Katie Bulmer: Your Passion Has Value

Katie Bulmer took years to figure out what she wanted to do with her life — it turns out, the answer is she wants to help other young women figure that out themselves. Motivational speaker, author of “Sorority Girls can Change the World” and the voice behind “Truth for your Twenties,” this Chattanooga gal draws on her own life experiences to make a difference. Her passion and unique perspective are what makes Katie Bulmer a Female Disruptor.

Realizing Your Mission

When Katie Bulmer was 34, she had a meltdown. Although she had a happy family and was active in her church, she felt something was missing. She threw herself into service to try to fill that void and eventually befriended a homeless mother who she tried to help get back on her feet. She gave her time, money, and friendship, but in the end, the woman just didn’t want to be helped. Katie Bulmer was crushed. She broke down in a closet until she heard the voice of God tell her her mission was never to help the homeless but to share her story with sorority women. This inspired Katie Bulmer to start her business and begin her path to entrepreneurship. She has now shared her message with more than 30 colleges nationwide.

Katie Bulmer’s advice to other female entrepreneurs is to start your business; you don’t need to have the next five years planned out. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Three years ago, Katie Bulmer had the opportunity to speak at a large conference for sorority women. She thought she was the main speaker, but when she got there and her name wasn’t even on the program, she realized she was just a last-minute replacement because someone else had canceled. She then proceeded to give the worst speech of her life in a side room to an audience of 10 and got her first negative review.

A year later, though, she had the opportunity to speak there again. This time, she tackled the imposter syndrome and negative thoughts, and gave the best speech she’s ever given, and got two more bookings from people in the audience. She’s learned that her ideas and passions have value and are at a point where she can give herself a salary and invest in additional revenue streams.

Powering Through a Pandemic

Like many, Katie Bulmer’s business was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She usually travels to colleges across the country to give her message, but with COVID-19, that was no longer possible.

However, it didn’t take her long to find the positive in that. After learning to adapt her message to Zoom, Katie Bulmer realized she could reach more people with her message without all the time, money, and exhaustion that comes with traveling. Just this month, she’s lined up to speak at five colleges and will be able to share her passions with sorority women all from her home office.

Katie Bulmer’s market was also jeopardized by the pandemic, as sororities rely heavily on in-person experiences between sisters to retain members. With quick thinking, she held two free Zoom calls with sorority girls nationwide to help them brainstorm ways to stay connected while apart. Some of these chapters ended up implementing these ideas, and the Zoom calls introduced Katie Bulmer to chapters that would later book her to speak!

Despite such difficult times, Katie Bulmer has been able to grow her business even further. She recently partnered with Eleváre Jewelry to give sorority women a tangible way to remind themselves of the sisterhood they belong to.

Rewriting the Script

Katie Bulmer is learning to change her internal rhetoric to something more appreciative of the time and effort she puts into her business. She makes sure she thanks herself for the work she does and congratulates herself on her accomplishments. Each night before she goes to bed, she thinks about the three things she’s going to accomplish the next day. Being able to check off the “Big 3” at the end of the day makes her feel accomplished and relieved.

When things get stressful, Katie Bulmer relies on yoga to calm herself down. She’s had a lot of yoga training to become a part-time yoga instructor and recognizes the power of breathing exercises.

A Chai Tea Latte enthusiast and ring light aficionado, this Virgo is currently reading “Whisper” by Mark Batterson.

Her favorite Instagram account is @Ediewadsworth. She loves it because “she is strong, smart, funny, and a genius in the entrepreneur space.”

She lives by the quote:

“Water doesn’t cut through rock because of its strength, but because of its persistence.”

Entrepreneur life is not for the people who need a quick win or the faint of heart, says Katie Bulmer. You must stay the course and keep showing up day after day. Eventually, you will carve a beautiful canyon.

Keeping in Touch with Katie

Follow Katie Bulmer on Instagram at @KatieBulmerLife. Katie has recently partnered with Eleváre Jewelry. She says that she believes “these products will be a tangible way for women to remind themselves they belong to a larger sisterhood of women who hold high standards.”

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