Bringing passion to the work you do can strengthen your confidence and clarity in your business. For KT Merry, her passion for conservation and animals has allowed her to take beautiful editorial photographs everywhere from Miami to Mount Kilimanjaro. She has learned how to maintain passion and consistency in her business, something every photographer wants.

In today’s episode, KT shares how she got into editorial and luxury destination wedding photography, why your business should be sustainable and pay you what you’re worth, how to attract clients you align with, and the benefits of time management and a morning routine.

She also shares about her program teaching students how to build a sustainable, profitable, and aligned business of their own. KT’s story and experiences are fascinating, and I know that you’ll hear something that inspires you. 

What’s in this episode:

• [04:09] How KT got her start in editorial photography as a photographer’s assistant, and why she was drawn to go out on her own as a wedding photographer
• [08:13] What it’s like working with celebrity clients, and her favorite location to shoot
• [11:24] KT’s advice for the mindset shift photographers need to confidently raise their prices, the importance of creating a business that meets your needs and is sustainable
• [15:49] How to handle when people inquire and then ghost you, building rapport with potential clients, and recommending fellow photographers when a potential client isn’t a good fit
• [21:44] Why KT loves time blocking, how photographs can attract and keep clients they love, and how to maintain passion and consistency in your business
• [31:50] How KT’s program, The Abundance Plan, is helping her students build a profitable and sustainable business and find alignment in their work
• [33:51] How a solid morning routine benefits your business and your life

Tune in to this episode with KT Merry to be inspired to build your business on passion, sustainability, and consistency!

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

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Resources Mentioned

Render Loyalty

The ONE Things: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results

Insight Timer app

Meet KT

A tenacious visionary with big ideas, KT is a passionate artist and conservationist who truly loves her work. She’s always creating, forever a student, and brimming with wanderlust. Drawing on her decade of experience in fashion and editorial photography, KT’s known for natural, ethereal, painterly portraits and captured fleeting moments that seem to freeze both time and emotion. She runs in every city she visits, and has never met a dog she didn’t like.

Connect with KT

KT’s website

KT Merry Education website

Follow KT on Instagram

Follow KT Education on Instagram

Did this episode with KT Merry inspire you to explore what you’re passionate about in your business? Check out this episode from Krista Marie Lynch that offers you even more insight on finding alignment in your business!

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Transcript

[00:00:00] KT Merry You don’t need to be at the starting line to start taking action on some of your bigger dreams. So whether that’s buying a commercial studio or in my case, someday having some type of animal sanctuary or something like that, I don’t have to be at the place where I’m ready to buy the land and go rescue the animals. And what I mean by that is what I set a goal this year was just I’m going to have conversations with other people who have already done this, and I’m just going to simply get on the phone. Someday in the future. I’m not exactly sure when I’d like to do this. I’d love to hear about your experience and and just kind of hear about that process and how you went about it and things like that. So, you know, really starting to take some of those initial action steps ahead of being totally ready to do that thing, I think is one of the most important things. And it starts to make it more exciting, often more real, because sometimes these goals or dreams that we have, we have them so lofty in our minds and so complicated that actually when you start to take action on them, you’re like, Oh, maybe it’s a little closer than I thought or a little less complicated. So I think that’s one of the big issues, is just not waiting to start doing even the smallest action, even if it’s just research or connecting with people. 

[00:01:18] Lisa DiGeso Welcome to the Art and Soul Show where we dive into heart opening chats on photography, business, life, and that messy in-between. I’m your host, Lisa DiGeso a mom, a photographer and entrepreneur, and I’ll be sharing honest conversations and advice for photographers with insight on mindset, entrepreneurship and creativity. The goal of this podcast is for you to be able to gain insights and strategies that will get you real results. Because let’s face it, having a photography business can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. This is the place you can go when you need a boost of encouragement, a kick in the pants and inspiration to pick up your camera. This is the art and soul show. Hello, my beautiful friends. Welcome back to the show today. I’m super excited to dive in to today’s conversation with KT Merry. She’s a tenacious visionary with big ideas. KT is a passionate artist and conservationist who truly loves her work. She’s always creating, forever a student and brimming with wanderlust, drawing on her decade of experience in fashion and editorial photography. KT is known for natural, ethereal, painterly portraits and capturing fleeting moments that seem to freeze both time and emotion. She runs in every city she visits and has never met a dog she didn’t like. I am so excited to dive in today’s conversation. I have been literally stalking her on social media probably for years now, so it is such a delight to have her on the show. So welcome, KT. 

[00:02:48] KT Merry Oh, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for that warm welcome. And I’m so excited to be here and chatting with you. 

