We were lucky to catch up with Kat Heart recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kat thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
My backstory is long and dark, I’ll try to spare you the details and stick to the highlights. I went from a drug addicted mother, into the arms of an abusive father, then into foster care at 13, which led to a cross country move, and right into a terribly unhealthy relationship and teenage pregnancy. Four kids later, I left him, and the day I did I picked up a guitar. I was 27 and had never played or sang outside of a year of chorus in high school. In fact, for the entirety of that marriage I was discouraged from making noise at all. Music saved me. It gave a rich voice to the things I had experienced. It allowed me to more fully express my emotions than merely speaking on them. It was visceral. Therapeutic. Releasing. The vibrations were felt through every part of me, and screamed of my truths. My first gig was running an open mic for a friend’s failing bar. He begged me to take the spot because he couldn’t pay anyone else to do it. I was given 3 drinks a night in exchange and allowed to use their terrible and failing sound system lol. While there, others saw me. My first four gigs were all by invite. I had no idea that others would resonate with me as much as I did. Now, 13 years later, I’ve quit my 22 year career in healthcare. I have endorsements from a pic company, a pedal company, and my own signature guitar line. I live my truth in every aspect, while continuing to raise the two children I still have at home. I have stepped into my truth and my passion on every level. My life partner is the most incredible drummer I’ve ever met, and an amazing support in every aspect of my life, and my vision. I have a full band named Feral Heart that has become the perfect energetic resonance for everything I have to say to the world.
Kat, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I consider myself an indie artist, and an energy worker. My music speaks my truth, through layers of love and connection. I named my band Feral Heart for a reason. The name has deep meaning to me (other than that my stage name is Kat Heart, which could be a cute joke in itself). Using the word Feral to me implies a way of existing, of keeping our hearts wild. I think that society can be an awful and destructive cage, but community is everything. Music and art are always better when shared with others, in whatever form that is. It’s important to lead life with love and an open chest, to get your hands dirty, and to kick your shoes off as frequently as possible. Love is the answer, joy is the way.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Being raised in an abusive environment, I grew up to be a people pleaser on every level. One of the harder things I’ve had to unlearn is due to that fact. Not everyone is worth you catering to. We all have our choices to make. You can’t heal others for them. You can’t do their work. And there is nothing wrong with having boundaries. We can love and forgive from afar without leaving ourselves open to further damages. This also translates to the idea that not everyone is going to love you. You don’t have to convince them to. Know your worth, and those who see you will align with you. Those who don’t are better kept on the other side of your boundary lines anyway.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Throughout my music career I have faced many uphill battles. I was a single mom, putting myself through nursing school, drawn to music on the side because it helped me breathe. Early in, I was singing in smoky bars and developed an allergy to something in cigarette smoke. I sang through it, and eventually developed calluses on my vocal cords that completely stole my falsetto from me. I was told to go on vocal rest for 6 months to a year. At the time I was also an ER nurse, and then Covid came. I was given the break I needed to heal my voice. However the emotional pressures of travel nursing through a pandemic were heavy and difficult to bear. Afterwards, when I came back home, I was faced with a heavy choice. Three brothers had landed on my doorstep, with nowhere to go, while the pandemic was still raging and foster homes were overflowing. I was told that if I surrendered them they would be “separated and institutionalized”. So I got guardianship of all three, while still raising my own 4 children. Life situations like those put a lot of pressure on the things that can be deemed “extra”, “superfluous”, or “luxury”. For me though, music has always been my biggest survival tool. Through those things, I have had to make space for it, and even defend making that space. However that creativity has fueled and healed me every step of the way. It’s brought me balance. Creativity is the lifeblood, and we should never give up the space needed to express our souls in whatever way calls to us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://KatHeart.net
- Instagram: Kat.Heart.Reno
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kat.heart.brennan?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@katheart?si=62r9seV5PHC4O5eY
Image Credits
Andrew Cuttor
Joe Augustin