Created for My Dogs: The Story of Austin And Kat
Join Isabel and guest Kat Donatello, founder of Austin And Kat, for a discussion about entrepreneurship and how our pets inspire us to think outside the box. In this holiday episode, Isabel asks Kat to share her story and how she became the founder of a pet wellness brand that started in her kitchen. As is the case with many pet industry entrepreneurs, Kat shares that the love of her dog Austin and her desire to keep him healthy changed the course of her career. To this day, Kat continues to develop products for her dogs - and then brings them to pet parents around the US while driving around in a purple school bus. Festive and informative, this episode is for anyone with a profound love of pets and an entrepreneurial spirit.
Listen to Episode #123 Now:
BIO:
In 2014, Kat Donatello began to explore all-natural ways to support her dogs using ingredients she trusted, like those in her own pantry. The homemade hemp biscuits that came out of her kitchen were so effective that neighbors started asking her to share... word spread, and Austin and Kat was born! From humble beginnings at a Saturday farmer’s market in Maine, Kat's formulas can now be found in over 1,200 independent pet shops across the US.
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome to Covered in Pet Hair, a boozy show for pet lovers on Pet Life Radio.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm your host, Isabel Alvarez Arata, and today I have the pleasure of having a drink and a chat with a health, wellness, overall just amazing person who is very unconventional and is celebrating Christmas in a 40-foot school bus that has been converted into her home.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I will tell you all about her and introduce you as soon as we come back from these messages from our sponsors.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Hi, I'm Isabel Alvarez Arata, the host of Covered In Pet Hair.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: You know the expression, cats have nine lives?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, what if you could give them one more?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: The Give Them 10 movement is on a mission to help give cats an extra life.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: How?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: With spay and neuter.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Spaying and neutering your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And it helps control free-roaming cat populations too.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Learn more about the benefits of spay and neuter and meet Scooter, the neutered cat, at givethemten.org, that's givethemten.org.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets on petliferadio.com.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome back to Covered In Pet Hair.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm your host, Isabel Alvarez Arata, and today I have the pleasure of having a drink and a chat with a pet parent, an entrepreneur.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She's a former triathlete, a former event manager, and she's wife to Tim, holistic health junkie on a two-year traveling journey, like I said, on a 40-foot yellow school bus that she and her husband have converted and share with four dogs.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Austin, who we will discuss at length, I'm sure.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Harper, Blanca and Kingsley.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She is the founder of Austin And Kat, a holistic wellness supplement brand that is celebrating its 10th year in business.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She is Kat.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome the founder behind Austin And Kat.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: How are you?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: It's so good to finally have you on the show.
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Kat Donatello: I'm so excited to be here.
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Kat Donatello: I'm really looking forward to our chat today.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I am so excited because, I mean, obviously, I invited you on the show to be my Christmas guest because we both celebrate Christmas, happy holidays no matter what you celebrate.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: But I just found out that you're going to be celebrating this first Christmas on this school bus, and I cannot wait to get into the details, what you have planned, what you have to forgo now that you're in a smaller space.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: But before we do all that, I want to introduce our drinking game today.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So anybody at home participating in our drinking game, anytime you hear this word.
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Announcer: The secret word is, Austin.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Take a drink of whatever you're enjoying, but please be over 21 in the US to partake, never drink and drive and always drink responsibly.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So are you joining us with any kind of special festive cocktail today?
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Kat Donatello: I wish I could say I am, but it's still two o'clock here in the PNW, and I'm gonna have to go back to work when we're done chatting today.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I know, I know, I hear that so much.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So that's why I'm actually having eggnog, sans anything, because I actually have to go help at a PTA event at my kid's school.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And so I couldn't put any booze in here, but usually I put like a spiced rum.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So cheers, thank you for being on the show.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I am so excited to have you as my guest.
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Kat Donatello: Thank you.
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Kat Donatello: And I apologize if I move around a lot.
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Kat Donatello: So like I told you, I live on a bus.
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Kat Donatello: We are stationary right now, but we are in just outside of San Francisco at this really cool area.
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Kat Donatello: And my dogs have discovered hairs, H-A-R-E.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh.
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Kat Donatello: It's seen bunnies before, but not the colossal size of a hair.
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Kat Donatello: And so Blanca, one of our babies, is on the bed looking out the windows, going back and forth, back and forth.
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Kat Donatello: So I bounced around a little bit.
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Kat Donatello: So apologies.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh my gosh, that's so funny.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I mean, this is just so much of an adventure.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I love it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I can't wait to like dig in.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I really want to learn all that you are experiencing, especially around Christmas time.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Cause I feel like you're in the Pacific Northwest, right?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So like it must be pretty festive, just like the environment, right?
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Kat Donatello: Yeah.
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Kat Donatello: Well, I can take that back.
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Kat Donatello: I'm going to the Pacific Northwest next week.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Got it.
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Kat Donatello: To visit my factory.
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Kat Donatello: We call it the Makery, which is where, and this is Blanca.
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Kat Donatello: Hi Blanca, she's beautiful.
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Kat Donatello: Yeah, they're really cute.
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Kat Donatello: The Makery, which is where we obviously make all of our products.
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Kat Donatello: We're going back for our holiday party there.
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Kat Donatello: But right now, we're just outside of San Francisco.
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Kat Donatello: It's still the West, I should say, just drop the PNW.
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Kat Donatello: Exactly.
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Kat Donatello: But it is being Christmas.
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Kat Donatello: I've always, I grew up in Maine or lived in Maine for 20 plus years and then moved to Seattle.
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Kat Donatello: So Christmas was cold weather.
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Kat Donatello: So bundled up, fluffy coat, put a hat on, go buy a tree.
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Kat Donatello: And here it's like Santa's got a Hawaiian shirt on, but the lights are still on the palm trees.
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Kat Donatello: And it's just a different way of seeing and appreciating.
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Kat Donatello: We drove by a Christmas tree place the other day and everyone was in shorts.
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Kat Donatello: And it just seems so like, okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I grew up in Miami.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And yes, that's basically you just described like a Miami Christmas.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And it's so funny because I don't know if you remember in Home Alone 2, I think they went to Miami and like they're all stuck in like this like beach motel and it's like raining and it's hot and like it's not Christmas at all.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And so I do agree that like seeing Christmas in like shorts is not my thing.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And when my husband was deployed, I actually spent a year in Miami over Christmas.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I had to tell my mom like, can we drive north please?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Because like I can't, I can't do the Christmas with the shorts.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I needed sweater weather.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I live in El Paso now where it's really hot during the summer, but we get cold winter, like coldish winters.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So yeah, I need a little bit of, you know, like the atmosphere for it to feel like Christmas.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I actually want to get to know all of your Christmas preferences in your Christmas yay or nay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I am going to ask you about certain things, certain traditions, certain kind of key elements of Christmas.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And you tell me if they're kind of part of your ritual or not.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So are you ready to play?