[00:02:54] Lisa DiGeso So tell us who you are and what you’re really passionate about. 

[00:02:57] KT Merry Oh, my goodness. Well, I mean, at my core, I am definitely a creative. I love creating. I love capturing beauty. I’ve been in the photography industry now for over 20 years, capturing luxury destination weddings around the world for the last 15. And as you mentioned, I am also very, very passionate about our planet, about conservation and about animals, whether that’s threatened wildlife or dogs. As you mentioned, I’m a big dog lover, but I really love the animal world and I love to bring those passions together. Any time that I can bring together my my passion for creating as well as my passion for providing positive impact in that section of the world. 

[00:03:43] Lisa DiGeso I love that so much. I think that’s so important. I love hearing about conservationists because it is it’s so important we take for granted this planet. And as a photographer like you really are seeing the beauty of it and how, you know, as 20 years, even locations, how we’re just messing things up. So I love that you’re just taking a stand and that’s something that’s passionate for you. 

[00:04:06] KT Merry Thank you. Thank you. It’s it’s a lot of fun to bring those worlds together. 

[00:04:09] Lisa DiGeso So can you tell a little bit about your experience as an editorial photographer? Because I really think that’s a dream for so many of our listeners, and I think they would love to understand maybe, number one, the process and what it’s really like and where to even start. So sorry, that was probably three questions. All right. 

[00:04:26] KT Merry Yeah, absolutely. Well, with my background in fashion photography, that is really where I started. So I started working for fashion photographers, which was everything from shooting catalog in Miami to working on ad jobs to working on editorial shoots for publications and magazines. And obviously I was I was more on the photographers team. So I was an assistant. I even helped assist some fashion stylists from time to time. And later as kind of we went from film to digital in that sector of the world, I ended up becoming a digital tech. And so that arena is really rooted in my background. And so when I started to go into weddings, what you do when you’re a budding fashion photographer is you test, which essentially means you get together your creative friends, you get a model, you get some fashion, you make pictures. So really, when I started to tiptoe into the wedding waters, I essentially started to do the same thing and go about it the same way, which I got together. Some creative friends, got some models, got some fashion, used some locations that I had already been working at for years and just started to create what really was my portfolio, but also showing the world, showing clients what I could create. And I started that process when I began in weddings and still to this day do that. And of course over the years the goal and sometimes what has happened is then having somebody see that and going, Great, now we want you to do that for this line of our designs or for this lookbook or things like that. So I definitely still create on my own the same way that I did back then, working with other creatives and testing and kind of showing some aspirational portfolio content, but also from time to time have had the pleasure of then being hired by designers or publications as well. 

[00:06:16] Lisa DiGeso Oh, so cool. So what made you. Make the switch of wanting to go into the wedding genre as well as editorial in fashion. 

[00:06:23] KT Merry Yeah, it was. It was really interesting and I think definitely wasn’t something that I was intentionally seeking. But I did decide, you know, at some point I really needed to be shooting for myself. I think one of the downsides of being a professional photo assistant is that a lot of photo assistants or digital techs don’t get behind the camera as much as they would like. So I definitely was falling into that a bit by the end of my tenure of being a photographer’s assistant. And so definitely getting back behind the camera was important and I began associate shooting and second shooting for other wedding photographers as a way to kind of just gain some more experience as well as earn more money. And through that process, as well as one of the fashion photographers that I was working for, had the idea that we create kind of a side company of fashion photography for weddings. I think we did one wedding together before he threw up his hands and said, This is the most horrible thing I’ve done. I will never do this again. And I was looking at him going, I really don’t think it’s that bad. 

[00:07:25] KT Merry So it kind of piqued my interest. And I also at this time, the industry, the world. This was right when blogs were being born. When Style Me Pretty came on the scene, things were really changing and moving from church basements with white tablecloths to barns and mason jars and, you know, whatever it was. 

[00:07:42] Lisa DiGeso Totally, totally so. 

[00:07:45] KT Merry And at that time, that was really exciting. And I mean, look at where we’ve come since then. So, you know, weddings really started to morph and shift. And I think that really opened up a whole new realm of possibilities in terms of photography related to weddings as well. 

[00:07:58] Lisa DiGeso Now, you have worked with some pretty big name celebrity clients as well. So can you share a little bit maybe on your experience? How different is maybe working from a lesser known client and what to expect if someone wants to? 

