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Serious Lady Business is the podcast where we dive into the serious—and sometimes not-so-serious—realities of being a female business owner. Host Leslie Youngblood keeps it real about entrepreneurship as we dive into the hard lessons no one warns you about to the surprising wins that make it all worth it. Tune in for honest conversations, unfiltered insights, and stories that prove you’re not in this alone.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (00:01)
Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Serious Lady Business. I am so excited to have Katrina, also known as Kat, High with us today. Kat is a chemist, entrepreneur, small business owner, angel investor, board member, philanthropist, and a dedicated advocate for health and wealth equity, as well as a champion.
for generational empowerment. I'm so excited. As the co-founder of Artemis Factor, a pharmaceutical management consulting firm, she built a thriving business following a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. She is also the founder of the Teddy High Equity, Health and Wealth Collective, HAWC.org, you can find them at, and that's a nonprofit committed to equipping overlooked and under supported individuals with the tools to overcome barriers to wealth.
health and equity, breaking generational cycles and paving the way for lasting prosperity. Because when individuals rise, entire communities thrive. Amazing. She's born and raised in North Philadelphia's Richard Allen projects. She overcame systemic barriers to become the first in her family to graduate college, earning multiple advanced degrees and certifications. Now she's on a mission to help others do the same. Sharing those mindset shifts.
strategies and real talk about what it really takes to break free, build wealth and create a life on your own terms. Kat, thank you so much for joining us today. You are amazing. I'm so excited to you here.
Katrina High (01:29)
That sounds so good
when you hear it read back. Thank you. Thank you, Leslie. I'm excited to be here. I'm so excited. Thank you for the opportunity.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (01:38)
Of course. Now we are chatting Rise and Reign the Boss Blueprint they don't tell you about. And when our previous get-togethers, we're like, we can talk about this for hours. So this is going to be an amazing conversation. There's so many topics to dive into. But I want to kind of start at the beginning, is that when you go from employee to business boss Kat what was the moment you realized you were no longer just an employee, but a leader and a business owner?
Katrina High (02:08)
so there are a points. And so one of them focuses heavily on what becomes your most valuable currency, which is your time. So when you're an employee, you have your 40-hour work week, 60-hour work week, 65, for some of us. But you kind of can manage how you get your work done in a day.
But when you become the business owner, your time becomes your currency. So you no longer have the ability to just let things slide or have that conversation that was scheduled for 30 minutes become an hour. And so that's the moment where you realize my time is money. So that's like that. That's the one part. And then when you realize I'm not just working a job like I am building something.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (02:45)
Right? That's true.
Katrina High (02:55)
And it comes out of the value that you are demonstrating or giving to your customers or the conversation with your employees where, and the way we've built our business, which is very relational, the dynamic doesn't feel like boss employee. It feels more, you know, like colleague. But there comes a point in the conversation where it's very clear. I'm building something here. And so I would say those are kind of, you know, the examples.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (03:03)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Right. Mm-hmm.
Yeah, you have such a unique story in the background of being in the pharmaceutical industry and then starting your own pharmaceutical business and working with some of the people in your new business that you had previously been a colleague for. How has your relationship with those former colleagues changed since starting your own business? Because I'm sure there's a lot.
Katrina High (03:45)
So it's
phenomenal to know how you inspire and who you inspire and who's watching and for how long they've been watching. So when you're your colleagues, the dynamic is sort of what the environment you're working in sets. Some environments are very hierarchical and some are very friendly. And so that kind of sets the tone. But then you have your own
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (04:01)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (04:13)
you know, ways of working and relationships that you build. So it's kind of individual, but you know when people respect you and when they value you just in how you interact. Now, when you remove yourself from that dynamic and it's something different and now we're working together, not as colleagues in the same company, but I have my own company and now I'm partnering with you to solve, you know, problems or to help you progress an initiative.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (04:21)
Right.
Katrina High (04:41)
It's a different dynamic, same person, different dynamic. And you remember me from doing great work and we did it this way and we did it for this company or for this goal. And now we're doing it slightly differently and my seat at the table has changed. Depending on the individual you're dealing with, that could be very inspiring or it could...
