Kitty Brandtner shares how tapping into your passion and instincts, avoiding overthinking and jumping in has led to her extraordinary path, including corporate sales, founding a nonprofit organization, and now, a new business venture.
Kitty Brandtner was totally engaged and fulfilled in her corporate sales role when a pivotal event led her to advocacy work. What began with Kitty tapping her passion and taking initial action eventually led to her founding a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, March Fourth.
In this episode of Invested, Kitty reflects on her dynamic career path, starting with falling in love with an early career in sales, a pivot to advocacy work and most recently launching a local boutique. We talk with Kitty about how many of her decisions to follow her instincts and passion and act – to say yes to things even when you don’t feel smart enough or prepared enough – are what paved the way for her extraordinary path. Kitty’s story shows how a powerful experience and the courage to act, even in the face of uncertainty, can drive meaningful change and personal fulfillment.
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Time stamps:
02:10 - Kitty’s career journey
04:47 - The moment that changed everything
09:15 - The founding of March Fourth
16:35 - Balancing hard work with parenting
21:08 - Pursuing a dynamic career
25:52 - Where to find Kitty
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Links:
Find Kitty Brandtner on LinkedIn
Find Angela Pittman Taylor on LinkedIn
[00:00:00] Kitty Brandtner: I cannot go to work tom- like, I can't just go. I brought these kids into the world, and I think I wanna go to DC and scream at the top of my lungs, and if anyone wants to come, here's my email. And then I woke up, and I had 300 emails in my inbox. I'm crying actually tears of, like, hope and, you know, possibility for the first time.
[00:00:27] Angela Pittman Taylor: Welcome to Invested. We are hosting a miniseries on how to build and sustain fulfilling, engaging careers throughout the different seasons of life with bold and authentic choices. We're talking to several women about their stories in doing this, and we really hope that listeners will find wisdom and inspiration from those stories.
My co-host for this miniseries is Sarah Gaul. Sarah is a managing director in our global investment banking business. Sarah, welcome. How you doing?
[00:00:52] Sarah Gaul: I'm doing so well, and can you always intro me? That was, like, that's... I feel like I also would like a walk-up song, if possible. Um- I
[00:01:00] Angela Pittman Taylor: was just gon- I was just thinking, walk-up music would be lovely.
Yes,
[00:01:04] Sarah Gaul: yes, yes. But I am doing great, and I'm so excited to be here.
[00:01:07] Angela Pittman Taylor: Awesome. Well, today's episode is about pursuing dynamic careers. And so I'll turn it over to you to introduce our guest.
[00:01:14] Sarah Gaul: Amazing. So we are so excited. Our guest today is Kitty Brantner, who was pursuing a full-time corporate career, but then experienced really what can only be described, I think, as a seminal moment in her life, which was the 2022 mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, which compelled her nearly immediately into advocacy work, which then eventually led her to founding a nonpartisan nonprofit, which is focused on ending mass shootings in America.
Three years in, and Kitty now serves as the co-president of the organization March Fourth. So welcome, Kitty. Thank you so much for being here.
[00:02:00] Kitty Brandtner: Oh, my gosh. Thank you guys for having me. This is so exciting.
[00:02:03] Sarah Gaul: This is so exciting, and I'm sure you hear this all the time, but there was a part of me, speaking of a walk-up song, I was like, "Should I sing The Life of a Showgirl?"
Right? Yeah.
[00:02:15] Kitty Brandtner: You guys, I'm not a Swiftie.
[00:02:16] Sarah Gaul: Taylor
[00:02:16] Kitty Brandtner: Swift. Kitty,
[00:02:17] Sarah Gaul: yeah.
[00:02:18] Kitty Brandtner: I'm not a Swiftie, and everybody sent me that song- You're not? ... and I'm like, I... So now-
[00:02:22] Sarah Gaul: Okay. Yeah. Okay. Go back. Next time. I'm glad I didn't lead with it, Kitty. You know what I mean? No, I like it. I like it. Like, I, I, I made the right choice of not-
singing on our podcast. So, um, okay, we're so glad you're here. There's so much to unpack. Let's start at the beginning. You were working at a really successful staffing agency. Yeah. Like, tell us about that career journey.