[00:08:13] KT Merry Yeah, and I think every circumstance is different, surely. But in general, the real high level differences often are that the more high profile an event, the more celebrity or anything like that notoriety that comes with it. Often the level of details is is exponentially better, you know, and and wonderful to capture. However, the amount of time that you have to do it or the logistics involved or the other photo teams or whatever that may be, the other press that also is exponentially usually more complicated as well. So it’s kind of one of those that you go, Gosh, there’s really no like, Oh, it’s bad or good. It’s it’s really kind of evens out in the sense that there often is so much beauty to capture that you just sometimes have to jump through a few more hoops to be able to get get what you would normally be able to get with a couple that says, Oh, no worries, we’ll just give you an hour to take portraits. And you know, you’re the only photography team and you don’t have to worry about any of that. So there’s pros and cons really to both sides. 

[00:09:14] Lisa DiGeso Now, you have had travels, amazing travels with your photography. Have what would you say has been your favorite location to shoot at? 

[00:09:22] KT Merry Oh goodness. Well, one near and dear to my heart. And I’ve been there for many shoots now from both client and kind of on the Passion project side is Africa. We actually just got back from Africa after our first time going back since COVID and we’re already plotting our return. So it’s somewhere that I love to shoot. We’ve we’ve gone there. I have a passion project called Render Loyalty, where we’re partnered with several conservancies there and and photograph the animals that they protect and sell large format prints to raise awareness as well as raise financial support for them. So so we go back and do that, but also have photographed for safari companies. We’ve gone there with clients and done anniversary sessions, kind of more editorial inspired and even climbed Kilimanjaro with clients. So we’ve been there on a lot of different types of assignments, but it’s a really dynamic continent. There’s a lot of it that I still haven’t explored, so it’s always wonderful to get back to the countries there. 

[00:10:20] Lisa DiGeso Speaking of Kilimanjaro. That’s incredible. Congratulations. Have you seen the Netflix show about that fellow that has climbed all the mountains? 

[00:10:27] KT Merry Is that the Explorer one? 

[00:10:29] Lisa DiGeso Oh, gosh, I can’t even remember his name because he wanted to do it within a certain window of time to be like the first guy that did all 14, I think, Oh, maybe you’d probably love it. It was so good. 

[00:10:42] KT Merry Well, it was interesting because after we did it, I work together with my husband and business partner Chad, and after we did that, he was like, okay, which mountain’s next, You know, you kind of come up. And I kind of was like, No, I think I’m okay for a while. 

[00:10:54] KT Merry I’m good, you know? 

[00:10:58] KT Merry But it was it was definitely an experience and something that I was grateful that I did. But I wasn’t racing up the next mountain quite as quickly as he wanted to. 

[00:11:09] Lisa DiGeso So circling back a little bit to photography, can we talk maybe about photographer’s biggest fear: raising our prices. So what mindset shift do you feel photographers might need to make to see their value and confidently change and raise their prices? 

[00:11:24] KT Merry Well, here’s how I’ve approached it, and it has helped me over the years. And trust me, I’ve been there. I definitely have felt those insecurities and that I’m never going to work again feeling and how I’ve approached that is kind of counterbalance, if you will, in the sense that really intentionally and with a really deep commitment to investing in myself and my growth and continuously pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. And so that’s where a lot of those editorial shoots come in, that there’s a lot of lighting things or different styles, that that’s a really great place to explore and push yourself creatively. So I’ve definitely done that over time where if I look back and look at the version of myself two years ago, I go, Wow, we’ve really come a long way and I’ve really grown a lot since then, and I feel I’ve elevated my work and my craft as well as myself as an entrepreneur and what I offer clients in terms of value and client experience. And so when we’re being proactive on that side and and not just hoping that we’re getting better, but actually truly taking the action to make it happen, I think it’s a lot easier to go, Well, of course I have to raise my rates, eh? Otherwise you can’t make those investments in yourself. And, and especially nowadays with with just even inflation and the way that our world is trending, if we’re not doing that, we’re surely going backwards. So I think it’s one of those that stepping more into those shoes of I am an entrepreneur, I am running a business that being profitable is one of the most important aspects of it, as well as creating amazing work and over delivering to our clients. But I think that approaching it from that standpoint makes it a non-negotiable, which is really sets you up in a good spot to make sure that you keep growing. 

[00:13:07] Lisa DiGeso I think that’s one thing that was a mistake that I made in the beginning years was like paying myself. Mm. Like, right. Like as a photographer, especially, I’m a maternity newborn photographer. I was taking all of my income and reinvesting it, right. Not really paying myself. So it was like there was a huge sort of disconnect of actually taking it seriously as a business. And eventually I, of course, raised my prices and I’m at a level now where I am making a living wage with that company. But it’s like when you start your photography business, you don’t realize that. 

[00:13:41] KT Merry Yeah, Yeah. And I, I think so much of the time we’re just so passionate about creating. And I know I certainly was. I was like, the photos feed me, you. 

