Kaylin R. Staten, (Future MA), APR, MPRCA (ORCID iD: 0009-0002-5953-9070) is an award-winning public relations expert, writer, and business owner based in Huntington, W.Va. Kaylin has more than two decades of journalism and communications experience, spanning from her days as a high school newspaper reporter to present day.
Kaylin owns Hourglass Media, which aims to unveil the hearts of stories through public relations, media psychology, writing, and resources. In March 2022, she launched The Wholeheartedly Podcast, which helps emotional sponges absorb the richness of understanding, acceptance, and joy while navigating work and life. She also has 15 years of nonprofit and association communications and leadership experience in various roles, from the Public Relations Society of America to her local United Way affiliate.
She released her first book, From Granny's Kitchen, in 2016. Her children's counting book, Plastic Cupcakes, was released in 2018, and Healing Your Heart: A Prompted Journal for Pregnancy Loss, was released in 2021. A fourth book is currently in development. She is an alumna of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University and graduated with her B.A. in public relations in 2010. She will graduate with her M.A. in applied media psychology from Fielding Graduate University in April 2025. She earned her accreditation in public relations (APR) in October 2018.
Personally and professionally, Kaylin has an avid love for storytelling, leading to her work in Highly Sensitive People (HSP) knowledge and advocacy, branding, authorship and book publishing, video game narratives, and a collection of other areas and research emphases. As an HSP herself, Kaylin enjoys learning more about the positive, eudaimonic intersections between HSPs and narratives, notably video games. Kaylin has also been an avid gamer since childhood, when she played the original "Super Mario Bros." at her grandmother's house and various Nintendo arcade games at Pizza Hut. Although she places "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" in her favorite-game-of-all-time slot, she appreciates and adores video games from narrative RPGs to the cozy genre. ("Stardew Valley," anyone?)
In her spare time, Kaylin enjoys writing (of course); reading; cooking; traveling and seeking adventures; spending time with her husband, son, and fleet of cats; being in a state of creation; watching favorite TV shows and movies; and daydreaming of Paris.