Welcome to the very first episode of Coffey Talk ~ a podcast brewed for connection. I’m your host, Kate Coffey-Bacon, and I am so excited to share this new space with you.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on my own career journey and the inspiration behind creating Coffey Talk. Over the past 22 years, I’ve worked in marketing, photography, fitness, and strategy. I’ve launched businesses, shut them down, pivoted into new opportunities, and learned what it means to balance ambition with life’s bigger priorities. Some chapters have been filled with incredible successes, while others have come with failures that taught me lessons I’ll never forget.

I’ll take you back to my early days of staying home with my kids after college, working part-time at a local gym, and discovering my love of yoga. From there, I share how photography unexpectedly became my next significant chapter, leading to the launch of Blackbird Photography, my wedding photography business that grew nationally and gave me a front row seat to both the beauty and the burnout of entrepreneurship.

I also open up about one pivotal moment that changed everything: watching my son compete in the Junior Olympics on my phone while shooting a wedding reception. It was then that I realized that even though my business was thriving, my family needed me more. Closing my business was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. Still, it also opened doors to new opportunities, including working with angel investors, building go-to-market strategies, producing live podcasts, and diving deep into content and digital strategy.

Through it all, one theme has remained constant: the people I’ve met along the way and their stories. Stories of resilience, creativity, hard choices, and big dreams. These conversations are what inspired me to launch Coffey Talk ~ a place where we can share openly, learn from each other, and be reminded that we’re not alone in our journey.

You’ll also hear the advice that has shaped me most: if you don’t have one of the three resources: time, money, or knowledge — use the other two to get it. And from my dad, wisdom that has always guided me: be the hardest working person in the room, be kind, and always add value. These lessons, and the stories that shaped them, are the foundation for every episode to come.

So what can you expect every Monday morning at 8 a.m.? Relaxed, coffee-table style conversations with guests from all walks of life. Real people sharing their real stories ~ the wins, the losses, and the lessons. Some guests will be people I’ve known for years, others I’ve just met, and some I haven’t even crossed paths with yet. That’s the most exciting part: the stories waiting to be discovered.

Grab your coffee, settle in, and join me for this first episode of Coffey Talk. Whether you’re a gulp-and-go or a weekend slow pour, these 20-minute episodes are designed to fit right into your morning ritual — giving you inspiration, encouragement, and connection to start your week.

☕ Coffey Talk — real people, real stories, every Monday at 8 a.m. ET.

Thanks for tuning in to Coffey Talk! Follow the show for more real stories and authentic conversations. Connect with Kate on LinkedIn or follow along on Instagram @_CoffeyTalk.