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (04:44)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (05:10)
It could be different. could be
some people holding you to the space where they knew you. And so it doesn't allow for you to offer all of the value that you would like to because it's of stunted. It's blocked because of, you know, where someone remembered you and they just can't see you in the way you're showing up, you know, present day. So there's that dynamic. And then
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (05:17)
Mm-hmm.
Thank you.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (05:39)
Real talk, will be people that are a little bit envious or jealous to know, how did you take the leap of faith to do this or how are you doing this? So you get all of those slivers. You'll get the people that are wildly happy for you and will do anything to help you and you're inspiring. It's the folks that just can't imagine you outside of how they knew you way back when. And then it's the people that are like,
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (05:42)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (06:07)
I don't even know how they're doing that, how she's doing that. You get a little bit of jealousy, so that's just real.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (06:08)
right.
Right, no that's so true because you think everybody will be happy for you or you think, they'll see me. Sometimes it's even hard to see yourself as a business owner now and so sometimes it kind of stunts you and stuns you in a way. It's like, why are they being that way? But it really is that challenge of navigating those previous professional relationships, whether it was a colleague or a client you worked at through a different position.
Katrina High (06:17)
You
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (06:40)
And it's not because you're not doing what you should, right? It's their projection of you. Just like you said, it's their perception of how they still see you as that former colleague or that former person. And you've changed, which is amazing, right? so it's kind of like instead of, I'd love to get your take on this, instead of maybe dimming yourself or being like, they're being.
Katrina High (06:44)
Thank
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (07:04)
they're, I don't know, being shitty, right? Like, be like, no, like, this is me, they're gonna have to get on board because it can, you know, especially I think too as women, it can be more of like an emotional like, you know, plays in our mind about that. What do you think?
Katrina High (07:18)
So I think how you show up in the world sometimes gives people permission to explore some things about themselves. for the doubters or the naysayers or for the folks that are jealous, I will not shrink in them. I have to show up and be this way so they can see that it is possible and they have to figure out how they now engage with this version of me, whether it's, can I, you know,
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (07:24)
Mmm, 100%.
Katrina High (07:48)
you know, believe, accept, engage with Kat this way. That is for them. So I'm not taking ownership of that. I have to show up this way because I would be doing a disservice not to. And I have an example. We had an advisory board meeting just last week. And after the meeting, one of our advisory board members called me up and he was like, you know what, Kat? I was holding you to...
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (07:55)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
100.
Katrina High (08:17)
you know, simply being a project manager, the way I remembered when we were working on a project, because this advisory board member was one where I met him through working on a project with him. So they had hired Artemis. And so the dynamic was he is the customer and I am doing the service. And so now you're on our advisory board and we're talking about all these, you know, magnificent things that, you know, Artemis is doing, but for some reason he realized
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (08:36)
Hmm.
Katrina High (08:45)
I was holding you to that space that I remember. And so I had, said, well, you know what? I have probably not taken the time to walk you through the journey and in a clear enough way for you to understand the growth. I'm just assuming that, you know, through the advisory board meetings or what you see on LinkedIn or whatever, that you're keeping track of how much we've grown as Artemis and how much I have grown from when I was.
you know the project manager on the initiative that we were working on and it's also I showed up that way as project manager for that initiative because that's what you hired me to do. When I say all that to say in all that we do there's so many more facets to us just generally but the part of me that you get is the part of me that you need for the value that you want but there's so much more that we all have to offer and.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (09:24)
Right.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (09:41)
the closing the loop on that was I had to give him our updated capability statement. And as a follow on, I gave it to the entire advisory board just so that they had something tangible to know what Artemis now offers if they wanted to explain to someone this amazing advisory board that they're on for this amazing company and this is what the company does. So.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (09:55)
Mm-hmm.
Right. Yeah.
Yeah. That's great. I feel like that's really good on them for saying that to you and being honest. Like, whoa, I didn't even realize. And like, and sure, it's like, OK, yeah, you're right. I didn't fully update you. But I feel like that's also very, you know. Yeah. That's.
Katrina High (10:11)
Thank you.
