Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Mercer.
Hi Kathryn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Thank you for inviting me! Like many others who have lived for almost 50 years, there have been a lot of twists and turns on my path which have brought me to this moment. Along the way, one of my daily practices became to connect with each turn as it is, not how I think it should be. Which is much easier said than done. And which brings me to this part of my story.
In 2020, I was a self-employed speech pathologist and yoga teacher. In addition to being married and parenting two teenagers, I was happily teaching pre-k and adult yoga, consulting with families and schools and working with children in need of speech therapy. Since I believe that these two services (yoga and speech therapy) should be available to all in need, that meant I was driving all over Austin, Texas. A lot.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While there have been many events in my life that have been difficult, I have to say that the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 brought not one, but many obstacles, to my life. One challenge was the ending of all of my in-person work that I loved dearly.
During the early days of the pandemic, I was fortunate to feel secure that my family’s physical needs were met. So while my working life stopped, a new family routine began. Like many families, we did our best to adapt to remote work and school in a house that suddenly felt very small. I tried many ways to continue my work remotely. (From a teacher’s perspective, Pre-K yoga looks very different on Zoom!) Many personal unexpected challenges also showed up around me. Each challenge became yet another time for me to remember to lean on the yoga, mindfulness and spiritual practices I have relied on for many years. Such as noticing feelings that the unknown tends to bring up for me. Also sitting with the discomfort as long as I could. (Which sometimes was only an instant.) I also saw and remembered that deep connection with people going through similar experiences could help me grow compassion for my own situation and for those of others (Thanks to Kristen Neff and her self-compassion research!)
One of the outcomes of mindful practices can be a shift in the way moments are perceived. As a result, an opportunity might be noticed. In my experience, this type of opportunity is one that requires leaning into feelings of the uncertainty of new experiences. Such as writing and recording a yoga podcast for children with no prior podcast experience. As a volunteer with Bliss Kid Yoga for several years, I got to know Katherine Banker, the founder. Bliss Kid Yoga is a nonprofit that offers trauma-sensitive yoga and mindfulness to marginalized communities in Austin, Texas. Katherine asked me if I would be interested in creating short yoga practices for kids and families in podcast format.
This idea was a result of noticing that most children were not able to play and learn with others in person. Also, many of us were spending a lot of our time on screens alone. Here was an opportunity to create a way to connect with ourselves–and others–that wasn’t on a screen. It was a way to play and imagine and to explore through movement and breathing. Which can be helpful in so many ways. So I agreed to give it a try. Not because I was a master yoga teacher or popular podcaster, but because I felt that maybe it would be helpful to some people.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I got connected with Erica Ortiz, a board member for Bliss Kid yoga and fellow speech pathologist, and the producers of Tumble Media. And we dove into the project. For over a year we each gave the time we had to work (remotely) exploring how to create yoga audio “adventures” that were grounded in yoga teaching, trauma-sensitive practices, and age-appropriate language skills for young children. Above all, we spent a lot of time pretending to be in hot air balloons, space and nature to make each episode them fun and easy to follow. And then in July 2021, Sara Robberson Lentz, one of our producers, found a friend who was willing to donate some time in his recording space. We recorded and edited all eight episodes in 3 weeks. Then Marshall Escamilla, another producer, created soundscapes for each adventure. He made the outer space episode sound like a real adventure in a spaceship! Finally, a year and two months after we began, eight Yoga Kids Adventures were available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! There is also a website with little yogis showing some of the poses. We are so proud of each one. We are also proud that they are intentionally free and approachable for anyone who is interested.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
The Yoga Kids Adventure Podcast was a group effort. The talented producers at Tumble Media, Sarah Robberson-Lentz, Marshall Escamilla and Lindsay Patterson, generously gave their time, creative energy and podcast producing skills. And Yoga Kids Adventure would not be nearly as “adventurous” without Erica Ortiz, a Bliss Kid Yoga board member and fellow speech-language pathologist. She was the perfect yoga and writing partner for this project! Extra credit for saying “YES” goes to Katherine Banker, whose vision and energy founded Bliss Kid Yoga and got this project started. Finally, I send gratitude to all the Big and Little Yogis who have listened, shared, and “adventured” with Yoga Kids Adventure!
Contact Info:
- Email: kathryn@ourbrightpath.com
- Website: https://www.yogapodcastforkids.com/
- Instagram: @yogapodcastforkids
- Facebook: @yogapodcastforkids
- YouTube: blisskidyoga
Image Credits:
Kathryn headshots: Shana Berenzweig; other photos are by Kathryn Mercer. Yoga Kids image-yogapodcastforkids/tumble media