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Kat Donatello: I'm ready.
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Kat Donatello: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: First one, Christmas movies, yay or nay?
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Kat Donatello: Oh, yay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Favorite Christmas movie?
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Kat Donatello: The Holiday.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh, you're one of those, or rom-com.
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Kat Donatello: Yeah, rom-com, yeah.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Great.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Least favorite Christmas movie or most overrated?
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Kat Donatello: Oh, gosh, Elf, but I love it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: That's your least favorite.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: That's like my favorite.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I mean.
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Kat Donatello: No, I love it, but I think it, I think.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: It's not as good as people think.
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Kat Donatello: I think it was good when I had a lot to drink.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Touche.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Probably right.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Christmas tree, yay or nay?
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Kat Donatello: Yay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Even on the bus?
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Kat Donatello: No, unfortunately.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Not even a little one?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: That would be hard, right?
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Kat Donatello: I think with, so with Kingsley, he's the rescue.
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Kat Donatello: I think he would pee on it.
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Kat Donatello: Cause he has to pee where everybody pees.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Got it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Got it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Got it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: All right.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Definitely a nay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Christmas dinner, fave food.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Like is it a roast?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yay or nay?
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Kat Donatello: Nay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: What do you eat usually?
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Kat Donatello: Turkey.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Turkey.
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Kat Donatello: You don't get like sick of turkey from Thanksgiving?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I like turkey a lot.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I do too.
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Kat Donatello: I do too.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah.
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Kat Donatello: Yeah.
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Kat Donatello: Yeah.
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Kat Donatello: Crown roast of pork is really nice too.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: That's true.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Carolyn, yay or nay?
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Kat Donatello: Nay.
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Kat Donatello: Don't want to hear me sing.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Gift giving to like a million people.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Are you the type that has like a long list of gifts?
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Kat Donatello: No.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: No.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Gift giving to your significant other?
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Kat Donatello: Sometimes, but it might be like a practical thing.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Got it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm not big on gifts either.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I think it's so, like so silly to have to go buy something for everybody, even if they don't need it or want it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: It's kind of, it doesn't set well with me.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And thankfully, my parents, like when we were about 14, 15, they just stopped doing Christmas gifts.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Like everybody just like had a nice Christmas evening, but it wasn't like a gift centered holiday.
00:08:57.808 --> 00:08:59.508
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So yeah, I agree with you.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Last one.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Christmas baking.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yay or nay?
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Kat Donatello: Well, considering I do it 364 days of the year, nay.
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Kat Donatello: Nay.
00:09:09.588 --> 00:09:15.048
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And we're going to talk about why you bake so much, but tell me, okay, so you started an event planning.
00:09:15.188 --> 00:09:19.408
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You're a competitive triathlete, former, I guess you don't compete anymore.
00:09:19.408 --> 00:09:23.728
Isabel Alvarez Arata: But how did that segue into Austin And Kat?
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Kat Donatello: Great question.
00:09:24.788 --> 00:09:27.448
Kat Donatello: It did do one of those, you know, windy trails.
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Kat Donatello: But I was at an event.
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Kat Donatello: My race series was getting honored.
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Kat Donatello: The person who was giving the award out just happened to be my husband.
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Kat Donatello: I had never met him before.
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Kat Donatello: We had similar beliefs and similar ideas of holistic health and whatnot.
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Kat Donatello: And he was leaving the sports space to go into the cannabis space, the state of Washington.
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Kat Donatello: And, you know, long story short, we got together as a couple.
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Kat Donatello: And about a year later, he was at a convention and called me like, you know, when someone's so excited and they talk so fast and you don't know what to do, you're like, ah.
00:10:06.008 --> 00:10:07.148
Kat Donatello: And that's what it was.
00:10:07.148 --> 00:10:09.268
Kat Donatello: He was so excited talking to me about CBD.
00:10:09.268 --> 00:10:13.288
Kat Donatello: And I had this 14-year-old dog and we could help him all naturally and get it.
00:10:13.288 --> 00:10:16.188
Kat Donatello: You could bake and I know how to bake because I already work with cannabis.
00:10:16.188 --> 00:10:18.508
Kat Donatello: And so I was like, all right, let's give it a whirl.
00:10:18.508 --> 00:10:27.828
Kat Donatello: So what intended to be something that I was going to do to help my own dogs, really just blossomed into what is now Austin And Kat.
00:10:27.828 --> 00:10:30.028
Kat Donatello: And I think right place, right time.
00:10:30.028 --> 00:10:32.108
Kat Donatello: You know, was it luck or hard work?
00:10:32.108 --> 00:10:33.648
Kat Donatello: Both.
00:10:33.648 --> 00:10:35.228
Kat Donatello: All of those things.
00:10:35.228 --> 00:10:45.608
Kat Donatello: But we're really fortunate to be getting to do what we love to do every single day and making an impact on dogs and cats all over the place, which is crazy.
00:10:45.608 --> 00:10:48.208
Kat Donatello: You know, I never thought in a million years it would be like this.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: How many products did you start with versus how many you have now 10 years later?
00:10:54.688 --> 00:10:56.068
Kat Donatello: I started with one.
00:10:56.068 --> 00:11:03.828
Kat Donatello: And I remember just a couple, maybe a month or two after I had started with that one, I was like, oh, I need a smaller version because we got little dogs who need it too.
00:11:03.828 --> 00:11:06.788
Kat Donatello: And now we're getting ready to the big trade shows.
00:11:06.868 --> 00:11:15.768
Kat Donatello: As a global this year in Florida, we'll launch, I think, six new products that will put us up in the 30s of a number of products available.
00:11:15.768 --> 00:11:17.108
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Amazing.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
00:11:17.628 --> 00:11:21.368
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And which is like your flagship product?
00:11:21.368 --> 00:11:26.688
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Is there one that people kind of know, Austin And Kat for or a couple or a line?
00:11:27.328 --> 00:11:29.088
Kat Donatello: I think it's two, really.
00:11:29.088 --> 00:11:31.568
Kat Donatello: So we call one collection the Purple Collection.
00:11:31.568 --> 00:11:35.668
Kat Donatello: It's always been purple bags, but it's like everyday wellness.
00:11:36.108 --> 00:11:38.048
Kat Donatello: It's the introduction to CBD.
