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A podcast focusing on the perspectives, lives, and stories of Kansans to provide greater insight into the state we all call home.
AAK_Ep31
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Sydney Collins: [00:00:00] So we had that sock sock shoe. Shoe, yes. Conversation. Uhhuh. This is along those same lines.
Gus Applequist: It was like, uh, with the order in which you put on your shoes. Yeah. Okay.
Sydney Collins: Why do you say you're on a bus, you're on a plane, you're on a boat, but you're in a car.
Gus Applequist: Hmm Hmm.
Sydney Collins: Why is that? Because technically you're in a plane on the boat.
I get. 'cause you can, like, it's not encapsulated.
Gus Applequist: Uhhuh Uhhuh.
Sydney Collins: You're on a train still. It's encapsulated you.
Gus Applequist: I don't the answer. Uh, here's my guess. My guess is that you don't have a lot of agency when you're on those other forms of transportation. Oh. And when you're in a car, you are often the one driving.
IIT That's true. But that's, that's what I'll take it. But I'll be thinking about that as I'm in my car later today.
Sydney Collins: Am I
Gus Applequist: on my car? [00:01:00]
Sydney Collins: You on your car? You're in your car. Well, I'll be on a plane tomorrow, so. Nice. Nice. There we go.
Gus Applequist: Hi, and welcome to Ask a Kansan
Sydney Collins: where we are amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas. And so today our guest is, um. It, our conversation did one of those things again, where it took an unexpected turn and I absolutely loved it.
Gus Applequist: Um, I was slightly more uncomfortable, but only because the focus became more us than I anticipated.
Sydney Collins: So, um, we, our guest today is Danielle and she, uh, we met her through, um, uh, Alyssa, [00:02:00] uh, cohort Digital, yeah. From Cohort Digital in Topeka. Um, and, uh, we had a conversation, um, or I had a conversation with Danielle A. Little bit, um, on a Zoom meeting a few weeks ago, just connecting, being creative connects, 'cause we're all in the marketing world and things like that.
And then, um, I started listening to our podcast and I was like, man, this, she would be an amazing guest. Like, she, she, she just has a really cool, like, passion, um, to her. Mm-hmm. So, without any further ado, here is Danielle J. Martin.
Hello. How's it going? How are you? I'm good. I'm Sydnee. I know we've met, but
Gus Applequist: nice to you. Yeah. Hi. Thank you guys. Thanks for coming today. Thanks for
Sydney Collins: coming. Alright. How are you guys?
Danielle Martin: Good. You
Sydney Collins: know how this
Danielle Martin: works? Yes. I love this. I love this setup. This is like, I'm in my element here. Good. Awesome. So I'm just usually on that side.
You are, you are. We're flipping
Gus Applequist: the script on. I know.
Danielle Martin: So for our audience, can you introduce [00:03:00] yourself for us? Yes. Um, I'm Danielle J. Martin. I am currently now a full-time business owner, um, entrepreneur of authentic media and some other businesses. And so I'm now currently starting a new adventure. So that chapter just started, let's say a couple weeks ago.
That's awesome. Congrat, congrats.
Sydney Collins: Thank you. Can you, uh, tell us what Authentic Media is?
Danielle Martin: Yep. So Authentic Media is a boutique branding and consulting company where we help entrepreneurs, professionals build brands that reflect truly who they are through style, strategy, and storytelling. And it's really important for, um, really us to do that starting with story because coming from a place where I used to be a journalist, I used to work, um, in the news industry, I noticed that a lot of business owners had.
Struggle. And I would say challenges rather, um, sharing their story, [00:04:00] they wanted to get directly into like the business, selling their product marketing. And there was a huge gap in not really like, showcasing who they are. Um, starting with the foundational element of who are you and what do you wanna be known for?
So that's why, that's where like the consulting part comes in. And so we do everything from brand experiences with photo shoots. So we help them like elevate their, um, professional visuals. And then we also help them with like content strategy, marketing. And then we also have some like, digital products that we offer too.
What,
Sydney Collins: what
Danielle Martin: made you wanna do that? What made you wanna get into this? I always had a heart for media. Um, I didn't really know truly what that looked like until, um, really I got, I would say, closer with God and really did a lot of developing and healing in that way. And I noticed there was, again, a huge gap in the arena of business [00:05:00] owners that were afraid to put their authentic selves out there.
I really see it from like a psych psychological standpoint of marketing and I was like, okay, how can I. Collaborate and kind of combine all the things I'm good at with like podcasting photo shoots, and then storytelling. Mm-hmm. And so out of all of that, developed authentic media. I'm a true believer of like showing up authentically.
And then obviously like the media part comes in through like, just anything that has to do with like, videography, photography, um, that's like the whole element of like authentic media. Mm-hmm. But I saw a huge gap in, currently I live in Topeka, Kansas which is so interesting 'cause that's like a whole different story.
'cause I'm originally from Houston, Texas. Okay. So originally from there, and I've been in Topeka for about six years. And, um, which is again, you know, they say like, you make plans and God laughs. So that's typically what happened with me. And then I never saw [00:06:00] myself as a business owner, like ever. but then like I had all of these ideas come to mind, and then I just had a lot of people around me say, you know, you can make money off of this.
Mm-hmm. Right? Like, helping people. And I'm like, yeah, but it's really like, not about that. Like I just genuinely just wanna help people, like, with styling and like, you know, photo shoots and, you know, there's, I, I take photo shoots all the time, so I was just like, you know, you could do this for your business, right?
And so it just started to kind of like come together as a business. And so I took some time and um, I took a step back and reflected and said, okay, how can this really be like intentional for this community? And so where I found a lack in the Topeka community is first impression is everything. Like it is the front door to your business.
And so when you don't have a website or a professional like photo on your website, you are communicating a message to your [00:07:00] audience. And I always like remind my clients, I'm like, this is more than just your logo and what you're selling online. Like people can get to that later. You are communicating a visual message to your audience and right now you're, you're showing that you're unprofessional or I can't take you seriously.
And so I'm like, let's take a step back and let's invest in this, you know, photo shoot. This visual experience is kind of like what we call it. and also like give yourself kind of like a gift really. 'cause we don't just do photo shoots. We do like, there's hair and makeup, you know, there's um, photography, there's videography.
