The Messy Parts

Host: Maryam Banikarim
Episode: Katie Sturino on Building Megababe, Owning the Mess, and Dreaming Big (Re-Release)
Date: December 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this refreshingly honest episode of The Messy Parts, Maryam Banikarim sits down with entrepreneur, influencer, and now novelist Katie Sturino. The wide-ranging conversation explores the unpredictable journey of building brands—and a life—around authenticity, hustle, and the willingness to embrace all the “messy parts.” Katie shares her pivots from fashion PR to dog fame, from championing body positivity to founding Megababe. The two discuss the realities behind social media personas, entrepreneurship, writing, and the constant work of helping women feel good in their skin, all while being candid about fears, failures, and the drive that propels them to dream big.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Success, Motivation, and the Role of Revenge

• Notable Quote:
  “Success is the ultimate revenge… I do everything for my enemies.”
  — Katie Sturino (00:00)

• Katie jokingly but honestly admits that proving others wrong is a motivator, reframing pettiness as fuel for achievement, and sparking laughter as Maryam calls this “petty and magnanimous at the same time.”

2. Living Authentically as an Introvert

• Katie is naturally an introvert despite her public persona. She explains pushing past anxiety to show up, especially in work contexts, while actively avoiding casual social engagements.
  “I dread them [work dinners]… but I always go. And it’s good that I went” (02:29)

• The conversation normalizes fear and acknowledges that drive and hustle often coexist with self-doubt.

3. Early Career: Breaking into Fashion with Relentlessness

• Katie describes her journey from Milwaukee to the New York fashion scene, including her tenacity in landing an internship at Chanel by persistently following up and embracing embarrassment:
  “I did not take no for an answer… I kept following up with them, like twice a week…” (05:52)
• Maryam and Katie reflect on generational differences in ambition, and the underappreciated value of being willing to look “needy” or “uncool” in pursuit of opportunities.

4. Embracing the Mess in Work & Entrepreneurship

• Katie was unintentionally let go from Dolce & Gabbana, learned tough fashion lessons (“I could not wear Uggs and Juicy miniskirts to Dolce and Gabbana for work” (07:26)), and found that agency work gave her business skills but not the people culture she craved.
• She started her own PR agency (“because I wanted to be able to go get a cappuccino at three in the afternoon and not have to tell anyone” (09:09)), later selling her business name to Tinder, the dating app (“No, it’s probably not gonna last. No one’s gonna hear about it.” (09:35))

5. From Canine Fame to Personal Branding

• Katie’s rescue dog Toast became Instagram-famous, landing TV appearances and a book deal (“She wore, like, a $75,000 diamond necklace, and she had a Marchesa custom dress…” (11:23)), due to Katie’s PR hustle.
• As Toast’s fame grew, Katie recognized the opportunity to pivot: “You recognize the opportunity when it shows up” (12:28)

6. Entering the Body Positivity Arena

• A pivotal 2014 Man Repeller profile on Katie was formative:
  “I’ve never seen my body on a fashion blog… that was a big sign for me.” (17:48)
• Despite discomfort, she leaned in because of the massive positive response from women seeing themselves represented.

7. Dreaming Big and Trusting Your Gut

• Katie admits she’s not “grounded in reality at all” (14:43) when it comes to dreams, and encourages listeners to acknowledge ambition without limitation.
• Her current big dream: Adapt her novel into a TV show with a fresh lead, “…a breakout star. Because we need more body diversity in Hollywood.” (15:19)

8. The Birth and Growth of Megababe

• Katie reframes body acceptance as her real mission: “I realized after about a year … that women’s body image is so fucked up and that every woman of every size doesn’t like her body…” (20:07)
• She created Megababe to fill the gap where women’s needs (like “thigh chafe”) were overlooked with products that were “embarrassing” or “targeted at men.”
• Despite skepticism and manufacturers dismissing her idea (“…if we didn’t put an anti-cellulite product in the stick, women wouldn’t buy it” (24:12)), Megababe launched in her parents’ garage and quickly sold out after being featured on the Today Show.

9. Navigating Family and Friend Dynamics in Business

• Katie works daily with her sister and best friend as business partners:
  “The messiest thing you can do, I think, is work with your family. And also amazing.” (26:59)
• She is honest about the challenges (“I can fight with her and call her a fucking idiot… two seconds later…” (27:28)), the necessity of boundaries, and the difficulty of maintaining friendships when you work together.

10. Tackling Book Publishing & Expanding the Brand

• Katie’s first novel, ‘Sunny Side Up,’ stems from her own post-divorce experience and is not a “revenge” book but an “inspirational, funny rom-com.”
• She brings the story to life with a real-world swimsuit line mirroring the book, launching simultaneously (31:49).

