In this episode, Nicole and Kate discuss impostor syndrome, which plagues even the most successful women. Kate shares how she moved through impostor syndrome to be where she is today, founding and running a non-profit and becoming a national leader. She speaks about overcoming her insecurity of being biracial and a leader of a Native organization and navigating those incorrect beliefs to be proud of exactly who she is. She also shares about overcoming the shame she carried from being a stripper in her 20s, owning and healing that part of her life, and ultimately turning that into a story that empowers and helps others.
Kate is a member of the Pueblo of Cochiti (COACH- ih- TEA) and is the founder and director of Native Strength Revolution, a non-profit that equips a new generation of Indigenous healers through leadership training and yoga certification. Kate and her Indigenous team work with Indigenous communities and organizations to educate, elevate and uncover a new possibility of wellness for Indigenous people. She is also an active daughter and wife! Sweating is her ceremony- when not on her reservation, she loves weights, dancing, yoga, and running.
“Yet, as long as I was holding onto that, there was no room to receive into my hands any more gifts. That’s really what faith is, it’s leaping into what’s not yet seen and trusting that.”
“When it comes down to those moments in my life when everything is way beyond my control, then I realize that everything is way beyond my control, and we give up the control because we never had it to begin with.”
“Some of it is the obedience, and some of it is making sure we’re learning from our past failures. Which, failures aren’t really failures, they’re just huge learning experiences.”
“I think that’s one of our biggest missed resources, is people that we already know, that we’re just too scared [to contact], to think, ‘But they’re so busy. They’re running this huge nonprofit.’”’
“When we start to realize that things are bigger than just us, then that starts to fall away, those incorrect beliefs start to fall way.”
“Incorrect beliefs will fall into our path and be blocks all the time, and then we do need to have some kind of technique to remind us of our bigger commitment, like we got to clarify that commitment.”
“As a leader of a native organization and being biracial, in the beginning, there was a lot of, ‘I don’t deserve this. I don’t live on my reservation now. I’m half-native, half-white.’ And I felt really insecure about that. And so, there were moments where this organization almost crumbled because I got so into that, into my head, that I’m not the right one. Yet I realized, girlfriend, there’s nobody else doing this and it’s not even about you.”
“That can be a struggle for many of us. Do I deserve to do this? Somebody else is better deserving of this.”
“It’s good for us to find our own heroes.”
“Our story is the most powerful thing that we have to share. It really is. It’s such a relational, like, magic thing that can happen in that moment.”
Nicole Tsong
Even the most powerful women experience imposter syndrome. In today’s podcast episode, you’ll learn what it takes to move through the idea that you don’t belong, and how to step into knowing you are exactly the one to lead the way. Today I am so thrilled to welcome a very special guest, Kate Herrera Jenkins, a member of the Pueblo of Cochiti and the founder and director of Native Strength Revolution.
It’s a nonprofit that equips a new generation of indigenous healers through leadership training and yoga certification. Kate and her indigenous team work with communities and organizations to educate, elevate and uncover a new possibility of wellness for indigenous people. She shares how Native Strength Revolution became the first indigenous charity partner with the New York City marathon, and how she moved through imposter syndrome to be where she is today. Are you a high-achieving woman struggling to feel like you are the right leader at the right time? This episode is for you.
Nicole Tsong
Hi everyone, I’m so happy to be here today with Kate Herrera Jenkins. Kate is this incredible woman who I met years ago and we were just chatting a little bit before we started, and we were wondering when did we first meet because it’s really been quite a long time and I have been someone who has been witness to a really incredible journey for Kate. She’s the founder of Native Strength Revolution, which supports indigenous peoples to really address their healing, their wellness, and their leadership. And she’s a member of the Pueblo of Cochiti (if I got that correct) and I’m just really excited to be in this conversation with you, because we know each other really through development circles and I’ve really loved watching your growth, and at the same time I’m so excited to be able to have a really good conversation with you today. So welcome to the School of Self-worth.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Well, I’m so excited to be here Nicole, and I can’t wait to just uncover whatever we do uncover today, in our conversation.
Nicole Tsong
Absolutely. First, let’s start with where you and I know each other from. It’s within the same development circles, and I’m trying to recall different moments of connecting with you. Maybe you remember, but it feels like I’ve just known you my whole life in certain ways, and also because we’ve been in many, many different training groups together.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Perhaps it was a Lightyear training in Arizona – were you at that one?