You kind of get like the whole brand experience. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Do you find clients that. Maybe they aren't clients. 'cause you get put pushback mm-hmm. From them of like, well if I'm really gonna be authentic me, I just need a Facebook page. Or if I'm really just gonna do this, I, I don't need that. [00:08:00] Do you find that in a lot of people that you talk to or,
Danielle Martin: what's interesting, the businesses that we've been consistently, um, helping is they're in like, I would say all different types of industries. So we're running into, um, estheticians, we're running into product-based businesses, service-based businesses.
So we're helping kind of like a large arena of people. Like there's not one size fits all, basically. So it's very customized, which is why we like to call it very boutique. and so a lot of business owners are running into, I'm just gonna do what this person told me to do, or I'm just gonna do this because everybody else is doing it, right?
And it's like, no, you have to really kind of, this is where like the strategy piece comes in. You have to step back. And I always ask people before we go anywhere, what do you wanna be known for? You have to start there because as you are creating and you are building your business, you are gonna lose sight of that very easily with the amount of [00:09:00] distraction that is going on in our world right now.
So you have to keep like the end in mind. What is your ultimate goal? And then you kind of just like backstep, like basically create a roadmap and like kind of go backwards, but like, ask yourself what do you wanna be known for? For me, authentic media, I hope that it is the light and the platform that gives God all the glory.
And so I have to remind myself that as I'm communicating with people, this is not just like a relationship business, you know, transaction. It's like I wanna build a relationship with you. And I also, hopefully along the way, wanna introduce you to Jesus 'cause he saved my life. You know, so it's like, it's really bigger than that.
Sydney Collins: I wanna kind of, um, gear off a little personally here. So you are from Texas, you're in Topeka. What was kind of one of those? 'cause they're very different cultures, very different experiences. Yeah. My husband is from South Houston, so he's from Baytown area. [00:10:00] Okay. Familiar. So, yeah. So when I go there, that's a, like, this is a very different area than when I grew up.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: So what was kind of the big moment for you when you realized. Okay. Topeka, Kansas is very different than, than Houston.
Danielle Martin: Okay. Can I be transparent? Yes. I didn't even know Topeka Kansas existed. That's that's honest. Until like I was just applying for jobs. Right? Yeah. So ultimate goal when I was a young, young girl, I wanted to be on Good Morning America.
And still see it to this day, but maybe in a different way. Right. so Robin Roberts was my ultimate, I would say, just like spiritual mentor. And so I went to school in Houston. Born in, well, okay. Born in New York. I always like to throw that out there, even though my family's like, Danielle, you're not from New York.
I'm like, I know. But I was really like raised in Houston, Texas, and I was looking for jobs in the news industry. [00:11:00] Back then, it took, I mean, years, maybe months to actually get an on air. Mm-hmm. Job. And so I was applying everywhere. And I remember graduating from college. I waited 10 months until someone finally got back to me and it was a news director, John Janes, that used to work in Topeka, Kansas.
And he said, Hey, I know you applied for this sports PO position, but I think you should consider this news position. And I'm like, okay. I wanted to, I've been, I used to wanna be a sports reporter. And so, it's funny down the line they say, you, you should just say yes 'cause you never know where you're gonna end up.
And so I just said yes. And so then one, uh, one time I came and visited Topeka and I was like, okay, I can do this. This reminds me of like my college town, you know, I'm like, I can do this. And so I visited and I really just felt it in my spirit that it was like. Meant to come here. Little did I know Topeka was gonna be [00:12:00] the place in the community that saved me.
Yeah.
Sydney Collins: when you moved, was it again, I, sorry. No, you're okay. I do things in examples, so yes, I moved from, uh, Salina to McPherson. Um, the hard part was I did it during COVID. Mm-hmm. And so I didn't actually really get friends until like 20, 21, almost 2022.
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Sydney Collins: Um, because of that. Were you able to build your network and build a community in Topeka?
Um, easily, or how, how did that come about?
Danielle Martin: Yeah, I would say like the first year was, it was a interesting transition. Being away from my family was probably the hardest and challenging thing I've ever walked through, and still is to this day. Because, you know, I'm the youngest of six, so you could put two and two together.
I'm the baby. Yes. And I'm spoiled. But, um, and so like being away from my family for that long was really hard. And, um, so the first year was like trying to navigate that was weird. Um, and then [00:13:00] in my mind I had the like end, in end in mind that I was only gonna be here for two years. 'cause normally like news, um, positions, your contract is two years and you can decide to extend it and things like that.
But I'm like, I'm only gonna be like, Topeka is a, a pit stop for me. Like, who's gonna be here that long? Not I, you know. so I came here with a mindset that I was only gonna be here for two years. And then, like I said, little did I know I got involved with a community. I met someone I dated, I fell in love, I did all the things that you can think about here in Topeka.
And it has been amazing Along the way. I developed, relationships, got involved with a community and organization served on boards. So, like I said, like, I. Literally like didn't know Topeka would become my home. And so like later down the line, I worked at WW for about three years as a weekend anchor news reporter.
And then, um, when I got really involved in the [00:14:00] community, someone was, you know, informing me about this company called Advisors Excel. I didn't know anything about financial marketing. I'm like, what, what does this like, again, it was kind of like, what is Topeka? Where is Topeka? Around that time, advisors Excel was opening their new TV studio, like state of the Art, multimillion dollar studio.
And around that time I was looking for, again, another place to grow to climb the ladder. That was my plan. Mm. Yeah. And stop making plans. 'cause God's laughing at you literally. And then, I kind of take a, I took a step of faith and I said yes to that position at ae. Um, also known as advisors Excel.
then I worked there for about three years, or no, four years. Can four years. Can you remind me what is Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Financial marketing. Marketing. I've never heard of that. Yes.
Danielle Martin: Oh my gosh. Okay. So our mission, um, advisors Excel's mission is to, um, help financial advisors become great business owners. Mm.
[00:15:00] Right? So think about it in the most, I would say like surface level. As a business owner, you need a marketing department to help run your business. Right? Advisors Excel was that for financial advisors? That makes a lot of sense. Yep. Right? Got it. Yeah.
