Meet Kathy Condon

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathy Condon . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathy below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kathy 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?

Growing up 11 miles in the country in Wisconsin, I attended a one-room school for eight years. There were 27 children in my school, three of us in my grade. Even more interesting, to this day, my family calls me Kathleen because there was another Kathy in my grade.

The same teacher taught all of us. Mrs. Jensen was my teacher for six years, and she trusted me to help with the other grades while she was upfront in the school teaching a particular grade. For example, I would help teach lower grades to read.

I lived on a 20-acre apple orchard. My family of five worked as a team, and we were expected to pick and pack apples. When it was discovered I could sell well, I was front and center on Sundays, selling apples to people who drove out from the city.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Before the pandemic, I was a speaker and trainer on face-to-face networking. With the world closed down and isolated in my condo by myself, I used the time to review my life and decide what my next chapter would be.

From high school, people recognized and supported me in my writing talent. Starting with that premise I could write, I asked myself the question, “How can I use my writing? I had already written two books on communication, and thrilled when the book It Doesn’t Hurt To Ask received a Best Book Finalist by US Book News.

I missed learning and being around people the most when I was isolated. Plus, it was so instilled in me that I should be doing something—that work ethic reared its head.

I started my blog, Palm Springs Insider Guide, because I was frustrated that people thought Palm Springs was only about golf and sitting around the pool with umbrella drinks. Since I had lived here for ten years, I could write about the town I loved even though it was presently a ghost town.

At the same time, I searched for and found courses on travel writing. I began to delve deep into what it would be like to travel the world and be paid for it.

I kept plenty busy and found a mentor who took me under her wing to teach me how to work on laying a solid foundation for being a travel writer. I listened to her and stayed behind the computer for nearly eight hours daily, perfecting the craft.

Today, I write for numerous publications, but I still query others so I can visit a place and share with the world what I learn on my travels.

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?

1. During grade school, I was a ferocious reader. In fact, I read every book in our small library. Then, I reverted to reading chapters from the encyclopedias, which was our Google during my era. There is no question in my mind that books opened my sense of curiosity about the world.

Put yourself in situations where you can learn something new every day.

2. As a child, I certainly did not appreciate how many chores we had compared to other children in the neighborhood. Plus, my Dad insisted anything worth doing needed to be done correctly.

When you are doing a task, do it to the best of your ability–don’t just say it’s good enough when you innately know it isn’t. (Thank you, Dad, for making me do my best.)

3. When I started my journey to become a travel writer, the road seemed long, for there seemed so much to learn on my own. Something inside of me made me seek a mentor on the subject of travel writing. I found her.

Find a mentor in the field you are planning to move in, listen to him/her, follow their suggestions, and do the work.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

1. My niche is luxury experiences and communities living in the shadows of larger cities. I am always looking for invitations to new places. Then, I will share information about them in articles, Google Maps, and social media.

2. At a recent conference, it was repeatedly stated that international publications need articles on our communities, hotels, and attractions. If you know of international publications that accept articles from freelance writers, please let me know.

You can connect with me at [email protected] or through my website: www.PalmSpringsInsiderGuide.com

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Nadine Conger with a picture of me in a White shirt.

All others are mine – Kathy Condon

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