Nicole Tsong
I was not in Arizona.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
I feel like I’ve been around you in person. It’s not always been virtual. You’re beyond a virtual friend, cohort, and comrade. I’m not sure, but I know Lightyear does mean so much to both of us and it really created a beautiful foundation for what we both do.
Nicole Tsong
I know.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
I love that no matter where it was, that this has been something that’s helped us grow together in what we’re passionate about, for sure.
Nicole Tsong
Absolutely. You know she and I both do a lot of work around vision work and goals, and what I really love about the kind of work that she and I specialize in, is we both may be certified coaches, but at the same time it allows you to really develop your own pathway and be clear on who you are, and the direction that you’re going. I’ve loved watching you grow in your pathway Kate. It’s been really powerful. So would you mind sharing how you felt about yourself – like your ownership or lack of ownership of self and power before you started doing this work and this journey – and then how you actually started to step into that journey of being able to say, “okay, I’m going to found my own nonprofit. I’m going to become a national leader”. Your Native Strength Revolution was at the New York marathon this past year for the first time. There’s so many amazing, incredible things that you’ve been doing. If you could start and share from that perspective of your journey, I think it would be a really beautiful place to start.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Yeah, for sure. So I’ve always done my best to be in a place where I can listen and be obedient to whatever that purpose is for me to serve on this earth. I think definitely before Lightyear, I floated in and out. I was like, “Oh I don’t know if that’s really something I should listen to”, when indeed it was a very strong message of “Girlfriend, get off of that path and go on this path”. Let me put it this way, being in a space where I could hear clearly, started with my yoga journey. Being able to calm those fluctuations of the mind that are just like everywhere, so I can really be in a spot where I can listen to what God or Creator is saying. Like this is your purpose and this is the path that you were created to be on. I think before that I do remember a lot of almost tantrum- or child-like behavior. I’m really getting this message, but I don’t want to do that. That’s going to be too hard, or somebody else will do that. Then realizing that the vision starts to come with more clarity and a lot more signs. That is when my teacher, Suzanne, stepped into my life. And being the amazing guide that she is, to confirm with the system of leadership that she teaches and mind gems, and all of the beautiful work that she shares – and now we share with others. Like being able to truly listen and to really understand that intuition is a gift. That is such a guiding force for where we need to be on our path, and so through yoga, I had an amazing journey on how to become a business owner. Before Lightyears, this was like ridiculous – I couldn’t even pass math in college. Now I’m supposed to be a business owner, and pay taxes and employ people. I would say that was when I stepped up as a leader. I thought I’m just going to do this – teach yoga. It’s gonna be great and we’ll have a good time. And just like any business, there’s a lot to it and it stretches us a lot. We grow a lot and understand when it’s time to shift in life. When that opportunity came, I was already creating the nonprofit but it was a little bit on the back burner, although I still had a huge passion for it. But yet when someone stepped in (actually one of my teachers) and said, “hey, I want to own a yoga studio”. I thought, oh gosh, you know I’ve been saying I need to shift. I want to shift into leading my nonprofit full-time in a much bigger way than it was at that time. So that really brings us into the present. Really starting to just understand what a quiet space is. What a receptive space it is to be able to receive clear messages. Call it intuition, or signs, or whatever. This is the next part of your path.
Nicole Tsong
So beautiful. I actually forgot you had the yoga studio, because you’ve done such a powerful job transitioning into your nonprofit. Now I’m recalling some conversations we had back when you were really in that place of contemplation and that shift. What would you say then helped you really in that moment? Because I feel like when we make big transitions like that, and I’m actually reading the book, “Quit Right Now,” and this book is really powerful because it talks about that moment where you know to leave something to be done. How did you make that decision, because I’m sure that nonprofit was not at a point where you felt like it was sustaining you necessarily, and how did you make that shift to say, “Okay, I’m going to sell this and then really choose this pathway that’s calling me?”
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Yeah, so it’s really the concept of surrender. If our hands or claws are so tight into the thing that we hold so precious, which was that yoga studio, it was a baby to me. I’d owned it for 11 years. Grown it from nothing to a really beautiful community. But as long as I was holding onto that, there was no room for me to receive any more gifts into my hands. So it’s really that leap of faith into what’s not yet seen, and trusting the message. I think so often we want to play it safe. Well, I’m going to wait till it’s very logical. I’m going to wait till this works out. I’ve got rent to pay, I’ve got kids to feed, or whatever the thing is. Yet in my experience, that’s not how our creator works. You’ve got to completely surrender, otherwise, you’re not going to be ready for the gift being offered to you, and so on. Knowing that this studio was going to a friend and a great yoga teacher, somebody I’d known through this work of visioning goals, and that owning a yoga studio was in her vision, I knew absolutely the time was right.
