Finding Hope During Hard Times with Katie Zeppieri: Lesson 42

2:25  -  Komal asks Katie what her lessons learned were from talking to 84 people on IG Live at the beginning of quarantine. Komal and Katie discuss how powerful it can be to interview others and listen to their stories in order to learn from their lived experiences. 

5:30 -  Katie shares with us what changes she has noticed in herself as a result of receiving people’s stories during interviews, and how the power of shared experience and exchanging knowledge with others became an anchor in her days after she faced unexpected changes in her work days due to the pandemic. 

7:43 - Katie and I discuss what burnout is like for people who often like to keep busy. Katie explains how she has always been someone that likes to keep busy with projects, and how she has learned to prioritize celebration after the completion of a big project in order to allow herself to rest, feel gratitude, and gear up for the next project. 

10:00 -  Katie shares her lived experience during a time where she was facing burnout and struggling with depression in 2017. 

Katie explains what it’s like to be in a state where you cannot see hope, and how taking small steps towards progress every day such as opening up to family and friends, her boyfriend, or just getting out of bed, taught her the value of taking a small step every day towards your own well-being. 

15:04 - Komal asks Katie what has been grounding her in her days. Katie shares that she is a person who likes to constantly work on projects and express herself creatively, and how she has allowed herself the grace and permission to say she doesn’t need to have a perfect self-care routine during busy work times, but still make time to prioritize her non-negotiable self-care practices at least several times a week. 

17:33 - Katie and Komal discuss how we both have learned to extract ourselves from our beliefs around work and we came to realize that we had a different work style of working in sprints and taking downtime rather than the traditional 9-5.  

22:55 - Katie shares how nature and the outdoors have been grounding her and allowing her to cultivate gratitude in her everyday life: “When I have moments like that (sitting by a fire, spending time outdoors), they connect me back to what is real, tangible and present with nature, it feels cleansing and reminds me of my purpose.”

28:08 - Katie shares what is coming up for her such as her Together We Rise Podcast, another upcoming batch of interviews, and new developments in GirlTalk. 

30:00 - Finally, Komal asks Katie if she has any words of wisdom from her lived experience for folks at home that are really going through a tough time right now. Katie shares some incredibly impactful words: 

“I know what it’s like to be in a dark place, and if you are finding yourself there right now, even if you can't’ see the other side and how things will happen for you, just know that there is another side. There is a continuation of this story that you just cannot see yet. I want to ask you to lean into hope. Hope is believing and having a vision when you cannot see. Take it one day at a time, and focus on today. Ask: what can I do today to take the smallest step forward? It could be just getting out of bed, talking to a friend, taking any productive action that feels right for today”

If you aren’t already, be sure to give our podcast a follow on Instagram @lessonslearned.co account where we will be sharing weekly resources and advice for you to chew on life’s lessons. 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/komalminhas 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lessonslearned.co 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thenextrightstep.co

To submit a lesson to be discussed on the show, or to submit a potential guest, visit: www.komal.com. 

To check out Katie Zeppieri’s work visit: https://www.instagram.com/katiezeppieri/ and https://linktr.ee/katiezeppieri 

Lessons Learned is produced and hosted by Komal Minhas.

Artwork, Brand & Social by Renira Naidu. 

Content by Daniela Ochoa.

Video Production and Audio Editing by Madison Foran.