We recently connected with Kat Polsinelli and have shared our conversation below.

Kat, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

The name behind the business, one of my favorite questions to answer. Originally my name was actually very different. When I decided to rebrand I really thought hard and felt into what it is that I do with my clients now, how they feel when we work together, and how do I want others to see and understand the name. The lotus itself is very symbolic to me because it is a beautiful reminder to me that, no matter the crappy mud that we are in we can always rise to the surface, beautiful and unflawed. And I needed that reminder constantly when I first got out a 10 yrs emotionally and psychologically abusive relationship. I felt lost, I felt shamed, I felt so much guilt and the feeling of not being good enough. That thought of, “I have done so much damage to myself and my kids how will I get back up.” The Lotus Effect is just that for my clients. It is meeting them in the mud, where they currently are, with understanding and compassion. I give them my courage, my bravery, and the vision of who they and I know they can be and we start there. And from there, as they rise, they blossom into something beautiful and untainted. It is a wonderful metaphor and full embodiment of what my company stands for.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

How did I get into my industry? Well that is an interesting one, but I would definitely say I fell into it as I began to listen to myself and block out the outside, world noise. I started out in the medical field, which I grew into for about 10 years. I also have a background in training and teaching for more than 15 years. When I was fired from my medical professional for standing up for my morals I decided to do something different, so I jumped into real estate. What I learned from 5 years in that, yes my license is still active I just don’t go seeking business anymore. I learned more about what I really enjoyed doing and what I would prefer not to do. It was the first time I really listened to myself and not everyone else. From there, the opportunities just opened up allowing me to define deeper what I really wanted to do.
After being in real estate for a few years plus working on the corporate side for one of the largest brokerages in the world, my husband noticed how I was already helping other realtors in business and suggested I start my own. And that was all it took…..one nudge and I was off. And the business developed, changed, face planted, and changed again, and grew.
Now I get to do what I love, in a way that feels good to me and others really seem to love that too. It is what makes me different. I don’t approach an issue with one mindset. I talk with my client, understand who they are and how they want to do things, and then we build a plan around that. I make space for them to take back their own power and start leading in a way that feels amazing and natural.
I am probably most proud of that….leading my own way and showing others that it can be done. I meet my clients where they are and help them build a plan that works for them. It is why I call myself and Business + Life Integrator. I guide you on how to marry the two together, how to build a plan around your life and business so it makes sense to you. Who cares if it doesn’t work for anyone else, if it works for you? I bring an open mind, open heart, and a non judgement zone so people can feel comfortable, which allows us to get to the root issue and build from there.
I am also a podcaster and host of Real Chat with Kat which is currently in the top 10% globally of podcasts. (one of my favorite things to do) I am a speaker and an co-author in a book called “Rattled Awake vol 6” where I share more of my story of how abuse changed my life and how I parented my kids through that. I talk about what I learned from that, how I took my power back, and how by doing so it shifted how I parented and how my kids respond to me today. (they are now 20yrs and 16yrs)
That is probably what I am most known for as well, is sharing it like it is and bring our dark shadows and pasts to light. Not everyone is meant to or wants to do this and that is ok, and for me it is a mission. I know what it is like to suffer in the shadows, to fight silently because I didn’t think anyone would understand. Now I know that we all have demons we are fighting and if sharing my story and my darkness can help some one else see the light, then I have made a difference.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Oh the stories I can tell, lol. I share my stories a lot whether it is on my podcast or when I am guesting on others. One story that I share a lot that really illustrates my resilience is my story of abuse. You see, I got into a relationship at the age of 18yrs. At that time I had already had one child, graduated early from high school and was putting myself through college. My oldest one’s father went his way and I went mine, but I was still craving what I thought at the time was love. That relationship lasted 10 years, gave me my second son, and a lot of mental and emotional scars.
When I got out of that relationship I was 28yrs with 2 young children (10yr and 7yrs) with no house, no car, just a job. I moved back in with my family and started completely over. I also spend 4 1/2 years in and out of court with my ex trying to get justice for what he did to me and trying to keep my boys from having to see him. It didn’t exactly pan out how I wanted it to but it did give me enough breathing space to start over.
I completed my college degree 1 year after getting out, moved out on my own, bought a home, sold a home, broke off an engagement, left my medical career, and started my journey again several years later. And my push, my driver through it all? Well that’s easy….it was my boys. I wanted them to see that their mom could succeed in anything she wanted to and I wanted them to know that, no matter what we go through we can always do something different and make it better.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

In my story of resilience I talk a lot about how I fell and how I had to continue to choose to do something different. Within that came a lot of lessons, but I will say the biggest lesson was learning to put up boundaries. When I got out of my abusive relationship I was a bonafide people pleaser, the “ya I can do that” go to girl. I didn’t deal with my emotions and I just wanted to stay busy so I didn’t have to think about what I went through, what I was still feeling, and I sure as heck didn’t want to cry over some jerk who stole 10 years of mine and my children’s lives. After having heart issues, PTSD, and panic attacks I realized that things needed to change and I realized that meant it had to start with me.
That is one of the hardest lessons I had to learn and still learning 10 years later. Boundaries are huge! Everyone should have them. They protect you from doing things you don’t want to, they allow you to stand for what you believe in, and they also help eliminate those from your life that we already know aren’t the best for us. Now can that be lonely, yes. Can that feel that we aren’t helping others, yes. But, if you can’t put yourself first, you will always be reaching for others to pick you up, to make you feel better about yourself, and you will compromise yourself to be loved by others. That I have learned, is not worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.the-lotus-effect.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelotuseffectcoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katpolsinelli
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thelotuseffectcoach/
• Other: https://feed.podbean.com/realchatwithkat/feed.xml

Image Credits

Heidi Kane