"I never want to depend on the validation of another person." - a conversation with Kat Kelley - a podcast by Liz Gold
from 2020-04-10T17:00:34
It's not everyday you meet someone with a portwine stain, especially if you yourself have one. But when I met Kat Kelley, I knew I needed to talk with her. Join us as we talk about our birthmarks, what it was like growing up with a facial difference and how we handle people's stares and remarks.
Episode Notes
"Kids can be pretty harsh."
"While I never experienced outright bullying, I did always feel this distance with people. Especially kids my own age."
It definitely wasn't easy having such a visible and big birthmark on my face. There was a lot of really difficult times of looking in the mirror and not liking what I was seeing. And being so different from other people."
"For me, I would rather someone ask if you are staring. I would way rather you just ask me point blank. Like you are already kind of invading my privacy in a sense of just standing there and looking straight at me."
"I have eyes, I can see you looking at me."
"The people that matter the most are going to want you to feel the most like you and the most empowered."
"I'm still unpacking things and understanding my experiences."
"I feel like so much of our world and media and social media, it's beneficial for you not to like yourself."
"I think it's just a really radical idea for everyone to just fully love yourself."
Bio:
Kat Kelley was born and raised in Visalia, California and has lived in Portland, Oregon for the past year. She studied and received her undergraduate degree in Psychology, which she hopes t someday put to use in a therapeutic setting. Kat believes in allowing space and conversations around mental health, especially around self confidence and acceptance. While she herself still has a long way to go with the later, she hopes to encourage others to let go of comparison and step into themselves fully.
Further episodes of Conversations with Liz Gold
Further podcasts by Liz Gold
Website of Liz Gold