This week’s Fame-Ready episode is all about the truth behind brand partnerships — and how personal brands (not influencers) can secure lucrative, aligned collaborations with major companies. Katrina Owens breaks down exactly how she earns five-figure deals, integrates brands into her work authentically, and turns her visibility into revenue without sacrificing her brand.
Katrina also gets candid about burnout, boundaries, and what her wearable tech taught her about nervous system overload — and why sustainable visibility matters more than ever as we head into 2026.
Show Notes:
• Personal brands are not influencers — and brands want both for different reasons.
Katrina explains why personal brands have more monetizable assets and often more strategic value than influencers.
• You must have revenue streams brands can integrate into.
Partnerships work best when you have offers, events, podcasts, masterclasses, or platforms where brands can be featured meaningfully — not just social media posts.
• Authentic story-driven integration beats product pushing every time.
Katrina breaks down how she would partner with a fashion brand by weaving it into her speaking-day story, not by doing hauls or unboxings.
• Brand partners should be targeting your audience — not already dominating it.
A key distinction: go after brands that want access to your niche, not brands who already market heavily to your audience.
• Monetizable assets matter more than follower counts.
Webinars, events, in-person speaking, podcast segments, and virtual activations are what make partnerships scalable and lucrative.
• There is a right department for partnerships — and it’s not affiliates.
Katrina shares why personal brands get stuck in affiliate programs, and how to instead connect with brand partnership managers, community managers, or influencer managers.
• A strong brand presence replaces cold pitching.
Most of Katrina’s partnerships came from professionals researching her, loving what they saw, and initiating collaboration — all because her content was dialed in.
• LinkedIn is a goldmine for brand partnership visibility.
She breaks down exactly why growing her LinkedIn presence has brought high-value opportunities directly to her inbox.
• Sustainable visibility requires protecting your energy.
Katrina shares how her wearables helped her catch signs of burnout and why nervous-system-safe growth is non-negotiable for 2026.
• If you want partnerships, you must ask — boldly.
Once you have proof of alignment, the pitch becomes easy and natural. Katrina shares how she turned a sales call into a major contract with a household-name brand.
Links Mentioned:
→ Billion Dollar Vision Event (February) – https://www.auralismediaco.com/billiondollarvision.html#/
→ Red Carpet Year Masterclass – https://knockoutdirective.myflodesk.com/redcarpetyear
→ Follow Katrina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinaowenspr/
→ Connect with Katrina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenskatrina/
→ Follow the Fame-Ready Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/getfameready/
If you’re ready to be seen, respected, and in demand, this is the year you make it happen.