Actually at that moment too, we had a flood. The studio had completely flooded, so I had to replace everything. We had to close down for a bit, but she still wanted to buy it. At that moment I was like, “Whoa. She’s really, really in it, man. She’s committed. She’s going to do this. She’s taking it at its ugliest”. And yet from that she was able to create her own studio. Not just paint and flooring. Just really build it back. Build it into who she was, and what she wanted to be able to offer the community. To make it hers and the communities.
Nicole Tsong
That’s remarkable. I remember some of these conversations when that was going on. The flood and the sale of the yoga studio. It was a lot that you were going through at that time, and then you had to take that leap into your nonprofit and grow it out. It’s really been cool to watch it grow since. What is it that helps sustain you in those moments – when the flooding is happening in the studio, or you’re in a new nonprofit and you’re wondering if it’s actually going to work, is this going to do the things you want it to do? Because it seems to me like it’s very successful – and this actually goes to the heart of what I want to have in these conversations and in this podcast. It’s because I feel like on the surface, it can look like people are so successful. It can be like, “Look at Kate, she is crushing it!” You were in the New York City marathon, like leading the march – all of those things in the parade – look at Native Strength and Revolution. It’s just a powerhouse! So to others, it could be, “Oh man, how do I ever get there or, they never have challenges. They never have moments of doubt or struggle”. I know that’s not true, but I feel it’s important to share those conversations of how you navigated that, to be where you’re at.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
In that moment of that season, when we were deciding to sell the yoga studio, I was actually out of state helping my mom who had had a devastating fall. I was in the role of caregiver, so I wasn’t even in my own home with my family, with my husband. I was in this different place. The studio was completely flooded, in a different location. It was everything at once, and just realizing none of this is mine. “God, what do you want me to do?” It almost felt like some of the stories that are biblical. Like the flood took it away. My mother can’t survive on her own right now. I’m literally in a different tribe, away from my home tribe, and in exile in a way. So when it comes down to those moments in my life when I realize everything’s way beyond my control, and we give up the control because we never had it to begin with. I believe we all are fearfully and wonderfully made, and we have this wiring in us that is so unique. Able to do the things that we are placed here to do, and able to receive that, instead of when doors start to close, we use all our energy to try to keep opening them up. Let those doors close. Release the thing that you thought was so important, because there’s so many bigger things to come. So absolutely, like in that moment of sleeping in a hospital, knowing that my business is completely devastated and there’s no one near me that I know, like my husband’s not nearby, or anything like that. That’s when I do cling to spirit, or I cling to my higher power. Otherwise, that would have just knocked me out. I don’t know what I would have done. It’s the faith of getting into that beautiful sacred space. We talk about the boundary shield. Not sure your people are familiar with that. It’s like the only thing that should be in that space is me in spirit, and the higher power, whatever we consider that to be. And sometimes it takes all these kinds of crazy events and catastrophes to realize we just want to get back into that space and just be there for a second because that’s all we’ve got.
It’s such a strengthening thing. But the process takes patience and faith to know that something is bigger. I’d almost forgotten about some of those magnificent things that happened with our organization over the last year, but if you had told me like eighteen months before, that those things were to happen, I’d be like “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me, I can’t even leave this hospital room right now, you know I don’t even have a yoga studio that’s functional, and that’s my livelihood”. So that to me is getting back into our sacred space and realizing that’s what we need in the moment. So much more beyond what we can even imagine will follow, and without expecting it. It’s just the cycle in my experience of what happens, how it happens, how God makes it happen.