00:11:38.048 --> 00:11:42.328
Kat Donatello: It's the perfect intro for a customer who maybe has never used it before.
00:11:42.328 --> 00:11:43.248
Kat Donatello: It's very eye-catching.
00:11:43.248 --> 00:11:44.868
Kat Donatello: The branding is really beautiful.
00:11:44.868 --> 00:11:53.988
Kat Donatello: But our number one selling product across the country, doesn't matter if you're in Maine or if you're in Texas or you're in Oregon.
00:11:53.988 --> 00:11:56.828
Kat Donatello: It's a product called Bailey's No More Wiggles.
00:11:56.828 --> 00:11:58.808
Kat Donatello: First of all, it's got the best name ever, right?
00:11:58.808 --> 00:12:03.168
Kat Donatello: All of our products have always been created for specific pets of Nianan.
00:12:03.168 --> 00:12:05.668
Kat Donatello: So Bailey is one of our dogs.
00:12:05.668 --> 00:12:06.768
Kat Donatello: He's not on the journey with us.
00:12:06.768 --> 00:12:08.208
Kat Donatello: He's too old now.
00:12:08.208 --> 00:12:12.128
Kat Donatello: He's staying back in Seattle with Harriet, who's our daughter.
00:12:12.128 --> 00:12:14.768
Kat Donatello: And Bailey's No More Wiggles is a calm and quiet.
00:12:14.768 --> 00:12:20.468
Kat Donatello: So Bailey really struggled with anything that would make him nervous.
00:12:20.468 --> 00:12:27.268
Kat Donatello: Mailman, UPS truck backing up, thunderstorms, fireworks, trips to the vets, nail trims, you name it.
00:12:27.268 --> 00:12:31.388
Kat Donatello: So we really needed to develop a product for him, specifically.
00:12:31.388 --> 00:12:36.668
Kat Donatello: I never thought it was going to become the bestseller, but it is absolutely the bestseller.
00:12:36.668 --> 00:12:37.688
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That is amazing.
00:12:37.688 --> 00:12:38.108
Kat Donatello: I love it.
00:12:38.108 --> 00:12:41.588
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And what does it contain that it calms them?
00:12:41.588 --> 00:12:41.868
Kat Donatello: Right.
00:12:41.868 --> 00:12:58.308
Kat Donatello: So it contains CBD, which we know has relaxation properties, but it also contains ingredients like lavender and chamomile, passionflower, L-tryptophan, all things that, I love the tail, all things that really elicit calm.
00:12:58.428 --> 00:13:04.708
Kat Donatello: And when we were first, like, you know, when you're writing the brief on the product you want to create, it was like sleepy time tea.
00:13:04.708 --> 00:13:07.368
Kat Donatello: Remember celestial seasoning, sleepy time tea?
00:13:07.628 --> 00:13:09.768
Kat Donatello: That was like my vision.
00:13:09.768 --> 00:13:11.808
Kat Donatello: That's what I want to create.
00:13:11.808 --> 00:13:14.548
Kat Donatello: She does not need it, Eric, you just not need Bailey's nimalegos.
00:13:14.548 --> 00:13:19.748
Isabel Alvarez Arata: No, my cat is here because like I said, in the beginning of the show, I'm having eggnog.
00:13:19.748 --> 00:13:22.128
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And of course the cat's like, what is that?
00:13:22.308 --> 00:13:23.788
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Can I have some?
00:13:23.788 --> 00:13:27.528
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So that's why you're going to see a tail just coming back and forth.
00:13:27.528 --> 00:13:28.848
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And yes, actually, you're right.
00:13:28.848 --> 00:13:33.748
Isabel Alvarez Arata: My cat does not need any of those things, but I have two dogs that are very worked up.
00:13:33.748 --> 00:13:35.988
Isabel Alvarez Arata: They're easily worked up, I should say.
00:13:35.988 --> 00:13:43.588
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And the reality is so many dogs are, and we think of dogs as easygoing and cats as like intense.
00:13:43.588 --> 00:13:45.188
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And that's not always the case.
00:13:45.188 --> 00:13:48.528
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Do you only do products for dogs?
00:13:48.528 --> 00:13:50.268
Kat Donatello: Nope, we do cat products also.
00:13:50.448 --> 00:13:52.008
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Awesome, there you go.
00:13:52.008 --> 00:13:52.728
Isabel Alvarez Arata: All right.
00:13:52.728 --> 00:13:57.588
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I want to dig in more into you, who you are, about your brand, about your team.
00:13:57.588 --> 00:14:01.908
Isabel Alvarez Arata: But we need to take a break right now as my cat rubs his face on my microphone.
00:14:01.908 --> 00:14:04.048
Isabel Alvarez Arata: He's never really been this active on the show.
00:14:04.048 --> 00:14:05.648
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I don't know what's going on.
00:14:05.648 --> 00:14:07.608
Kat Donatello: Well, then maybe it's my name is Kat.
00:14:07.608 --> 00:14:08.868
Isabel Alvarez Arata: There you go.
00:14:08.868 --> 00:14:09.268
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Look at him.
00:14:09.268 --> 00:14:10.568
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That's his face right there.
00:14:10.568 --> 00:14:13.228
Isabel Alvarez Arata: He's a pretty baby, but you got to go, honey.
00:14:13.228 --> 00:14:14.508
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So we're going to take a break right here.
00:14:14.508 --> 00:14:15.628
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We're going to listen to our sponsors.
00:14:15.628 --> 00:14:22.488
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And when we come back, we're going to dig in to everything that Kat had to do to bring this amazing brand to life.
00:14:22.488 --> 00:14:23.128
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Don't go anywhere.
00:14:23.128 --> 00:14:24.588
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We'll be right back.
00:14:43.588 --> 00:14:46.768
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00:15:42.888 --> 00:15:48.888
Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on PetLife Radio.
00:15:59.168 --> 00:16:01.448
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome back to Covered in Pet Hair.
00:16:01.448 --> 00:16:03.648
Isabel Alvarez Arata: My name is Isabel Alvarez-Rada, I'm your host.
00:16:03.813 --> 00:16:07.813
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And my guest today is Kat of Austin And Kat.
00:16:07.813 --> 00:16:10.553
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You may know the brand, they've been around for 10 years.
00:16:10.553 --> 00:16:13.473
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm at Kat at Super Zoo this year, 2024.
00:16:13.473 --> 00:16:15.413
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We're celebrating Christmas together.
00:16:15.413 --> 00:16:16.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm in my house in El Paso.