[00:02:45] Kitty Brandtner: Yeah. I was the girl that changed her major 16 times, and then my, you know, I think they call it, like, a career counselor was like, "Do you wanna graduate?"
And I was like, "Yeah, no, like, yeah, absolutely." They're like, "Okay, well, like, y- none of this coincides, so you gotta, like, pick a lane." I'm like, "Ugh, okay, well, I'm good at reading and writing, so I'll be an English major and get out on time." So I nev- I was just... I didn't know. Like, when people would be like, "What do you wanna do?"
My answer was, "What is there?" I had a single working mom raise me, and I knew she was in construction project management, and I didn't know about that. When I graduated, um, my boyfriend, now husband, was like, "You should go into sales." And I'm like, "Ugh, like car- used cars? Like, no. No thank you." Like, that's not what it is, unless you're literally a used car salesman, uh, woman.
And so I signed up. I just was applying to everything. It was a really good time to be finding a job in 2009, and I was like, "I'll literally do anything, um, you know, whatever." So then I applied to this staffing agency, and they're like, "Do you just wanna work here?" I'm like, "Sure." And they're like, "Okay, when can you start?"
I'm like, "Liter- I'm literally doing nothing. Like, I'll start right now." Like, "Okay, like Monday." A
[00:03:56] Sarah Gaul: compelling candidate, Keri.
[00:03:58] Kitty Brandtner: I just really... Yeah, I just dove in, and I just was a sponge, and our CEO and COO taught me everything, you know, I knew, and it was just like, "Be yourself, and, you know, build rapport." I'm like, "Oh, this is so fun.
Okay. I'm not selling used cars." I was there for 14 years, and I literally thought, like, I would die there in a good way, and I loved it. And I loved meeting people and learning and dipping my toe in all these different industries, and was fulfilled. And, you know, the pandemic came. I had three kids. Um, I had my twi- so I had a three-year-old girl at the time, and then I had twins in June of 2022.
It's fun. But, um, you know, I had some nice flexibility, too, being that it was COVID, you're working from home. Still, I was super fulfilled. Um, so that was kinda-- I didn't, I wasn't missing anything. Does that make sense?
[00:04:53] Sarah Gaul: Yes. And that's, a- and that's exactly what I wanted to ask you about of, you know, did you consi- I mean, I know it wasn't advocacy work, but were, you know, your head space was, like, sort of looking for the next opportunity?
Not at all. You were totally fulfilled.
[00:05:09] Kitty Brandtner: Yeah.
[00:05:10] Sarah Gaul: Wow. Wow. And then- Yes ... life changed. So let's talk about this seminal moment. July 4th, 2022, Highland Park mass shooting. Uh, t- just tell us, set the stage for us. Tell us about that day and- And what that meant for you.
[00:05:36] Kitty Brandtner: Yeah. There was some seedlings prior. I was 25 when Sandy Hook happened, and I was a naive 25-year-old that was like, "This is so horrible, and I am sure the adults in the room will figure this out by the time I have kids."
And so, you know, m- m- moving through life, et cetera, and once I had kids, you know, things kinda change. And when Uvalde happened, that was May 24th of 2022, and not only was it so horrific, I had my oldest, my daughter was five at the time, and so that was, like, Uvalde's last day of school. And I knew that I was sending my daughter to kindergarten in August.
Like, this is now very much my problem. And then in just over a month, on the 4th of July, I was taking my kids to their first parade in Winnetka. They, you know, COVID, they'd never been to a 4th of July parade, had obviously picked out their little needlepoint outfits six months in advance. Like, we're so excited.
It's a cute little Main Street-type thing. I'm with my sister who owns a business in Highland Park, and she st- starts getting text messages, like, immediately that, like, people are running. And, you know, your first instinct is, "It's not... It's probably fireworks, guys. Like, it's the 4th of July." You know? Or, like, "No, there's no way it's a mass shooting."