Nicole Tsong
Well, you say it so beautifully Kate, and I think it can be the experience of trust always coming when there’s no evidence that it’s going to be okay. One of my coaches was talking about that this week. It’s super interesting because when you do have the evidence, it’s super easy to trust. Like you can look back at everything now and say, “That was so smart of me to trust”. Although in that moment, you’re wondering what you’re trusting because there’s no evidence. I love that you’re speaking to it so powerfully, and I’m curious to know if you have had those moments a lot now, running your nonprofit or if that’s happening for you currently in life, because I’m always interested in the expansion of the people that I talk to you – like if there’s a place right now you’re having to trust as well.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Some of it is obedience, and some of it is making sure we’re really learning from our past failures. Although I don’t think of them as failures. They’re just huge learning experiences. So anybody we might consider who has been on this earth, somebody like Steve Jobs. Those failures were amazing and all of our lives are changed because of what we learned from those failures. For instance, my nonprofit is a native nonprofit – so Native American first nation – and we want to equip people who are serving indigenous communities. To me, amazing leaders and mainly in wellness, health, movement, yoga, nutrition, and dance. However, we can be better stewards of our body type of activity. So we have training, and I do my best to be very mindful in how we assemble the people that are coming to training, and we do our best to scholarship as much as possible. So it’s not such a hardship for people to attend this training and go back to their community or their reservation and be a yoga teacher, or help people with nutrition in a natural way. I’m very mindful of that and have made mistakes in the past, for sure.
Even at the last minute, trying to figure things out, because there were a couple of last-minute people that wanted to join the training – like what is really the best thing for this training and being mindful to trust our intuition with some of the actions, and the reality of the actions that we’d seen from these applicants. That’s been super huge to create an amazing group. Well, we didn’t create the amazing group – something bigger than us created the amazing group. But being mindful for the people who are all in to create a super safe environment with other folks. They’re just as passionate, and we are going to give just as much towards this training of their time, of their heart, towards this training.
I can give a recent example of trusting our intuition. I remember another time this happened with a person in training, and this is a very similar pattern as yoga teachers. We try to help start recognizing patterns that might not necessarily be serving that person. That’s been a big part of it, to really create a group in a situation of training where people will create more fire in their hearts, to want to serve their communities. But I definitely made a lot of mistakes in the past, but if we learn from them, it’s not a failure. It’s a learning moment and it’s where we continue to get better. I also surround myself now with a great team who also remind me, “Hey, do you remember that time when we did this thing and it worked out that way, which wasn’t really the best way?”. That’s huge too, so I have to thank my team for being that as well.
Nicole Tsong
That’s incredible. Thank you for sharing. It really is like the failures are simply something to get other things from, to get to the next level. Would you mind sharing the story of how the New York City marathon came about for Native Strength Revolution?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
I’ve run the New York City marathon before our nonprofit was involved. I ran 4 or 5 times for charity. Of the 50000 runners from around the world, 10% of those runners, so over 10000 people, are actually running for charity, and what that means is that you commit to raising somewhere between $2500 and probably $4000 for a nonprofit, and you get an entry to get into the New York marathon, because I think when you enter their lottery just as a Jo Shmo runner, you have about a 6% chance of getting into that marathon. So it’s a fun marathon. It’s where everybody wants to be at. There’s just nonstop encouragement and cheering along that route and it’s New York, it’s the greatest city. So I was being this charity runner, and these New York City marathons – man, it’s a goal that I’ll have a charity that one day somebody will be wearing our logo and our mission, on their running singlet. You have a lot of time to think about these kinds of things and anything that’ll make you feel better in the moment too, because it gets kind of tough. So being able to have that experience of being a charity runner and knowing the charity manager from that organization, which happened to be the Tillman Foundation – Pat Tillman Foundation, and him helping me with my application. Once people know your heart and they know you’re a great team member – I think that’s one of our biggest missed resources – people that we already know that we’re just too scared to approach because you think they’re too busy. They’re like running this huge nonprofit, like the Pat Tillman Foundation, yeah it’s pretty huge. Yet this person, Ethan, took his time to help me fill out the application, with my heart and my words, but like this is what they’re going to be looking for and why you’re doing it, and that’s why I’m helping you, and this is how you need to be strategic with it. And so then we put our application in and then there we were! As far as we know, that year and this year, we are the only indigenous nonprofit that is a charity partner with the New York City Marathon, and on top of that, being involved with their diversity team. Being able to be there for opening ceremonies and lead the parade of nations, which was a pretty cool first for us as well, and to meet all these huge name champion marathoners.
So just those moments of struggle within that marathon, and that vision that happened, turned out way bigger than I had ever imagined. I just thought we’d have a few folks, but it was a completely amazing team that was running – all representing their tribes and being able to have a fantastic experience there together as a group. Beyond what I had envisioned. I wouldn’t have been able to envision that.