00:16:16.733 --> 00:16:31.553
Isabel Alvarez Arata: She is on a 40 foot school bus, yellow school bus that she and her husband have turned in to their beautiful abode for the next two years with four dogs in tow, which is just like a dream for so many people.
00:16:31.553 --> 00:16:33.053
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I want to dig into that.
00:16:33.053 --> 00:16:43.853
Isabel Alvarez Arata: But first I want to dig into just some questions about business ownership and like what that experience has been for you over the past 10 years.
00:16:43.853 --> 00:16:49.093
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So this is called Austin And Kat 101, okay?
00:16:49.093 --> 00:17:02.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And we're gonna get to know like from the ground level, what it took to bring this idea, this excitement that you described, your husband getting excited about CBD at a conference to actually what it is today.
00:17:02.513 --> 00:17:03.613
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Are you ready to play?
00:17:03.613 --> 00:17:04.833
Kat Donatello: Ready to play.
00:17:04.833 --> 00:17:14.913
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay, first things first, how long between deciding I'm gonna do this for my dog and I'm gonna do this for the general public?
00:17:14.913 --> 00:17:16.773
Isabel Alvarez Arata: How long was that process?
00:17:16.773 --> 00:17:20.753
Kat Donatello: Oh gosh, it was probably, you know, a good solid year.
00:17:23.353 --> 00:17:26.253
Kat Donatello: Because I was making the products and then I was sharing them also.
00:17:26.253 --> 00:17:30.253
Kat Donatello: And I think it was that, you know, pushing me forward.
00:17:30.253 --> 00:17:35.333
Kat Donatello: And initially I never really thought about selling it in stores alone.
00:17:35.333 --> 00:17:38.073
Kat Donatello: I was just gonna have like this nice online business.
00:17:39.113 --> 00:17:40.653
Kat Donatello: And then I walked into a pet store.
00:17:40.653 --> 00:17:45.433
Kat Donatello: This was a couple of years after I had launched and saw another product.
00:17:45.433 --> 00:17:47.453
Kat Donatello: And I was like, oh my gosh.
00:17:47.453 --> 00:17:50.993
Kat Donatello: The competitive gene in me just blew up and was like, wait a minute.
00:17:50.993 --> 00:17:52.553
Kat Donatello: My branding is better.
00:17:52.553 --> 00:17:54.093
Kat Donatello: I've probably got a better product.
00:17:54.093 --> 00:17:54.993
Kat Donatello: I looked at the ingredients.
00:17:54.993 --> 00:17:56.413
Kat Donatello: My ingredients are better.
00:17:56.413 --> 00:17:58.593
Kat Donatello: I'm like, I have to be in the store.
00:17:58.593 --> 00:18:02.313
Kat Donatello: And that was 2017.
00:18:02.313 --> 00:18:03.733
Kat Donatello: Actually, so that was three years.
00:18:03.733 --> 00:18:06.713
Kat Donatello: So we had been online for a bit and it was 2017.
00:18:06.713 --> 00:18:10.833
Kat Donatello: And it was a store in Seattle called All The Best Pet Care.
00:18:10.833 --> 00:18:13.973
Kat Donatello: It was like a 17 store chain or 16 store chain at the time.
00:18:13.973 --> 00:18:15.733
Kat Donatello: And they said yes.
00:18:15.733 --> 00:18:17.533
Kat Donatello: And I said, awesome.
00:18:17.593 --> 00:18:18.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That's amazing.
00:18:18.313 --> 00:18:20.333
Kat Donatello: And they're still one of my best customers today.
00:18:20.333 --> 00:18:20.893
Kat Donatello: Yeah.
00:18:20.893 --> 00:18:21.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
00:18:21.513 --> 00:18:28.413
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So from you starting with your husband to getting your first employee, how long was that?
00:18:28.413 --> 00:18:35.213
Kat Donatello: That was, you know, I was, I was solo by myself for, I would say a good couple, two, three years.
00:18:35.213 --> 00:18:38.573
Kat Donatello: I was making everything, packaging everything, was shipping everything.
00:18:38.573 --> 00:18:42.933
Kat Donatello: In some cases, I was even delivering to some stores like the Seattle market.
00:18:42.933 --> 00:18:53.353
Kat Donatello: They got, oh, I drove around with Austin in the car and we would deliver packages, and which was great because it really, really developed relationships with those retail partners.
00:18:53.353 --> 00:18:54.233
Kat Donatello: It was really important.
00:18:54.233 --> 00:18:58.673
Kat Donatello: And they knew that I was there to support them because if they were successful, I was successful.
00:18:58.673 --> 00:19:00.953
Kat Donatello: And then their, their customers were happy, right?
00:19:00.953 --> 00:19:04.253
Kat Donatello: So it was really important to do that those first few years.
00:19:04.253 --> 00:19:11.953
Kat Donatello: And then, you know, you slowly start to realize, I can't wear every single hat and need to put them, put some hats on other people.
00:19:12.233 --> 00:19:13.173
Kat Donatello: And that's been a weird way.
00:19:13.353 --> 00:19:17.453
Kat Donatello: And I've been fortunate to have someone like my husband involved from the get-go.
00:19:17.453 --> 00:19:21.593
Kat Donatello: He came on to Austin And Kat full time in December of 2019.
00:19:21.593 --> 00:19:22.193
Kat Donatello: Nice.
00:19:22.193 --> 00:19:24.673
Kat Donatello: But prior to that, he was my sounding board.
00:19:24.673 --> 00:19:26.633
Kat Donatello: He raised, you know, what do I do in this case?
00:19:26.633 --> 00:19:27.593
Kat Donatello: How do I do this?
00:19:27.593 --> 00:19:28.553
Kat Donatello: What does this mean?
00:19:28.553 --> 00:19:35.093
Kat Donatello: I mean, there were so many, I was coming from stuff with different industry and never having had a consumer product.
00:19:35.093 --> 00:19:35.973
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Right.
00:19:35.973 --> 00:19:37.413
Kat Donatello: I didn't know what margin meant.
00:19:37.413 --> 00:19:39.153
Kat Donatello: Like, I don't know what that meant.
00:19:39.153 --> 00:19:40.173
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, yeah, exactly.
00:19:40.333 --> 00:19:43.793
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay, so my next question is, how scary was this?
00:19:43.793 --> 00:19:50.693
Kat Donatello: I think it was very scary, but I was too naive to realize how scary it was.
00:19:50.693 --> 00:19:53.433
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Naiveté is a good thing sometimes, I agree.
00:19:53.433 --> 00:19:55.593
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Like, you kind of don't know what you're getting into.