We have an amazing board. We have an amazing board. So yes, and I'm very
appreciative of that.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (10:23)
I love it. And then you also, you know, touched on something too, where it's like with the jealousy, there's a quote recently that I like love so much and it's, nobody, how's it go? It's like.
the people that judge you or will like hate on you are never doing more than you. They're always doing less. And I gave that to a friend of mine. She's like, that's an amazing reframe. And I'm like, you're right. Because everybody like think about all like the tippity tappity celebrities like too, right? Like whether it's Taylor Swift, Beyonce, or know, whomever in the world that's, in the public spotlight. Everybody chirps about them and they could be bringing world peace like Mother Teresa or you know, whomever. You could be bringing world peace and goodness.
and people are gonna chirp about you. So if they're gonna chirp, you might as well be yourself and show up as your authentic self because that is the only way that you can feel that goodness in your soul and your spirit that's like has to be for you. And so people are gonna chirp, like let them chirp. They're never gonna be doing more than you. So I think that's just something too where it's like, it's inevitable that you're going to come across these people and have these experiences. And it just means you're doing good. You're doing something different.
Katrina High (11:16)
Thank you.
If you are doing it wrong, if that's not happening. And
what I've learned on this journey is it's the who you become in the process. And that's the part that people may or may not get. to not have that experience, I think is sad. For some, if they don't get the opportunity to try to build something and it's the journey in the building and who you have to become to do it is where the value lies.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (11:40)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (12:01)
If you are not having people look at what you're doing and feel, you know, like, how are they doing that? Or why them? Or you're probably not doing it right.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (12:10)
Right, you're not doing anything.
Probably, right? You're just sitting back and judging. And what I think is so important too about moving forward and stepping into yourself and your power and your spirit and what you're called to do is the mindset, right? Like a lot of this is...
in our mind and we can come at it sometimes from a place of lack or like I said like where we can let the haters get us down or that self-doubt get us down. How do you maintain an abundance mindset when faced with real with roadblocks real imagined like all the things Kat?
Katrina High (12:46)
So if I just go to like first principles, what is in my span of control? What can I control? And if I lean on my scientific rationale, what data points do I have to substantiate whatever I'm feeling or whatever is happening? Is this real? And just what have I demonstrated in the past?
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (12:51)
Mmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (13:15)
that I can rely on to know that I can overcome, you know, whatever the obstacle is. And just knowing and believing that there is enough to go around and I am deserving of some of it, all of it, as much of it as we want, as much of it as I want. Won't be easy. Like if anything was, you know, easy, everybody would be doing it and nothing, you know, worth doing oftentimes is easy.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (13:26)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. All of it. Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (13:44)
So
there's going to be work and it's not going to be easy, but I accept that. But I fundamentally believe there is enough for everybody more than enough. And I am deserving of it. So when the obstacles come again, what data do I have to substantiate how I feel about what's happening and what can I pull from in my past to know that I can overcome this? Because I did this thing, so I can do this thing.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (13:51)
Right. Mm-hmm.
Thank you.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. And I love that it's so unique to have that science background. I'm sure, like, right? Like, it really does help you. And you have such an amazing balance of, like, that science data with, you know, all the emotional, like, other things that go along with it. And so I'm sure that's helped you in so many ways. And then when we talk about there's enough, is there enough of you? Right. Like, you, how do you kind of navigate that?
Katrina High (14:37)
boundaries. So there is is enough of me in in context and in.
in balance. So that's a good word. if I don't regulate my enoughness, I will give more than I have to give. There was a conversation that I saw on a podcast and I think it was Oprah just talking about how you have to keep your cup full for yourself and what fits in the cup is yours. The spillage, the overage is what you have to offer.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (14:56)
Mm-hmm.
Right. True.
Katrina High (15:16)
you every everybody else. So I think when you distill it down and you start to realize that your boundaries can be, you know, expansive, they don't have to be rigid boundaries, but you have to have enough boundaries and enough self-worth to recognize what's in my cup as big, I don't know, you can modulate how tall you want your cup to be, because that's personal, is for you. So however tall you need your cup to be, fill it up and that's for you.
and that is sacred and that is a non-negotiable and you don't have to explain it or justify it to anyone. What spills over the cup is for everybody else. And so I have to, you know, know how tall my cup is, know how full it is and that that's for me. And then the overage is for everybody else.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (15:53)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I love that. That's amazing, right? It's like tall, grande, venti, Big Gulp, right? Like you got to figure that out. What are you capable of, right? Like how much do you hold for yourself and how much do you give?
