We recently connected with Katie Nave and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

As a writer, it’s been crucial that I learn to weather the fickle nature of both external rejections and the critical voice in my head. It can be deeply disheartening when you’re stoked about an idea and you work hard on shaping the concept, only for it to be met with a flood of (often very kind!) rejections.

Early in my career, I submitted a pitch about a notorious politician to an editor that I held in high regard. She quickly responded that the concept was too controversial and no one would ever run it. Of course I felt embarrassed and judged, but I also thought she was wrong. One month later, another editor responded that she loved the idea and the essay ran in Elle. It was a well received article and it taught me that I have to trust my gut. If something feels important to me, it’s likely going to resonate with other people who have had similar experiences, so I can’t let rejections run the show.

And then there’s my own internal feedback loop that can be quite ruthless. When starting a project, I know that two things are going to happen — I’m going to think that my first draft is crap and, at some point, I’m going to question my own capabilities. Writing can be lonely and wildly frustrating, but it has always helped me to make sense of what I’m going through. My success depends on learning to create right alongside that critical inner voice.

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

I’m a writer and voice over artist based in Brooklyn, New York. My essays have been featured in publications including Business Insider, HuffPost, Newsweek, Elle, and Glamour. And I’m currently the content lead for Bend Health, a company focused on the mental wellbeing of families.

During the pandemic, most of my freelance writing work fell away because my clients’ budgets were cut. Thankfully, a friend reached out and asked me to write mental health content for her company. As a person who struggles with anxiety, I found so much purpose in working closely with clinicians to create writing that actually helps people with mental health challenges.

It was during this time that I also started writing personal essays about my own experiences and the process has helped me navigate the complexities of things like divorce, parenting, the death of a parent, and my own mental health ups and downs.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It sounds overly-simplistic, but I think that everyone is a creative person. I don’t feel chosen or special because I express my creativity, but I do feel fortunate that I’ve been able to make a career out of it. I am deeply sensitive and I worry a lot about everything. My creative process of getting up every morning before the sunrises and writing whatever feels right helps me to be a better mother, wife, friend, daughter, and citizen of the world. When I am authentically expressing myself, the life feels less overwhelming. And the fact that I get paid for that is still just wild to me. I’ll never take it for granted.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Shortly after my daughter was born, I was working for a non-profit female empowerment organization and I was absolutely miserable. The hours were brutal and I had to pump milk sitting on the floor of a dark, drafty server closet. I knew that the situation was unsustainable, so I decided to create my own freelance business. I reached out to everyone I knew and let them know my skill set and my availability. It’s a testament to the power of community that I had enough clients lined up to quit my job within a few weeks and it was the greatest professional pivot I’ve ever made.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katienave.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katienavepoetry
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-nave-268a163a/