00:19:55.593 --> 00:19:57.273
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What's been the hardest part?
00:19:57.273 --> 00:20:02.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, if there's one example, you can give us about something that almost made you give up, maybe.
00:20:02.313 --> 00:20:03.233
Kat Donatello: Banking.
00:20:03.233 --> 00:20:09.033
Kat Donatello: Banking has been very difficult because CBD is still in that gray area.
00:20:10.073 --> 00:20:14.793
Kat Donatello: And when I initially started, it wasn't considered even legal, right?
00:20:14.793 --> 00:20:17.833
Kat Donatello: So banking has been a challenge.
00:20:17.833 --> 00:20:26.293
Kat Donatello: We're very fortunate now to have really, really good relationships with our bank, but our credit card processors, they still charge us a premium.
00:20:26.293 --> 00:20:30.173
Kat Donatello: We don't pay the same thing that like a dog food company would pay.
00:20:30.233 --> 00:20:33.853
Kat Donatello: We pay a higher percentage because we're still considered a risky business.
00:20:33.853 --> 00:20:34.153
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes.
00:20:34.153 --> 00:20:37.253
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So my mom is actually in compliance for banking.
00:20:37.253 --> 00:20:40.133
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Like she and she's like, they just need to do something.
00:20:40.133 --> 00:20:42.353
Isabel Alvarez Arata: They need to do something because it's so hard.
00:20:42.353 --> 00:20:43.413
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And she's in Miami.
00:20:43.413 --> 00:20:49.893
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So there are a lot of CBD companies there, lots of cannabis based businesses there.
00:20:49.893 --> 00:20:54.233
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And she says it's such a nightmare because their hands are tied.
00:20:54.233 --> 00:20:58.833
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You know, the federal government's not really moving in any direction because it's still illegal.
00:20:58.973 --> 00:21:02.893
Isabel Alvarez Arata: They can't really like have guidance to how to manage these things.
00:21:02.893 --> 00:21:03.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I totally agree.
00:21:03.873 --> 00:21:10.413
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Like we need to like either S or get off the pot kind of thing when it comes to this particular product.
00:21:10.413 --> 00:21:21.693
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Because it really is like, you know, it's it's there's so much gray and it really affects even like the consumers experience, let alone I can only imagine the business that's actually supplying this product.
00:21:21.693 --> 00:21:26.073
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So hopefully in the next few years, we'll see some improvement.
00:21:26.193 --> 00:21:28.893
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I don't know that we will, but here's.
00:21:28.893 --> 00:21:29.793
Kat Donatello: I do think it's coming.
00:21:29.793 --> 00:21:31.813
Kat Donatello: There's something called the Safe Banking Act.
00:21:31.813 --> 00:21:36.853
Kat Donatello: And once that gets through Congress and Senate, then things will start to change.
00:21:36.853 --> 00:21:37.853
Kat Donatello: It's going to take a while.
00:21:37.873 --> 00:21:43.153
Kat Donatello: And they've been here for 10 years and it's, you know, moved at a snail's pace backwards.
00:21:43.153 --> 00:21:44.333
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes, exactly.
00:21:44.333 --> 00:21:47.573
Isabel Alvarez Arata: There's just so much fear around it, which is so silly.
00:21:47.573 --> 00:21:59.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What did your family and friends say when you said you were going to, you know, leave, you know, the event planning and do this, especially enter this industry that's considered cute and not that serious sometimes?
00:21:59.313 --> 00:22:01.993
Kat Donatello: Yeah, you know, again, timing is so important.
00:22:01.993 --> 00:22:08.113
Kat Donatello: So the events that I was producing was in New England and in Maine.
00:22:08.113 --> 00:22:11.813
Kat Donatello: And I had committed myself to it for 10 years.
00:22:11.813 --> 00:22:20.133
Kat Donatello: We were, we donated all of our profits to local charities, our school system, play to pay, pay to play sports.
00:22:20.133 --> 00:22:22.693
Kat Donatello: And my kids were going to be graduating high school at that point.
00:22:23.213 --> 00:22:27.853
Kat Donatello: So I knew it was time to pass the torch so that the timing were perfect.
00:22:27.853 --> 00:22:36.673
Kat Donatello: The bigger challenge was telling my dad, who was in law enforcement, that I was going to be selling a product, right?
00:22:36.673 --> 00:22:39.673
Kat Donatello: And he was actually super, super supportive.
00:22:39.673 --> 00:22:49.553
Kat Donatello: I mean, it's always going to, was always my biggest fan and, and knew that I'm not going to do something stupid or anything that's going to put myself or my family at risk.
00:22:49.553 --> 00:22:50.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Right, right.
00:22:50.873 --> 00:22:53.353
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh my gosh, that conversation must have been so fun.
00:22:53.353 --> 00:22:54.573
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What does he think now?
00:22:54.573 --> 00:22:57.993
Kat Donatello: Well, my dad passed away a couple of years ago, but he was so sorry to hear that.
00:22:57.993 --> 00:22:58.973
Kat Donatello: No, that's okay.
00:22:58.973 --> 00:22:59.353
Kat Donatello: It's okay.
00:22:59.353 --> 00:23:01.393
Kat Donatello: He lived a really wonderful life.
00:23:01.393 --> 00:23:03.773
Kat Donatello: He was super, super supportive and really proud.
00:23:03.893 --> 00:23:05.953
Kat Donatello: And it was funny because they didn't have a dog or a cat.
00:23:05.953 --> 00:23:08.573
Kat Donatello: They were much, you know, elderly.
00:23:08.573 --> 00:23:12.953
Kat Donatello: But they always have taught my product on the kitchen counter, which is really, really special.
00:23:12.953 --> 00:23:15.333
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh, I love that so much.
00:23:15.393 --> 00:23:16.173
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Last question.
00:23:16.173 --> 00:23:20.893
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What's your favorite part and your least favorite part of running Austin And Kat?
00:23:20.893 --> 00:23:30.973
Kat Donatello: My favorite part is meeting retailers and customers and customer who gets to share their experience about how their dog has been changed.
00:23:30.973 --> 00:23:33.633
Kat Donatello: And that's just like just warmed your heart all the time.
00:23:33.633 --> 00:23:42.653
Kat Donatello: I've got to go on the road on this past Tuesday in California with one of the distributor reps who represent our products and got to meet stores and stuff.
00:23:42.733 --> 00:23:45.693
Kat Donatello: And just that interaction is awesome.
00:23:45.693 --> 00:23:48.373
Kat Donatello: My least favorite thing, I still think would be banking.
