Episode 54: On Building Business & Growing from Broken to Branded with Kat Chrysostom (Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast)

Episode 54: Welcome to the Equestrian Author Spotlight podcast! In each episode, you’ll hear inspirational stories from horse book authors including writing advice and marketing tips to help you write your own horse book. If you are an author, aspire to be an author, or simply love horse books then you are in the right place!

In this week's episode, you'll meet Author, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker and BeneFab Products CEO Kat Chrysostom. You'll learn ...

• How Kat, after fracturing her neck in a riding accident, channeled her passion—along with her newfound interest in health and wellness—into Benefab®, a business specializing in wearable therapeutic products for horses and people.
  
• About her book, Broken to Branded, where Kat shares how she fought through adversity, restructured her life, and set about taking back her future by building a thriving and successful business.
  
• How a misunderstood horse named Para came into her life and mentally healed her and allowed her to reconnect with herself.
  
• And MUCH more!

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Watch Kat Chrysostom's Interview on YouTube!

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Or listen to the audio only version.

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About Kat Chrysostom

Kat Chrysostom is a native of South Carolina with a lifelong passion for horses. After fracturing her neck in a riding accident, she channeled her passion—along with her newfound interest in health and wellness—into Benefab®, a business specializing in wearable therapeutic products for horses and people. She is also committed to helping others overcome adversity and achieve their dreams, and regularly gives talks. She is the author of the book Broken to Branded and lives in Ocala, Florida, and still enjoys riding in her spare time.

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Kat Chrysostom Podcast Interview Excerpt

Carly: A near fatal riding accident abruptly ended your promising career as a show jumper and you wrote a book about confronting this challenge. Tell us about your book Broken to Branded.

Kat: Broken to Branded is a story of reinventing myself, overcoming adversity, and facing my fear head-on. In 2011, after a serious horse-riding accident, I regained consciousness, only to find myself paralyzed, and I was told that the horse may not live. I had suffered a triple fracture of my C2 vertebrae, which is also known as the hangman’s fracture—the same fracture Christopher Reeve suffered

In addition to the fracture, I had an array of other injuries—broken ribs, bruised bones, and pneumothorax, a condition in which air gets outside or your lungs due to severe impact, creating pressure and sharp pains in my chest. I was on a ventilator, and the doctors put me into halo traction—basically a halo-shaped device screwed onto my skull, to keep my head and neck completely still, without sedation or anesthesia.

What I didn’t know was that my accident would serve as the catalyst for a powerful transformation, one that would not only help me become healthy again, but also inspired me to build and develop a successful business focused on helping and healing thousands of people and animals.

I really wanted to write a book about the experience, but I had no idea the emotional healing that would come from putting it all out on the pages and really telling the story in its rawest form because talking about it is really difficult. Writing about it was easier and I wanted to include everything. I didn't want to hold back, so I put everything in there. Re-reading it now makes me emotional, but it was such a healing process putting those words onto the page.

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Carly: Tell us about your company BeneFab. What do you offer? How did you get started?

Kat: I’m the founder and owner of Benefab® Products. I’m the chief designer of every product in the Benefab® line. My mission is to take great ideas and create products that make a difference in the lives and health of horses, people and dogs. 

When I suffered the riding injury, I was told that I would never ride again. After three long months in a halo traction device, I found myself left with four excruciatingly painful and slow healing holes in my skull.

Doctors recommended far-infrared light therapy. Over time, the pain and swelling decreased, my mobility improved and my migraines diminished. I became fascinated by the therapeutic impact of far-infrared light therapy and discovered how infused fabrics can have a similar affect. Through rigorous research, I discovered that electromagnetism can be a natural healing remedy and how it helps joint and muscle stiffness, edema, and circulatory disorders—both in the human and animal bodies.

Throughout my journey to recovery, I studied in the Far East and attended the Shanghai HORFA equine trade show. While at the show, I met with a Taiwanese manufacturer who fabricated technical materials that incorporated therapeutic properties which emit a low-range, invisible ray of light (far-infrared rays) on the electromagnetic spectrum.

Soon after, I began designing and testing the first products in the Benefab® line. Now, I work with veterinarians, therapists, and professional athletes around the world to educate people about the performance benefits and healing properties of far-infrared fabrics, medical grade magnets and electromagnetism.
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We are based in the horse capital of the world—Ocala, Florida—where I ride nearly every day.

I frequently speak at both equine and business events around the country, sharing my experience with others.

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Carly: You've recently started a podcast. Tell us about the show and the inspiration behind it.

Kat: In Parables: Life Lessons From A Horse listeners will have a lot of fun, learn new things and understand how to better connect with their authentic selves and others. This podcast is about lessons that animals can teach us. Real-life stories are shared, books are reviewed and guest experts are interviewed.

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Carly: You are a speaker, author, podcaster, and you have a successful business. You've recovered from something massively tragic in your life. What advice would you offer to people that want to follow in the footsteps that you've laid out?

Kat: Don't compare yourself with other people, but learn from other successful people. In my first couple of years, I just kept comparing myself to other speakers and other competition, but your dreams and passions are about you. You're unique. You're authentic. You'll never be somebody else. Learn from others and surround yourself with great people. Those people are willing to share, but you have to be willing to listen. Also, I recommend Amy Cuddy's book Presence and her TED Talk on faking it until you make it.

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Connect with Kat Chrysostom & BeneFab Products

Website: https://benefabproducts.com/ OR https://katchrysostom.com/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/parables-life-lessons-from-a-horse
Blog: https://benefabproducts.com/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Benefab/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeneFabproducts
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-chrysostom
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BenefabProducts
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/benefabproducts

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New Equine Author Interviews Every Week!

Make sure you never miss a show by subscribing on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. This podcast is made possible by listeners like you. I appreciate your support! 

​Thank you for joining us this week on the Equestrian Author Spotlight podcast I hope you enjoy these Q&A sessions with wonderful equine authors who love all things horses and writing just like me. 

​If you are an author who writes about horses and would like to be spotlighted please let me know. Visit my contact page to fill out a request. I'd be happy to have you on the show, too.

Want a free guide to secrets of horse book authors? Gallop over to https://www.carlykadecreative.com/wisdom.html and join the Equestrian Author Spotlight email list to have the author advice resource delivered instantly to your inbox.

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About Your Podcast Host Carly Kade

Carly Kade is an award-winning independent author, horse owner, creativity coach, and the host of the Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast. She helps fellow writers start, grow, and expand their author careers. Creative writing makes her spurs jingle!

Carly's award-winning In the Reins equestrian romance book series was written with horse lovers in mind, no matter which discipline they ride. The horses are as vital to moving the story forward as the human characters are.

These books are perfect for poolside reading, taking to the beach, or settling down with after a day of horseback riding.

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