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

Hi Katherine, thanks for joining us today. Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. ther times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed.

Opening up about failure feels like opening a huge can of worms! When I look back on my life, I see many highlights of failure and poor decisions. It seemed like I was stuck in a cycle where one failure led to another. But the way I see it now, there’s a more positive way to frame those experiences. We all know the story of Thomas Edison’s creation of the light bulb—the hundreds of “failures” that eventually led to something remarkable. In truth, he wasn’t failing. He was discovering what didn’t work on the path to something that did. My life’s journey feels a lot like that.

It wasn’t until I was 43 that I finally realized I had stayed in an unhappy marriage for nearly 20 years—a choice that drained my youthful energy. It was as if I was living day to day life stuck in a state of learned helplessness. As young adults, we often make decisions based not on our authentic selves or inner passions but on the invisible expectations of others. Growing up, our beliefs are shaped, intentionally or not, by our caregivers, and it can be difficult to understand who we really are or what makes us tick. I believe it’s crucial, upon becoming an adult, to step back and reflect on what our true beliefs really are. Sometimes, we need to let go of what was instilled in us and open ourselves up to learning what truly resonates with our authentic selves. Then, we can keep the good parts, discard the negative, and take full ownership and personal responsibility of our happiness and life. We really do have the freedom to create the life we desire.

For me, it took 20 years to start uncovering those truths. But those years weren’t completely in vain—I was blessed with three beautiful children whom I love with all my heart. Now that they’re grown, I wish I’d been able to recognize these lessons sooner, to raise them in an environment of mutual love, emotional wellness, and respect. But you can’t unscramble eggs; you can only learn from the experience and keep moving forward. Thankfully, my children are much more emotionally healthy than I was at their age, and I am incredibly proud of them. That’s a win that I treasure deeply.

After my divorce, my life changed drastically, and I’ve been on a steep learning curve ever since. I’ve discovered that I have big dreams, big ideas, and a willingness to take risks. I’ve found that my passion lies in empathy and inspiring others to be the best version of themselves. And, I discovered that I am a writer! In seeking my own emotional wellness, I had to let go of some relationships. Even though there is love, I can’t spend much time with people who don’t live with understanding or a growth mindset. Right now, I’m in a middle ground, still seeking my tribe—people who will accept me for who I am, who are also reaching for the stars and aiming for success, happiness, and love.

I spent nine years working as a paint rep for a company I truly loved. At first, it was a lot of fun, but corporate demands eventually wore me down. It all came to a head at the beginning of 2024 when I realized I was a writer. I couldn’t do the job another day, so I quit, choosing to follow my heart and pursue the things I truly love. I took a lower-paying, part-time role in a chiropractic office to free up time to chase my dream of becoming a bestselling author.

I now know for sure that life is short. When you’re young, it feels like you have all the time in the world, but you don’t. It’s later than you think. That’s why I’m shouting from the rooftops to the next generation: start living as soon as you can. Find the best partner for you, make love, make babies, develop rich and meaningful connections, and pursue your heart’s passions. Success will surely follow.

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?

For those who are just discovering my work, I’d like to share a bit about my journey. I’ve found that when you’re feeling increasingly dissatisfied—whether in a job, relationship, or even the place where you live—it’s crucial to listen to those feelings. There’s nothing quite as dreadful as feeling stuck, where you start to lose hope. About six months before quitting my job as a paint rep, I began to notice those rumblings of dissatisfaction within me. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave, but I felt called to explore other paths and passions.

While working my job, I was already testing the waters of passive income. I had some experience with a rental property and had flipped a couple of houses, which, although difficult, was rewarding work because I was actively working on scaling my income. With each project, I was testing myself, seeing if I could thrive financially outside of the typical 9-to-5. The last house I bought to renovate was meant to be a longer-term home, but on the very night I moved in, I heard gunshots nearby. That shook me to the core and led me down a path of researching my city’s increasing crime.

I became fixated on understanding how a once-thriving community had fallen into such unsafe conditions. I researched news articles and learned about the “catch and release” program that enabled repeat offenders to go back on the streets, with little accountability from city leaders. I read stories about innocent victims whose families were left behind to deal with unspeakable tragedy. The more I learned, the more compelled I felt to write about it. I needed to give voice to the frustrations, outrage, and fears, so I poured those emotions into a “fictional” story. Every spare moment I had was spent writing. I often found myself so immersed that weekends would fly by with 10 to 12 hours at a time spent crafting the story. The ongoing crime challenges many cities face today require solutions that demand out-of-the-box thinking. My book, Nemesis, takes readers on a gripping journey with twists and turns, using allegory to explore the psychology of criminal minds and their behavior, making points that feel deeply relevant to the issues we face in reality.

What sets me apart? I’ve reached a point in my life where I’ve gained clarity from my experiences, especially around past toxic relationships and my role in those patterns. I’ve done a lot of inner work, and that journey to emotional healing is ongoing. Learning to love myself has been transformative because, without self-love, you can’t truly love another. I have become deeply empathetic to those struggling to find their way in life which is often due to unresolved traumas. Fighting for emotional well-being isn’t straightforward; it’s a long, winding, and uphill road. I now have answers and insights that I’m excited to share with those seeking healing and growth.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the work I’ve done on myself. While I don’t claim to have all the answers, I am at peace with who I am today. My journey has brought me to a place where I can inspire and speak life into others who seek emotional wellness and fulfillment. Right now, I am writing as often as I can and exploring platforms like TikTok and BookTok to connect with readers who resonate with my stories and message. I’m looking for those who will not only believe in my work but who will find my words thought-provoking and impactful.

My ultimate goal is to inspire, heal, and provoke critical thinking through my writing, and also create stories and content that resonate deeply and empower others to live their best lives.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The mission behind my creative journey is twofold. First, I hope that others can learn from my life’s mistakes, gaining a head start in realizing their own worth along with the inspiration to chase their own personal dreams. Second, I aim to become a financially successful writer, with my eyes set on making it to the New York Times Best Seller list. But I’m dreaming even bigger—I envision one of my stories being adapted into a streaming series or film.

Since selling my last home in 2022, I’ve made the choice not to buy another, opting instead to stay with a friend as I fully chase this dream. It’s my hope to have a space of my own again soon, a place where I can feel safe, comfortable, and creatively free—a home to make sweet memories and host those I love.

Right now, I’m focused on building connections on TikTok that I hope will propel me to the next level. I’m all in, working towards turning my passion into a platform, my words into inspiration, and my dreams into reality.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the deep satisfaction that comes from fully accepting and loving myself for who I am. That self-acceptance brings with it an incredible sense of freedom—the freedom to express my thoughts, ideas, and emotions without limits.

Every piece of art, whether it’s a painting, a drawing, or a book, is an expression of a person’s heart, mind, and soul. It’s an amazing feeling to tap into the innermost part of myself to create something from nothing. And then, to put that creation out into the world is both thrilling and vulnerable. You always hope that it will resonate with others, that it will inspire or move someone in a meaningful way. But at its core, the act of creating something deeply personal and sharing it with the world feels so liberating and fulfilling. There’s truly nothing like it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: author_katherinebailey
• Facebook: Kathy Bailey
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-d-bailey
• Other: TikTok – @goodbye_insanity_tour
  TikTok – @blues.city.vigilantes