Gus Applequist: Thank you.
Danielle Martin: Yeah. And we did everything from logo creation, products, sales, like helping them basically, um.
With their clients on retirement, like they're helping retirees and we're helping them market their firm. And so I worked in like the TV department, um, which we were helping, um, advisors market their firm by producing long form 30 minute TV shows and 32nd commercials in social media videos. And interestingly, again, my version of my way of wanting to get out there was like to leave and climb the market, not realizing like AE was gonna be another huge opportunity and platform that would really help me connect with the world.[00:16:00]
So we served, um, advisors and still serve, all over the world. So there's advisors that fly into Kansas City. Um, all the time from like Chicago, Texas, North Carolina, I mean, any state you can think of, like we serve those advisors. And so I think we had almost about 200 advisors on our TV platform.
And so I've worked with like, just phenomenal people and then especially in the, um, in the marketing and just creative industry, like AE has some talented people. So that was a really huge, like, time in my life too.
Gus Applequist: I don't remember exactly how you phrased it, but Topeka saved you.
Yeah. Yeah. Could you elaborate on that? What, what were you, what do you mean?
Danielle Martin: Yeah. you know, sometimes you're going down. A path [00:17:00] in your life and you know, you could continue making certain decisions that could lead you astray or that could lead you down. who knows, like jail or death, you know? And I think there was a time in my life where I was making decisions that could have ended me up in one of those two places.
And then, um, getting involved in the church community, getting involved in the community of Topeka, um, which these people are just phenomenal. there has been so many times where I literally feel like, honestly, the best way I can explain this is that literally like the Holy Spirit and people, like they would communicate.
I would have a conversation with someone. I would like, interact with someone and it would be like that conversation I need for that day to like get me on the right path or to help me make different decisions. And so, um, I would say it was about two years ago today, um, where I was like, okay, I'm done playing around.
With myself, like, I'm done making these silly choices. That is like obviously not helping me, [00:18:00] right? I think I just really just made a decision that's like, okay, we're going to, we're gonna start taking life more seriously now. Hmm.
Sydney Collins: Um, as you go out on this journey of your own business, doing your own thing, um.
What has it been like being one woman in, in a leadership pos, a woman in leadership position, but a woman-owned business?
Danielle Martin: Oh my god. Yeah. Okay. So it is like crazy out here. Okay. Like, again, I'm just gonna, I'm always gonna be transparent and authentic. Like whoever's out here making it seem like being a business owner is so, like, easy.
It's like, girl, please stop lying. Okay. Because, no, like as a female business owner and just like what we're seeing now and just the industry of businesses, like right now, I've talked to so many people this year in 2025, and they're seeing. You know, just a lot of their sales and interaction with [00:19:00] their clients go downhill.
You know, obviously for multiple rea reasons. Inflation, just the market, just a lot of things fluctuating all over the place. Uncertainty is like really filling the hearts of people and people are feeling that impact and it's like causing people to feel fear. it is interesting now being fully in this position.
Um, again, I've only been here for a couple weeks, so who knows, but um, and I'm just really taking it one day at a time. But I would say community is the most important thing. And networking is the most important thing, right? I've always lived by, it's not what you know, it's who you know all the time, right?
And so I think the most beautiful thing, um, that I've been doing right now is just like reconnecting with people, right? It's kind of like going back to COVID. It's like, Hey, okay, let's get off of Zoom. Let's go meet in person. Let's actually go have a cup of coffee. Let's go on a walk somewhere. Let's save money too.
You know what I mean? Like [00:20:00] let's actually, those coffee dates add up, right? Literally. And I'm just like, do you wanna go on a walk? Do you wanna work out, let's get our body moving or something. but I think the most challenging thing is not knowing if what you're creating is going to work, right? But I've actually recently said, you know what?
We're no longer gonna think like that because that's another thing that I'm seeing in a lot of people. And I would say, especially in the Topeka community, that we have a strong belief problem. Like, we really do not believe in ourselves. Hmm. Like. I don't think like what we're creating and what we're doing, people do not believe in what, what they're creating.
Right. And one, one of the foundational pieces of being a business owner, especially an entrepreneur, you have to believe in what you're creating. And because nobody else is gonna believe in that. You know what I mean? So I think fully stepping out into this, it's like, oh, okay. Like do I really believe in what I'm doing?
[00:21:00] Going back to the piece around just being a female business owner, one of the things that I also did, previously. Is, um, I hosted a woman empowerment event called Rise and Thrive, and it was last year and we got together, I believe, over like 300 women Wow. In a room. And we wanted to literally empower and educate and transform their mind to remind them that everything that you are called to do, you can do it, but you have to believe in it.
Right. And so one of the things that coming from a bigger city, you see all of these experiences like this, like these women empowerment events happening all over the world. Topeka did not have that. And I said, you know what? Like why not create it? Mm-hmm. Right? And that's one of the things I've learned about myself is that like, if there's a gap, if there's nothing like that taking place, why can we not create it?
We are called to create, we are [00:22:00] literally creatures of habit. Like we are literally called to create whatever God put within us.
Sydney Collins: so another transition here. Um. Your podcast.
Danielle Martin: Yes. So,
Sydney Collins: um, tell our audience a little about it and kind of what the goals are with it. Yeah,
Danielle Martin: so authentic media, um, that recently came about last year as well. There's a lot of things that took place last year. Um, last year was a huge transition, um, in my life as far as, getting outta a relationship, getting into new communities.
really I think stepping into the identity of like who I am today. So basically saying that like authentic media used to be known as another business name. Right. And I think that's another conversation too, we can talk about is like business owners pivoting from, you know, one idea to the next and like, is it okay to change your business name?
Like, yes, it's okay. You're okay. People do it all the time. but authentic media is basically, um, I would say a branch to my business, authentic media. So the [00:23:00] podcast part is basically kind of like what we're doing here. I've brought, brought on CEOs, Kansas leaders, business owners to discuss what it truly means to brand in this 25th or 21st century industry of like the world.
Because branding is always changing, marketing is always changing. And so I wanted to bring on real people to share real stories, um, so they can share, um, their real impact and real results, right, of like what's truly taking place, in the world of marketing and branding. And so that's kind of, and it's also like my, I would say like video diary that like, anytime there's something going on in my life, you know, it's like, Hey, let's talk about it, you know?
