Meet Katherine Mk Mitchell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katherine Mk Mitchell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katherine MK, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

To tell you the truth, for the longest time I did not even know I had it, the “work ethic.” In retrospect, I realized that I am the product of the demands of my experiences. Starting with becoming a nationally ranked competitive gymnast as a teenager, the discipline and demands of the sport became part of my “nature.” I had to keep trying for being the best. Later in life, my making a living although driven by hunger as well as curiosity, seemed also to be competitive. I had to excel

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

FROM BUDAPEST TO HOLLYWOOD: Searching for the Promised Land is a multilayered chronicle of my life and its too many unexpected diversions. The easy reading book explores my family experiences within a broader historical context. To whet your reading appetite, I survived the ill-fated S.S. Exodus; the on-foot escape from communist Hungary; the struggles of refugee life and overall rollercoaster worlds of brief successes as a writer, #MeToo physical abuse, true love and infidelity, motherhood, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, validating the ignorance-is-bliss concept by my pitfalls in Hollywood, and unaware of not being in control of my life. All the failures of my difficult life made me a stronger person – although sometimes only showing a strong facade. To me it was and is most important to overcome life’s hurdles whether devastatingly emotional, physical, professional, educational or anything negative. Learning that life is tough and being human is hard, is the basis for achieving being at peace with oneself. As a result, I am an “Empowerment Speaker” sharing my first hand experiences with women. Because in my Hollywood years as a screenwriter and now a retired member of the Writers Guild of America West, I also present seminars on writing to all those who aspire to write and who should know how to begin and how to hold on. Being rich and famous is probably fun, but being who I am with the riches of knowledge and unusual life experiences is not too shabby. Being respected for my achievements is a totally fulfilling level of living. Here is a favorite Churchill quote: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” And my own favorite quote which is on the internet is: “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do twice.”

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?

Those early in their journey should accept internships that do not pay in money but in experience. If you want to be a writer, study and get a job in a publishing house or literary agency and learn the inside workings of the business, make the connections that help you move forward. Whatever you want to be, get in on the ground level and learn. Another fine way is to marry someone already in the business, learn, get ahead and see what comes of it. This is not funny. It is actually a smart move. Never forget that you are in that place because you are learning until you can hold your own and take control of your life. Never stop studying in order to meet the requirements and qualify or earn your place once you get inside.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

None of the parts of this question pertain to me. I have never had anyone helping me simply because they believed in me other than in my gymnastic childhood. Professionally no one. My UCLA therapist, the late Dr. Charles Nakamura, spent time on guiding me through a very trying time of my life.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Candace Carson – Sarasota

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