Meet Kathleen Cooke

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

Kathleen, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome plagues women. If a man and a woman are asked to take on a position, often a woman will immediately begin to contemplate how unqualified she is or how she lacks the knowledge or education. Men never give it a thought. They say “yes” immediately and then hire a woman to do it for them! Women have spent years as subordinates and working behind the scenes. I love the film Hidden Figures, which shows this explicitly. When I was a little girl, my dad would tell me that “girls were to be seen and not heard.” When you grow up hearing that, it can affect you and the confidence you need to stand with “the big boys.”

How do you overcome it? You do it by reminding yourself that God made you “wonderfully and beautifully.” It’s up to us to listen to the lies we’ve been told and let them confine us to small endeavors or to forward and choose to rise above them to greatness and significance. God doesn’t make mistakes but empowers us to go above and beyond all we hoped or dreamed. Whenever I have been belittled or made to feel inadequate, I have found faith in myself again by surrounding myself with people who believe in me and know my talents and skills and have witnessed my accomplishments. I choose to surround myself with them, knowing that they will also be truthful if I need adjustments when I fail. I find courage knowing that “with God, I can do all things.”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I co-own an award-winning media production company, Cooke Media Group, in Burbank, CA -with my husband, Phil Cooke, along with the nonprofit organization, The Influence Lab. I lead an arm of the Lab, Influence Women, which has chapter groups in Atlanta, Nashville, Baton Rouge, CA, Orange County, and Hollywood (Houston launches April 2024). Influence Women focuses on empowering women involved in media, entertainment, arts, music, and leadership. I edit the online Influence Journal, host the Influence Women Podcast, and write a blog at KathleenCooke.com, where you can find out more about me personally.

I got into the industry because I was compelled to become an artist. It was who I was from an early age. Hard work, discipline, grit, and faith in God propelled me. My work as an actress, producer, speaker, and writer has taken me to over 40 global cities and countries, speaking and teaching others on how to use media effectively to tell their stories and encouraging them to see the alignment of career and faith in God. I published a devotional – Hope 4 Today: Stay Connected to God in a Distracted Culture, to encourage and challenge artists to read the Bible and see their lives change in a positive direction.

Artists and creatives are vulnerable people who often need to be encouraged, supported, and empowered. The industry is constantly changing and competitive. You must be excellent and trusted to perform and produce, and it can be a rollercoaster financially. It requires that you work with many kinds of people with unique personalities. Leadership skills are required. Caring is required. Community is essential and means building reliable and trusted relationships.
When we produce a project, we go to great lengths to ensure that the set is professional but also fun. Screaming is not allowed, and doing your homework is vital. Our cast and crews have always worked hard and gone the extra mile to create an excellent final product, and we have a trophy case to show for it.
We also know that we work with real people who have real lives and real issues. Encouragement, inspiration, mentoring, and grace must be activated and facilitated. For me, Biblical wisdom lies at the foundation of my work. Love your neighbor as yourself, serve others, be humble, care for the poor in spirit, be a peacemaker, be kind, be good, and give back are all words of wisdom and proven leadership skills that have brought success and sustainability not only to our company but to me. Giving back had to be incorporated into my life’s work, and I wanted to mentor and support others in the industry, but I also wanted to teach them how to teach others.
The Influence Lab and Influence Women were launched so that students and professionals could be mentored to use media effectively to tell their stories. We bring in speakers to encourage and support each other and to inspire artistic and creative excellence. It was created so that those working in the industry could grow relationships and know they weren’t isolated or alone.
Influence Women has grown faster than I ever thought or imagined in a very short time. We are experiencing growing joys and not focusing on “pains.” I tell people, “I’m keeping my tennis shoes on and tied these days.” As with any organization, we need supporters, donors, mentors, and coaches to keep our mission aligned and on target.

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?
Integrity, courage, and faith in God are the three qualities that most impacted me in my journey and continue to be so today. Integrity incorporates honesty, care, and respect for yourself and others. Courage requires that you know you aren’t perfect – you’re human. Success in life means you must be willing to take risks, and if you fail, you learn from them and move forward. It means trusting others and building a network of people around you that you can trust and rely on for wisdom and support, I don’t call it networking but netweaving. When you choose the right people to come along on your journey, you build a strong fabric that reveals beauty and is strong and durable. Finally, faith in God is my ultimate foundation. God wonderfully and beautifully makes us; I believe He has a purpose and the perfect plan for our life’s journey. When we engage in Him and are willing to listen to that inner voice within us where He speaks to us, there is peace beyond understanding. There is an inward guidance and joy.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Besides the wisdom I have found in the Bible, Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, is one of the most significant books that impacted my life. Relationships matter, and knowing how to choose them and navigate them can make or break a person and, ultimately, success in business. Knowing how to work with other people in all situations is essential. He shares how to understand other people’s perspectives and be respectful of differences, making others feel they are important and that life isn’t all about just you. Key points in the book talk about appreciation of others and how to address other’s mistakes, which is key if you are going to be a great leader. One of my favorite lessons is how to ask questions and not give direct orders to those you’re working with and for. This allows them to decide which way they want to go and allows them to also save face. Finally, remember to praise people and that people’s names are important. So remember them, Be a good listener, and be genuinely interested in them, and never forget to smile and give back. Others helped. you up the ladder so help others. All these things are essential for great leadership.

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