We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kanoelani Patterson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kanoelani below.

Hi Kanoelani, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I think what my parents did right that impacted my life and career is show me that helping others isn’t about me it’s about them and how to take my ego out of situations. As a social worker and therapist this is so important because I am a “helper” and the example my parents showed me of what a “helper” looks like was pretty strong. This allowed me to see compassion and empathy in action. When I was growing up my parents were involved in the church and different ministries regarding the houseless population. They visited shelters and got involved in the community helping people figure out how to get their needs met and make changes to their lives that would impact them in a positive way . The way they approached it was in love & compassion and it honored the people’s humanity and autonomy that they were helping. It was a beautiful thing to grow up seeing . And now as a “helper” I do the same.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kanoelani Patterson. I am a Licensed Masters level social worker (LMSW) under clinical supervision in social work. I am also a content creator on social media and can be found under the name “The Powerlifting Social Worker”, where I have alot of content on powerlifting, body politics, fat liberation, body liberation, anti racism, white supremacy, and movement/fitness, eating disorders, and mental health. I am a writer and I have a Substack called “The Fat Strength Sanctuary”. I am a published coauthor of the anthology “Deconstructing the Fitness-Industrial Complex :How to Resist, Disrupt, and Reclaim What It Means to Be Fit in American Culture” Edited by Justice Roe Williams, Roc Rochon and Lawrence Koval. In my profession as a therapist I help people from different walks of life and experiences and my specialties include children, adolescents, families, substance abuse/addiction, and eating disorders. I work with alot of individuals who have experienced physical/sexual abuse, grief and loss, domestic violence, addiction, and eating disorders. I am also LGBTQIA+ affirming.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I think the most helpful things in succeeding in my field is empathy, compassion and my ability to build relationships. I actually think it has made me not just successful as a therapist and content creator but as a human being in life. I have found a way of listening and finding the “heart of matters” and so it has not just made me relatable and good as a therapist but as a human being, which is really important to me. Sometimes people just want to be heard and seen and I welcome the opportunity to allow people to feel and be that when I’m working with them.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” The backstory to this is growing up I was on the receiving end of alot of bullying and verbal as well as physical violence . At the time I never stood up for myself, as I was too afraid and really timid and shy and I was taught that words really couldn’t hurt. But they actually did and they impacted my mental health and self worth and put me into a dark time in my young life and I dealt with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation because of it. I now know that words do in fact hurt. I know that words and language means things and that we need to be as careful with what we say and how we say it as we do with our actions. I also know now that it is perfectly okay to defend yourself and that I am enough regardless of what anyone says but that no one is less than because their feelings are hurt over the mean things people say. It’s actually the most normal response.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://msha.ke/kanoelanipatterson
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepowerliftingsocialworker/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanoelani-patterson-lmsw-msw-u-s-39118520
• Other: Substack: https://fatstrengthsanctuary.substack.com/

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