Mm-hmm. I'm a huge person around, like I said, transparency and authenticity. And I think it's really important for people to know what really goes on behind the scenes. Mm-hmm. Like, yeah, like let's really share what's, how did we really get here? Because I think people put on [00:24:00] a lot of like, just, you know, just fronts and, making it seem like this is all put together, like easily.
So
Gus Applequist: one of the things we've found in marketing is that a lot of people have. Have a distaste in their mouth towards marketing. Mm-hmm. Like just the very concept of marketing is like
Danielle Martin: Yeah. Ugh.
Gus Applequist: Because I think, I think they see it as as lying. Yes. They see it as like, I have to present this face to the world so people will come and do business with me.
Yeah. And, and they're kind of putting up like a facade Yes. That isn't supported by the reality behind the scenes. Yeah. you know, what is one small thing a business owner could do to present a more authentic self to the world?
Danielle Martin: Mm-hmm. That's really good. I was just talking about this with my client the other day and the most like, simple way I could say this to her, I said, you need to stop being what people want you to [00:25:00] be and you need to be yourself.
And I think that's easier said than done. And it may sound cliche, but I'm like. Stop doing what trends are doing. Like stop doing what people want you to do. Stop doing what? Like she's an aesthetician and it was like, I wanna follow the trend of like what they're doing right. And it's like, I think sometimes you have to go against the grain of marketing and do the complete opposite and break through that ceiling.
if it works for you, I think we have to like maybe look at a lot of things and, you know, discover and kind of evaluate. Okay. Based on where your business is at, does this fit for you right now? Um, I think there's two different types of business owners. There's a startup one and there's a seasoned business owner and they're on two different paths.
Right. so I get both types of business owners, so I always like to evaluate where are you currently in your marketing? So we kind of like to do a diagnostic of like, okay, let's look at what you're currently doing and what's not working. Right. So it's like, let's start with your checklist. [00:26:00] Like is your profile updated?
Your profile picture is all of your Facebook and your social media handles all of that aligned and branded. And if it's not like, honey, we need to get you on track. You know what I mean? if you have a Facebook page and a LinkedIn page and on one platform you haven't posted since 2018, it's like, okay, well obviously we shouldn't be using that.
so there's a lot of pieces that go, that are involved with like creating an actual brand. But I think when it comes down to the actual authenticity piece, this is where I get excited 'cause it's like this is where the co consulting and coaching comes in. Um, 'cause it's like I'm consulting, but I'm also coaching a lot of like of my clients around, uh, what is the story you're not telling?
And people wanna know that story. People wanna know that you're real. People wanna know that you're human. And it's interesting because there's a lot of human business owners and [00:27:00] entrepreneurs trying to do what corporations are doing. It's like, it's a weird philosophy that it's like, but then there's like corporations that are now trying to bring in the human aspect and it's like, get rid of all of that.
And people just want true, authentic you. Um, if you look at your phone. YouTube, you are being sold all the time, every day, all day ads. You kind of already said it. It's like marketing is like immediately, I know you're trying to sell me something and you're trying to manipulate me to buy whatever you're, you know, wanting me to buy.
There's an interesting transition taking place in marketing and branding where it's like, it doesn't matter if you have like the quality 4K video, people want your cell phone, like the, the version of your cell phone, of you recording yourself on like a selfie kind of style video. They want that version of you, which is so interesting.
It's like we pay thousands of dollars for 4K cameras. Like, what do you mean you're gonna get this quality video? But I'm noticing a [00:28:00] transition in that. Have you guys noticed that too? What is that?
Sydney Collins: I think it just depends on the platform ultimately. Mm-hmm. So we work, at Fili with a lot of nonprofits, healthcare, and really like locally owned businesses between, you know, 50 employees.
So like 500 employees. Yeah. But, we do a lot more, how do I say it, storytelling. Where we are able to put that kind of polished look on it and we, we don't do a lot of the, so it's like
Danielle Martin: appropriate
Sydney Collins: there. Yeah. Yeah. And where if you we're doing an ad, so for instance, if we're doing ad for the podcast where Yeah.
It's more authentic if it's like us. We did, we did these like at the state fair. Mm-hmm. Like it, nothing was scripted. Mm-hmm. I was in my Chiefs sweatshirt. Oh yes. We love that. It, it was, it wasn't anything like super well planned.
Danielle Martin: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: We did it on a whim and it got a lot [00:29:00] of it, it, it did well because it was just us at the state fair in the rain.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. It depends like a lot on. what channel you're trying to communicate through. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And how much information you're trying to impart. Mm-hmm. And I think there's a lot of, of the need in an organization for the little things Yeah. That need to go out. Those don't need to be fancy. They don't need to Right.
Be super planned. Mm-hmm. They just, they need to be timely. Mm-hmm. Right. Yeah. And so that's where that cell phone video comes in, in my opinion. Yeah. One of the things we do within our business on, on the video side is when we are thinking about like, the biggest kind of darkest things in the closet mm-hmm.
That, that they need to deal with. Mm-hmm. That's where we can come in and say like, okay, well how do we, how do we bring that out and recognize what it is and deal with it? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Good. So it's not dark and scary anymore. Yeah. And you're raising the money you need to raise or you're, you're launching that product that you were nervous about launching.
Right. So that's my perspective. Yeah.
Danielle Martin: I think it's beautiful [00:30:00] too, to like. It's interesting 'cause it's almost like a therapy session too. Yeah. You know what I mean? It is like, you're literally, that's why I said it's like coaching and consulting at the same, at the same time. Mm-hmm. And what I find, um, so beautiful about those moments, it's like that's what makes you, you, the details of a person makes you, you.
And I think that sometimes when we're trying to hide those scary darky dark things that's, you know, happening in the closet, it's like honey, like talking and speaking and communicating will set you free. You know, just my philosophy,
Sydney Collins: we referenced Simon Sinek Start with Why quite a bit. Yeah. I don't know if you're familiar with that, but, that's what kind of really, I'm speaking for guests here, but that's what really started feely is that video of like, why are we doing the things we're doing?