00:23:48.373 --> 00:23:51.573
Kat Donatello: Like it just is always going to be a non-micro, right?
00:23:51.573 --> 00:23:52.233
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes.
00:23:52.233 --> 00:23:53.053
Isabel Alvarez Arata: No, I hear you.
00:23:53.053 --> 00:23:58.353
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I'm putting it out to the universe that in 2025, you see some progress there.
00:23:58.353 --> 00:24:07.433
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So thank you for letting us dig in to that kind of process because a lot of people have big dreams, but they don't know the work that goes into making those dreams a reality.
00:24:07.433 --> 00:24:11.933
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So you mentioned that you're going back to the Pacific Northwest for your Christmas party.
00:24:12.053 --> 00:24:14.233
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Is this something that you do every year for your team?
00:24:14.233 --> 00:24:15.073
Kat Donatello: We do.
00:24:15.073 --> 00:24:16.153
Kat Donatello: Yeah, we do.
00:24:16.153 --> 00:24:35.913
Kat Donatello: I've had such an awesome, awesome, cool team and I've been on this bus journey since March and I have to rely very heavily on the team back there, the production team, the manufacturing team, sales team, everybody who's still back in the Seattle area and kind of funny anecdote.
00:24:35.913 --> 00:24:45.173
Kat Donatello: And we had our company meeting this morning and we're prepping for the party and I said, do we still have a pickleball court set up in the warehouse?
00:24:45.173 --> 00:24:53.793
Kat Donatello: And they all look at me like, I know you guys set a pickleball court up in our warehouse when I left, but I want to play pickleball at the Christmas party.
00:24:54.873 --> 00:24:57.553
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, that sounds like a really fun Christmas party.
00:24:57.553 --> 00:24:59.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: How many people on your team right now?
00:24:59.493 --> 00:25:00.373
Kat Donatello: There are 12 of us.
00:25:00.733 --> 00:25:04.953
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I met a few of them at the at Super Zoo and they are such a great team.
00:25:05.273 --> 00:25:06.793
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Your booth had such a great energy.
00:25:06.793 --> 00:25:08.553
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I love your branding.
00:25:08.553 --> 00:25:10.253
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I love the mural you had up.
00:25:10.253 --> 00:25:16.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: It's kind of like, you know, like the kitchen, that home, but modern and vintage all at the same time.
00:25:16.513 --> 00:25:17.993
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You have a really good look.
00:25:17.993 --> 00:25:19.073
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I really like it.
00:25:19.073 --> 00:25:26.193
Isabel Alvarez Arata: How much do you kind of get involved in all the steps or are you kind of really delegating these days?
00:25:26.193 --> 00:25:27.753
Kat Donatello: Nope, very involved in everything.
00:25:27.993 --> 00:25:36.993
Kat Donatello: In fact, we're working on a marketing project that's due today for a new retailer in the Florida market.
00:25:36.993 --> 00:25:46.113
Kat Donatello: And, you know, Tim and I and the design team, we're all on Zoom and moving stuff around on our, you know, design sheets and everything.
00:25:46.113 --> 00:25:48.013
Kat Donatello: So yeah, I'm really involved in that.
00:25:48.013 --> 00:25:56.013
Kat Donatello: And I think it's a really collaborative effort when you do that, because everyone sees it differently and everyone has something valuable to add.
00:25:56.353 --> 00:26:00.293
Kat Donatello: And we're talking about, like, obviously, Tim's been with me for the 10 years, right?
00:26:00.293 --> 00:26:03.613
Kat Donatello: Emily, who's one of my designers, has been with me for six years.
00:26:03.613 --> 00:26:07.713
Kat Donatello: So they, like, we can all, we all speak the same language, right?
00:26:07.713 --> 00:26:08.193
Kat Donatello: Yes.
00:26:08.193 --> 00:26:11.573
Kat Donatello: And what, I might have a block here and they might have something else.
00:26:11.573 --> 00:26:14.013
Kat Donatello: And you're like, oh, Eureka, that's amazing, right?
00:26:14.013 --> 00:26:14.713
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes.
00:26:14.713 --> 00:26:15.413
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes.
00:26:15.413 --> 00:26:16.013
Kat Donatello: I love that.
00:26:16.013 --> 00:26:18.253
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I do think that you guys have, like, a really nice team.
00:26:18.253 --> 00:26:20.773
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You can kind of tell from the energy too.
00:26:20.773 --> 00:26:28.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And it seems like you're, like, a kind of an open-minded person that takes feedback and takes suggestions.
00:26:28.733 --> 00:26:34.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Do you have to involve the suggestions from your retailers as well since you are marketing in their stores?
00:26:34.513 --> 00:26:35.173
Kat Donatello: Absolutely.
00:26:35.173 --> 00:26:36.873
Kat Donatello: And that's critical, right?
00:26:36.873 --> 00:26:41.393
Kat Donatello: And we have some key retailers across the country that have all different types of stores.
00:26:41.393 --> 00:26:46.733
Kat Donatello: It might be a small little boutique store, might be, you know, a multiple thousand square foot store.
00:26:46.733 --> 00:26:54.653
Kat Donatello: They're all going to have different needs, but making sure that they all have the same message, but just maybe scale differently for each of them.
00:26:54.653 --> 00:26:56.053
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Exactly, exactly.
00:26:56.053 --> 00:26:58.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: How many retailers are you in right now?
00:26:58.493 --> 00:26:58.953
Isabel Alvarez Arata: More or less?
00:26:58.953 --> 00:27:02.153
Kat Donatello: About 12 to 1300.
00:27:02.153 --> 00:27:02.993
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Wow!
00:27:02.993 --> 00:27:03.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Congratulations!
00:27:03.633 --> 00:27:04.493
Kat Donatello: Oh, wait, wait.
00:27:04.493 --> 00:27:05.793
Kat Donatello: I'm going to adjust that.
00:27:05.793 --> 00:27:08.853
Kat Donatello: I will say 1629.
00:27:08.853 --> 00:27:11.093
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Gosh, congratulations in 10 years.
00:27:11.093 --> 00:27:12.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That's amazing.
00:27:12.493 --> 00:27:14.653
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That really is like a labor of love.
00:27:14.653 --> 00:27:16.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Have you ever thought, like, what did I do?
00:27:17.653 --> 00:27:26.393
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I mean, at this point, I think you probably know you're in the right place, but was there a moment in the journey that you were like, I mean, this is just too much?
00:27:26.393 --> 00:27:27.553
Kat Donatello: Yeah, there were.