Katrina High (16:09)
English!
Thanks
Like I had a whole gorg
or cauldron like
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (16:19)
Yeah, right. Yeah. It's like, am I a basin? Am I a thimble? What size am I? Some days you might feel like a thimble. Some days you might feel like an ocean, right? So that's so funny. I love it. Tell me too, Kat, like what's like an example of a challenge where you had to get creative and find your way around an obstacle? Spoiler alert, it's every day as a business owner.
Katrina High (16:21)
Hey, what are you doing?
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah!
That's every day. that's some of the fun ones. some of the
So being in a multi-generational workforce is very interesting and trying to have the ability and the toolkit to accommodate the needs of, you know,
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (16:54)
Mmm. Yes.
Katrina High (17:07)
all of the folks that are in your workforce because they are different. have folks that are in the sandwich generation that are taking care of kids and older parents or caregiving in some way. You have very early in career that have different needs and expectations. And then you have people that are semi-retired. It probably isn't unique to Artemis, but we are purposefully diverse in a lot of the ways. And so we have the gamut in our work.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (17:10)
Mm-hmm.
Thank
Yeah.
Katrina High (17:37)
And it's just very interesting not being a one size fit all because we can't, but just in taking the data to understand what different people need. And we're a business, like we're running a business, so we cannot cater to everybody's individual whim. So trying to crack that nut is very interesting. And just human capital and making sure people feel valued and you're giving them what they think they deserve and what you can, but also running your business is.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (17:58)
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (18:06)
a challenge every business has. So I'm pretty sure this would resonate and it's not unique to us. There's that. And we find ourselves in this very privileged position where we have phenomenal talent and we're very client facing and the business that we run with Artemis since we're a pharmaceutical management consulting firm. And so when you do good work, oftentimes it begets more work and it also
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (18:11)
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (18:34)
will encourage people to want, you know, to have your talent as their own. So we find ourselves sometimes with the customers that we serve really latching on to our talent and, you know, wanting to kind of take them for their own, which causes, I guess, business continuity questions, you know, around how you sustain and maintain and, you know, keep your talent and, you know, keep relationships and things of that nature. So those have been fun challenges, you know.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (18:39)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah,
I love that you say that. Fun. That's a good way to perspective to look at it. But you know what I think is also so fascinating to Kat is you're in a pharmaceutical business and industry and it's very bright like science based and yet the challenge is the people in relationships, right? It's like no matter you are in like a I don't know. I don't know where you're just checking boxes business or and you're growing. It becomes like a it's a
that challenges of relationships always don't matter. really?
Katrina High (19:35)
That might be a misnomer, Leslie. So the pharmaceutical
industry is an industry. It has all of the roles. So science might be what people think about first, but those scientists are people. Their family members are patients. They might be a patient. And then you have the lawyers and the finance people. And you have all the things. And then you have the human component. So at Artemis, we never lose sight of the patient.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (19:42)
Sure, that's true.
Yeah, that's true.
Yeah.
Right.
Katrina High (20:04)
We are patients, our family members are patients. So we know why we go in to work every day, whether it's at the bench, whether it's on the manufacturing line, whether it's dealing with a project plan that's gonna help progress the launch of a medication, it is helping to progress a medical Congress where the KOLs and the pharmaceutical company is gonna do some disease state education or we're preparing comms for.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (20:05)
to work.
Mmm.
Katrina High (20:33)
HCP engagement, whether we're doing a workshop to help a team that's not performing at its highest level, engage with each other differently. Because at the end of the day, there is a patient who is waiting for a medication that they desperately need. And all of the steps that we take in how we engage, no matter what avenue it is, is ultimately getting to that.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (20:55)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's so true. Thank you for sharing that. If you're comfortable with going back to talking about the different generations that you like work with and you want to be purposeful and have a diverse team, and there's also nuances that come along with that, is there anything or any like tips that you can share about what you found and how to work with all the variety of ages and stages of life that people are in?