Obviously, quickly we realize, yes. Yes, it is. And, um, after this shooter had killed seven people, injured 58, and obviously traumatized thousands, and all of us on the North Shore and beyond are sheltering in place because no one knows where this guy is, so not only are we, like, locked in our house, windows, doors, everything, but you're making sure your friends and family are safe, are accounted for.
I remember getting a text message of a picture of a two-year-old boy, and my boys were two at the time, and he had blood on his socks, and he was in shock, and he was in the care of a friend of a friend. And it was just this mom group of like, "Does anyone know this child?" Because he was not- he was alone.
And, you know, my first instinct was like, oh, no, he got separated. But no, he was orphaned that day because his parents took him to a parade. And, like, that rocked me, and I always say it was the worst day, and I wasn't even there. So and so I think that first day was just so horrific, and, um And then I woke up the next morning on the 5th of July, and I went from, like, devastated and depressed to just really freaking pissed and angry and spicy.
And I always stayed, like, an arm's length away from advocacy, mostly because I didn't think I was smart enough to understand. You know, I, I donated, and so I'd get the emails, and it would be, like, six paragraphs of different bills that are happening or s- legislation or, you know, Congress, and I just was like, "Ah, I'll just donate.
I don't get it. I have ADHD. Like, that's too much reading, understand this." And so I quickly started educating myself on the internet, as one does. Like, I, I g- I ended that day just saying, "I get it. I know this is hard. I know that I'm not the first one to say 'Enough.' I know I am a white privileged woman saying, you know, 'Can I speak to a manager?'
I also know I cannot go to work tomorrow. Like, I can't just go. I brought these kids into the world, and I think I wanna go to DC and scream at the top of my lungs, and if anyone wants to come, here's my email." And then I woke up, and I had 300 emails in my inbox. Oh my God. And so on the 6th of July, I'm crying actual tears of, like, hope and, you know, possibility for the first time.
[00:09:18] Sarah Gaul: Well, I have to say, I have tears in my eyes and chills because it, it just... I wasn't there, but it takes you right back to that day and all of those emotions, and the fact that you then did something with that is just so incredible. So that was July 5th. You're pissed. You're, you're educating yourself. Tell us about those next, like, seven to nine days and, and sort of what- happened?
[00:09:49] Kitty Brandtner: It was crazy. So it's actually kind of fun to reflect on, because what we did as a group of strangers was insane, and in the moment you know it's insane, but you're just fueled by adrenaline. So 6th of July, I'm getting emails, right? "Oh, I can help you set meetings in DC. I'm a lobbyist and I live here."
Great. "I'm in PR. I can help you get media." Great. "I'm in event planning. I can help you with the permit." Great. So- And
[00:10:20] Sarah Gaul: this is all over the country, Keri.
[00:10:22] Kitty Brandtner: Yeah.
[00:10:22] Sarah Gaul: This is,
[00:10:23] Kitty Brandtner: this is people- Just from my Instagram- Oh, gosh ... like being shared. I'm like, "Great. I have no idea how to do this, this, this. Like, let's do this. I don't know anything, but like, okay, we'll figure this out."
And I remember looking, looking at my husband being like... He's in logistics, and I was like, "I think I need you to book like 60 flights for me." He was like, "What?" And I'm like, "And I think it needs to be on our credit card." And he was like, "Okay."
[00:10:46] Sarah Gaul: Okay.
[00:10:46] Kitty Brandtner: And we just made it work. Within 10 days of being a thing, we were in DC with 600 people.
So we have 600 people. We rally. We march. It is the most surreal feeling. I just remember bawling, like, during it, and we meet with 30 legislators.
[00:11:08] Sarah Gaul: I do have to reiterate that this was literally seven days after Highland Park, and you literally mobilized over 600 people in DC.
[00:11:19] Kitty Brandtner: Like, a team did. Like, it was like this cr- you know, many of my, some staff now at March 4th and volunteers are like day ones.