Mm-hmm. Why does that matter? Why does that, you know, why does this messaging really fit you? Or why does mm-hmm. We're asking our clients a lot of times, why. And that really gets you to think. So once you get to, what is it like the seventh? [00:31:00] Why you really kind of figure out what the core problem is,
Gus Applequist: right?
Sydney Collins: And so that's what we do a lot of times with clients and, and even just in life in general. Like when we think about authenticity, it's like, okay, I'm trying to think of an example. I'm not great at it off the top of my head, but when you, when you really question yourself of like, okay, why am I doing the things I'm doing?
Gus Applequist: Mm-hmm.
Sydney Collins: Okay. Why am I doing that? Yeah. Okay. On top of that, why, why, why, why you get to that seventh? Why? Yeah.
Gus Applequist: And it's like, and you get to the wisdom of a kindergartner.
Danielle Martin: Yes. Oh my God, I love that. Oh my gosh, yes.
Gus Applequist: Because they, they always ask that question. Mm-hmm. And, and it can be hard to answer them, especially when it's like, well, yeah, why is gravity a thing?
I,
Danielle Martin: yeah. I dunno. Literally. Yeah. Yeah. I love like. It just, you keep kind of like backtracking into mm-hmm. Like what is the root of this, right? And so like, one thing in authentic media that we use with our clients is our core framework. And we literally take them through like this step-by-step process to get them to the root of like, [00:32:00] why do you think like that?
Where does that come from? why do you want people to like, feel that way about you when it comes to like your business or your product? And that's why I'm like, it's always bigger than like the brand or it's bigger than the business. And, I forgot who says it best, but you know, uh, miles Monroe always says that like, don't become a person that wants to be known, become a person of value and become so valuable that people are like, attracted to that versus like, who you are, right?
Mm-hmm. If that like makes sense. So yeah, that's
Gus Applequist: like if we're talking about a facade. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's just saying that like, it's not a facade. There's real value you're adding behind that.
Danielle Martin: Yeah. And
Gus Applequist: that's what authenticity is.
Danielle Martin: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And it's interesting because, in my other business we also go through this other philosophy that, um, my, uh, Myron Golden talks about the be, do, have, right?
And, um, it's another like, I would say like business adventure that takes people down the scope of, you know, in order to truly have the [00:33:00] things that you want in this world, you have to start with like who you are. Like be that person, right? Attract those things. then you get into the doing, you get into like, okay, this is how I'm going to, you know, create this product, sell this, um, service and things like that.
And then you get into the having part, right? And so like, I don't know, like that's another, like can of worms. I love to also go down, so.
Gus Applequist: I'm, I'm interested in your perspective, um, moving to Kansas from another [00:34:00] state. Yes. And you know, we described, I saw a map the other day that, that showed the percentage of people in each state that think they're Midwesterners.
It was fascinating. Like, like Idahoans thought, like 15% of them thought they were in the Midwest. Yeah. And they're like, I don't know how that makes sense. And anyway. That's so funny. That's so
Danielle Martin: funny. So,
Gus Applequist: you know, in the Midwest we, we have a different way of communicating than, than y'all do in the South.
Danielle Martin: Yes. I love how you said y'all.
Gus Applequist: Oh my God.
Danielle Martin: I'm fringing right now.
Gus Applequist: I'm, oh my God. I'm so excited. What, you know, are there things that we as Kansans can do to better communicate? Oh my gosh. With y'all? With y'all, with y'all. But also, yeah, just with the, with the, the rest of the world.
Danielle Martin: Oh my gosh, that's so funny.
It's, you know, my friends are probably gonna laugh at me 'cause they always say like, I guess when I get really passionate about certain things, like there's this Houston side that comes out, I'm like, is it? And so I guess when I talk really, really, really [00:35:00] fast and I have to like remind myself slow down 'cause I get so excited.
Um, but I think to answer your question, Gus, that, and this is just, are you just talking about like the Topeka community or the Kansas community? Yeah. In general. Okay. I think one of the things that I have seen in, I would say this state that is so beautiful, but could also be, um, a hindrance, right?
Is like, we are not open to change, right? Like we are so, we are so. I would say like gripped on what we want to happen and to stick around forever. and I've found that through like the, I would say the creation of the businesses and the events that I've put on in Topeka, and it's like this exciting attraction.
But then there's like this like pushback on like, why is that happening? What, what's going on? Why do we need to change anything? What's wrong with our community? And like, there's nothing wrong with [00:36:00] our community, but we can do a little bit more, um, with, I would say being more curious. Asking more questions.
Yes. One of our words. Curious like, you know, just. Instead of pushing back with the why be like, how did you come up with that? That is so interesting. Mm-hmm. I want to know more about that. and I guess like, still using the word why, but like, not with the pushback of like, nothing needs to change here.
We're fine. And I do think, I don't know about Salina, but Topeka has a strong mindset of not wanting to change anything. And that could hinder a lot of the growth of our community. Um, business owners. It could hinder the growth of state and city leaders of wanting to make change, but the communities not ready for it.
And I honestly think to be transparent, um, Kansas is behind in a lot of areas, especially when it comes to [00:37:00] just the, the, I would say, development of our community of what we're getting. Like I think we're finally getting top golf, you know what I mean? Like in Topeka. And we're finally getting these, um, attractions to our state and it's like.
These other cities, we've been having them already. and we're doing things like, I mean, just for example, like the women empowerment events and we're doing all of these business conferences. but we can be doing them on a whole different scale. Um, but I think that comes with the community coming together and saying, you know what?
I'm gonna release my idea and I'd rather just come together on your idea and let's collaborate and let's like rise to the roof together instead of like being in these silos. Mm-hmm. Right. We're so isolated because people are so gripped to their own idea and that's honestly gonna break our community.
Yeah.
Gus Applequist: I feel somewhat convicted by that.
Danielle Martin: Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry.
Gus Applequist: No, no. Like
Danielle Martin: what do you, can you explain what do you mean by that? Well,
Gus Applequist: I mean, I, [00:38:00] I, I, I think my staff would probably be the first to say that sometimes I can feel a lot of conviction around my own ideas that, that they're, you know, I'm forcefully, you know, putting my idea forth, but I could be maybe better at being open to others' ideas.