Katrina High (21:24)
Listening, so having a culture of openness, having a very clear set of standards that this is a company and we cannot cater to everyone's want and need, but we are listening and we will do the best that we can. Like our theme for this year is happiness and growing. And happiness might seem like this fluffy thing, but we try to really make it real in the work that you do.
whether it's Artemis facing work or client facing work, we don't want it to feel draining. We don't want to put barriers or things in the way where it makes it difficult for you to find joy and be happy in the work that you do. So we don't put unnecessary meetings or just unnecessary noise in the system. We try not to.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (22:11)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Katrina High (22:21)
We try to make sure the tools and all the resources are on the ready so that it's just easy. and you're happy, you know, doing your job because, you know, being employees, we know all the things that we liked and didn't like and would change, you know, we would change if we could. Well, now we can and see what do.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (22:39)
Right.
I love it. It's so true, right? Like be that change that you so sought out previously. And that's the, you know, I think a reason why so many of us start businesses and try something new is because you don't, you're like, it shouldn't be this way. There is a better way. And it's not that hard. I mean, of course there's challenges, but it's not that hard to do good by people or, know, to explore something new. So I think, you know, yeah, that's really spot on. And that communication and just having people, listening to people, whether or not you're able to implement a change.
or do something that they're asking for. That's just so important and it's so simple. And yet I think a lot of legacy organizations miss that and aren't set up for that type of relationship with employees. Yes.
Katrina High (23:26)
And then there's a little bit of grace that you have to have. We are not gonna get it right and perfect in everyone's mind, but
we have a business to run and we are also beholden to the business because without the business, none of this matters. There are no employees. yeah, the business is a stakeholder in this conversation. So not to lose sight of that and try to keep everyone as...
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (23:38)
I'm good.
There's no paychecks. Yeah, there's no employees. There's no business.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (23:54)
well taken care of as we are able to, understanding that it is very important to us. It is a core value to us and how we engage with our employees and even who we select as folks we want to be with us on this journey. So we're very purposeful. It might not always feel that way. We're not always gonna get it right and we are growing. Like we are a business that is becoming, that takes in data along the way and we iterate and we change and we adjust.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (24:01)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Thank you.
Katrina High (24:22)
And every new employee is a new data point, is a new need or a new challenge. And then from a business perspective, how do we take that in? And then what decisions do we make or what do we do differently?
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (24:36)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think that's a perfect segue to this next question that I have for you, Kat, and it's about the price of progress. You know, how have you held yourself back because you were afraid about growing certain relationships or even of taking the next step in the business? Because I know that, you know, it's like, relationships are big. But also when you see, you're like, we're going to do this and I'm scared. Right. But how do you how do you navigate that?
Katrina High (25:03)
Ha, that's a tough one.
Inevitably, there's an opportunity cost for not demonstrating all of the value that you can bring. And if I just anchor it back to the patient that's waiting for a medicine, if I don't give everything that is in my arsenal, I am doing a disservice. So if it makes someone uncomfortable, or if they don't...
appreciate or allow me to fully step into that the choice is on me to shrink and not Give what I know I have to offer because it's gonna make someone uncomfortable or they're not gonna be used to it Or I show up and then deal with what comes from that. So I show up and then if someone is Uncomfortable with how I'm showing up because of how they you know last engaged with me or they don't
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (25:41)
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (26:05)
You know, they never saw me do this thing. I just have to then figure out how I, from a stakeholder management perspective, move them from where they are to where I need them to be and if that's even possible. So I have to be, I have to realize how that makes stakeholders feel, where they are, and then how I move them to where I need them to be, where they accept and appreciate and value what I'm trying to offer because I have to do that.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (26:07)
and
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Right. have to. There's so much. It's not like a pair of socks, right? Right? It's essential. so, you know, to not move forward, to not do that, you're right. can't even imagine thinking of that and understanding that there is a chess game in a way, right? But there's a way forward. There's always a way to get forward. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (26:46)
No,
And it might not always be easy, Leslie, like, and this is not just professional, this is personal.
Like, so there, the way that you grow, so that becoming that I talked about as a business owner, you will not be the same person like day to day, like day to day. I have to give myself grace because I have to be a different person to survive the day. And so now you have family that are used to you being able to go out every weekend or, you know, having these expectations.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (27:03)
Thank
Yeah.