Like, it's really cool, because what people can do when they just decide to do it- Right ... especially moms-
[00:11:34] Sarah Gaul: Yes ... it's
[00:11:35] Kitty Brandtner: incredible.
[00:11:36] Sarah Gaul: That is unbelievable. Okay, so, so huge milestone. Are you like, "Okay, we're, we're formalizing this. This is March 4th." I mean, what... Tell us about that.
[00:11:49] Kitty Brandtner: Well, we named it on the 6th of July when we started the Slack channel, because we had to put something on the permit.
[00:11:54] Sarah Gaul: Okay.
[00:11:55] Kitty Brandtner: And so we're like, "What is it?" And r- I remember the Slack conversation. It was like, "It's a march, and it's after the 4th, and that's kind of a forward motion. Great. Go." Like, that was as much thought. Like, check. Yeah. Next thing. Yeah. And sometimes, and you guys probably know this in business, sometimes the best decisions are those instinctual, like, go.
[00:12:13] Sarah Gaul: So at this point in the timeline, you are still working full time at LaSalle, right? I took- And you've got three young kids. So- So tell us about, were you like, "This is now my career"? Or- No ... how did you think about that?
[00:12:27] Kitty Brandtner: No, this, I didn't know what I... I didn't know what I didn't know, which was everything.
[00:12:32] Sarah Gaul: Right? Yeah. Almost.
[00:12:33] Kitty Brandtner: Yes. Yeah, I guess. Yeah. I mean, my CEO was from Highland Park. His brother was at The Frick. Oh,
[00:12:37] Sarah Gaul: wow. Wow.
[00:12:38] Kitty Brandtner: He was our, you know, one of our first donors. He was like, "Go."
[00:12:42] Sarah Gaul: So you leave, and then you're like- You're sort of institutionalizing March 4th then. Is that fair to say?
[00:12:50] Kitty Brandtner: I mean, so I- I went part-time for, like, eight months.
[00:12:57] Sarah Gaul: Okay.
[00:12:57] Kitty Brandtner: And I, you know, our CEO and I just had a conversation, like, "This isn't doable." And I'm like, "I know." And it was that risk, right? Where, like, I'm used to earning my living- Right ... and I was volunteering, and I'm, like, my husband and I had a very frank chat, you know, and he has been my number one supporter in life, but also March 4th, where he's like, "This is something you're meant to do.
Like, do it," you know? Wow. And so I think I have, like, a crazy motor. I think it's the combination of ADHD and anxiety, and so I'm like, "Just go". So it was just a huge kinda learning curve, and I think in the beginning, we really didn't know what we were doing, as we know, but a lot of what our scaling has been is, like, getting more mature in some of these things.
So what we c- what can we do next? We then started bringing influencers, uh, social media, you know, i- influencers that we call amplifiers to the Hill, because they can authentically go through this experience and then share it with their audience, and you reach different people. Then bringing, like, mom bloggers and health food and all this different stuff, and they're like, "Hey, by the way, I care about this in a non-partisan way.
I just want kids to go to school and come home alive. And if you wanna get- learn more, you know, join us." And so that's kinda a few of the things that we've done as we've scaled.
[00:14:12] Sarah Gaul: It, it, it's so incredible, and I literally have written down, I would like to say, that y- you make advocacy accessible. So as, as I'm hearing you talk about this, w- like, was there any point where you were like, "This is too hard.
This is too emotional. You know, I, I just, I can't do it"?
[00:14:34] Kitty Brandtner: Not I can't do it, but this is, this is heavy, and it is. I mean, getting to know these parents and family members, 'cause it's not just schools, right, um, who have lost someone. It's, it's just you- it can be any of us, and I think that's, like, the key here, is why it is such a human issue, is, like, do you go to the grocery store?
Do you, you know, even if you don't have kids, like, do you, have you gone to a concert before? Have you gone to... It is so random, so non-discerning. Like, it just can, it could be anyone, and so you see yourself in these families. And I remember, especially early on, like, I just felt very weighted by a lot of these stories, and it's also fuel.
