We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kami Blease a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kami, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
My purpose in some ways has been something I’ve known for a long time but wouldn’t totally become clear until I started to do the internal work on myself to deconstruct a lot of the baggage that I had been carrying. I’ve always loved people and specifically really enjoyed having female friendships. In addition, I overcame disordered behavior and feel strongly about women finding love & peace towards themselves in a culture that doesn’t want them to. I even did my HS senior thesis project on this topic! However, I had no idea how to tangibly incorporate that into my life. As I pursued a career in fashion, and now fitness, one common thread has always remained true. How do I create an opportunity for women to see themselves as worthy & enough in the here in now, while also encouraging them to always be growing and learning. This desire honestly came from my own personal journey. I, like many individuals, have struggled with my self-esteem and sense of worth. I had (and sometimes still do to be honest) a hard time feeling like I was good enough and would often seek approval from others as a way to defining myself. And while I know that I am not alone in this struggle, at some point I acknowledged that living in this way was not bringing me joy or contentment . Trying to constantly please others is a losing battle because you end up ignoring who you are as you constantly shift to be what other people need. I am a pretty open person and as I began to share my journey, I realized how many other women don’t feel like they have a safe space to be themselves, or might not even know what that really looks like. I try not to shy away from my struggles, even to my clients, because sometimes one of the most comforting things is knowing you are not alone in a certain thought or behavior. It doesn’t necessarily make the thought or behavior right, but it also shows that you are not abnormal or alone in them. As I became more open and did the work on myself, I started to see that my purpose in helping women with this, not only applied to my job but to how I interacted with women in general. If I can give someone encouragement, or make them feel less alone, even through one conversation then I have done what I feel like I was created to do. I truly do believe I am an encourager and finding my purpose was a result of me giving myself permission to do something I felt naturally good at & also cared deeply about. There is a lot of pressure in “finding your purpose” but I do believe that if you start to look within and find what lights you up, you will be guided towards your purpose. It doesn’t have to be your career or stay the same your whole life, but only by being connected to yourself will you be able to feel the little tugs & nudges towards something deeper.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m actually in a really exciting part of my business because it’s beginning to evolve in a way that feels so fresh & inspiring. I am currently a body neutral personal trainer specifically working with women who want to move their bodies & get stronger for reasons beyond physical appearance. I feel so blessed to do this because I sadly believe that the fitness industry in some ways has done a lot of harm to women’s self-esteem & mental health. The constant pressure to look a certain way or be a certain size to be worthy, loved or treated respectfully is something I find exhausting & disappointing. As a personal trainer I want women to feel confident in their body & create a lifestyle that feels truly aligned with what they desire, not what culture tells them, they should desire. This is hard for so many people because we have spent so much time being inundated with the opposite messaging. And while fitness is one of those areas that I believe needs dismantling , so do many other aspects of our culture. That is why I’m so excited about a new community I am working on and the shift happening in my career because I do believe it is about so much more than movement. There are so many aspects of our lives that can make us feel stuck & not good enough and I want to dig into those areas too. My hope & goal is to always create a space where all individuals feel safe & welcome to figure out who they truly want to be and how they want to take up space.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The qualities that have been most impactful to me are curiosity, vulnerability & knowing when to outsource/get support. It can be easy to believe you have to know everything or be considered an expert to be successful. However, I have found that the moments I believed I knew most, I would find myself in a situation where I quickly realized that was not true. There’s nothing wrong with having confidence in what you’re doing but I think we should aim to be lifelong learners and having curiosity will help with that. For my work, one of the reasons I believe I am successful is my willingness to be vulnerable. When you’re working with women who are struggling to show up for themselves and have confidence it can be really supportive to hear, I struggle with that too, or, you are not alone. It’s easy to assume you’re the only one really going through something or struggling with something, and social media doesn’t help with that. But the more you connect with people, the more you realize we are all going through similar experiences. And finally, if and when you are able to, outsource and/or get support. It’s easy to try to do everything, especially in the beginning. The reality is that I cannot be good at everything and sadly it’s likely my business (and my mental health) will suffer if I try to do everything. There’s nothing wrong with needing help and asking for advice or support. There are numerous websites where you can find people who can take certain things off your plate that take up more of your time than is necessary. Focus on the things you love and that you’re good at! Ultimately, I have found that being open and acknowledging where I can grow and learn has kept me moving forward and also limited the times I feel overwhelmed or burnt out.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
As the brand expands I am looking to highlight more stories of individuals (primarily female focused) who want to share ways in which they have overcome their struggles with their health, bodies and/or self-esteem. Or what it might look like for them to find more peace & neutrality with the situation even if they don’t currently feel fully free or healed from it. I would also love to connect with individuals who consider themselves teachers and focus on topics in the space of self-help, personal growth, eating disorders, dieticians and body positivity. I want to begin telling others stories alongside mine, in hopes of diversifying the experience highlighted and to hopefully give a platform to people who are excited to share & connect.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kamiblease.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kamiblease
Image Credits
Moonbeams Photos
