We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kelli Binnings. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Kelli, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
As a 5 am’er, my mornings have become quite sacred to me. I use the first hour or so to set the tone for the day, sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee, writing, and enjoying the peaceful sounds of a still sleeping city just before sunrise. I’m not kidding … it’s what I look forward to every single day.
My brain is also at its most active and clear during that time, so I’ve learned to use it wisely to explore my most creative, introspective, and inspired ideas. That first 90 minutes is typically when the biggest ideas become real, when tough questions find their answers, and future planning becomes clear.
Lately, that time has been dedicated to editing my book, which I’m so excited to release this coming year. Stay tuned …
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Sure! I’m Kelli, a native New Orleanian with Los Angeles roots now living in London, wrapping up my MSc in Psychology.
Starting with a little about ‘professional’ me … I’m a brand psychology-obsessed, multi-disciplined creative who loves researching, talking, and writing about all things brand, psychology, design, work culture, and leadership.
For the past 15+ years, I’ve designed for and worked with brands across various industries, from Travel and Hospitality to Fitness and Lifestyle to Skincare and Beauty to Longevity Health and Wellness. In that time, I’ve learned a lot about team dynamics and their impact on brand experiences, which has led me to specialize in internal branding. While it may not be the sexiest side of brand building, it’s certainly the most telling as it gets to the core of what shapes a brand’s identity and meaning, making or breaking its potential for lasting success.
In short, I help business owners internalize and operationalize their brand so they can focus on expanding their vision and living their values. Through my company, Build Smart Brands, I focus on transforming business owners into brand leaders, showing them what’s possible when authenticity, purpose, and meaning align to create people-minded brands. In that, I offer self-guided courses, methods, and frameworks that show others how to build a SMART brand from the inside out.
A little about me ‘personally’… I’m a life-long learner and self-awareness junkie who thrives on bringing joy and meaning to others through my work, relationships, and all the content I create.
I’m a true creative at heart with many passions as a published music photographer, writer, wellness athlete (a 3x Wellness Bodybuilding Competitor), and soon-to-be author of my first book, titled “The Breakout Creative,” set for release in ‘26. And lastly, I just completed my Master’s from Goldsmiths University in London in the Psychology of Arts, Neuroaesthetics, and Creativity, unleashing a whole new area of passionate focus in brand psychology.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
This one is easy … my mom. Growing up, I watched both my parents work hard, both doing things they enjoy. My mom, a teacher, and my dad, a pilot.
But my mom had a different approach to her work, a different drive that still inspires me to this day. She was always thinking of new ways to do things, to make things better, to push the limits of what’s expected, to make teaching more fun. Her above-and-beyond approach was proof of her passion and her desire to fulfill her purpose.
I watched her work long hours (that she set), create plans and programs (that she dreamed up), and heard first-hand from past students she continues to inspire, now as adults.
I learned early on that work doesn’t have to be a paycheck, a means to an end. I learned that work can be fulfilling, intrinsically driven, and rewarding throughout your entire career if you meaningfully pursue it.
There’s no doubt that her work ethic has inspired my journey, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
February 6, 2023
2022 was a really rough year. It challenged everything I knew about the strength I thought I had. As a result, I turned to ‘easy’ solutions for comfort like food and alcohol, and well, I knew where that path would eventually lead me.
After a brutal 6 months of processing pain, I decided it was time to take my life back and come back stronger than even I thought possible. I got back in the gym, started prioritizing sleep, getting back to my early morning creative thinking time, and cutting out things that no longer served the person I wanted to become.
By the end of 2023, I decided to do something incredibly out of my comfort zone and sign up for a bodybuilding competition simply to see if I could do it. That moment changed everything. When I stepped on stage, I stepped into a new version of me, a new lifestyle, with a renewed sense of discipline, reinforcing the idea that hard work pays off.
The physical transformation was merely a bonus to the mental changes I went through. When I think back to February 6th, and the person I was in my very first progress photo, I just want to hug her and tell her that everything happened to get you here. That nothing was wasted because I learned how to channel that pain into power.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Helping creative pros and entrepreneurs find joy, meaning, and fulfillment in their work.
This goes back to my mom and her work ethic. I’m living proof of her influence applied to my passion, and I just want to pay it forward and show others how to make the same connection with theirs.
Everything I’m working on currently, from my Chief Brand Officer role at nuBioAge, a longevity science and wellness network, to the topics I cover in my book “The Breakout Creative,” to the evolving work inside Build Smart Brands … it’s all in pursuit of helping others realize their vision for themselves through their work.
With countless other authors, coaches, and psychologists out there promoting the same, I’m thankfully not the only one who feels this way. I know that we all contribute to the idea of finding joy, meaning, and fulfillment in our work. I just hope that through my lens of brand, and the mind, body, and business connection I’ve personally explored, I can help inspire others to find and own their future vision, talent, and unique voice.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
That I spent my entire life working.
The idea of ‘work’ in the traditional sense doesn’t apply to me, at least I don’t think it does.
I don’t see what I do as work; there is no ‘on/off’ to what I do, it just is. It’s in the fabric of who I am, my calling. That’s not to say I am only my work, but I do find that much joy in learning, researching, building, scaling, writing, growing, creating, and experiencing all things within the realm of brand.
I’d hope that my legacy is defined by the people I’ve inspired, rather than how I’ve spent my time. I’d love more than anything to have those I’ve impacted speak of my perspective, frameworks, method of thinking, and writing as influential and empowering; to know that their lives are richer because of the ideas I’ve shared and things I’ve created. That’s truly the legacy I hope to leave behind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.buildsmartbrands.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildsmartbrands/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellibinnings/
Image Credits
Katharine Hauschka