[00:13:50] Lisa DiGeso Know, like feeds my soul. 

[00:13:51] KT Merry Oh, yeah. Which is really great. Until that bill comes and you’re like. 

[00:13:56] KT Merry Oh, yeah. 

[00:13:57] KT Merry Like, it doesn’t feed the mortgage or, you know. 

[00:13:59] KT Merry Whatever. So. 

[00:14:01] KT Merry So I think there is that and I always try to instill in creative entrepreneurs and the photographers that we work with who are climbing the ranks as as we did, don’t wait for that crisis of, oh my gosh, you know, I can’t literally feed myself and my family. And so now I need to freak out and do something about it instead. You know, from day one go, this is business. Know your numbers. Am I profitable right now? Am I not? What are get the education in to close those knowledge gaps and and really look to those who have gone before you and kind of already figured that out and can save yourself a lot of those near crisis moments where you think that’s it. I’ve got to go work for FedEx and I love FedEx, but, you know. 

[00:14:43] Lisa DiGeso Or like run like a million mini sessions at $100 each. You’re just like, no, honey, don’t do that. 

[00:14:48] KT Merry Yeah. 

[00:14:49] KT Merry And and thinking long term. And I think that is as an industry, something that is probably one of the most dynamic problems in our industry is it’s very short sighted. And if you look I think I was reviewing the statistics the other day and it’s only about 22% of photographers that make it past 11 years in the market. So when you really look at the numbers and and that’s we already know statistically, most small businesses don’t make it past five. And so when we look at all that data, it is telling us that we’re we’re not being able to create a business that’s able to meet our needs and our lifestyle and our financial needs as well as something that is sustainable. And so that’s really the goal is how do we ensure that we’re really kind of intentionally looking ahead without overwhelming but also creating optimism for that future and having a plan to how we’re going to create that. 

[00:15:39] Lisa DiGeso So can you share maybe a tip on the dreaded inquire and ghost. On how to how to convert those inquiries actually into booking? 

[00:15:49] KT Merry Yeah, well, I know there’s there certainly is a lot of the ghosting out there and I think that’s part of that is we just need to prepare for some of that. And you know, it’s a little bit like we are going into a field where getting a lot of nos. It’s like being an actor, having a lot of people say, not you today, not you today. It’s inevitably just comes with the job. Even Brad Pitt gets turned down by people sometimes like not you, Brad. I think it’s just part of the territory and some of that we just kind of need to just be at peace with and find a way to have a good relationship with that. And in terms of practicality, I’ve talked for a long time and had the pleasure of kind of testing this out inside our community. And so the education that we do. And for KT Merry education and really trying out this philosophy, which is I really feel strongly that doing proposals over packages and obviously this is a little bit different if you’re in the newborn and portrait space, but primarily talking about like either more high ticket portraits or weddings and kind of that engagement world really moving away from a package list and instead doing calls, doing custom proposals. And that whole process in my mind is one of the best transitions that we’ve seen photographers make, regardless of price point, regardless of years of experience, that the sooner that they can start doing that, you’re being once again more proactive, more intentional, having more communication and really setting the stage that you’re a high touch vendor, that you’re really going to guide them and be the expert in the experience. So that is the one thing that I’ve really leaned into and we’ve seen a lot of our students have a lot of success with. And so for anyone that’s interested, we break that down in like a A to Z process. Here’s every step of the way, because a lot of people go, Great, how do you really do that? I’m not sure what that looks like. So that’s something that we’ve definitely broken down and seen work really well. And certainly you’re going to have a few people that are going to ghost you and not want to get on a call. But usually that tells you right there, you know, they might just be kind of shopping around or budget wise, you’re not in alignment. And there’s, you know, we need to send them somewhere else anyhow. 

[00:18:05] Lisa DiGeso Yeah, it’s funny in the like in the industry and in like I’ve been I used to be a wedding planner and an event planner and I would like clients would call or and I worked at a conference center at the university and it was so funny because as soon as the inquiry came through, I would get on the phone and have a chat with the client. But it’s funny, as soon as like social media or texting or email, like we almost hide behind. Yeah, like instead of like having that high touch experience, it’s so easy just to hide behind it. So what? Like how for someone who may be, like, uncomfortable getting on the phone, how would you encourage them to connect with their clients like that? 

