Meet Kate Milligan

Hi Kate, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I’ve long been inspired by the words on Detroit’s flag, “There is always hope; it will rise from the ashes.” And I think that truly embodies the human spirit and I have experienced that throughout my own life.

I was born with a rare immune deficiency called Job Syndrome and suffered greatly as a child. I still suffer with eczema and other health issues today, but no where near what I experienced as a child. From birth I had terrible eczema, so bad that my skin was raw and red – and my clothes would stick to my raw skin. I itched the majority of my hair out and when I started school, I had a little red face, I’d wear long sleeves and pants to cover my raw arms and legs, and my mom would try everyday to braid what little hair I had – just to make sure I looked and felt pretty. We regularly went to the University of Michigan, but they had no solutions for my eczema nor the suffering I was experiencing.

Thankfully my mom searched for solutions and ended up curing (for the most part) my eczema and other ailments. I still have bouts of it today, but overall it’s under control.

My resilience throughout life is probably somewhat due to the person I am, but it’s also due to the strong family and support system I was born into, as well as all of the things that I overcame as a child. I overcame so much from a young age – my eczema and Job Syndrome; the bullying I endured; the adversity I faced; and other hardships that my family went through – including my dad’s head injury, my siblings health concerns, and more.

To me, resilience emerges through a combination of personal experiences, inner strength, and external support. And that’s exactly what I’ve experienced and continue to experience everyday. Some resilience is the strength we’re born with – whether we recognize that strength or not. Sometimes we’re stronger than we know and our inner strength only comes through when we really need it. Our life experiences can also lead to resilience – which has been my experience. And, of course, our friends and family can support us in our resiliency. So surround yourself with good people – whether friends, family, or your “chosen family” – because that will lead you through when you feel like you can’t go on anymore. .

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 started my career in PR/media and after working in that industry for over 12 years, I recognized how often women’s voices and their stories are so often ignored, politicized, divisive, and marginalized. In 2019, I decided to start 1 Girl Revolution as a solution to the problem that I saw in the media – creating a place for women’s authentic stories and voices to be heard. 1 Girl Revolution is a nonprofit multimedia organization that is dedicated to elevating the stories and voices of world-changing women and girls.

I am an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, speaker, storyteller, host of The 1 Girl Revolution Podcast, and founder of 1 Girl Revolution. The 1 Girl Revolution Podcast has over 185 unique stories/episodes and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher and everywhere you listen to podcasts. 1 Girl Revolution has also produced an Emmy-nominated documentary series available on YouTube with two documentaries released thus far – “The Girl Inside” and “In Tandem.”

You can find all of our podcasts, documentaries and more on the 1 Girl Revolution website at: www.1GirlRevolution.com
My personal website is: www.katemilligan.com

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?
The three qualities that I think have been most impactful on my journey through life are resilience, strong work ethic, and a passion for and belief that we have a unique purpose in this world.

My advice for everyone is to work hard, don’t be afraid to fail, and when you do fail – keep fighting for what you believe in and for your dreams. You are as unique as your fingerprints and you were made to leave a unique imprint on this world – one that no other can. The world needs you and your uniqueness. Believe it, embrace it, and live it.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents instilled a strong belief within me from a young age that we can overcome just about any difficulty in life, that we were made for a unique purpose in the world, and that we can accomplish anything that we work hard enough to attain. And they were living examples of this. My parents overcame abuse and many difficulties throughout their lives, but they made a distinct decision not to be “victims” of what they experienced, but rather to be the “victors” of their stories. And together, they chose to change the trajectory of their life stories and to heal the wounds of their lives – and to become the parents for us that they wished they had had. They worked hard to be better and to provide a beautiful life for us and for themselves. They’ve impacted so many people’s lives through their wisdom, passion, the way they raised their kids, and the way they’ve lived their lives. My parents will always be beacons of light on how to live a world-changing, impactful life.