Nicole Tsong
It was so incredible. I loved seeing everything you all were posting about it, and then you know we saw Carla Drumbeater who was also on Good Morning America. It is so cool.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Exactly, I mean in that sea, she is one of our members who wrote in – there was a call for like if you have an amazing story, and so I passed that onto our team. She was the only one that filled out the form. They got in touch with her and New York Roadrunners highlighted her on a story then Good Morning America got a hold of it, then Runners World magazine you know, such a cool thing to be part of her journey and her growing as a leader and as an athlete. Just total inspiration for our organization and beyond. It was crazy.
Nicole Tsong
Well, it’s so cool and the thing I know about you is like that’s just one thing that’s going to keep growing like I know that you all will keep expanding. It was simply like a visual and easy-to-understand success, and at the same time, it’s only the beginning of much more success for all of you, so that was really cool.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Yes, and we ended up raising $25000 for our organization. So we had a good time.
Nicole Tsong
Oh wow, incredible. That’s amazing. Well, this actually leads me to kind of a different question which I think comes up for other people too, is how do you maintain your worthiness when you actually are succeeding – and have you come up against that when you are actually having the success – and then the Imposter Syndrome can come in, like who am I to get this? I’m curious if that comes up for you – if it came up for you in that situation.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Oh absolutely. I really knew we deserved to be there and the team was so amazing. When we start to realize that things are bigger than just us, things start to fall away, and those incorrect beliefs start to fall away. And it’s always bigger than us. You know you’re doing this right, your work has been amazing – because incorrect beliefs will fall into our path and block us all the time and then we do need to have some kind of technique to remind us of the bigger commitment. We’ve got to clarify that commitment. Is this commitment about me and having a great time at the New York City marathon? …. no, it’s being able to fund our programming. It’s being able to see these people on our team run the New York City Marathon for the first time or run their very first marathon, and to be able to do this is just amazing. A hero for their communities literally, like Carla overcoming a lot and coming off insulin the way that she did as a diabetic. We need to be shouting this too. It could have been like “I’m the slowest runner out there”, you know those voices – but then realizing like it’s so much bigger than that – and that is something that with this organization, we identify. For me as a leader of a native organization and being biracial, definitely in the beginning there were a lot of times when I felt like I did not deserve to do this. I don’t live on my reservation now, I’m half native half white, and I felt really insecure about that. So there are moments that this organization almost crumbled because I got that so into my head, that I’m not the right one. Yet I realized, girlfriend, there’s nobody else doing this and it’s not even about you, and you’re also going to be reaching out to people who are the same. I mean there are a lot of biracial folks of all cultures, right? Or multiracial. That can be something that is a struggle for many of us to realize. Do I deserve to do this, somebody else is better deserving of this. Then if you take a step back and think, well I’ll wait for that to happen and it doesn’t happen, you realize well, I’m the only one right now. I do my best and that’s all I can do.
People that are aligning with you know who you are. It’s not like I’m saying be something that you’re not. I think that’s why it’s good for us to find our own heroes or whoever that is. Like even learning from somebody like Jim Thorpe, an NFL Hall of Fame Olympian, a Native American. He was also half. So oh my gosh, that’s so cool, you know? Then realizing like a girl, you’re cool. You’re legit with the skills that you have. Just keep on going. So that is definitely something that I still need to keep myself really examining. Who I am, and be able to help others, because that’s come up in every training that I’ve had within my organization. People saying, oh yeah, I’ve dealt with you. So the more that we can start to explore it on our own, the more we can be able to help others to be proud of exactly who they are, because we might be the only one’s in their circle, doing that.
Nicole Tsong
Thank you for sharing that, I feel like what you just said is so powerful because all of us have those moments of like, “Who am I, who am I to be that person when it seems like there’s so much out there already”, and to then realize, I am the one to do this. I am actually the only one, and that’s how it’s gonna be. Biracial or not like, it’s really Kate’s job to run this organization and to bring it to where it is, and I love how you shared that because it is really powerful and comes up for everyone. It’s like these little thoughts in your head that can derail us really quickly, and then our job is not to say that those thoughts are true. To rather say no, what is this about? What am I here for, what is true for me instead?