Right? No. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Bye.
Katrina High (27:27)
And the version of you that they know love, you know, and want to hang out with has changed. That is to some like a death. And now this other person shows up. Who is this person? So they have to see if they want to engage with this new person that you have become. And so leaving space for that and acknowledging that, they might not be able to accommodate this version of me.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (27:30)
Thank you.
Right.
100 % an identity death. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Right. Right. And I think, you know, where you think back on who you were, like, man, I loved her too. She was amazing. But that's not who I am anymore. And I'm even more awesome now. I'm just, I'm different, right? It's not, it's like, you know, you kind of have that perspective, too, where you understand their, like, the frustration or the disconnect, right? But it's also you.
Katrina High (27:56)
and I have to be okay with that.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (28:19)
How could you not change through the things that you're doing and the experiences and the challenges and the wins and like the progress that you're going through every day? You can't stay the same. And I think it's almost not natural to stay the same with any living thing. All living things go through a metamorphosis of some sorts, right? And so it's only natural. why would we ever come down on ourselves or feel badly for something that's just a natural process?
Katrina High (28:30)
I mean.
It's a
natural thing. so, so I gave you the personal, the business. When you do something that you love, and let's just say I'm on a team and I'm running a project, at a certain point, Artemis requires me to do something different and I can't do that anymore. And so how do I reconcile that? Like I now have to do this, you know, other thing that takes me away from how I built my relationships and how I've
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (29:01)
Mmm. Mmm.
Right.
Katrina High (29:13)
garnered value and now I got to try this other thing over here because the business requires it. I don't really want to do that. I want to do it. But what am I going to do? I won't have a business if I don't do this other thing. So I'm like, now I got to say goodbye to that version of me or just say, see you later. And then I got to come over here and be this version of me. So.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (29:19)
Yeah.
Right. Right.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Yeah,
it's just constantly, like you said, hourly, daily, it's just stepping into the new versions of yourself as that business owner. Yes, it does. It's a cost, think an important cost, too, right? It's essential to becoming who you're supposed to be.
Katrina High (29:43)
And that's the cost. A cost.
Yeah.
You can try
to fight it. You can try to shield your eyes to it, but it is happening one way or the other.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (30:02)
Right? And I always was like, there's like another quote where it's like, the obstacle is the way, the obstacle is the way. Like you can't, you're going to try to go around. still going to be there. It's like, you have to face it. You have to put your big girl pants on and do it even though you don't want to. And then it's not even that bad, right? Like we build things up in our minds and we like, and that's probably where the most discomfort is, is before we go through it, because we build it up or expect it to go a certain way. And then you go through it you're like, I did it. And it was.
Katrina High (30:16)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (30:32)
Not
that bad, or maybe it was bad, but I'm still alive. Everybody's free.
Katrina High (30:35)
You're still a lot.
And so the becoming part, because some of it is really tough. So the personal relationships where the people you want to grow with you and the people that you want to champion you and be so happy for you can't. And to figure out how I move without them and I want them with me, like they don't want to, I can't take them and you have to go and you have to leave. That is hard. That is hard. But it's,
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (30:49)
Mm-hmm.
Sure. Yeah. Right. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Essential.
Katrina High (31:05)
You have to do it.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (31:06)
You do. You have to do it. And so I think that's this is really interesting with the next question that I have for you. That's like breaking free. You know, if if you could strip everything away and design your ideal life, you would have those people come with you. Right. But you can't. And so how do you navigate that challenge and what is that ideal life in your mind? Kat, you and the business.
Katrina High (31:30)
So what do they say the more you know like so as as you Go on this journey. You do start to realize, you know what drives you and what? You like and you know what you don't like and it it changes. It's situational But for me, I think one of my key drivers is freedom. You know, I want the ability to choose
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (31:32)
You
Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
Katrina High (31:53)
how I spend my time. We all, at the end of the day, think we all want to just frolic and put our feet up or do whatever it is we want to do when we want to do it. But I want to spend my time with who I want to. I want to work with who I want to work with. I want to be able to select the types of projects and the types of value that I pour my energy into. I want to have the flexibility to make sure my cup is full and when it runneth over, that flexibility is to travel and to
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (31:58)
Yeah.
