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You don’t need a bigger audience. You need the right kind of attention.

In this episode (the first in our series of interviews with the PWR 2025 Impact Award winners), I’m joined by two brilliant women who know what it takes to build credibility, visibility, and trust without going viral or chasing vanity metrics.

Emily Aborn, host of Small Business Casual and PWR Podcast Host of the Year, shares how she creates a real human connection - even when recording a podcast episode alone.

KJ Blattenbauer, PWR Speaker of the Year and author of Pitchworthy, shares why depth, intention, and audience advocacy matters more than visibility for visibility’s sake.

Both of my guests agree that podcasting, speaking, and other forms of PR are relationship-driven tools that help the right people find you, trust you, and buy from you.

We also discuss:

• Choosing visibility opportunities based on your actual business goals
• What it really means to read the room — and when to ditch the script
• How to use podcasts, speaking, and PR to borrow trust instead of chasing attention
• Simple, practical tools you can apply immediately, even if visibility scares you a little!

Links & References:

• Learn more about all the 2025 Powerful Women Rising Impact Award winners
• Connect with other female entrepreneurs inside the PWR Connection Network
• Listen to the Small Business Casual podcast
• Follow Emily on Substack
• Get your copy of KJ's new book, Pitchworthy
• Follow KJ on Instagram

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Connect with Your Host!

Melissa Snow is a Business Relationship Strategist dedicated to empowering women in entrepreneurship. She founded the Powerful Women Rising Community, which provides female business owners with essential support and resources for business growth.

Melissa's other mission is to revolutionize networking, promoting authenticity and genuine connections over sleazy sales tactics. She runs an incredible monthly Virtual Speed Networking Event which you can attend once at no cost using the code FIRSTTIME

She lives in Colorado Springs with two dogs, her soul cat Giorgio and any number of foster kittens. She loves iced coffee, Taylor Swift, and Threads.