00:27:27.553 --> 00:27:38.373
Kat Donatello: I mean, a lot of it would revolve around these issues that we have with credit card processing or the state of Idaho decided, no, we're not going to allow CBD sales anymore.
00:27:38.373 --> 00:27:39.253
Kat Donatello: We're like, wait, what?
00:27:39.253 --> 00:27:39.913
Kat Donatello: You can't see that.
00:27:39.913 --> 00:27:48.273
Kat Donatello: It took like nine months for the NASC got very involved, the National Animal Supplement Council got very involved, and we're able to overturn that.
00:27:48.373 --> 00:27:51.473
Kat Donatello: But you're like, you're really harming pets.
00:27:52.473 --> 00:28:06.913
Kat Donatello: And their pet parents who are having to now struggle with these issues that their dogs may be having, and they may be forced to be put on medical stuff that's going to hurt their liver or have long-term effects that isn't holistic, isn't wellness, right?
00:28:06.913 --> 00:28:13.293
Kat Donatello: And that's the journey that we want our pet parents to be on, a safe, healthy wellness journey.
00:28:13.293 --> 00:28:14.173
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
00:28:14.173 --> 00:28:16.273
Kat Donatello: And when you have things like that, it gets really frustrating.
00:28:16.353 --> 00:28:17.633
Kat Donatello: You're just like, why?
00:28:17.633 --> 00:28:18.973
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Why, why, why, why, why?
00:28:18.973 --> 00:28:19.333
Kat Donatello: Yeah.
00:28:19.333 --> 00:28:22.953
Kat Donatello: And so I would say those are those are the moments where you're like, right?
00:28:22.953 --> 00:28:25.793
Kat Donatello: Should I have just done dog food?
00:28:25.793 --> 00:28:33.353
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I know one of the things we bonded over, and I interviewed you actually on the spot at Super Zoo, was the quality of your ingredients.
00:28:33.353 --> 00:28:39.193
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So was that a process that you had to learn to kind of know where to even start looking?
00:28:39.193 --> 00:28:46.673
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And what is it that you kind of right now know that you're after when you're looking at maybe new suppliers?
00:28:46.673 --> 00:28:49.273
Kat Donatello: I love working with small independents.
00:28:49.273 --> 00:28:50.893
Kat Donatello: I'm small and independent, right?
00:28:50.893 --> 00:29:01.733
Kat Donatello: And if you can have a direct line to an owner and know what their methodology is and what is their why, why did they sell at Buyer's Eat?
00:29:01.733 --> 00:29:10.313
Kat Donatello: And that message resonates with you and then they check all the boxes in our supplier code of conduct and all those types of things and meet sustainability goals.
00:29:10.313 --> 00:29:12.173
Kat Donatello: And then we can have a great partnership.
00:29:12.293 --> 00:29:15.933
Kat Donatello: But I'm not afraid to say, you know what, I'm moving.
00:29:15.933 --> 00:29:19.373
Kat Donatello: I'm going to use this now because this is better.
00:29:19.373 --> 00:29:21.293
Kat Donatello: This improved.
00:29:21.293 --> 00:29:23.313
Kat Donatello: So those partnerships are really important.
00:29:23.313 --> 00:29:27.753
Kat Donatello: And we have some really, really good ones that I'm super proud of.
00:29:27.753 --> 00:29:28.953
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Did you ever stumble?
00:29:28.953 --> 00:29:30.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Like, did you have a hard time finding?
00:29:30.733 --> 00:29:39.433
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Because I have a feeling like it's not that simple to find the highest quality ingredients at the price point that you can actually use them in a pet product.
00:29:40.093 --> 00:29:45.733
Kat Donatello: Yeah, especially those ingredients that need to come from overseas like New Zealand Greenland Mussel, for example.
00:29:45.733 --> 00:29:53.933
Kat Donatello: That's a big one that we buy direct from New Zealand, whereas a lot of companies will buy from companies here in the United States that are importing.
00:29:53.933 --> 00:29:55.793
Kat Donatello: And if they're importing, okay, great.
00:29:55.793 --> 00:30:00.273
Kat Donatello: But they might be importing from one farm this month, then next farm next.
00:30:00.273 --> 00:30:04.573
Kat Donatello: I want to know that I get the same consistent ingredient every single time.
00:30:04.573 --> 00:30:13.373
Kat Donatello: That's just so, so important because then that means that my customer is going to get a repeatable experience, right?
00:30:13.373 --> 00:30:17.833
Kat Donatello: They don't want to have something change every single time.
00:30:17.833 --> 00:30:19.153
Kat Donatello: Yeah.
00:30:19.153 --> 00:30:29.513
Kat Donatello: So choosing the very, very best ingredients and making sure that they hit all of our requirements, then it's a win-win for everybody.
00:30:29.513 --> 00:30:30.793
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That is really smart.
00:30:30.793 --> 00:30:31.953
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah, that makes total sense.
00:30:31.953 --> 00:30:34.273
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I mean, everybody wants to source the best of the best.
00:30:34.933 --> 00:30:40.073
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I've never heard anybody say that that's one of the reasons is to maintain the consistency, because you're right.
00:30:40.073 --> 00:30:47.793
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Like if you're constantly changing suppliers, then every month you're going to potentially get a different product to your pet.
00:30:47.793 --> 00:30:50.473
Isabel Alvarez Arata: At the end of the day, it's not the same thing.
00:30:50.473 --> 00:30:57.553
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So what are your plans for this Christmas season after your team's Christmas party?
00:30:57.553 --> 00:30:59.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Where are you going to be celebrating?
00:30:59.633 --> 00:31:00.473
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Where are you headed?
00:31:00.473 --> 00:31:03.613
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And what do you see for Austin And Kat in 2025?
00:31:04.153 --> 00:31:09.453
Kat Donatello: So I'm going to be in Seattle all next week, see the team, Christmas party.
00:31:09.453 --> 00:31:18.813
Kat Donatello: Then I'll come back and I'll meet up with Tim and the dogs in the bus, most likely in Southern California, my guess.
00:31:18.813 --> 00:31:20.933
Kat Donatello: Then we've got a big journey.
00:31:20.933 --> 00:31:26.613
Kat Donatello: I have made a commitment to be at a new retail partner in January and February in Florida.
00:31:26.613 --> 00:31:29.833
Kat Donatello: So we've got a cross-country drive ahead of us.
00:31:30.173 --> 00:31:37.113
Kat Donatello: We've done this already a couple of times in the bus, over to New Hampshire and back.
00:31:37.113 --> 00:31:38.753
Kat Donatello: But we're going to see a different part of the country this time.