11. On Ozempic, Body Trends, and Public Conversation

• Katie takes a nuanced view of Ozempic (“…made for people who need it, who have numbers that they need adjusting…” (34:01)) but laments the way it’s become a shorthand for thinness and a setback in the body positivity movement.

12. A Viral Moment with Oprah

• After calling out Weight Watchers’ CEO for nearly apologizing for their past messaging (“She said…we are sorry. That was fucked up.” (36:45)), Katie ended up on an Oprah special, a “better than I thought in every single way” experience (37:17).

13. Defining Purpose, Finding the “Why”

• “I do now… It’s to help women. Yeah, I just want to help women feel good about themselves.” (37:47)
• Katie wants to destigmatize normal experiences, from thigh chafing to hemorrhoids, so women stop feeling ashamed or alone.

14. Embracing the Mess of Entrepreneurship

• Katie rejects sanitized founder stories:
  “I want those moments [when you’re rejected or a manufacturer screws up], because that’s what every day is.” (39:06)
• She stresses that there’s never a finish line—new milestones just bring “bigger issues.” Megababe is self-funded and still fighting for shelf space eight years in.

15. Advice & Rapid Fire

• Big Life Advice:
  “Just do it. I see people…a year later, two years, three years, four years, and they still haven’t done it.” (44:19)
• “Don’t limit yourself…You think that people get to where they are because of some special skill you don’t have…and then you realize that everyone’s just a person…” (44:38)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On the Role of Revenge in Success
  “I do everything for my enemies.” —Katie Sturino (00:11)

• Living Out Loud as an Introvert
  “I try to cancel every single thing that I do, but I feel like I always go…” —Katie Sturino (02:29)

• Landing Chanel Internship
  “I did not take no for an answer…” —Katie Sturino (05:52)

• On Being Willing to Be Embarrassing
  “Most people are not willing to be embarrassing.” —Katie Sturino (06:40)

• On Entrepreneurship
  “I wanted to be able to go get a cappuccino… and not have to tell anyone.” —Katie Sturino (09:09)

• Recognizing Opportunity
  “You recognize the opportunity when it shows up.” —Maryam Banikarim (12:28)
  “Be ready when the luck comes.” —Katie Sturino, quoting Ina Garten (12:41)

• Dreaming Big
  “I don’t have small dreams. I have big dreams.” —Katie Sturino (14:17)

• Trusting Your Gut
  “I always trust my gut, even though people are always telling me I’m wrong.” —Katie Sturino (12:57)

• On Defining Purpose
  “It’s to help women. Yeah, I just want to help women feel good about themselves.” —Katie Sturino (37:47)

• Entrepreneurial Messes
  “This whole business is a mess…If people led more with the hard stuff, you’d have a lot more…forgiveness or empathy for yourself along the journey.” —Katie Sturino (41:34)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [00:00–01:32] — Motivation, Success as Revenge
• [01:32–03:25] — Introversion and Social Anxiety in Outward Success
• [03:33–08:29] — Breaking into Fashion: Persistent Hustle, Being Willing to Look Uncool
• [08:29–11:57] — Entrepreneurship & PR: Agency Life, Selling “Tinder” Name
• [11:57–14:39] — Dog Fame, Recognizing and Grabbing Opportunities
• [15:10–16:24] — Dreaming Big—Turning Novel Into TV Show
• [20:07–21:28] — The Start of Body Acceptance Work, Realizing the Universal Nature of Body Doubt
• [23:00–25:31] — Launching Megababe: Making Unmentionable Products Mainstream
• [26:51–28:16] — Working with Family and Friends: Messy But Rewarding
• [29:17–32:22] — Writing & Releasing a Novel, Launching a Swimsuit Line Inspired by the Book
• [33:36–36:48] — Oprah, Weight Watchers, and Public Apologies
• [39:06–41:34] — Realities of Entrepreneurship: The Mess is the Journey
• [44:19–45:09] — Final Advice: “Just do it. Dream big. Don’t limit yourself.”

Final Takeaways

• Permission to Be Messy: Both host and guest embrace all the complicated, not-ready-for-Instagram parts of their lives and businesses, agreeing these are where the true growth—and stories—come from.
• Action Over Perfection: Katie encourages listeners to act despite fear and self-doubt, reinforcing that big dreams are achieved not by having unique talent, but by “just doing it.”
• Supporting Women: The ultimate “why” for Katie is helping women feel seen, heard, and supported—whether it’s through body image advocacy, innovative products, or honest storytelling.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

If you want an unvarnished look at the entrepreneurial road—where tenacity, humility, embarrassment, and joy mix with hustle—and love a guest who is bold enough to “dream big” on air, this episode will resonate. Katie Sturino’s journey is proof that the “messiest parts” are not obstacles, but the most powerful and connective parts of any story.

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