Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristyn Hunt Cathey.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to talk. I guess that comes from being an only child. I would get into so much trouble at school for talking in class! In high school, I wrote for our campus newspaper and was a part of the Media Technology program, where we would record videos throughout the campus and that is where I discovered my love for the communications field. I won a full scholarship from the National Association of Black Journalists my senior year of high school to attend their annual convention in Chicago! That was my first flight by myself, but it was worth it. I met some amazing people and was given the opportunity to work with some legends in the business. I attended Tuskegee University for two years and then transferred to Southern A&M University, where I majored in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in English. I had a job lined up at KFDM Channel 6 News in Beaumont upon graduation, but I couldn’t bring myself to move back home, let alone for $19,000 a year! (That was a lot in 2001). I immediately enrolled in graduate school at the University of Georgia and just let me say, it was an eye-opener. I went to K-12 in a predominately Black school district and attended two HBCUs. I was a minority at UGA. There were less than 5% African-Americans back then and blatant racism was everywhere, but I pushed through and graduated in 2003 with a Master of Mass Communications in Journalism. I should have been able to find a good job then, but 9-11 happened in 2001 and the economy had not yet rebounded. My parents allowed me to stay in Georgia one additional year, but I moved back home in 2004. That is where I began teaching at Lamar University in Beaumont. I had actually grown up there, as my mother had been employed there as a professor and later Associate Provost of Student Retention, so it was a very comfortable place to be. I began teaching Communication courses; specifically Public Speaking, as well as other TV News courses for five years when I left to lead the Public Relations Department at Port Arthur ISD. For the past 10 years, I have been a department of one, but I’ve also continued to teach throughout the Lamar system. I created Talk the Talk, PR media consulting firm six years ago. I have assisted clients with marketing materials, photography, videography, as well as speech training. I have been married for almost four years and I have a two-year-old man-child, but I love every minute of it!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I’m not a math or science person, though I wish I was sometimes. Those jobs are always available and the salaries are great, but there is something about writing an article from scratch or creating a marketing plan that makes me so happy that I couldn’t imagine not doing it on an almost daily basis. I remember being told in high school to go to college and you’ll get a great job. Well…that wasn’t the case, so when I got my Masters I was told the same thing. Well…that didn’t happen and I ended up working at Bath and Body Works and making cold calls for a telemarketing company for a year before I began teaching at Lamar. Even then, I began teaching at $25,000/year! That’s a college salary!! I taught six classes at the main campus and two at the community college to make $45,000/year! I did that for five years before I began working in my district. I love my job. I love working with the community, but there are times that I desire the “city life.” I met my husband in Houston; which is where he was living at the time. We dated for about two years before we were engaged and another year before we were married. We both held on to the fact that I should be able to find a job in Houston, but honestly, it’s a really tough market to break in to. Ten years later and with ten years of experience, it’s still not easy. It’s a struggle to have patience, to find peace, to discover your true passion and purpose and since turning 40 two months ago, the struggle has gotten super real! I’m a mom and a wife now and I have to always consider how my decisions will affect them, but I’m sure that’s the same for most moms. My goal is to not regret anything. My mom always says that regret is the cancer of life. I want to look back on my life and know that I did the best that I could do and left my mark on the world. One step at a time!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Talk the Talk, PR – what should we know?
I have 15 years of experience teaching Public Speaking courses. I have taught students from teenagers to retirees. Many of my students have gone to become teachers, principals, comedians, photographers, professors and sought-after bakers! When I see my students succeed, I feel that a little part of myself helped to make that happen. That is the purpose of Talk the Talk, PR. Our goal is to make our clients succeed by using public speaking as a method to make their dreams come true. Studies show that public speaking is the #1 skill employers look for and there are rules and standards of public speaking that many people don’t understand and we help them with that. We have a catalog of professional and Black-owned photographers, videographers, and graphic designers that we put our clients in touch with to complete their marketing package. I do speech writing, training, copyediting and small-level photography and videography in house. I have been asked to give speeches and trainings on social media, public speaking and non-profits, which I do several times per year. I’m not a publicist by any sense of the word. Yvette Noel-Schure, Beyonce’s go-to woman, is the best publicist around. I wouldn’t want that life. I’m the person standing next to the publicist ensuring it’s not so much what you say, but how you say it!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I have absolutely no problem speaking to anyone. That is something that I do on a daily basis, whether it be with the manager of the largest refinery in the world or an angry parent. I have the ability to know how to reach people where they are. That is the only way that you can effectively communicate with the public. For the past ten years, I have worked directly with the Superintendent of Schools and have helped to craft messages and counsel him on communication best practices. I have done the same for our district’s Executive Team as well as many others. I truly appreciate when my colleagues come to me for advice because it means I’m doing a good job. Knowing how to speak to people has gotten my foot in the door in ways that sometimes I can’t fully understand, but I know that it makes a difference. I’m also extremely compassionate. It seems that more and more students enter college with mental issues, which are of no fault of their own. As an adoptee who does not know her biological family, I have a sense of empathy for those students because I know all too well how life circumstances can often lead to mental instability. People make mistakes. I know I have and I tell my students every semester of some of the mistakes I made as a teen, college student and even now as an adult. We are all responsible for the success of the children in our communities because if they succeed, so do we. If they don’t, then we won’t. I listen to my students, I mean, really listen. I listen to their dreams, their heartaches, their fears, their doubts. I do the same for my clients. I want to KNOW them, but I also want them to know that I am vested in their lives and their success.
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