[00:18:47] KT Merry Well, you need it even more than the people that are comfortable. That’s what I tell you. And that’s and that is the truth. Anywhere that you go. Oh, gosh, just this really doesn’t feel and it’s a good thing. We I think we can all agree the more we can get in rapport with our clients, the more we can flesh out any areas of red flags or dis alignment or anything like that. It’s going to benefit us both. So if we know it’s good, but we’re uncomfortable with it, we also know that, you know, the more you ride your bike, the better you get at it or really anything. And so I just go, you know, rip off the band aid, get on those calls and learn, you know, go out and like that. Like I mentioned, we kind of guide people through that as well. But the more you can just say, I’m just really looking to hear from you. And and really when we’re doing a good job of this, we’re we’re being very active listeners. So while we’re asking really good questions, we’re not sitting up there and giving a speech or a monologue or anything like that. So I think that also helps take the pressure off that it’s not that you need to have a 17 point PowerPoint presentation or anything. People really want to be able to tell you about what they are looking for, what’s important to them, and how you can help them. 

[00:19:58] Lisa DiGeso I remember one time when I was first getting started in this this conference center role, it was my boss had said, You know what? You have to look at it from two different ways. Either you’re making a sales call or you’re making a connection call. 

[00:20:09] KT Merry Yes. 

[00:20:10] Lisa DiGeso Yes. So it’s like if you look at it from the different angle of instead of trying to sell someone to come and have their wedding and spend, you know, $20,000 with us, it’s a connection call to find it exactly what they want. And, you know, and I once they were invited that I was like, oh, I can get on the phone now. 

[00:20:26] Lisa DiGeso Like. 

[00:20:27] Lisa DiGeso I think that’s great. 

[00:20:29] KT Merry And we really do that as well of even if it becomes apparent, you know, and sometimes literally they’ll say two sentences. And I’m like, Oh, no, this isn’t a good fit. And but then you go, okay, well, tell me about your budget. Tell me about what you’re looking for. And because I happen to know a lot of photographers, I know a lot of people who have different strong suits, and that’s something that I’d be more than happy to provide you with a recommendation and you’re going to make them feel that they were assisted and guided and really give them some really sound advice because you’re not benefiting from it. But also such an important aspect that I think so many photographers are overlooking is the ability to support their fellow photographers and to refer business and to recommend someone where even if even if you don’t directly know them or you’re great friends, you just go, I. I see the work that they do. And gosh, what you’re describing sounds just like that person. And I’d love to have you send them your way and reach out to that person and say, this person’s looking in this range, you know, would you I’d love to send them to you. And that’s how you build connection with your community as well. And I love, love, love when we can, as a group of creative entrepreneurs, continue to raise the bar in the industry and help each other out. That goes a long ways. 

[00:21:44] Lisa DiGeso Preaching to the choir. I love that so much. I love that and that’s great. So I’m going to be totally honest. Time management is probably my kryptonite. I get easily distracted and I often find myself down a rabbit hole or maybe on TikTok instead of on a focused task. So what tricks or tips might you have to manage time a little bit more effectively and stay on track? 

[00:22:05] KT Merry Well, I’ve got a book for you, first and foremost, so remind me and I’ll get that over to you. But it’s called the one Thing. Have you read that? 

[00:22:14] Lisa DiGeso You know, I have two hobbies. One is buying books and one is reading books. 

[00:22:19] KT Merry And so is it in the stack that you’ve read or the stack that. 

[00:22:22] Lisa DiGeso Is in the stack in the stack to come. 

[00:22:25] KT Merry Okay. 

[00:22:27] KT Merry Osmosis. It’s been in your presence. You absorb some of it. Okay. Yeah. Okay, great. Well, it is. I mean, it’s truly one of those books that really shifted this for me. And while I am not always the perfect person embodying the principles of the one thing, it is something that I come back to time and time again. And in short, it is about really getting focused on those priorities, about really setting up time blocks and being able to control that calendar. So if we are saying that this one project is the chief priority, then for me, my most effective way of being able to do that is I do that first thing in the morning before anything else when the world is still silent. So usually means in early morning getting that done and then diving into the day. But I find that, as they say, there’s too many landmines, whether that’s we all have different ones, you know, your children coming in your door or your phone buzzing or, you know, that notification or another email or a phone call, whatever it may be. So I think it definitely is a book that really helps narrow that focus for me. 

[00:23:35] Lisa DiGeso I love it and I’ll definitely check it out. 

[00:23:37] KT Merry Yeah, time blocking. Time blocking is the best time blocking. 

[00:23:41] Lisa DiGeso Yes. Yeah, love it. That’s great advice. So we often hear about our students working with clients that may not be their dreamy or ideal clients. So what advice do you have to attract and keep clients that you’re excited to serve? 

