Daily Inspiration: Meet Kathleen Brandt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Brandt

Hi Kathleen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I graduated from Stephens College (Business Administration and Foreign Languages) in Columbia, MO. I earned my Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I had my dream job for 20 years traveling the world as a Project Manager Technical Trainer Executive in Corporate America. It was time for a change. A drastic one! I decided to launch my own historical research firm. Why not? I was raised in Kansas City, Kansas by two teachers. Dad majored in History; Mom’s Masters was in Library Science. Even our annual vacations involved history, research, and studying the AAA travel books. That meant we stopped at every possible historical marker! So, creating a historical research firm was a natural evolution for me. However, I really gravitated to history through genealogy. The documents, old court records, ancient photos all fascinated me. It was no longer just about learning history and ferreting out historical documents that support, or disprove, family folklore, it was about sharing and helping others learn about their ancestors. That’s how a3Genealogy took shape in 2008. Reconnecting clients to their immigrant, enslaved, Colonial or veteran ancestors is my bailiwick.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I specialize in the difficult jobs – the brick wall genealogy research that requires scouring records you won’t find using a typical online database search. My biggest obstacle was expansion and scaling the business. I found that in order to expand offerings and take on more clients I had to train others in 1) brickwall research skills using various local, State and Federal repositories, i.e. Library of Congress, National Archives, etc. 2) DNA analysis techniques.
So, I created a genealogy mentoring program for those with experience, and an internship program for those who had less experience but wanted to gain experience. The goal was for them to work for a3Genealogy as freelancers, and learn in a safe environment, while building their expertise. I also encouraged them to take on their own clients.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My biggest love is helping others trace their ancestors. For that reason, I constantly post on the a3Genealogy. It’s chock-full of research tips. Because a3Genealogy takes on all clients, when I learn research tips on most any topic, or if my clients or the genealogy community might benefit from information or resources from a case, I share tips, hints and resources on the blog. Plus, it’s my own searchable reference as a checklist to “how did I find those records before?” I’m quite proud of the not-for-profit I spearheaded called Tracing Ancestors which sponsors the Hittin’ the Bricks with Kathleen podcast (HTB). Again, it is designed to help the family historian and professional genealogists to work through their own brickwalls.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Becoming a entrepreneur is, in itself, taking a risk. You can’t take it lightly. I am not a risk taker, but I have a secret to confess. Most things I take on I not only plan, I create a support group of those who will be brutally honest with me. I knew I wanted to do “EVERYONE’s family research. So, I wrote lots of blog posts to show my expertise, and never put up my personal image. This was in response to the advice given to me by my diverse group of advisors to build credibility. And it worked beautifully. From 2008-2011, the a3Genealogy blog opened the door to reaching my ideal clients: Australian, European, Native American, Union and Confederate veteran descendants, as well as enslaved and enslaver descendants.
Then, the Tim McGraw episode of Who Do You Think You Are (TLC) aired with me presenting his ancestry to him. It was not until the Tim McGraw episode that clients, or potential clients, would learn I was African American. I knew revealing my ethnicity could limit my client base and cost me the clients I had worked so hard to gain. What if I lose followings on social media and the blog? What if people disregard my expertise and do not use me because of their own biases? Shortly after the airing I began receiving emails. The first was from an Australian client. She had no idea I was “a person of color.” I talked about this on one of the HTB podcasts. My first large client is from Napa Valley (2008) and he recently revealed that he never knew until we met in person years later that I was black. We are still great friends and I recently, Apr 2024, attended his family reunion. Yeah, revealing my race was a risk.
I still only use my logo, but my image is now easily found as a keynote speaker, and on the podcast.

Pricing:

• HTB Podcast: Free
• a3Genealogy How to Blog: Free
• Family Research Packages: $1200 and up

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/a3genealogy and https://linktr.ee/hittinthebricks
• Not for Profit: TracingAncestors.org
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HTBKRB
• Other: https://a3genealogy.com/