Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Bryan.
Hi Kate, 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?
Growing up in a small-town in Michigan, I was a feisty, opinionated little girl. My parents say that I was born with a “fire” because from a very young age, I always had something to say, I would direct my siblings – to do good things and to get in trouble, and I was never afraid to speak my mind or share my opinion. Once I started 1st grade, I became a completely different person in school. I was still my feisty little self at home, but in school I wouldn’t talk or raise my hand and I had terrible anxiety and did anything and everything I could do not to draw attention to myself. I was born with a rare immune deficiency called “Job Syndrome” (there were only 25 documented cases in the world when I was diagnosed and there are only 250 cases worldwide today) and part of how the Syndrome manifests itself is as terrible eczema and skin conditions. I had terrible eczema, so bad that when I was young – my skin was raw. My parents worked hard to make sure that I always felt and looked pretty, but once I hit school, I was bullied, mocked, and marginalized by other kids and oftentimes even by adults too.
I ended up overcoming all of the adversity that I experienced, thankfully, through hobbies, confidence, and good family and friends. It wasn’t until recently that I began reflecting on my early childhood, things I experienced, and how it led me to where I am today — founding and leading 1 Girl Revolution. 1 Girl Revolution is a multimedia platform that is dedicated to highlighting the stories of women and girls who are changing the world through their lives. These women and girls are so often marginalized and ignored, but we work to elevate and empower their voices and stories. Women and girls deserve to be heard and I believe that there are not even platforms that are elevating their voices and their stories. Women and girls are changing the world every single day and we should shine a light on the great work they are doing – because it will grow their impact and encourage others to change the world as well!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been an easy road, but it’s definitely been a fun and exciting road – mainly because I haven’t taken myself too seriously and have just tried to enjoy the journey, be open to learning and growing, and to be kind and patient with myself. When I started this platform, I had no idea what I was doing, but now many of the things I do on a daily basis for 1 Girl Revolution have become easier and a normal part of my daily life. And all of the roadblocks, struggles and difficulties that I’ve faced, I’m glad that I didn’t see them coming and just dealt with them as they came up – because I might have been too scared to start if I could see the difficulties that I would face. And if I hadn’t started, I wouldn’t have experienced all of the incredible things that 1 Girl Revolution has brought. Just over the past year, our 3rd year in operation, we were featured on Good Morning America, we were nominated for an Emmy award, and hit over 130 episodes of the podcast. I can’t wait to see where we go from here… and I’m just along for the ride!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My background is in Public Relations and media – and it was my work in that realm that sparked the idea for 1 Girl Revolution. Through my 15+ years career in PR/media, I began recognizing that women’s voices and authentic stories were so often ignored or edited or muddled. I wanted to create a space where women and girls authentic stories could be highlighted. I’m really proud of what we’ve created with 1 Girl Revolution and I’m so excited to see where things go from here.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t give much credence to luck, honestly. I believe that courage, hard work, and creativity will always bring good things to your life, business and career. So, I focus on the hustle, the hard work, ditching fear and focusing on hope and courage, and striving to be creative in my life and work.
Contact Info:
- Email: kate@1girlrevolution.com
- Website: www.1GirlRevolution.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/1girlrevo
- Facebook: Facebook.com/1girlrevo
- Twitter: twitter.com/1girlrevo
- Youtube: YouTube.com/1girlrevolution
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-girl-revolution/id1459681878
https://1girlrevolution.com/podcast/