[00:23:55] KT Merry Yeah, well, the very first thing in doing that is really knowing who that is inside and out. And I think a lot of the times we have an idea or we have some like nice to haves or we look at other people’s clients and go, Oh, that one looks good. But in actuality it might be the grass is greener situation, but for you that might not be the great fit. So number one is spending a lot of time really just getting to know who that ideal client avatar or as we like to say, community, really is. Because in my case, I’m working with people from all over the world. So we might have clients in L.A. or New York or Hong Kong. And while they they definitely do have a lot of differences from culture to their race to where they live, everything when we really distill it down, there’s a lot of commonalities, and most of our clients are well-educated. Most of them have very successful careers, are really have deep family relationships and a lot of strong family structure. They’re usually really well traveled and love food and experiences and like luxury, but not over the top fussy luxury. And so there’s these certain commonalities where you can start to really kind of pull that out. And the more that you can really understand that client and their desires and their fears, the more you can speak to it, whether that’s in your marketing or that discovery call. And so I think that’s one of the first things is for people to really sit and give that some thought time. And we’ve done things with our students in the past of really building out that vision board for that or writing out some of those ideas. And I think that just like that is important for us with our own dreams. I think it’s really important to do with our clients. 

[00:25:38] Lisa DiGeso I love that. That’s a great idea. So I want to circle back a little bit to the thought on the Vision board, because I think with our businesses it’s easy to start, but it’s really a lot harder to stay on track with your consistency for your business. So do you have any advice on maintaining that passion and that drive and that consistency through it? 

[00:25:58] KT Merry Yeah, and one of the the chief things and I had to take my own advice. I think sometimes we teach the things that we need to hear the most, but we talk a lot inside our community of you don’t need to be at the starting line to start taking action on some of your bigger dreams. Whether that’s buying a commercial studio or in my case, someday having some type of animal sanctuary or something like that. I don’t have to be at the place where I’m ready to buy the land and go rescue the animals. And what I mean by that is what I set a goal this year was just I’m going to have conversations with other people who have already done this and I’m just going to simply get on the phone, know someday in the future. I’m not exactly sure when I’d like to do this. I’d love to hear about your experience and and just kind of hear about that process and how you went about it and things like that. So, you know, really starting to take some of those initial action steps ahead of being totally ready to do that thing, I think is one of the most important things. And it starts to make it more exciting, often more real, because sometimes these goals or dreams that we have, we have them so lofty in our minds and so complicated that actually when you start to take action on them, you’re like, Oh, maybe it’s a little closer than I thought or a little less complicated. So I think that’s one of the biggies is just not waiting to start doing even the smallest action, even if it’s just research or connecting with people. 

[00:27:25] Lisa DiGeso I love that. That’s great advice. Overthinking is probably what I get stuck in. And it’s like instead of just starting and taking imperfect action, it’s just. 

[00:27:34] KT Merry Exactly. 

[00:27:36] Lisa DiGeso Right. It’s don’t get stuck in your head, guys. 

[00:27:38] KT Merry Well and because, you know, anytime you’re in that thought loop, you’re just adding to, oh my gosh, Well, it could be this could be that could be know and and surely it could be. But I think I think if you can just get started a little bit, it’s so much better. 

[00:27:54] Lisa DiGeso So are you ready for our lightning round? 

[00:27:56] KT Merry Oh, I love lightning rounds. 

[00:27:59] Lisa DiGeso Most luxurious vacation you’ve ever been on. 

[00:28:02] KT Merry Well, this is a hard one because I spent a couple of days in between jobs in the Maldives and the Maldives are pretty luxurious when you’re there, luxurious when you’re working, and they’re even more luxurious when you’re not working. So that was pretty amazing. But as I mentioned previously, we just came back from Kenya and we’re in a remote part of of Tsavo East National Park, and at a private camp where it was just my husband, my dad and my and myself out there photographing elephants. And it was what I would call maybe kind of like wild luxury in the sense, you know, open air and all the beautiful things. But it was probably my version of the most luxurious place combined with just, you know, feeling very grounded and close to nature and really wild at the same time. 

[00:28:56] Lisa DiGeso I love that. Like Earth luxurious. 

[00:28:58] KT Merry I love it. Yeah, exactly. 

[00:28:59] KT Merry Exactly. So that was a new standard. 

[00:29:02] Lisa DiGeso Yeah. 

[00:29:03] KT Merry Sorry. That wasn’t very lightening of me. 

[00:29:04] Lisa DiGeso But that’s all right. These don’t have to be lightning. 

[00:29:08] Lisa DiGeso They’re just random. 

[00:29:09] Lisa DiGeso What was your favorite TV show as a kid? 

[00:29:12] KT Merry Oh, well, who’s the boss? For anyone old enough to remember that. And then it’s kind of morphed over and translated from, like, being a young adult to, I guess, just forever would be friends. 