And so all of us need to stand up and say, "No, this is a collective problem," and stand shoulder to shoulder with those that have been impacted.
[00:15:28] Sarah Gaul: I would love to talk about sort of the- skill sets that you've developed, right? And, like, coming back, you know, you sort of mentioned sales and how you could sort of harness some of that.
Ju- just the way that you're sort of stretching yourself personally and professionally, like, did you ever... Of course, you didn't anticipate this, but just how much you've grown personally through all of this.
[00:15:53] Kitty Brandtner: For sure. It's been incredible, and I think that's, like, the addicting part, is just pushing yourself into s- un- strange and unfamiliar areas.
But it's also, as you guys know as leaders, like, if you don't know something, you bring somebody in that does. And so that's what's been so special, is like, I can't plan an event. Like, I can't do the logistics. I can't... I know I am limited, and those are my weaknesses, and that we have this team who crush it.
So I think part of it has been this fun journey of building this thing with like-minded mostly women, and, you know, tapping on people who e- even if this wasn't their, a- and in fact, almost 100% of the people, w- this wasn't their background. But the transferable skill sets, you know, like my h- my SVP, who oversees most of the organization, was in HR before this.
Did a little recruiting, but was in, like, corporate HR M&A. And so she can look at a complex thi- it's like there's transferable skill sets there. Um, and so I think that's what's really cool, is like-
[00:17:03] Sarah Gaul: And all of this is, of course, sort of inextricably linked to being a parent. I would love to hear sort of your reflection of, you know, you're doing this for your kids.
How do you balance all of this? I can imagine your kids are still so young, they don't totally get it, but, like, they see mom doing, like, super cool things.
[00:17:26] Kitty Brandtner: I think that's the biggest thing, is like, you know, my dad left, I was eight. My mom was al- you know, w- always a working mom and was always kind of instilling in me, whether she maybe knew it or not, that, like, you gotta rely on yourself.
You can do anything. I wanted my, especially my daughter, to know she can do anything. Like, you can do anything you want. You just have to decide, and then you have to start. And I think, you know, I, yeah, she was five when I started this. She's eight now. You know, she, she drew a picture of the Earth, and hand...
She was like, "I think that's what you do at March Fourth. You just give the world a big hug." And I was like, "Oh, my God." But, like, that's it. You just-
[00:18:05] Sarah Gaul: Oh, my gosh ...
[00:18:05] Kitty Brandtner: want your kids to feel empowered and- To know that, like, if you see a problem, you can fix it. You know? You can fix it. You can, you can work at something that, that feels impossible, and you don't listen to anyone that says you can't.
And that's, you know, been really... I think it's... You asked about balance. Like, there... No, I'm horrible at balance. Like, that doesn't exist. There are times where it's horrible, there are times when it's great, um, and it just is what it is. I just want them to take away, like, that empowerment, um, and impact. That, like, you don't have to be directly impacted by something to do something about it.
That's the main driver.
[00:18:47] Sarah Gaul: Amazing, and that is such a good thing to teach your kids. But what I wanna talk about, which it feels like a hard pivot, but I don't think it is, is your newest professional venture, a children's clothing store. So I, I wanna hear all about this, where this idea came from, 'cause I think there is some, there's some connective tissue.
[00:19:12] Kitty Brandtner: Yes, it does feel like the other side of the circle. And really, at the end of the day, it's solving problems I think I really like. In my town and the surrounding five suburbs, there was nowhere to go buy a piece of children's clothes unless you drove to the mall, where they will tell you that their inventory is online.
And I'm like, "My son has red sauce on his shirt, and we have family pictures, and I just need a shirt."
[00:19:33] Sarah Gaul: Yes. "
[00:19:33] Kitty Brandtner: Where do I go?" And so it was really that. I mean, literally six months ago, I met a friend of a friend, and we started talking about this, and we're like, "Ah, like, why doesn't... I feel like we should just open it.