Katrina High (32:22)
you know, explore new ideas and not feel bound by obligations, self-imposed or external, I want to make impact. you some people, when you shrink yourself and you don't want to say, I want to make impact, I want to. I decided to make a career in healthcare because I wanted to make an impact. And making an impact doesn't have to look just one way.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (32:30)
Thank
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (32:49)
or it doesn't have to look away that is comfortable and palatable for the people that are around you. I want to make impact. Full stop. And so, you know, I want to build something meaningful. Artemis, nonprofit, you know, whatever those things are. And I want to be creative and have my experimental scientific mindset be able to show up. And I don't want to have to, you know, push her to the side or and only be this. So.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (32:54)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (33:17)
I want to make impact. I want to have an ideal life where my personal successes and my professional successes aren't necessarily separate. And I think all of that will lead to legacy and fulfillment. I want to wake up excited about the life that I've created and it's not being forced upon me or I don't feel like I have agency or the ability to choose what I do. I want to be surrounded by people who inspire me and pour into me and
and value me at that stage and if that's where we are because I'm moving somewhere else and I have to leave them there, I'll meet the people at the next stage that I need and hopefully they're there. I want creativity and deep conversations and enjoying the simple things. So I think at the core, you my ideal life is just about alignment with having freedom, making impact and being
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (34:10)
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (34:16)
with and around people that value those things in a similar way.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (34:21)
And I think you can have all those things. Those things are available, right? And you think, oh, am I being unreasonable or greedy? Or some people might say, oh, just be glad with where you're at or what you've done or this. And it's like, no, I want it. I want all these things. And I'm pretty sure I can figure it out, right? Like, can figure out. Women are smart, right? Like, you can figure it out. We can figure out what does that mean for you. It's going to be totally different for somebody else. But you can have all those things. It just takes.
Katrina High (34:41)
Yes! Yes!
Yes.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (34:50)
like the consistency, right? To kind of like keep forward even in the face of exhaustion or challenges and the courage to take those steps and to believe it because I think a lot of times, right? Like we can trap ourselves into thinking, oh, you're right. What was I thinking with that? And it's like, you only fail when you stop trying and you can attain and get that life, any life that you want as long as you take the action in towards bringing it to fruition. So don't get it, will.
Katrina High (34:54)
Okay.
in here.
Right here.
Okay.
and you will fail. Like I literally,
you know, this week, had a stumble, you know, with a client on something. So there was something that happened and it had an unintended, unexpected consequence that I couldn't calculate. Failed. So I have to recover. And, know, in talking with a client, I said, what I want you to know is how I recovered. I want you to recognize. So,
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (35:19)
Yes!
Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.
Exactly.
Katrina High (35:45)
When you play at different levels, there is the task to be done. then, you know, we talked about there is the task to be done. There's the way we work. And then there are behavioral components. And I, I just wanted to break all of those different dimensions down. So the task to be done failed. something unintended that happened, but I want you to know behaviorally. It wasn't intentional. Like there are, I just want you to, you know, there were some fundamental things that.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (35:57)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (36:16)
Foundationally, we did not try to break the system. just something happened that it didn't quite go as intended. And then from a ways of working perspective, how do we make sure that if this was an experiment gone wrong, what do we do next time to figure out how we move forward? But in even the experiment gone wrong, as a planner and a project manager, there were contingencies. There were other things just in case.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (36:17)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (36:44)
You never want to go to the contingency plan, but you know, it's there. so every day I am aware that something that I do may fail. And it's how I recover. It's owning up to this is the failure, but this is, this is how, you know, this is what we're going to do quickly to, you know, recollect. And so I want people to recognize those things. I'm not going to wallow.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (36:53)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Katrina High (37:08)
I'm
not going to, you know, beat myself up too much, acknowledge it, take ownership, take accountability and figure out how do we move forward? What's the damage? How do we contain it? So I'm going to fail.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (37:10)
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right.
Here's the thing, right, where we think of these incredible athletes, right? Where Tom Brady, Serena Williams, you know, everybody that's considered, you know, like the GOATs Well, guess how many games they lost? They lost a lot more games than they probably won. Don't you just remember them as winning, like, these really important things, but they lost. And like that, think also, when I kind of like thought about that, I was like, my gosh. Like, I wish I'd known this as an athlete, right? Because I felt like I wallowed too much in my shortcomings.
