We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Kenagy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I believe that much of a person’s ability to be optimistic truly comes from their surroundings & the people they surround themselves with. I think the source of my ability to be optimistic originated with my husband. We married quite young & have been together for over 27 years. Our motto throughout our marriage has always been “you & me against the world”…as long as we have each other, we can conquer anything together.
Growing up with a single mom was full of challenges. Unfortunately, my mom was not what I would consider an optimist; whenever something unexpected would happen, (car repairs, home repairs, the typical stuff that happens to everyone when they least expect it & are least prepared financially) her reaction was always immediately negative, “why does this always happen to me” kind of thinking. Of course, I understand more now, as an adult, than I did then, that we were living paycheck-to-paycheck & how precarious that lifestyle can be. One major car repair can impact your ability to buy groceries that week or pay the electric bill that month…I get it now. But what my husband helped me see in our early years of marriage was that yes, unexpected things happen to everyone & everyone experiences challenges throughout their lives, but most of the time, those challenges don’t last & there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.
A simple line of thought that gets me through tough times is that “things will not always be this way.” I remember when I was on maternity leave after having our child that I struggled (as many women do) with adjusting to life inside my “mom-bubble”…the world was still going on all around me but not feeling like a part of it was very surreal. What would our “new normal” look like once I returned to work? What would we do about childcare? All the typical fears of being a new parent. My husband made sure that I physically left the house at least once a day, even if it was just to walk the dog & check the mail, just so I could remember that I was still a person outside of being “MOM” & that I was still a part of the world outside our home…that things would not always be that way.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
First of all, I want to express my gratitude for this second feature of my journey. I was previously featured about 2 years ago when we were all still figuring out what our return to normal after a global pandemic would look like. Now 2 years later, life has, in some ways, drastically changed.
Previously, I was a wife, a mom & full-time working woman commuting to an office environment across town & oh, by the way, also had a more-than-a-hobby side hustle. Fast forward to now, I’m still a wife, a mom & a full time working woman but I no longer commute across town; my daily commute is now up 1 flight of stairs to my new “home office” & my previous side gig is barely afloat. At the beginning of the year, my company experienced a pretty big transition locally & I made the decision to become a remote employee & work from home full-time. Although it was my choice, I was scared about what this decision would mean for my own well-being: would I still feel fulfilled? Would I still have enough interactions with other colleagues both within & outside of my company & not feel like everyone had forgotten about me? Would I still feel motivated to work every day & have a good routine? I’m grateful to say the answer to all of the above has been a resounding ‘YES!’
Also, over the past few years, I rekindled my love for crochet. My mom taught me how when I was probably 7 or 8 & I would craft things off & on as gifts for family over the years. Then last year, I started to find patterns online for things like reusable water balloons, face & dish scrubbies, more sustainable alternatives to single-use products. I knew I wanted to participate in an annual holiday craft fair organized by the MidAmerica Chapter of IIDA (International Interior Design Association). Pair that goal with my love of being kinder to the planet & a new hobby passion was born which I call Krafted with Kare by Katie K. I’ve continued to expand my range of crochet products into other reusable household items like sweeper covers & dust cloths to more seasonal & fashionable accessories like messy bun beanies & handbags.
Since Memorial Day, I’ve been working at home full-time, finding my new routines, spending a lot of time on virtual calls but what’s different about working from home now versus during the pandemic is that, I don’t HAVE to just work from home; I can work at a coffee shop or the library; I can enjoy coffee on my back deck in the mornings without having to rush; I don’t have to deal with morning commute traffic & the numerous accidents that always seem to happen on I-435. At the end of the day, I get to see my kid right when I shut down my computer & go directly into family time after work rather than the 45 minute drive to decompress. I’m not nearly as tired & grumpy at the end of the day which probably means I’m being a better wife & mom too. Life in general is a bit slower now but I think I would say it’s also fuller, definitely in a good way.
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?
I think this transition I’ve experienced has been successful because I remembered what worked for me during the pandemic when we were forced to stay at home. I’m very much someone who thrives on consistency & routine so once I re-established what some of my previous routines had been 3 years ago, it was easy to set new boundaries & not let working from home take over ALL of being at home. I intentionally try to walk away from the desk a few times a day; I try to maintain my previous working hours as much as possible so that I’m not starting or ending work much later than I did when I was in an office. So, although I need consistency in my life, being adaptable is what has allowed be to be successful in the face of change.
I also struggled at first feeling like, since I was now working from home, I was somehow more expendable to my company & needed to fear for my job, almost that this new scenario is too good to be true. What I came to realize is that I’m just as valued now as I was previously. There’s a reason I was offered this option when my company went through a transition & while I’m not so arrogant as to think I’m irreplaceable, I’m confident that my skills are still needed; that my company recognizes my contributions regardless of where I am when I make them. I just needed to continue to have confidence in myself & my abilities.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I am an optimist at heart. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by work, family or just life in general, I sometimes need to stop & remember one simple phrase: things will not always be this way. When I’m overwhelmed at work with so many things to do I don’t know where to start, I’ll stop, take a step back & make myself a list I affectionately call a “brain dump” just so I can get everything out of my head. I remind myself that the chaos won’t last forever. If When I’m overwhelmed by family or non-work related obligations, I remind myself that it’s OK to say “No”. I get to choose what I commit to & if I’m not enjoying myself, what’s the point?? Regardless of what’s going on, I just try to remember that a year from now, 5 years from now, etc. things will likely be different…things will not always be this way. Have faith that there’s always a bright side.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylist.katiek/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093999880926
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-kenagy-ncidq-rid-lssyb-iida-57782b2a/
Image Credits
Katie Kenagy
