has changed so much that your old message no longer feels like you.  Katy explains why sharing that evolution can be such a powerful turning point, how it helps attract the right people, and why your story can shape not only your marketing, but your identity as a leader and business owner.  She also gets personal, sharing her own health journey, including her MS diagnosis, and how it forced her to rethink ambition, success, and what it truly means to build a life and business at a pace she can actually sustain.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:44 The Power of Stories

2:54 The Evolution Story Framework

4:37 Redefining Ambition: Katy’s Story

11:50 Signs You Are Evolving

15:47 How to Tell Your Evolution Story

17:11 An Evolution Story Example

20:04 Exciting Things Ahead 

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Seven Stories that Sell Course: https://katyursta.com/checkout/seven-stories
• Subscribe to Katy’s Weekly Emails here: https://katyursta.com/weekly-email 

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Website: www.katyursta.com

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Katy Ursta continues the conversation about storytelling and why it remains one of the most powerful ways to create genuine connections online—especially in a world where AI is changing the way people interact with content. Katy dives into two more advanced story types, resistance stories and mission stories, and breaks down how they fit into the same classic story framework. You’ll learn how to use these stories to connect more deeply, build trust, and make your message truly resonate.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:44 Storytelling That Creates Connection

5:34 Story Framework Review

7:21 The Resistance Story

10:27 The Mission Story

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Seven Stories that Sell Course: https://katyursta.com/checkout/seven-stories
• Subscribe to Katy’s Weekly Emails here: https://katyursta.com/weekly-email 

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Website: www.katyursta.com

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, discover the power of storytelling and how sharing your personal experiences can help you build genuine connections with your audience.  Katy Ursta explores practical ways to tell stories that resonate, build trust, and help you stand out in direct sales and entrepreneurship.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:44 The Power of Storytelling in Business and Upcoming Changes

6:38 Understanding Personal Experience Stories

13:40 Personal Experience Story Example

16:44 Connecting Through Authenticity and Consistency

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Seven Stories that Sell Course: https://katyursta.com/checkout/seven-stories
• What is your Storytelling Angle? Take the FUN free quiz here: katyursta.com/quiz
• Subscribe to Katy’s Weekly Emails here: https://katyursta.com/weekly-email 

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Website: www.katyursta.com

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Katy Ursta explores the power of storytelling in personal branding, focusing on how to craft compelling belief stories that resonate deeply and stand out. She shares practical frameworks, personal insights, and tips for creating authentic content that impacts and connects.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:44 The Power of Storytelling in Personal Branding

4:49 Crafting Your Belief Story

8:59 The Framework of a Belief Story

17:28 The Impact of Sharing Your Story

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Seven Stories that Sell Course: https://katyursta.com/checkout/seven-stories
• What is your Storytelling Angle? Take the FUN free quiz here: katyursta.com/quiz

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Website: www.katyursta.com
• Free Resource: Katy’s Story Strategy Weekly Drops: https://services.katyursta.com/rerise

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Katy Ursta explores the essential elements of storytelling and shares how crafting compelling client stories can position you as a trusted guide, deepen connections, and ultimately increase your sales. 

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:44 Why Your Story is Your Best Marketing

3:56 The Client Story

5:26 Positioning Yourself as the Guide

10:15 Building a Strong Case Study

13:52 Putting the Client Framework Into Practice

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Check out my Complete Collagen Guide here: https://katyursta.com/collagen-guide 
• Seven Stories that Sell Course: https://katyursta.com/checkout/seven-stories
• What is your Storytelling Angle? Take the FUN free quiz here: katyursta.com/quiz

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Website: www.katyursta.com
• Free Resource: Katy’s Story Strategy Weekly Drops: https://services.katyursta.com/rerise

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Katy Ursta explores the power of storytelling in marketing, emphasizing the importance of sharing authentic origin stories to connect with your audience and build trust. She provides practical frameworks for crafting and rotating your stories to enhance your marketing strategy.

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:44 The Power of Storytelling in Marketing

3:26 Understanding Your Audience: Joe vs. Kathy

10:46 Crafting Your Origin Story for Impact

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Check out my Complete Collagen Guide here: https://katyursta.com/collagen-guide 
• Seven Stories that Sell Course: https://katyursta.com/checkout/seven-stories
• What is your Storytelling Angle? Take the FUN free quiz here: katyursta.com/quiz

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Website: www.katyursta.com
• Free Resource: Katy’s Story Strategy Weekly Drops: https://services.katyursta.com/rerise

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!

🎙️ Episode Summary: 

In this episode of the Direct Sales Done Right Podcast, Katy Ursta explores why storytelling is one of the most powerful marketing tools available - and why it’s becoming even more essential in an age of AI-generated content.  She shares how authentic stories create trust, deepen relationships, and inspire action in ways that polished marketing alone never can.  Katy reflects on the impact of storytelling in her own life, discusses why today’s customers crave authenticity more than ever, and offers practical ways to begin weaving these stories into your content.  You’ll also learn the framework behind Katy’s Seven Stories That Sell, and how each one helps you stand out, build credibility, and connect with your audience on a deeper level.  

💡 Episode Highlights & Time Stamps:

0:44 A Personal Thank You 

2:14 Why Storytelling Matters

3:37 AI and the Need for Human Connection

7:36 The Social Media Story

12:36 The Seven Stories That Sell

13:51 Turning Connection into Action

📌 Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Check out my Complete Collagen Guide here: https://katyursta.com/collagen-guide 
• The Seven Stories that Sell Course: https://katyursta.com/checkout/seven-stories 
• Who Built this Tension You Are Feeling? Podcast by Maryam Mehrtash: https://open.substack.com/pub/wilkwilkinson/p/who-built-this-tension-you-are-feeling?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

👥 Connect with Katy:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onefitfighter 
• Substack: https://substack.com/@katywritescontent  
• Instagram: @katywritescontent
• Website: www.katyursta.com
• Free Resource: Katy’s Story Strategy Weekly Drops: https://services.katyursta.com/rerise

📩 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and then tag me on social media so I can shout you out!