You know we did some pre-interview questions and you had shared a little bit of fun facts, and I am interested not really so much in the what you said – which is that you were a stripper in your twenties – but I’m actually really interested in you being able to own that. Like what it took for you to be able to own that as part of your past?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
That was part of my past for a couple years in my twenties, when I lived in New York City I think actually that leads into why the New York City Marathon is so precious to me – that I’m doing something with my body now, that is like benefiting the good in the world, instead of what I felt like it was, in that instance as a stripper. I felt like in New York I was looking for just the most amount of material things, and that’s nobody’s fault but mine, for sure. And I own it now. That’s what I did. Then I met my husband. Not in that environment, but it did meet my husband, and immediately that intuition that comes in – that sign like, wow, this is an amazing man and these two things can’t be – neither one will survive with the other. So I chose him and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. After that, I was super quiet about it. I had shame over that choice I made and that lifestyle that I led, and I carried that a long time. Then through this work, through leadership, being able to actually bring it back up into the light and understanding it was a decision that I made, and the creator that I belong to doesn’t want me to have shame. He wants me to have freedom, and that means not carrying this baggage around – because I’m a new person through him. So I was able to finally like just say, this is what I did. And then with leadership workshops, with Lightyear came around, it was empowering when I shared it and nothing happened! Nobody left the room.
We used to own a gym in New Orleans and we had the best coaches, and we’d normally find these coaches from the Baptist theological seminary in New Orleans, and there was one time we were cleaning up at the end of the night and coach Brett, a young seminary guy, asked me, “ Like hey, what were you doing when you met Carrie?” So why he would ask me this question – and I’d never said it to a man, especially when there’s nobody else around – it just seemed like well, I would never do that. That’s weird. That’s crossing, but something said, just say it. And I told him. And he went on to tell me they have this ministry called N-Word, where there is a booth at the seminary, where these coolest ladies go into the strip clubs on Bourbon Street and they just they love these women. They’ll say like, “Hey girl, I’m not trying to make you do anything or say you’re doing the wrong thing”. They just go in with gifts. They bring chocolate and pray with the girls. I was like you got to be kidding me, there’s people that just go and do this and the girls are receiving of it? And he says, like yeah, call my friend Holly. So I did and through meeting these women (I thought they’re all going to be ex-strippers). They weren’t, they were just cute little church ladies of all ages. So going into those strip clubs, I remembered my frame of mind – like there’s no way I talked to a church lady – how is this going to work? And that was me placing the limitations of my mindset on what was about to happen, and these girls would just start crying. They would say they just needed somebody to talk to tonight because this is hard. And you know it’s not like you’re telling them to get out of there right away. It’s like we just show up and listen, and if they need prayer, if they need chocolate, if they need whatever else, like tissues, we bring toiletries and things like that. Perhaps we have conversations on social media later so that they can maybe go a little bit deeper into what they’re dealing with. And I realized this thing that I had shame about. I didn’t want to tell anybody about my horrible decision and the label that could be with me for the rest of my life. But it actually then became something beautiful, and it was like creating relationships with these girls. They still DM me every now and then, “Hey how are you doing, looks so cool, like what you’re doing, I’d love to do that one day”.
So that’s why I do mention that every now and then. Not for sensation, but to allow people to know that whatever your past is and whatever happened through your decision, and some things not, that shame can still be over us and paralyze us, and that’s not how we were created. That’s not why we’re created. They were horrible things that happened, yet my belief is we do belong to a creator who will make all things good. If that could happen where like that was part of my past, and then I come into this ministry of going and talking to the girls and have somebody listen to them, and want prayer – anything is possible. Our story is the most powerful thing that we have to share, it really is. It’s such a magical thing that can happen in that moment when people realize I wasn’t just always this perfect little like church lady or whatever people might think of me. There was a lot of kicking and screaming before I got to the point of realizing I love being in the place that I am now, where I’m happy telling anybody anything. There’s no question that I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable answering. And that’s a beautiful thing to be able to share that with others.
Nicole Tsong
Well, what I’m really getting from everything that you’re sharing Kate, and including that story, is that willingness to be vulnerable about it and that you can own that. You know, someone said this to me the other day, that our deepest vulnerabilities are actually the most universal themes of life. And so even though I haven’t been in your shoes, I can relate to all of it. Like having an experience where you feel shame and you lock it down like you said, and then you don’t want to talk about it, or you know going into later, feeling like an imposter, or all of those pieces and everything that we ever feel other people can fully relate to. And then, what I love what you’re sharing too, is that through your faith and through your belief, you have been able to navigate it and keep going, and actually be who you’re here to be – you’re not letting any of those things stop you. I think that’s the real challenge for so many people, it’s like there is a lot that they’re here to do, and sometimes in the shame, or other things, like fear and doubt, can keep them from navigating that pathway, and that’s what I really love about what you’re saying. You’ve been able to find ways forward and through, even when you feel like you might get stopped and it gets a little shaky – you keep going.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Yeah, and I mean that’s part of the yoga path too. It’s that skill and action of not just sitting back and being like I’m just going to meditate on it, or I’m just going to pray about it and we’ll see what happens. Like it’s acting on it, and that’s when we start to be the change. Helping ourselves heal. With that action, I can really elevate my whole belief and it sounds kind of cheesy but I think it would. It does elevate the whole world.