Katrina High (37:51)
Yeah.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (37:51)
mistakes that you
have to realize, especially as a business owner now when there's so much more on the line, you are going to mess up unintentionally, right? Like with all the good intention, with all the planning in the world, things can go awry. And the real important thing is how do you deal with it when that happens? Because you have you have to get yourself back up and you have to keep going, right? Like when little kids are learning to walk and they fall down, you're not like don't walking is not for you. Don't walk.
Katrina High (38:01)
you
Mm-hmm.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (38:18)
You're not gonna be a walker, right? And it's like, no, you would never say that to a child, because they're learning and they're gonna keep going. It's like, think about that. You would never say to a baby, stop, you're not gonna be a walker. So you are going to be a business owner. You just have to get back up and keep going. You just do it. Just gotta do it, you just gotta do it. Okay, final question. What is one unconventional decision you've made that allowed you to create the life you love,
Katrina High (38:34)
You have to get back up and keep going.
Ooh, I don't know if it was unconventional, but it is one that often people don't make. So Artemis was born from a reorg, a pharmaceutical company that myself and my partners were working at. And there are a lot of people in this dynamic workforce that are experiencing downsizing or restructures. And there's a moment where you have to decide what's next. You might not feel like you have a decision.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (39:14)
Right.
Katrina High (39:14)
you might feel trapped, like things are out of your control. But at that moment when the reorg happened and I had to decide what I was going to do next because my job was impacted, it could have been looking for opportunities within that company, either lateral or trying to take an advanced position. It could have been looking for opportunities outside of that company or...
it could be betting on myself and taking the leap of faith to start Artemis Factor. So I think that was an unconventional decision that I had to make at a time where externally something happened to me that impacted my livelihood. So what am I going to do? And when your livelihood is impacted, your mortgage, your car note, it might feel safe to just, I'm just going to go take any job. I paused, I did not lean into that energy and I
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (39:47)
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Katrina High (40:11)
you know said okay this is an opportunity let me pause for a second this is an opportunity what do I want to do
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (40:20)
Mm-hmm. love it. That's fantastic. hope more drama when it... Yeah.
Katrina High (40:22)
it wasn't easy. Like it wasn't quite straightforward like that. Like there was a conversation in the mirror. back and forth, him and her. my God, what about this?
What about that? And then, you know, there was a defining conversation, me in the mirror. And I'm like, okay, girl, what are you going to do? What are you afraid of? What's the worst that could happen? Like, this literally happened. And I was like, okay, okay. It's go time. It's go time. It's go time.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (40:37)
Mmm.
Mmm. Mmm.
Right. We're doing it. Yeah! It's going time,
baby. I love it.
Katrina High (40:51)
And if you can
say that, like if you can get to there and then you're going, like then you then all the all of the steam and all of the data points from any accomplishment that you've had in the past comes to meet you at that moment. And then you accelerate, like because there's no going back. Like I've decided and I'm not there's no going back. Like the bridge is burnt. Like the bridge is gone. I've got to move forward. I'm going. So, yeah.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (40:59)
Thank
Yeah.
Right.
I love it. So get going. Anybody listening?
Have that conversation with yourself in the mirror. Be like Kat, because you can do it. And you've done so much, Kat. I love it. Thank you so much for being here. You are such an inspiration. And I would love, before we go, for you to share where people can find you, Artemis Factor, your nonprofit, all the amazing things you're doing right now.
Katrina High (41:39)
so I guess the easiest way is, know, ArtemisFactor.com. You can find me on LinkedIn. Katrina, I think, N High is my handle on LinkedIn. I'm on the other socials. So we'd be happy to engage to lean more into this conversation. Leslie, thank you. You have been an amazing interviewer. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I hope your listeners, you know, find value in this conversation.
LESLIE YOUNGBLOOD (41:59)
thank you.
I
have no doubt that they will. Thank you so much, Katrina. We'll also put your information in the show notes. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being here. I'm so excited and we will see everybody very soon for another episode of Serious Lady Business. Thanks so much. Bye, Kat.