One of the things I kinda latched onto what you were saying is that, um, good enough versus a little bit better. Mm-hmm. Like, like, you know, why do we need to change? Things are good enough as it is. Mm-hmm. But if we can just, the, the needle shift between that and mm-hmm. What if things are just a little bit better?
Mm-hmm. Like that's, that doesn't, that doesn't have to change your mindset completely into like, I love change. It can just be, what if things are just a little bit better? Yeah. And if we can have that mindset every day
Danielle Martin: mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: Then all of a sudden. Like crazy things can happen.
Danielle Martin: Yeah. Can I ask you a question?
What did you wanna be known for when it came to creating this company?
Gus Applequist: Ooh. it's like, that's like good. Oh, I love this. Let's dive it too. Let's, I was not planning on turnaround. Um,
to be honest [00:39:00] with you, I kind of saw my life just flashing by just like things happening, me kind of scrambling to try to find what was important and I just, I really wanted to believe that I was spending my time on something worthwhile. And, when I, uh.
I realized that that storytelling was a big part of my upbringing. Mm-hmm. And, and my childhood. And, and that I just, I wanted to do that. I wanted to help people tell stories and Yeah. Um, and that I believe stories have power. Yeah. When we tell a good story, a piece of that kind of breaks off for that person and becomes part of who they are.
And, and that's the kind of thing that can change the world is, is when we tell the right stories that, that shift things towards the better. A little bit at a time.
Danielle Martin: I think that's honestly so beautiful. And I just wanna give you, honestly you, kudos for creating this like establishment and [00:40:00] company because we need something like this in Topeka Like, I mean, seriously, it's like, I think I was telling Sydney I was like, oh my gosh. Like I'm so obsessed with the quality and the establishment of what's being created here. Not even that, but like to get treated like there's a green room here, like there, my name's on the screen. This is a full on studio.
I think just even you creating something like this gives people hope. And even someone like me that's like, okay, when I can go back to Houston, like I can create something like this. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? It's like that's where I was kind of careful with saying like. It's good to want change, but also there's people that have missions that are necessary for other people to attach to so we can help grow that mission.
And then hopefully along the lines, like maybe one of your team members here, I mean, hopefully not, but if they want to go create something of their own, they have that connection with you, you know? But I think that sometimes we live in this competitive industry and world where it's [00:41:00] like, no, I wanna go build my own thing.
Have fun with your thing. And I think that's what honestly tears our communities apart. And so that's why I wanted you to share that. 'cause I'm like, that's powerful. I think there's so much power in storytelling and we need more people behind that. because it takes more than just one person trying to get other people to tell their story.
You know what I mean?
Gus Applequist: That's what I was gonna say is, uh, the Fili of today is, is only here because of the people that have worked here. And you know, if without them it just be me sitting in an empty building by. Um, and so I
Sydney Collins: think Tim would still be here with you though.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. Tim. Tim and I would probably be Tim playing video.
Tim and Tim because when did you guys,
Danielle Martin: when did you guys open again? 2019. Okay. So, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Wow. That's awesome. I know. So what is like your next five year plan?
Gus Applequist: You're, you're, you're good. I, I, no,
Sydney Collins: I love how this interview has turned. I, I, I, I'm curious. I feel like I, I, I'm, this is your podcast
Danielle Martin: now, I'm curious.
Gus Applequist: [00:42:00] this project as Ask A Kansan mm-hmm. Is one that, that we're deeply committed to in the long run. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And, and wanting to build an audience, um, a, a unique audience that includes people across Kansas and people who've been in Kansas at some point in their lives. Um, I think, you know, from a business perspective, I think that that is something that, that.
There's a financial benefit to that. We can, if we can talk to those people, you know, there's people that need to talk to those people. Mm-hmm. More importantly though, it's that like our little rectangle of North America of mm-hmm. Of, of the United States, you, it's just a, it's just a line. Mm-hmm. But, but, but there's more to the people that live here than just.
You know, the land. Like there's important people that are doing important work and we need to elevate that. So that's the podcast. And then Wow. We also have a, a, a project that we've talked just a tiny bit about Tiny bit, yeah. On the podcast, but, uh, it's a documentary about a local community event called the Smokey Hill River [00:43:00] Festival.
Oh, okay. we had a, a mentor locally, uh, for us named Brad Anderson, who asked us to pursue a documentary about that festival for its 50th birthday, which is next summer. Wow. So we've been working on it for five years. Yeah. Oh my gosh. It really hits on some of the really deep, The need for community.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Uh, how arts brings people together. Mm-hmm. How, uh, when you're in a community, your differences are present, but they're not dividing lines. Mm. Wow. So, mm-hmm. That's, that's what I hope to be able to tell more stories like that and have more guests like you on. Yeah. Um, that can help shine a light on all the cool things happening here.
Yeah. Sorry, that was a long answer. Ask, answer some
Danielle Martin: ideas for you, but it's for behind the scenes. We'll wait for, we'll wait for it later. No, that's so beautiful. And yeah, I have, okay. My other follow up question. One last question, sorry. But I'm curious like, okay. 'cause I loved the title, like Ask a Ks in, you know what I mean?
Mm-hmm. Like, I love how you guys made it statewide. So what makes someone a [00:44:00] Kansan?
Sydney Collins: You know, we have asked that to a lot of our guests is like, what makes a Kansan a Kansan? I think it's when you realize it's home.
So good. That's good. I don't know why, why I'm crying right now. Mm-hmm. Um, so my husband's from Texas.
I, we go there a lot, but when, we got married, we stayed in McPherson. He works in Lindsborg. I work here in Salina It doesn't make any sense for us to live in McPherson. And so when, for a very long time we were like, okay, we're gonna move back to Salina. But there was one day at the softball field where he was playing in the church league, which is a very Kansas thing.
It's all the churches in McPherson And they get together, they create a softball team and they play softball, slow pitch softball. And we just happened to run into friends of ours who my daughter was best is best friends with her son and And I was thinking, I was like, we're not gonna get [00:45:00] that anywhere else.
Like yes, there's bigger cities here in Kansas. Yes, you can still get that in other communities, but like this is gonna be my home and this is why. So I think you're really a Kansan when you finally realize like, this is my place. Yeah. So
Danielle Martin: yeah.