00:31:38.753 --> 00:31:42.153
Kat Donatello: We're going to do the Southern drive over instead of the Northern drive over.
00:31:42.153 --> 00:31:46.133
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, if you drive through El Paso, let me know.
00:31:46.133 --> 00:31:46.373
Kat Donatello: I will.
00:31:46.373 --> 00:31:47.933
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Seriously, please let me know.
00:31:47.933 --> 00:31:48.833
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
00:31:48.833 --> 00:31:54.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Tell me about 2025 other than, of course, this commitment you've made for the first part of the year.
00:31:55.373 --> 00:31:58.113
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And you're going to be at Global and you're probably going to be at Superzoos.
00:31:58.113 --> 00:32:02.773
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So what plans do you have in addition to launching those new products?
00:32:02.773 --> 00:32:02.993
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah.
00:32:02.993 --> 00:32:05.113
Kat Donatello: So this is the year of innovation for sure.
00:32:06.133 --> 00:32:07.933
Kat Donatello: There's a lot.
00:32:07.933 --> 00:32:13.333
Kat Donatello: If we accomplish all that we want to do, it will be simply amazing.
00:32:13.333 --> 00:32:13.793
Kat Donatello: Yeah.
00:32:13.793 --> 00:32:22.433
Kat Donatello: And I've had some really exciting things coming, some very new and unique things that will be different than things that we've done before.
00:32:22.433 --> 00:32:25.353
Kat Donatello: So I think it's important to note that we're not just CBD.
00:32:25.353 --> 00:32:33.293
Kat Donatello: We are holistic supplements and this past year, we launched two skin oils, two skin and coat oils that have done really, really well.
00:32:33.293 --> 00:32:37.333
Kat Donatello: So they'll be additions to those types of products.
00:32:37.333 --> 00:32:41.893
Kat Donatello: I'm stoked because everything that we make, I've made for my pets first.
00:32:41.893 --> 00:32:44.633
Kat Donatello: And having our own facility, that's critical.
00:32:44.633 --> 00:32:47.633
Kat Donatello: It's not like I have somebody else making my products, we make them ourselves.
00:32:47.633 --> 00:32:54.453
Kat Donatello: And being able to do that, I can decide, oh yeah, this works or this doesn't work or I can tweak it here, I tweak it there.
00:32:54.453 --> 00:32:57.193
Kat Donatello: And it's what we do as a team.
00:32:57.193 --> 00:33:00.993
Kat Donatello: And in doing these two new oils, you know, they're both, one of them is really unique.
00:33:00.993 --> 00:33:02.493
Kat Donatello: It's a vegan version.
00:33:02.493 --> 00:33:07.453
Kat Donatello: So those pet parents who have issues with fish, and it's got great ingredients.
00:33:07.653 --> 00:33:09.273
Kat Donatello: It's just, it's mind blowing.
00:33:09.273 --> 00:33:10.353
Kat Donatello: And we used it on Kingsley.
00:33:10.353 --> 00:33:14.873
Kat Donatello: Kingsley is a rescue that we've had since April, and it changed him.
00:33:14.873 --> 00:33:15.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah.
00:33:15.513 --> 00:33:16.133
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah.
00:33:16.133 --> 00:33:19.233
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You were telling me before we recorded that he just showed up and never left.
00:33:19.233 --> 00:33:20.593
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I don't blame him.
00:33:20.713 --> 00:33:23.113
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I mean, it sounds like he knows exactly where he's at.
00:33:23.113 --> 00:33:25.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: He needs to stay right there.
00:33:25.493 --> 00:33:32.973
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So tell me, how can my audience learn more about your products and everything that you are offering pet parents today?
00:33:32.973 --> 00:33:33.273
Kat Donatello: Yeah.
00:33:33.273 --> 00:33:34.393
Kat Donatello: So simple.
00:33:34.393 --> 00:33:38.813
Kat Donatello: It's AustinAndKat, and we spell out the word and.com.
00:33:38.813 --> 00:33:40.453
Kat Donatello: So austinandkat.com.
00:33:40.453 --> 00:33:46.453
Kat Donatello: There's also actually a link on the home page that you can follow along on our bus journey.
00:33:46.453 --> 00:33:50.853
Kat Donatello: See the places that we've been, see the bus, see some videos.
00:33:50.853 --> 00:33:58.473
Kat Donatello: We got some cool drone videos of us driving through Amish country and some buggy going by and yes.
00:33:58.473 --> 00:34:02.093
Kat Donatello: It's been an amazing, amazing adventure.
00:34:02.093 --> 00:34:06.373
Kat Donatello: The bus is purple, though it's true AustinAndKat colors.
00:34:06.373 --> 00:34:07.193
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh my God.
00:34:07.193 --> 00:34:08.373
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I love it so much.
00:34:08.373 --> 00:34:17.553
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I just want to propose a toast to you for being my guest, for being so awesome and for celebrating the holidays with me a little early, but still works.
00:34:17.553 --> 00:34:18.393
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You too.
00:34:18.393 --> 00:34:19.173
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We're good.
00:34:19.173 --> 00:34:21.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We just have to worry about the turkey.
00:34:21.633 --> 00:34:24.893
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I also want to propose a toast to my executive producer, Mark Winter.
00:34:24.893 --> 00:34:27.353
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thank you, Mark and to our audience for joining us.
00:34:27.353 --> 00:34:30.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate.
00:34:30.493 --> 00:34:33.073
Isabel Alvarez Arata: If you celebrate, I hope your pets are well.
00:34:33.073 --> 00:34:34.373
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Give them a hug for me.
00:34:34.373 --> 00:34:35.993
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Say hello to them for me.
00:34:35.993 --> 00:34:39.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And please be sure you keep yourself safe.
00:34:39.313 --> 00:34:41.713
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I will see you again in 2025.
00:34:42.393 --> 00:34:46.213
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Here's to a life covered in pet hair, because there's no better way to live.
00:34:46.213 --> 00:34:47.373
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Cheers.
00:34:47.373 --> 00:34:53.033
Isabel Alvarez Arata: To learn more about Covered In Pet Hair, please visit coveredinpethair.com or petliferadio.com.
00:34:53.033 --> 00:34:53.993
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thanks for watching.
00:34:53.993 --> 00:34:58.613
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And please make sure you like, subscribe and follow on social media.
00:34:58.613 --> 00:35:05.473
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Please rate us on your favorite podcasting platform so we can get these awesome conversations out to more pet parents just like you.
00:35:05.473 --> 00:35:08.233
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thanks again and I'll see you next time.
00:35:08.233 --> 00:35:11.213
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