Kat Harris | The Refined Woman | New York City, NY
Leaving NY meant that I'd likely never live in the same city, let's be honest, on the same block as this girl again and that alone was reason enough to reconsider packing the boxes. Friends, Kat Harris is a wonder. She is thoughtful and mindful, she's funny and carefree. I've spent some of my favorite hours doing life with this woman. We have traveled together, walked step in step through the streets of our neighborhood, lounged on the couch, consumed too much wine (if that is a thing), cried together and learned more of ourselves through the challenging of beliefs and the reliving of life experiences together. She even traveled all of the way across the map to participate in my wedding. Conversation with her; heartfelt, deep, meaningful and intentional time digging into what makes life matter has been savored in the in-between, over and over again. Befriending her is one of my better life choices and I am thrilled for you that you get the opportunity to read through some of her reflections in this post. Follow this strong beauty on IG at @therefinedwoman to see more, hear more, learn more.. she'll leave you pondering life and wanting to get your booty in shape, like now. Kat + music.ly alone is worth the follow. xx- Karen
Kat Harris
Q: How do your passions tie in to your career now?
"My career is my passion. Simon Sinek says people buy why you do what you do, not what you do. I couldn’t agree more. My why is to empower women, and all the things I do are simply vehicles for my message." -KH
Q: When you dream without limit, where do you find yourself?
"My dreams take me into a world of limitless possibility. My vision is that all women would know their worth, value, and identity is grounded from the inside out. My vision is for women to be free from fear, condemnation, and shame. My vision is for women to know they are not alone and that their story matters. My vision is for women to have space to come together, encourage one another and leave full and empowered. To go further—this is actually my dream for both women and men—for humanity. The reality is that we all need each other, and if we lived in such a way where if one person loses, we all lose—and if one person wins, we all win—then I think it could create tidal waves of freedom, connection, healing, redemption that we all dream of." - KH
Q: What do you do for a living?
"I run an online magazine for women, The Refined Woman. Our mission is for women to embrace their beauty, identity, and value through the arty of storytelling. Through this platform, I get to speak at conferences, host workshops on leadership and emotional intelligence, write articles, feature the stories of powerful women, and gather ladies together create authentic community. I still can’t believe that I get to do this for a living!"- KH
Q: When would someone speaking up have helped you?
"In college I was on a full athletic scholarship. It was a dysfunctional and toxic environment for a lot of reasons. And finally, I was burnt out enough that I wanted to leave. I left midyear which really put my team and the program in a bind. And also burned bridges along the way. Hindsight I wish someone would’ve told me that you can know the next step you need to take—but it doesn’t mean you have to take it immediately. It’s all about timing. "-KH
Q: Can you share a success moment with us?
"Just recently actually. Anthropologie asked me to host a Fall Fashion Show for them in NYC. It was the first event of its kind for the company—and for me for that matter. We hoped 100 people would come, and were shocked when 200 bought tickets. I had the privilege of curating the evening from performing a spoken word on femininity, to gathering 16 diverse and powerful real women to walk the runway, to hosting a panel discussion on building community! As silly as this may sound it was when I walked by the dessert table and saw that the macarons had my logo on them that I thought I think this is it! hehe…but really that night was me living out my dream—of getting women together and having meaningful connections. It was such a gift to be apart of!-KH
I hope each of you who read this goodness checks out Kat's IG. She's always inspiring and getting real about life things. Dig in.. Help yourself process through the hard things to find the good things. xx- Karen
PC: @emthegem
Clothing: @AYR
