We recently connected with Amethysta Herrick and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amethysta, 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?
When I was young, I believed my purpose was to engineer a better human being – literally. I became interested in genetics before junior high school, knowing the key to “fix myself” would be found in science.
I say “fix myself” because I knew I was a girl, even though everybody around me treated me like a boy. I admit, I looked like a boy. The doctor called me a boy when I was born, but I knew the truth. And if I could just use genetics, I could make myself right.
It turns out biology doesn’t work the way I hoped it did when I was 12. Instead, I became a chemist, completing a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry. I worked as a software engineer, a software architect, and executive management in software companies. I didn’t engineer a better human being, but I did learn how to build effective teams and plan out projects.
At 52 years old, however, I was a crabby old man waiting – and hoping – to die. My wife encouraged me finally to transition gender, and – on 07 July 2024 – I applied my first estrogen patch. Today, two years later, I am a vibrant, outgoing, happy woman enjoying her life. It was through this journey into gender I found my purpose.
I founded a company to help people explore their gender called The Purplepaw Clan. I act as a gender coach with the knowledge when people live as who they know they are inside, the world is a better place. This is more than an interest, greater than a passion.
This is my purpose: to make the world aware of the person hiding inside each of us, and to help you make that person real.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
The Purplepaw Clan began simply as a way for me to tell my story. When I first began gender transition, I experienced tremendous cognitive changes: I began feeling emotions for the first time in my life. I knew I had to research myself and my community. I also knew I had to publish what I found.
As I learned more about myself and more about the human experience, I realized identity and gender are not only concerns of the LGBTQ community. Every human has to discover the person they are inside. Every human has to understand the limits of the social environment in which they live. And every human must decide how much of themselves to express to the social environment based on the level of safety they feel.
When I tell people they own their identity, they tend to disagree. We are trained to believe society owns us. We must fulfill social obligations.
But society only evolves when those of us who don’t fit into cleanly into it carve out the space we need to live a full life. Society needs the misfits in order to become stronger and better.
I teach two fundamental concepts of human identity. fundamental concepts of human identity. First, that identity is our birthright, not the domain of society; who we are can belong to nobody else. Second, that discovering who we are and manifesting it in our lives is our highest moral obligation.
You not only deserve to be who you are, it is your obligation to make the world better by being the person you are.
That’s what The Purplepaw Clan does – I help you find that person inside, then I help you bring yourself out into the world to bless it with the gifts you possess.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three most important skills I’ve developed in my career are a sense of long-range vision, the ability to seek beyond the obvious in every situation, and a playful inquisitiveness to find the right solution.
Long-range vision is critical to success – without being able to take guesses about how your actions will affect you and those around you, no plan can ever be developed. This skill is not easily developed. You must stop yourself between stimulus and response. Choose the response that makes the most sense, no matter how difficult.
Every situation has details nobody wants to acknowledge. The most novel solution comes not from addressing superficial concerns, but by understanding the real problem. This skill comes with experience, but it also takes being able to look at a problem with fresh eyes each time, without prejudice. Every situation is similar to another, but that doesn’t mean every solution is the same.
A playful inquisitiveness means being able to ask the stupid questions. It means being willing to look foolish in pursuit of deeper understanding. It means always asking questions, not assuming the answer is obvious. This skill builds both of the skills above, and all it takes is enough confidence to ask questions.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Simon Sinek’s “Start With WHY” has had a tremendous impact on my life. I read it a couple of years ago, and the primary message is that when we know the reason we do what we do, we always have solace when the going gets rough.
When I read the value of WHY, it made clear how I’d lived my life. I’ve always had a WHY – I can’t do without one. It explained why I was chosen to be a leader even when I never wanted to be: I knew the direction and I could express it to people. I could act as a cheerleader and remind us all why we’re doing what we’re doing.
Today, of course, as a gender coach, I have to remind people why they are making major changes in their lives and lifestyles. It all comes down to WHY.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amethysta.io
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amethystaherrick/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amethystaherrickphd
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amethysta/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@amethystaherrick
- Other: Gender Identity Today: https://genderidentitytoday.com/
Image Credits
Lisa Haukom took the professional shot. Amethysta Herrick took the rest.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