Nicole Tsong
It does, it absolutely does. I definitely believe that. Do you have any simple tip you would suggest for people who are really early on in this journey, on this pathway, that they could just start to practice for themselves on a daily basis?. Like self-worth. Something you do for yourself every day, that you might offer people a way to enter into it?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Gosh, you know the pandemic has been challenging in so many ways and isolation has been a big part of that. I would say the main thing is to plug into people whose vibe you like. Whatever that means to you – if it’s leadership, if they’re doing something in the world that you’re curious about; because again, just like I mentioned earlier in some of this story, you might think, “Gosh they’re so busy and they’ll tell me no”, but these people like people, and that’s their purpose too, and so I would say surrounding yourself, or reaching out, or requesting from people like, “ hey I’d really like to learn more about what you do, and how you do it”. I know this podcast is about that, but really doing it in person, doing it over the phone, or live! So not just like getting into our headphones and listening to podcasts all day, which are great, but we need that human interaction of somebody that would be over the moon to help mentor you.
So that works for me, and I know we both have an amazing mentor. I can’t even imagine what my life would be without her. So really plugging into people whose vibe you like.
Nicole Tsong
I love that because I always think back to when I met Suzanne, so Suzanne Conrad is our respective teacher, and I thought there was something about that lady. I better get in the door with her, I better do whatever I can to be around her because she’s got something for me. And you know twelve or thirteen years later, I’m still doing it – still with her on that. I love what you’re saying because it is really important to know that there are people who can take you somewhere, and when you can feel that energy, those are the people you do what it takes to connect with, to move forward. So I love that tip Kate, that’s so beautiful.
Okay, are you ready for rapid fire questions? They’re easy. You’ll do great. What was the last thing you watched on TV?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Oh, probably that’s just the morning news, seeing what’s going on in my community.
Nicole Tsong
Morning news. Okay, awesome! What is on your nightstand?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
What is on my nightstand? I have a Native American version of the new testament. So It really paints it in a beautiful way. I don’t know if it’s like whoever approved, or whatever, like as far as different versions of the bible go. Yet it’s really cool and beautiful and eloquent. I like reading different versions, but that one’s been a really cool one.
Nicole Tsong
Awesome! And then when was the last time you tried something new, and what was it?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Ah gosh, I’m sure I’ve tried something new at some point. I just started coaching runners, so I got my RCA coaching certification, and I’ve been teaching a group at my church. My church has this half marathon, and I’m doing that and helping people with plans and learning from it, and making learning situation circumstances happen. I’m not going to say we had failures, but we learned from them and so that’s been a lot of fun. So I’m a brand new running coach, learning how to do all the running coach things.
Nicole Tsong
That’s so cool, I love that totally new skill to be a running coach. Amazing. Okay, and then the last one is, what are your top 3 most used emojis on your phone?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Well definitely, hundred percent, the happy face with the kind of long eyes, like he’s really, really excited and definitely, definitely a heart. I like hearts of all colors. So I’m a multicolored heart lady. I love them all.
Nicole Tsong
I love that. I’m with you too, I can’t just choose one heart. There are so many choices for that! Well, Kate, it’s been such a pleasure to have you. I really, truly had such a beautiful conversation today. So if people want to know more about you, or want to reach out, or contribute in any way, what’s the best way to reach you?
Kate Herrera Jenkins
So the website for our organization is nativesstrengthrevolution.org – they can find us there. My contact info is also on there, and of course, we’re on social media as well. I’m on social media, mainly Instagram, as Kate Herrera Jenkins, so I’d love for anyone to reach out.
Nicole Tsong
She is part of that high-vibe energy you definitely want to be around, so we’ll include all of that in the show notes. Kate, again, such an honor to have you in this conversation and I love everything you’ve shared in your story and thank you so much for being here with all of us today.
Kate Herrera Jenkins
Oh thank you, Nicole, I’ve enjoyed it a lot.
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