Katie Sturino is many things: A publicist, an influencer, a fashion blogger, a product developer and more. You might know her from The12ishStyle, the blog and Instagram account where she suggests celeb-worthy looks that can be worm by larger ladies who identify as "body positive" or "body neutral." She also has a product line, MegaBabe, which tackles problems like boob sweat. But all of her successes have sprung from her passion for being a "dogager" or "momager" to a brood of dogs who've gained nearly a half million devoted followers on Instagram. Katie and Annie discuss her passion for rescuing puppy mill survivors, the challenges of living with five dogs in Manhattan, and what it takes to make a dog Instafamous.



Notes: AnnieGrossman.com/podcast27 - Katie's Instagram accounts: Instagram.com/The12ishStyle - Instagram.com/ToastMeetsWorld - Instagram.com/UnderpantsTheDog - Instagram.com/MuppetsRevenge - Sponsor: Train your inbox with SANEBOX! Get $15 off at SchoolForTheDogs.com/sane

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Partial Transcript:



Annie:

Hey there everyone. So if you’re into following dogs on Instagram, really, I don't know why you wouldn't be, you've probably come across an account called Toastmeetsworld. Toast, who sadly passed away last year, was really one of the first mega stars of Instagram. She had over 350,000 followers. She appeared in Vogue and on Good Morning America, she was in Harper's Bazaar. And it's tempting to say she brought all of this upon herself because she was just very, very cute and particularly memorable because she had this funny face with a tongue that was always sticking out. But I'd say the real reason for her success was the powerhouse publicist who rescued her. Katie Storino, who I was fortunate enough to interview for this episode. Katie now manages several Instagram accounts for her dogs. She continues to manage Toast’s account and also her late dog, Underpants’s account. She's, she has a real talent at naming dogs, I think they're all very funny, very unique names.



And when she isn't on Instagram, she is managing the lives of three dogs right now. Muppet and Cheese who, like Toast, were both rescued from puppy mills and then Sock who is a 16 year old Shih Tzu, who moved in with her when her fiance moved in with her. And there, there just so many amazing things about Katie. I mean beyond the fact that she is one of the only people I've ever met who has lived in a Manhattan apartment with five dogs, although now she's down to three. I think what's coolest about her is the way her career has kind of evolved and thrived in these unusual, exciting directions because of her love for dogs.

Having these Insta-famous dogs ended up leading her to get attention for a blog and Instagram account she started for herself called The 12ishstyle, which is basically about how to look awesome in celebrity-worthy clothing, even if you're not a tiny celebrity-shaped person. She uses the term body neutral, which I really like as an alternative to the whole body positive movement. And as someone who is a pretty solid size medium, I don't know, I think it's a nice way to label yourself, like can I just be a normal sized and healthy person and not have to attach myself to some kind of movement.



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