[00:29:23] Lisa DiGeso Gosh, I remember, like, it was Thursday nights or Friday nights. I can’t remember. But we’d all get together after school and we’d be like. 

[00:29:31] KT Merry Yeah, so good. 

[00:29:32] Lisa DiGeso Oceans or mountains and why? 

[00:29:34] KT Merry I guess I would say oceans in the sense that I live near the ocean now. And I think that I love visiting the mountains, but I love being able to dive into the ocean as often as possible. 

[00:29:47] Lisa DiGeso What’s your favorite movie? 

[00:29:49] KT Merry Well, it’s an old school one, and it was one as a kid, so I’ll still claim it. But wild hearts can’t be broken. 

[00:29:56] Lisa DiGeso That’s such a good one. 

[00:29:57] KT Merry That’s a good. 

[00:29:57] KT Merry One. 

[00:29:58] KT Merry Yeah. 

[00:29:59] KT Merry It’s an oldie. 

[00:30:00] Lisa DiGeso Yeah. What are three things you want to be remembered for? 

[00:30:05] KT Merry Oo, I think being able to create and capture beauty, be able to create a legacy and create lasting impact that lives on beyond me, even after I’m not here anymore. 

[00:30:18] Lisa DiGeso Favorite guilty or not so guilty pleasure. 

[00:30:21] KT Merry Let’s see. So favorite guilty pleasure would be a dirty martini. 

[00:30:27] Lisa DiGeso Oh. 

[00:30:28] Lisa DiGeso Nice one. When do you feel most authentically yourself? 

[00:30:32] KT Merry For me, I think that is going for a run with my dog or being outside. Anything where I’m outside in nature or moving. 

[00:30:39] Lisa DiGeso What are you most grateful in the season of life? 

[00:30:42] KT Merry Oh, I’m. I’m really grateful for the ability to continuously dream up something and then bring it into reality. And I think I’ve worked for a long time. And like many people, sometimes you can feel like you’re never reaching the apex of that hill that you’ve been climbing up. And so it has been fun to see some of these things come to fruition or some of that. That long standing work continue to evolve into something else. And so that’s that part is really exciting about the possibilities to come. 

[00:31:14] Lisa DiGeso What makes your soul light up? 

[00:31:15] KT Merry I would say nature and animals. To me, there is nothing better than really being in the middle of nature, surrounded by animals or capturing that beauty of kind of our wild world and and learning about that. I feel like I want to turn into like a seven year old scientist to learn about every little thing out there, because it really, truly is fascinating and just reminds us that there’s so much we don’t know. 

[00:31:41] Lisa DiGeso So much. 

[00:31:43] Lisa DiGeso Love it. So can you share a little bit about your program, the Abundance Plan, and why you built the program and how it’s helping your students? 

[00:31:50] KT Merry Yeah, absolutely. So this program was something that kind of was a passion project that came out of being going to conferences, speaking at workshops and things like that, and really just feeling a little almost frustrated that I wasn’t able to dive deeper and really go to the core, that we were really skimming the surface. We were giving some inspiration and aspiration, but really also not providing the depth of what people really need to make lasting transformation. And so I decided that if I was going to ever create education, that it was going to be intentionally robust, intentionally down deep to the foundations from the inside, out of building what you need and really all the things that I wish I had had at year one, year three or five of my business. And so all of those things that I the questions I wish I had been asking myself earlier on or diving into the business foundations that could have saved me a lot of headache and all of those types of things. So now we have a very robust online program for photographers and creative entrepreneurs that we open up twice per year and bring them in and guide them through this curriculum. And like I said, it’s A to Z. Everything that I’ve used to build and run my business as well as continue to find a way to evolve as a creative maker and continue to grow as an artist. And so it’s a program that a lot of photographers and creative entrepreneurs have been through now, and it’s been really fun to see the transformations that have come out of that and how many people have evolved past just it’s just taking pictures or just making money. It’s it’s really a deeper soul mission of how we’re spending our lives and making that really count. 

[00:33:34] Lisa DiGeso Can’t wait. We’ll definitely include that link in the show notes. 

[00:33:36] KT Merry Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. 

[00:33:38] Lisa DiGeso So I love that you also have your five must dos for your morning routine. I wrote that. I read that on your blog. So you share the importance of why having a solid morning routine or habits can really benefit your business and your life. 

