We were lucky to catch up with Kate King recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kate, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I took a massive risk in the past year. After feeling quite burned out from being a front-lines mental healthcare worker during the pandemic, I took at five-month sabbatical from my private practice. My clients didn’t love it, my colleagues thought I was crazy (but brave), and my family was unsure about my choice as well. My intention was to gaze inwardly and discover what qualities of my work and lifestyle landed me in such a burned out and exhausted place. I realized that I was not serving my clients to the extent I was able, and it felt important for me to operate in my business from a stronger place of integrity. It has always been my intention to walk my talk, so I do a great deal of personal work. During my sabbatical, I discovered that I needed a complete career re-brand & makeover. This was scary because I had cultivated a thriving private practice that had been well established and successful after 15 years in business. I was professionally established, financially secure, and I was about to make a decision that could potentially jeopardize all of that. I decided to take a leap away from exclusive one-on-one client work, and explore the realms of writing, speaking, and hosting events like retreats and workshops to offer my teachings.
Now that I have settled into the fresh rhythm of my new business, “The Radiant Life Project,” I am deeply satisfied and grateful for my courage and willingness to leap into the unknown. I have a new book coming out in the Fall of 2023, a transformative women’s retreat planned for Spring of 2023, and several speaking engagements booked for the near future. Best of all, my heart, mind, body, and soul feel nourished and rejuvenated to be engaging work that lights me up and gets me excited to share my expertise with the world. None of these brilliant things would have happened for me if I hadn’t taken the initial risk of putting a hard-stop to my work to re-think everything.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a licensed professional counselor, board-certified art therapist, author, and artist. I practice with a synergistic fusion of creativity, psychology, science, and spirituality that make my work highly unique and effective. I have been in the mental health and personal wellness industry for over fifteen years, and it thrills me and lights me up to engage this meaningful transformative work with clients and audiences who are ready to take the action to make their lives absolutely radiant. One of the most common pieces of professional feedback I receive is that the work I offer is unlike anything else my clients have previously discovered. I bring a fresh, creative, insightful perspective to inner-work that promotes unimaginable mind, body, and soul health and growth.
In my business, “The Radiant Life Project,” I offer individual psychotherapy and art therapy, public speaking, workshops, and retreats. As a practicing artist, I am usually working on a creative project, and I occasionally show my art in galleries. I sell an oracle deck comprised of my original artwork called the “Ink & Wings Oracle” that can be used for intuitive development and insightful spiritual guidance. Additionally, I am an author. My first book, “The Authentic Mother,” is a creatively-based companion book for new parents that provides support and resources for the massive transition into motherhood and fatherhood. I am currently in the process of publishing my second book, “The Radiant Life Project,” which is a comprehensive self-healing masterclass comprised of my entire 15+ years experience as a healer and fellow traveler through the journey of life. This book is expected to publish in the Fall of 2023.
I am grateful to offer my therapeutic skillset and teachings through the various channels of teaching and connection I offer. It is a true honor to walk the healing journey alongside my clients, and I am constantly amazed by the remarkable inner-work they achieve when intentionally cultivating a more radiant life than they ever imagined possible.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A big part of my personal growth journey has related to maintaining personal integrity both professionally and personally. I was taught, as many people are, that the most important thing in life is to develop a life that meets the standard and approval of others. It took me a long time to understand that external validation and belonging are meaningless if they do not align with my inner value system and authentic Self. Through years of deep inner work and personal exploration, I have become very clear that I must navigate my life through a Self-guided trajectory rather than following society’s expectations for whom I should be, what I should look and act like, and what defines “success” and “happiness” for me. The process has been layered and complex at times, but I can honestly report that I now feel I am living an aligned life that allows me to be my truest Self, and shine my light from that authentic place toward my relationships, my work, and my own life experiences.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
As a healer, it is exceedingly easy to lose ourselves in the process of guiding and supporting others. This can be hugely detrimental to ourselves if we are not also taking action toward supporting ourselves intrinsically and comprehensively. Many people are drawn to the healing professions with a strong desire to help others that may be motivated by their own wounding, unhealed trauma, or patterned beliefs surrounding connection and belonging. It is important that mental health workers, among other wellness professionals, engage their own therapeutic process, personal coaching, and soul-investigation to achieve healing for the parts of themselves that may still require attention. We can best serve the wellbeing of others from a healthy, strong, and aware mindset where we can hold our own healing journey as separate from the process of those we are intending to serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheRadiantLifeProject.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theradiantlifeproject/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theradiantlifeproject/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekingtherapy/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjRadiantLife
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChxGCo2H8iWIReg8X6ADubg
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theradiantlifeproject?lang=en
Image Credits
Artwork created by Kate King. Photographs by Jewel Afflerbaugh https://www.essencesessions.com/photography