Kamie Crawford’s Tips for Building a Personal Brand

As part of its 2022 issue launch, the SI Swimsuit team headed to South Florida for a weekend of events and activities at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino In Hollywood, Fla. In a discussion devoted to the topic of personal branding, SI Swimsuit models Kamie Crawford, Olivia Ponton, Natalie Mariduena, Katie Austin, Brooks Nader and Cindy Kimberly all took to the stage in front of a live audience to give insights into their personal approaches in developing their brands and careers. Moderated by Joy Taylor, the panel was presented by CELSIUS, and the models were joined on stage by CELSIUS team members Kyle Watson and Katie Turoff.

Joy Taylor, Olivia Ponton, Natalie Mariduena, Kyle Watson, Katie Turoff, Cindy Kimberly, Brooks Nader, Katie Austin and Kamie Crawford speak during the Swimsuit on Location event hosted by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit at Hard Rock Seminole on May 21, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. 

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SI Swimsuit rookie Kamie Crawford gave especially succinct and insightful advice. The 29-year-old is the co-host of MTV’s hit series Catfish: The TV Show, and is also the host of her own relationship advice podcast, "Relationsh*t." Here were Crawford’s best practices:

1. Be Patient. “Good things take time,: said Crawford. “Sometimes when you want something so badly, and you think that you’re ready for it, you don’t even have half the tools in your toolbox that you need. If you were to get the opportunity tomorrow, would you actually be ready for it?”
2. Give yourself grace. We don’t all get it right the first time. Be kind to yourself. Do your best not to compare yourself to other people’s timelines.
3. It’s always the right time. “It’s never too late. It’s never too early. Start now,” said Crawford.
4. Be You. You’ve heard it so many times before, but there’s only one you, and that is a good thing. “It takes too much energy to try to be somebody else,” said Crawford. Embrace who you really are.