We recently had the chance to connect with Sky Knox and have shared our conversation below.
Sky, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: Who are you learning from right now?
The main people I am learning from right now are Megan Weeks (@meganweeksdesign), Sandra K (@sandracreatess), Pia Silva (@pialovesyourbiz), Simon Squibb (@simonsquibb), & Lisa Furze (@lisafurzedesign) just to name a few! I love learning and finding new people to learn from. I think expanding your perspective and knowledge is so important!!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi there! I’m Sky Knox, Founder & CEO of Create Your Own Reality Media where I encourage, empower, & inspire others to live a life they love through branding, podcasting, and photography.
I am a solopreneur who started my business back in January of 2023. I have always been very business minded with every venture I took and this one just wraps up all of my passions in one.
Being able to help others is really something that I feel called to do, and with my brand I am able to do this through branding by creating a recognizable brand for those who are just starting out on their business journey and also through my podcast & YouTube channel which I just started this past month!
I have been getting into the flow of consistently posting on social media, which is definitely expanding my reach. I’m super excited for the next stage of my business.
I just rebranded and love the way everything turned out! For me, authenticity is huge, and although I loved my initial branding, I just felt like it no longer portrayed the identity of my business.
I am really looking forward to this next chapter! Not only will I be sharing more content with others, but I will also be creating helpful templates, and of course provide branding services for those who need it.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
This one is actually really important because I believe everyone has, or should have, this person in their life. Now, I feel like technically I have a few for different parts of life, but overall, there is one main one.
I would have to say that is Cat Cogliandro. They really helped me recognize my full potential in a time where I was really lost. Not only was it during my first ever breakup, but also in the midst of switching majors in college.
As if college isn’t difficult enough, trying to navigate the beginning stages of becoming an ‘adult,’ but within the challenges life can bring, it’s easy to feel lost.
Technically, I had met Cat before this time in my life, but I had not connected with them on any particular level. As a dancer, I had taken classes from them back in New York, but never had the chance to have any conversations.
It was in the midst of my major change that I was able to get into a class Cat was teaching at my college for an entire semester which was when I was able to make that connection.
Cat saw something in me that I definitely did not see in myself, especially not in that moment of my life.
I think the coolest thing though, was I recently interviewed Cat for an episode of my podcast Create Your Own Reality Podcast – Trust In The Journey of Life, but I got to express my gratitude for just how much they helped me in that time.
My biggest piece of advice, if you haven’t already and you get the chance to, definitely take the time to give recognition and gratitude to that person who saw you clearly when you couldn’t yourself. It creates a really powerful moment , especially if you’re in a space now when you are fulfilling your purpose.
If you have not yet found that person, don’t be discouraged! Sometimes it takes a while, but when you do, embrace all of the knowledge they have to share with you!
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I think the fear of judgement has held me back the most in my life. Growing up as a dancer & performer, it was easy to compare myself to others. Many times I would ask myself;
“Why am I not as talented as them?”
“Why can’t I perform this as well as they can?”
“Why does no one recognize that I am doing the choreography just as well as they are?”
It can be easy to compare yourself to others and it can be just as easy to hide.
As a creative, I think everyone struggles with this at some point in their career. This fear of judgement can also be recognized as Imposter Syndrome which is definitely something I have been battling a lot lately.
As someone who has started their business all on their on with no formal coaching, teaching, or training, it can sometimes be difficult to navigate. It can also be difficult to sell your services to others because sometimes you may not feel like you are ‘good enough,’ to justify pricing something at a certain price point or offering a particular service.
I think the biggest thing I’m beginning to realize, going back to one of the things I mentioned previously, is it is SO IMPORTANT to be AUTHENTIC!! Especially in a time where AI is taking over so many aspects, you need to be authentically YOU.
This will help you stand out from all the others, and at the end of the day, that is the goal of good branding. You want to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
As long as you feel confident in yourself and what you are offering, don’t hold yourself back. Put yourself out there and just wait for all of your ideal clients to find just the person/brand they’ve been looking for!
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is absolutely the real me. I think the through-line here, is really the importance of authenticity.
I know now-a-days, it can be so easy to hide behind a faceless brand which is kind of what I was doing for a while and that was one of the things that made me realize I needed a shift and a rebrand.
There are many people on the internet who definitely don’t display the ‘real’ versions of themselves and that can be disappointing; especially if you ever get to meet them in person.
Since we are all humans, we all have bad days. I’m sure no one likes to highlight those on social media, but they do still happen. Some people may be better at handling them than others, and that is something I have been focusing on a lot myself lately.
Even when things may not be going right for you, it’s important to have gratitude for all of the things you do have, that many other people may not.
It’s important to take time for yourself, especially on the bad days to talk to a friend, or a therapist. They may be able to offer a perspective or a reframe you hadn’t considered.
Embrace every version & part of yourself. Always seek to level up and embody the version of you that you are striving to become. That way, it will become a part of you and of course, your authentic self!
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
This is a really important question, and one I don’t think about often enough. However, the story I hope people tell about me when I’m gone would be;
Sky always inspired me through her authenticity and hard work. Whenever she was faced with a challenge, she faced it head-on and didn’t run from it. She always seemed to help others even in times when she may have needed help herself. Her creativity and work really expressed exactly who she was and was able to share her message all around the world. She was able to empower a community of people to live the life they love and let their authenticity guide their life and business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cyorealitymedia.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cyorealitymedia?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cyorealitymedia?si=8CM2stg7KYWcrmNI
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/478bCFE7T0EC64Fk3hoxUr
Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-your-own-reality-podcast/id1706313533
