We recently connected with Kate Gale and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kate with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up in a cult in Southern New Hampshire. I learned to work on my knees weeding strawberries, carrying wood, carrying water. I learned to work because we labored there all the time. We never stopped. They blew a whistle in the morning to get us started, and we didn’t stop till we dropped in our sleeping bags at night. I have never stopped working. I do not know how to play much. I came by work on my knees in the strawberry beds at four years of age.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I find stories and then edit them. The editing is massaging the manuscript until the book shines, and then after book production, I get out there and start selling the book to our salespeople, to book sellers,
I love finding the stories, the mad rush of reading through the manuscripts and finding something that sings and feeling the electricity of it, imagining myself pitching it the sales people, at the foreign right fairs, I can almost see myself at the movies.
I am going to sell one of our books to the movies.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
What’s made a difference in my journey is being willing to keep walking. Sometimes people will say it’s time to give up. I keep walking. I find a way to keep walking. I have persistence. I also have an ability to ask people for help and advice, and I take advice. I know that I don’t know everything. Lastly, I have the ability to believe in magic. I always think that things are going to get better.
My advice is to keep walking and listen to advice. The dream of opening a window and hearing the mourning doves is always just around the corner.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My father left my mother when I was one, and my mother left me when I was three. I was raised by the cult leader’s staff. They just had us work. I learned to work. I learned the most important rule of running an arts arts organization, if you really want something done, do it yourself.
My parents abandoned me, and sure, that sucked especially at the time, but it made me independent.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.redhen.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkategale/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drkategale
Image Credits
Emily Harper Petrie