[00:33:51] KT Merry Oh, goodness. Well, I can’t begin to speak to and I test it all the time. I’ll tell you that, because I’ll have the solid morning routine. And then I, like many people, I’ve been traveling like a bug this year and all over the place. And so I’ll derail from that. And sure enough, slowly, not as much is getting done. I’m not feeling as great, you know, whatever that may be. And I think the things that I’ve found that I’ve committed to and as crazy as things can get, when I take the time for the few things in the morning that really set me up for success, or I know I really need as a person to to feel that I’m healthy, I’m moving in the direction I’m I’m waking up positive and having an optimistic outlook no matter what comes my way. That morning routine is really what that what does that and for me getting up just doing those things of spending a little time giving your mind some space always you know moving the body no matter what even if it’s, you know, 30 minutes of a video on iPhone or whatever it may be, all those things really, really help me to feel that I’m starting the day, right. That I’m that I’m taking care of my brain, my body, and able to show up for the other people and the business and all the other things happening in the best way possible. 

[00:35:07] Lisa DiGeso Meditation is such a huge thing for me, so I love it. I loved reading that. Do you like guided meditation and like, what’s your what’s your poison? 

[00:35:16] KT Merry Yeah I’ve evolved over time. 

[00:35:19] KT Merry But where I’m at now is I’ve been using Insight Timer. 

[00:35:23] KT Merry For a while now, right? Yeah. 

[00:35:26] KT Merry So I love Insight Timer and it’s one of those that, you know, when you’re not using it, you’re like, Oh, I should get rid of the subscription on my phone. And then you’re like, No, because it really I love that you can have those really amazing guided ones and they let you bookmark them. So if you’re needing that boost of little what I would say like perspective outlook shift, which we all do often where you’re like, you know, I think I need a little input from another source. It’s really great for that as well as when you just need to sit and listen to birds chirp or anything like that and just sit calmly for 10 minutes. And so that one I think is a huge awesome asset to be able to have in your pocket. 

[00:36:03] Lisa DiGeso Have you read much or learn much about Joe Dispenza. 

[00:36:07] Lisa DiGeso Yeah. 

[00:36:08] KT Merry Yeah. I’m in a digital entrepreneur mastermind and a lot of them have worked closely with him and worked closely with Tony Robbins and all those. Kind of that whole circle. And so I’ve heard so much and learned so much from them, but haven’t been able to work directly with any of them. But yeah, there’s a lot there. 

[00:36:27] Lisa DiGeso There’s so much. And I’ve been doing a lot of his meditations and they are they’re quite powerful. So if you have it I would definitely recommend I, Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:36:36] KT Merry The amount of and that’s where once again I mean I think the next 10 to 20 years is going to be really fascinating for the amount of insight that we’re going to gain from psilosybin to different brains. I mean, there’s a lot I think that we’re going to learn, and I’m very intrigued and excited to see what comes of all that. 

[00:36:54] Lisa DiGeso As am I. I love that. Yeah. So we’re gonna our listeners learn more from you. 

[00:36:58] KT Merry Well, the. 

[00:36:59] KT Merry The best place is Instagram @ktmerry and @ktmerryeducation. For those of you that are looking for kind of our upcoming workshops, masterclasses, teachings, you name it, and then same thing online. We’re just KTMerry.com and KTMerryEducation.com and you can learn we’ve got a lot of great free resources there. We’ve got a lot of great blog posts and things, so definitely check that out where you can learn more. 

[00:37:24] Lisa DiGeso So I love to end my interviews just with this last question and it is what are you currently curious about or artistically curious about? 

[00:37:33] KT Merry Oh gosh, there’s a long list, so I should narrow it down. But I’m always really exploring in in different niches and different locations and things like that. And there’s there’s a few things that you mentioned TikTok earlier, and I’m slightly curious about that. 

[00:37:50] Lisa DiGeso I think it’s so fun. 

[00:37:53] KT Merry So it’s it’s something I don’t I won’t be like jumping on that platform and creating content like crazy anytime soon, but I’m definitely curious to kind of explore what our brand’s interpretation of that could be and really getting back to some of our passion projects and creating for our different fine art print shops. And because that content is really just a different kind of muscle of just allowing us to kind of dream a little bit and go shoot things just for the sake of being creative and creating beautiful imagery. And so those things right now are just it’s nice to have a bit of white space to dabble in some new projects just to flex those creative and curious muscles. So I think that part sounds fun. 

[00:38:38] Lisa DiGeso Love it. Well, KT, thank thank you for joining me today. 

[00:38:42] KT Merry Thank you so much for having me. I so appreciate it and look forward to continuing to listen and all of your great interviews and explorations. So thank you so much. 

[00:38:53] Lisa DiGeso Oh, my beautiful friends, I hope you loved this conversation just as much as I did. I am sending you so much of my light and my love today and every single day. We’ll see you next time.