Sydney Collins: Sorry. It was beautiful.
Danielle Martin: And that's what makes it an interview, everybody, when people cry, I'm, yeah.
When you can get Sydnee
Sydney Collins: to cry.
Danielle Martin: I'm just kidding. No, I think that's, oh, sorry, go ahead.
Gus Applequist: No, I was just, I was just gonna say thank you for turning the table on us a little bit. Yeah, yeah. We appreciate that. I, you know, what, what is, so I'm gonna turn the table back on you. Okay. Um, what, what is the next step for your business look like?
Yeah. Where are you, where are you going?
Danielle Martin: okay, so I only have three words, and I don't know when this is gonna air, but I think by the time it does, everyone's gonna know that only God knows. Um, I'll be honest, uh, when I put in my resignation at ae, I did not have a plan and that's very unlike me. Okay. [00:46:00] I am a type A personality.
Yeah. I like plans, I like agendas. I know what's next. And um, you know, God has me truly in this place where it's like, if you truly believe in me, you're just gonna follow. And I knew I was being called to more, and I did not know what that looked like, but it started with me just going back home. And it started with me just saying yes.
And so I just again, challenge everyone that's like, if you're on the fence of, I don't know what next looks like, um, I promise you like there's something so much more beautiful on the other side of that. Um, and so to answer your question, Gus, um, I'm moving back home to Houston and I don't have a job yet, but I have businesses.
So it's like, it's not like I'm gonna be out here, you know, not doing anything. Um, but I'm just gonna take it one step at a time. And I could also share this too. So my ultimate goal has always been to have my own talk show. Ah, so I love that. Who knows what we can do with that. Um, but of course, um, the [00:47:00] beautiful thing about authentic media and the podcast is like, it could go anywhere.
So we're still gonna be in Houston, Texas, like, you know, still helping business owners and entrepreneurs and professionals with their brand and building it. Um, it's an online business, so that's also the beauty about that. Um, and so we'll be able to really just go anywhere. So not just Texas, but honestly wherever the Lord takes me.
Um, and then also with a podcast. And so hopefully one day I could build something like Philly. Okay. Because this is beautiful. Like, I'm just so obsessed with this space. But yeah,
Gus Applequist: I have one last question. Do it.
Sydney Collins: As long as it doesn't make
Danielle Martin: me cry, I'll be fine. So,
Gus Applequist: you know, first, first a comment and that's, I think, I think we should pitch a big tent when it comes to who a Kansan is. Mm-hmm. And so I hope even though you're moving back to Texas, that you will take your Kansas with you. Yes. And, and you will continue to engage with this state. 'cause, 'cause we need people from all walks of life and, and, and living all over the place to, to care about this place.
so as you go back to Texas, what will [00:48:00] you take back with you from your time in Kansas?
Danielle Martin: Gosh, I'm on the spot. Well, now you know how we feel. I,
I, I'm like, okay, I need to think about this. Um, what am I gonna take with me? Hmm.
I would say like, I'm definitely gonna take with me like the heart of a Midwestern, right? Mm-hmm. And what does that mean? If I could explain it a little bit. It's, you know, the heart of a Kansan is someone that is so polite and so kind that when you walk through a door they say hi to you.
And it's like giving someone so much compassion and grace, and really like meeting people where they are. And I think I'll always take that with me because I think, I mean, being in the south, like, yes, we have that, but there's a different. There's a different mindset.
Gus Applequist: That's your heart. Yeah.
Danielle Martin: There's a different mindset.
And I think what's beautiful about this community is that you guys are just like, you're [00:49:00] so open and loving. And that's why I said Topeka did become my home that saved me. it was a community I didn't know that I needed. And so I think I will always take the heart of a Kansan with me wherever I go.
Because you guys, you love and you love hard and it's like, even if you wanna get away, you can't. So, and I'll also take away, the cameraderie here and, I will honestly miss, Lord Jesus, I'm gonna miss the no traffic. Okay. Like getting to point A to B in 10 minutes.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. Except, except around junction city right now.
Yeah.
Danielle Martin: But I'm gonna miss that. I'm gonna miss running into someone that I know at the grocery store. I'm gonna miss, like knowing like, okay, if I go into this establishment or restaurant, I know I'm gonna see somebody. So I know I gotta look decent, but I'm gonna miss that connection. You know, being in proximity [00:50:00] with how close people are in Topeka, I, I definitely will miss that.
one thing about Texas, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's big. Okay. So you have to drive 30, 45 minutes. Yep. Everywhere. And so I will miss how close you guys are, the proximity of you. So,
Gus Applequist: well, thank you so much for taking time to drive here from Topeka and, and for sharing you your story. And, you know, if that, uh, big Texas energy ever gets the best to you and you, you need to, uh, come back, come back, we will, I'll be back. We'll be glad to have you back in, in little Kansas. So thank you. Thank you
Sydney Collins: guys.
[00:51:00]
Gus Applequist: Hope you enjoyed that interview with Danielle. Uh, definitely didn't see it coming. Nope. That, that way. But, um, but yeah, it was a great, it was a great conversation.
Sydney Collins: You can, you could, you mentioned this is, you can definitely tell she's been in the news realm.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: But the best part is like, they're not surface level questions that she's asking.
She's asking to get the deeper meaning out of people. Mm-hmm. Which is what her business is, is the authentic media piece. Yeah. So it's like those two worlds of her is just colliding. Yeah. And you don't really expect it. Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: you know, when, when we first talked about having her. On the podcast. Mm-hmm.
Um, I heard that, that she was moving away, and so that caused me a brief moment of like, well, you know, gosh, do we want somebody that's leaving Kansas on the podcast? Mm-hmm. And to be honest with you, yes, we do. And why, why do we want somebody like Daniel on the podcast? Well, because, [00:52:00] uh, for some people, Kansas is a stop in a journey.
Yeah. but that doesn't mean they don't have something valuable to add and they don't have some context or some perspective that we maybe wouldn't have considered before. And, um, and yeah, I thought it, I thought you did a great job of speaking to those things that maybe, maybe we need to hear.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. she was very honest.
