We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristy Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kristy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
This is a topic I have thought about a good part of my life. A great deal if not all of the major life decisions I have made are based on one simple thought, “Will this make Mom and Dad proud?” My parents have been the driving force for so many of the great decisions that I have made in my life and making them proud is something I made a priority at a very young age. They made sure that my brothers and I had everything they didn’t have. As children they put all of us in lessons. I was in: piano, tap, jazz, ballet, tennis and swimming. My brothers all played an instrument and were in all kinds of sports. They wanted us to be well rounded and more than anything else they wanted us to be good people. I want my legacy wrapped up in the love that my parents showed me that I try to share with my family, students, clients and friends. I want my legacy to be memories of Kristy being a great person. Kristy was always willing to help someone who needed her assistance and she never complained about it or expected anything in return. Kristy had a way of making people laugh and feel like they were always an invited part of everything that she was a part of. Kristy knew no strangers. Kristy is the person that would stand up for someone being bullied, give her last dollar to someone who needed it because “it makes all the difference to them,” and if you are a friend of Kristy’s that means you have a friend in her and a connection to all of her friends. I want to be remembered as the true representation of Artis and Ella, two great parents.
Kristy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When I was a freshman in high school I was in the beginning acting class. The class after ours was the Forensics class. No, not science but the Speech and Debate class, also called Forensics. They were the most elite acting students in my school and being on the team was by invitation only. My idol, Lisa was on the team. I would sneak back into their class to watch them perform hoping that I would be asked to be on the team and I was. That was the beginning of what has now become my life in the world of competitive acting or Speech/ Forensics. It is an activity that is offered in middle school, highs school and some colleges all around the country. I began competing in high school, graduated and started coaching at my high school while I was competing in college. I then became a teacher and brought speech programing to the school district that I worked at in Texas. In 2013 I felt like there was a void to be filled in the stories that students were telling so I decided to try my hand at writing. It was a huge success. Within the year I decided to quit teaching and start a writing and publishing company Always Writing 4 U. It was my passion brain child and it has been the greatest gift to myself as well as my clients. I am able to wake up every morning and sit in front of my computer and tell the most amazing stories that I conceptualized or that has been sent to me from a client for me to give it life. There is something remarkable to be able to create people and stories that did not have an existence before I wrote them.
A brief list of the offerings at Always Writing 4 U: college audition assistance (acting, musical theatre), online coaching for speech, interview skills coaching, editing for oratorical speeches, publication services (for all stories written). I also have worked with MFA Playwright students on their stories and published collections of their work as well. We offer summer camps for speech students who want to be better prepared for the upcoming competition season. We have also assisted students and adults in their speaking abilities and strengthening their public speaking skills for job interviews or work.
I am also a playwright and have had plays produced, I have been commissioned to write plays and am aspiring to write for television. Telling stories is the best job I could have ever imagined and I am able to do it on a daily basis for work and I also do it for fun as well. I also direct plays and musicals and most recently directed Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Sweat” at Missouri State University as well as new musical “Will Wilson Saves the World” in New York City. Stories are how I plan to leave my mark on the world. Once it is out there, it will last forever.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Like most businesses I do believe that the word of mouth was the first piece that began to build my reputation. I was doing something that no one else in this industry was doing so there were, of course, the naysayers who were waiting to see if I would last, or fail. And of course there were those who didn’t know if I was any good at what I aspired to do. They soon found out. Because the second piece that helped to build my business was through the undebated success. Since 2013 have had National Finalists and Champions. I have had State Finalists and Champions all over the country and these are only the successes that coaches have shared with me. My business is very present at every National tournament and I know it is because the stories that I tell are dynamic and they are surrounded by heart. I truly believe the audience feels the heart that I give to my work. As much as this is my business this is always something I believe in. I believe in giving a voice to those who have been silenced whomever they maybe they deserve to be heard. I want to do that for my clients through these stories. Finally, the last part that has helped build my reputation is that Kristy Thomas, is just a cool person. I’m approachable. I make my speech coaches and their students feel like their presence is appreciated in everything that I do. I believe that anyone who knows me in this capacity feels how genuine I am. They see how much I love what I do and being a good person is a part of my reputation that I take very seriously. I love being an educator and working with students to make them better storytellers and I will never take for granted that energy.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My first year in my business I had two finalists at the National tournament. I was eating the best pancakes in LA with a group of friends and my phone began to get flooded with texts and calls. I instantly knew something was wrong, excused myself and sat on the steps of the restaurant. One of my clients asked me if I had been online and seen what someone had posted about me. As a rule of thumb, I can’t completely disconnect from social media as a business owner but I do try to minimize it for my mental health. Needless to say, I had not seen what had been posted about me. A screenshot comes through with the message “Kristy Thomas pieces should not be allowed on the National stage.” I instantly cried. I left the place I was eating at, stood outside and cried. Why would someone say this about me and my work in such a public way? My heart was broken. I was 100% running a business and leading with my feelings. I called my mom. Through my tears I told her what was said. Her very calm response as, “Kristy, everyone isn’t going to like you.” I froze and listened as she lovingly set me straight. In her oh so loving way she told me that I am the only person who has to love me. I have to love me and I have to love my work, that is the key to success and sanity. We talked for a few more minutes then I headed back inside to say goodbye to my friends and head to the airport. Before flight I decided to address the post. I mentioned that this was the first time in my life I had ever been bullied and that I didn’t like how it felt. By the time I landed at my destination and turned on my phone I had a slew of messages from some of the top and most respected speech and debate coaches in the activity. I cried again, and realized that first I had to thicken up my skin but more importantly that no one has the power to tell me what I am and am not supposed to do or be with my business. There are a lot of people in this world who live, breathe and thrive in creating negative commentaries and I will not participate in that. Resilience, in my opinion is the ability to take the gut punch, strengthen your abs and get back to the workout that is life. Learning, a lifelong educator I hope to never stop learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alwayswriting4u.com
- http://www.kristysharron.com/
- Instagram: kristysharron
- Facebook: Always Writing 4 U (business page)
- Linkedin: Kristy Thomas
- Twitter: kristysharron
- Yelp: Kristy Thomas