Like, how hard..." I'm like... I, I said, "How hard can it be? Like, if I can figure- Oh my, Keri ... out my calendars." Like, I can sell- This
[00:19:49] Sarah Gaul: is six months ago? This is six months ago. Yes. Okay. Cool, cool, cool. Yeah.
[00:19:53] Kitty Brandtner: Like, I can sell- And it's open ... kids' clothes to moms that wanna buy kids' clothes. Like, okay, let's do it. And I think it's given me a lot of the lightness and a lot of the, you know, other creativity to balance a lot of what I do on the other side, and it's very connected.
Like, a lot of the brand... We carry women-owned brands, and a lot of the brands that we carry, like, I met them through March Fourth. So it does feel like it's all connected, and, um, yeah, it's just fun. And yeah, I'm a little stretched thin as we open- ... Saturday, but it's temporary, and everything's fine.
[00:20:27] Sarah Gaul: But you literally went from a concept six months ago to you have, you have a brick-and-mortar store that is cute as cute-
in, in your suburb- Yeah ... which is just, like, incredible.
[00:20:41] Kitty Brandtner: And then I built a little office for March Fourth in it.
[00:20:43] Sarah Gaul: Yes. It's fun. Perfect. Oh my gosh, that is incred... But, like, literally, how do you do it? Like, I... You said stretched thin. You have quite a bit on your plate now.
[00:20:53] Kitty Brandtner: I think, but, like, meet a mom that doesn't.
Like we all do Very true. Very true ...
[00:20:58] Sarah Gaul: and like,
[00:20:58] Kitty Brandtner: yeah, I'm unhinged. Like I said, I don't watch TV. I don't, like, have hobbies, so I just, like, I love just, like, being crazy, and luckily I met a friend now that is equal- like, matches my crazy, and we'll be like, "Oh, this deck, this deck," and like, "I have this idea." Um, but I think that's, again, it's everybody has so much on your plate- on their plate, and it's, uh...
Like, I just posted something on Instagram actually, and it's like, just start. That is the only advice. Just start. If you wanna do something, just do it. Like, is it gonna be perfect? No. But if you don't start, you can't make it better, and that's what Marchforth taught me.
[00:21:35] Sarah Gaul: So I was gonna ask you what your advice was to pursuing a dynamic career, and I think it's that.
Just start- Just start ... something.
[00:21:46] Kitty Brandtner: Just start. Doesn't need to be big, but just start, you
[00:21:48] Sarah Gaul: know? Right. Right.
[00:21:49] Kitty Brandtner: Like-
[00:21:50] Sarah Gaul: One thing at a time ...
[00:21:51] Kitty Brandtner: just, yeah. But i- if you overanalyze things- Yes ... or even analyze things in my case- Yes ... you won't do it, and it's a, it's a gut thing, and that, I think, as you get older, you realize the importance of your intuition, and that's led me through Marchforth.
And then it was like- Mm-hmm ... giving yourself permission to be yourself.
[00:22:14] Sarah Gaul: Mm.
[00:22:15] Kitty Brandtner: Same thing where you're like, "This is a gap, and this is... So I, I know we could figure it out." Like, we're not experts, but, like, nobody was an expert in what they... It's just you learn by doing, and I think that's the advice is just, like, what fills your cup?
[00:22:30] Sarah Gaul: Yes. And I think you're such a beautiful case study in how dynamic careers can be, right? It doesn't have to be a straight line, and just what- For
[00:22:43] Kitty Brandtner: women, it rarely is. Like, my husband and I have been working almost the same amount of time, and, like, I had three kids, and so did he, and yet... You know? Like, so I think that's- And yet
the thing is like- Yep. Yep ... it, it shouldn't be a straight line, and it's kinda nice that it isn't because it gives you opportunity to pivot and to dip your toe in, and you can start and make a mistake or start and realize you hate something.
[00:23:10] Sarah Gaul: Mm-hmm.
[00:23:10] Kitty Brandtner: Great. Now you have that learned, you know, to move forward with.