She was very authentic with her answers. And, I'm curious kind of. What, when we get this published, what the audience is gonna say about some of our answers and if, if we agree and kind of, or disagree or, um, or if more conversation just comes from that is really what I'm hoping for. So
Gus Applequist: that's, I think that's what we hope for.
Yeah. With every episode, isn't it? Mm-hmm. That it's a conversation starter. So, can I introduce a new segment to you?
Sydney Collins: Sure.
Gus Applequist: Welcome to, who's that? Kansan like, I imagine a cool music intro playing, but we're not gonna invest in that until this sticks, so we'll see. Um, okay, so how is this is gonna work? Um, I have three Kansans for you [00:53:00] today that I want you to try to guess.
Um, I'm going to, I'm gonna give you five pieces of information to work with. Okay. And at the end of that, I will ask you to guess who the Kansan is. Got it. And I'm gonna say that some of these are easier than others, so it's okay if you don't get all of 'em. I don't, honestly, I dunno if I'd get all of 'em.
So, not that, that, anyway, moving on. Uh, uh, in the next slide please. So. Our first Kansan, oh gosh. This, this is, this is already, this is great. This person was born in 1923 in Russell, Kansas to a working class family during the Great Depression. He served in the US Army's 10th Mountain Division in World War ii, where he, uh, permanently, or sorry, he received a right arm injury that he carried with him for the rest of his life.
He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1960 and then to the US Senate in 1968. He twice served as a Senate Majority Leader, [00:54:00] um, and helped champion bipartisan legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and he was a Republican nominee for president in 1996. It's okay.
The only thing that
Sydney Collins: comes to mind for some reason is Bob Dole, and I don't think that's right.
Gus Applequist: Click the button. Bob. Holy smokes. It was, you got it. See you. Holy smokes. You got it. Yeah. So good job. You're, you're one for one.
Sydney Collins: Oh my gosh.
Gus Applequist: Okay, let's move on to our next one.
Sydney Collins: I, that was a pure guess of just like, okay, what old man do I
know?
Oh, give yourself more credit. That's done. Government.
Gus Applequist: You connected the dots there. Okay. This next person was born, uh, in 1893 in Wichita and was the youngest of 13 children Oh my. Of formerly enslaved parents. Her father was a Civil War veteran. Uh, she began performing in church choirs and on the vaudeville and minstrel circuits before transitioning into radio.
In the twenties, she transitioned into Hollywood film roles in the [00:55:00] thirties. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1940 for a role in Gone with the Wind.
Sydney Collins: Oh, and finally,
Gus Applequist: um. This is more just, you know, flavor. But, uh, she faced segregation throughout her career. Mm-hmm. And after her death in 1952, her Oscar was lost from Howard University's archives, but was replaced by the academy a few years ago.
So who is this person?
Sydney Collins: I don't know her name, but I know exactly who you're talking about. She had a, she had quote unquote iconic roles because she was always like the maid or the housekeeper.
Gus Applequist: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Yep. Um, and even when she won her Oscar, like she wasn't allowed to sit with any of the other celebrities.
Yeah. She had to sit like at the back of the house. Um, you deffinitely Yeah, I know exactly who you're talking about, but I have no idea what her name is.
Gus Applequist: Her name is Hattie McDaniel.
Sydney Collins: Hattie Mc. Hattie McDaniel. Okay. Yep.
Gus Applequist: Yeah,
Sydney Collins: I guess I, I think I did know she was from Kansas, but I guess I didn't [00:56:00] connect the dots quite.
Gus Applequist: It's pretty cool. Yeah. That, that, she's from Kansas. Okay. Our last one. This is the hardest one by far. So, and it, oh, you know, this silhouette kind of looks like me. It doesn't, it does look like you, not like it looks like you took
Sydney Collins: a picture of you and just made a silhouette out of it.
Gus Applequist: Okay. Um, this. This person, uh, was born and raised in Lawrence.
Uh, he received a BS in electrical engineering from KU in 86. He had an early career at Silicon Graphics working on 3D graphics and visualization technology. He founded a company called Keyhole, Inc. In 2001, developing satellite imagery software that was called Earth Viewer, which was acquired by Google and then became Google Earth.
Um, he served as Google Earth's Vice President of engineering for geo products leading Tim teams behind Google Maps, earth and Street View. He's also worked at Uber and Nantec in mapping and AR roles, but he returned, [00:57:00] I think in about 2018 to ku, uh, where he's teaching, uh, as a research professor. He's also been the Democratic nominee for the Kansas Secretary of State in 2018, and he was honored with, uh, national Academy of Engineering and, uh, UN Champions of the Earth Awards.
Sydney Collins: I have no idea.
Gus Applequist: That's totally fair. Uh, just I don't think
Sydney Collins: Bill Gates, but Bill, that's not Bill Gates. It's okay.
Gus Applequist: I I just, this is one of those people that I think Kansans should know. Yeah. Kansans should know about, because Google Earth is a big deal. Google Map is a big deal. He did
Sydney Collins: a, yeah.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. So, um, his name is Brian McClendon and, and he, Brian McClendon that is, he's, he does look like Brian.
He's a fellow good. Like me. And, and we are proud to claim him. So those are three, Brian. Okay. Kansans that, uh, well, Kansans that you need to know. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, I look forward, what do you think of this segment? Should we keep it? I love it. I,
Sydney Collins: I dig it.
Gus Applequist: All
Sydney Collins: right.
Gus Applequist: All
Sydney Collins: right. I am a trivia like nerd, especially when I think I have a shot.
Gus Applequist: Well, you're two, well, I'm gonna [00:58:00] say you're, you're two for three for the day. Okay. You knew Hattie. You just, I knew Hattie.
Sydney Collins: I just couldn't think of her name, but,
Gus Applequist: well, that brings us to the end of another episode of Ask a Kansan.
Sydney Collins: So make sure to please share like at least with one other person. Um. If you like this episode, um, check out, uh, Alyssa Mankey, her episode.
I don't know which number that is, but um, I'm sure you can Google it. Uh, hers was Digital Kansas. Um, it kind of ties in a little bit with our conversations today. Um, yeah, so visit us at askakansan.com. Sign up for our newsletter, um, and we will see you next time.
Gus Applequist: Thanks.