We Are Kathy celebrates one year! The power of of your stories has taught us so much
On Oct. 14 of last year, we launched We Are Kathy into the world. And what a year it has been! To say that we are amazed by all of you, is an understatement. Every time we interviewed one of you, we were inspired all over again. The women we featured over this past year show us strength, grace, kindness, hardship and love. We were reminded again and again how truly remarkable women are and how much of an impression they make on this world.
We need you. All of you. We need your unique strengths and skills. We need your vulnerability and voice.
To all the women and men that have shown us such great support over this past year, thank you. What started as something we just wanted to do because we thought it was important, turned into something we knew we needed to do because it had a purpose. We Are Kathy strives to transform how culture views women of all backgrounds so their voices are heard boldly and clearly all over the world.
We have a small platform, but if we helped even one woman realize she's not alone and her story matters, it was all worth it.
Through art, poetry, guest bloggers, personal stories, sharing your stories, capturing your beauty in a photo, we can't say it enough what this first year has meant to us. Thank you, all!
Now we would like to share what you all have taught us. Journey with us through the highlights of what so many amazing women taught us as we do a little recap of our favorite images and powerful quotes.
- The We Are Kathy Team (Jen, Sveta and Sarah)
"Embrace the fear and let it motivate you to action." - Amanda Szumowicz
"Who you surround yourself with is the energy you’re going to start breeding yourself. People who saw my potential and not my past and wouldn’t hold anything against me, that’s who I kept in my life." - Rachael Cowan
"Sometimes, because I am a female, I feel like I need to take more risks, because if I ask for an extra car they’ll say, 'Oh, it’s because she’s a girl.'" - Sarah Egbert
"I say the only thing that's not for you, is the thing you don’t want. Because if you want it, then it is for you. What’s your dream? Do it." - Shannon Polk
"Change doesn't come your way, you have to go look for it." - Alicia Whitcome
"Photography has shaped the way I look at the world; it has taught me to cherish the life I return to when I put the camera down. My work makes me better able to love my family and laugh with my friends." - Britt Hueter
"They don’t tell you that you’re allowed to bloom after you’re raped. I’m here to tell you: You can absolutely bloom. This is a story about blooming." - Elin Peterson
"There are moments I don’t know how else to explain other than actual magic… There’s always these magical reminders and moments that this is worth it. And that means something." - Erin O'Neal
"What I value about going to other countries is that they value other cultures." - Natalie Gecele
"I have also learned to enjoy the good days when they come and to know that the bad days will pass. It's hard to look at the bad days and find good things about them, but I’m learning to do that." - Heather Fenner
"You have to understand where someone comes from to see who they are now. People have been through so much. Everybody has been through something." - Katana Noel
"Talk to your mother, sisters, cousins, friends. Talk to your doctor. Know you aren't alone, and seek out the women who will extend a hand to you and hold you up when you need it most." - Marta Breckenridge
"We are a blended family and I'm so grateful they have accepted me as mother and grandma. We are all family and I love watching them all grow up. I am so thankful for them all." - Sherry McGregor
"Something I always say is everything always works out even if it's not the way you thought or expected it would. When you think back at all the things you freaked out about in the past, you probably wonder why you worried about it at all. It always works out. It worked out the way it was meant to work out. That's life right there." - Natalie Kadie
"Motherhood may be the hardest, most exhausting job that I have ever had. But motherhood is also the most real, raw, and fulfilling love and beauty that I have ever experienced." - Tera Hamilton
"Everybody’s independent. You have this mindset that you have to be independent. I can feel that. Sometimes I feel guilt for accepting help or for asking." - Jessie Goodwin
"For me right now it’s a process of gratitude. I'm grateful that there are people out there who want to experience what I’ve made. I am grateful I have the ability to make things. I’m making magic and I want to give it out." - Melissa Hess
"I think the best way to be in the 'boys club' is to know what you’re doing and to be confident in yourself. Be willing to ask questions and ready to learn." - Sarah Satkowiak
"It’s really hard as a woman, especially as a woman entrepreneur, but I take it as a challenge because I love proving people wrong." - Kassy Mason
"I had found my community, and somewhere along the way, I found myself." - Alex Washington
"A lot of guys I went to class with were inherently seemingly confident about everything they did, but on a woman, confidence was not a good look. When a woman is confident, it's as if they are perceived as unapproachable or arrogant." - Emily Woodruff
"The closest I was to my mom during my entire life was right before she died. I stopped trying to change her and I would just enjoy my time with her when we were together." - Kala Doyle
"There are a lot of instances where people don't think you’re the one painting it. Even if you’re wearing the mask and have the spray paint. There could be a man standing next to me, a friend, another artist, or a stranger and someone will walk up and say 'Hey man! Nice painting!' And I am standing right here... covered in paint!" - Emily Ding
"There's a lot of suffering. I really think that people connect more because of our hurt and our suffering. I don't think we were ever created to be solitary people." - Denise Alick
Year one was amazing. We are humbled. We are thankful. We are inspired. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We cannot wait to continue this journey with you.