So it's all about just giving it a try.
[00:23:17] Angela Pittman Taylor: You know, we covered a lot of ground. Um- Yes, it was
[00:23:19] Sarah Gaul: so nice ...
[00:23:20] Angela Pittman Taylor: we've, and we talked a little bit about, there's always self-doubt in there, some l- some little portion here or there. Sometimes that voice is very loud, and you talked a little bit about that in terms of just being unsure about what you know or if you were able to do that.
Can you just talk about kinda your inner dialogue or how you, how you worked through that? Connect these feelings of inadequacy kind of a little bit- Yeah ... to, like, still pushing forward anyway, 'cause I think that for women leaders, that is, that is something that is present at various moments in various quantities.
It is. How did you work through that?
[00:23:57] Kitty Brandtner: Okay. So if my husband listens to this, he's gonna make fun of me, but, um, 'cause I, I'm like, I feel like I'm a poster child for therapy. It's just a safe place to, like, get stuff out of your body. Like, feelings need to get out, and we all know the repercussions of when you shove it down.
Not good. So I dealt with really severe depression and anxiety in high school, and suicidal ideations, and so I've been on that side of not letting it out and what can happen, which is very dangerous. And, um, that's why I talk about it. And so I think what I have learned is, like, you need to be vulnerable.
You need to let it out. It's that space to, like, get all of my insecurities out and understand why I have them. It's just so helpful to get it out and then organize your thoughts, and then kinda come back to, like, "Okay, yeah, no, that instinct was right." Like, the self-doubt's there, but I know why it's there, and I know that it's not powerful.
Like, I can give it power or I, I can't. So just carve that time out for yourself because it helps you show up as a better mom, as a better partner, as a better friend, and obviously a better employee and worker as well.
[00:25:12] Sarah Gaul: Go therapy. I couldn't agr- I could not agree more. Couldn't do that comment, I'm sure.
Yeah.
[00:25:18] Angela Pittman Taylor: As the sister of a psychologist, I co-sign that.
[00:25:21] Kitty Brandtner: Yeah, girl.
[00:25:22] Sarah Gaul: Oh, love it. Um, so many amazing nuggets. I feel like that's, like, a beautiful place to end. I just, I can't thank you enough for your time. This was such a wonderful conversation.
[00:25:35] Kitty Brandtner: This is so fun that you guys are highlighting, you know, these stories because it, it, again, to the vulnerability, like, sometimes you just need to hear that somebody else gave it a shot.
And it's like, "You know what? Yeah, I'm gonna do that thing. I'm gonna start that Etsy shop. I'm gonna go work at that coffee shop." I'm, like, whatever it is. So I hope that that's a takeaway for someone.
[00:25:57] Sarah Gaul: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, you guys. I cried, I cheered. Like, what, what more can you ask from a conversation?
[00:26:05] Angela Pittman Taylor: Yes.
Thank you so much for joining us. Hey, Kitty, before you sign off, could you just tell our listeners where they can learn more about you online, where they can connect if you- If you want them to connect with you , where can they find you?
[00:26:19] Kitty Brandtner: I would... Follow us on Instagram. So March Fourth on Instagram is march_fourth, spelled like the Fourth of July, underscore.
But also if you just search it, it'll come up. wemarchfourth.org, and then if you wanna come to my little brick-and-mortar shop in Winnetka, Little Elm, feel free.
[00:26:37] Sarah Gaul: Amazing. Thank you so much, Kitty.
[00:26:40] Kitty Brandtner: Thank you, guys. This was so fun. Thank you.
[00:26:49] Angela Pittman Taylor: The information offered is for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as information or advice sufficient on which to make a financial decision. Baird is not a legal or tax services provider, and you are strongly encouraged to seek the advice of the appropriate professional advisors before taking any action.
All investments have some level of risk, and this should not be considered a recommendation of any products or services discussed today. The opinions are those of the guest and not necessarily those of Baird. Robert W. Baird & Company Incorporated, member SIPC.