Q and A with Kelsey from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
“You don’t have to know how to start creating your dream life—start anyway. Be an inspired idiot.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’ve always had a feeling in my gut that I was put on this earth to do something big and have an impact on people, which probably explains why the 9-5 corporate life never felt quite right for me.
I’ve been a creative soul since I started walking. My dad still has my first-ever “artwork” taped to his toolbox in the garage—a masterpiece of macaroni noodles and glitter glue. Not really knowing what I wanted to do after high school, I pursued that creative drive and got accepted to the School of Fine Arts.
It was at the School of Fine Arts that I realized that while being artistic was a fun hobby, what I actually had a real drive for was writing. This really came to fruition when I made my ballsiest move yet: running off to live in Thailand solo for 6+ months. Let me explain…
Not many of us really know who we are at 20 years old, but this was a quality about myself that I really wasn’t proud of. I’d depended too much on relationships that weren’t good for me, and I really didn’t know how to like myself enough to be alone. I’d even go as far as to say that I was afraid of being alone.
So, I figured the best way to confront my fear of being alone would be to force myself to be lonely. FYI: if you go live in a foreign country where the people don’t look or talk like you, and then throw a 13-hour time difference into the mix—yeah, you’re going to feel lonely.
The way I made myself feel less alone and kept my loved ones updated on my day-to-day was by starting a blog. Honestly, it sort of changed my entire life.
I realized that I could lose myself in writing and that other people felt something from reading what I wrote. When I decided to “come out” about the real reason I’d run off to Thailand—to start recovering from bulimia—I did so in writing. And the response was bigger than I’d ever anticipated.
If I had to sum up what my biggest passion is today, it’s helping people see beyond their own limiting beliefs about changing how they’ve always been to become what they’ve always wanted to be. I started with myself, and now I have that conviction to move other people to do it too. Today, I use that passion to help people leave their 9-5 lives, get into shape, and get the absolute most out of this game we call life.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: My upbringing was the typical middle-class story. My parents both worked full-time jobs, and my two sisters and I all went to post-secondary before landing stable jobs—you know the deal.
Honestly, I’m very happy to have grown up in the environment that I did because it taught me what I want, and don’t want, the rest of my life to look like.
I saw two incredible parents work hard for decades to provide for their daughters, so we could pursue our passions and really learn what it means to work for what we want. I saw what a real partnership looks like, and how sitting down for dinner together every night really does create a strong family. And I also saw that hard work does not equal financial freedom if you’re always clocking in for someone else.
If I hadn’t grown up the way I did, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today. Not to mention, I wouldn’t have had the privilege to grow up being best friends with the man who is now my fiancé.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I believe that the most powerful thing I can do is take full responsibility for who I am today. My happiness level is not a result of my boss, my mom, my lack of time, or my past relationships.
Your life today is what you’ve created it to be, and your upbringing really only matters so much in the grand scheme of things.
We all have our stories and traumas and events that have impacted our personalities, but staying stuck in those stories only does just that: keeps us stuck. And if the “ideal you” that you’ve always wanted to be is something different than what you are today, clinging to your stories will keep you from ever making that real.
In the hundreds of calls I’ve done with people who want to become their own boss and have real financial freedom, I’ve heard a handful of reasons over and over for why they can’t do it:
“I don’t have time.”
“I don’t know how.”
“I’ll do this once I have more money.”
And all of these excuses really boil down to one thing, in my opinion: “I’m afraid to try.”
I’ve been that excuse-maker. I’ve been a skeptic. I’ve been filled from head-to-toe with self-doubt. And I’ve come to believe that once you feel clear on what you want your life to look like, and you commit to not settling for less than that, then nothing can stop you. The excuses get shoved aside.
You are your own problem, which means you’re also your solution. You don’t have to know how to start creating your dream life—start anyway. Be an inspired idiot.
Q: What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism, to me, is about empowering people to make choices about their lives and bodies regardless of societal pressure. It’s about oppressed people finding their voices, being vulnerable, and having the courage to go after what they want—no matter their gender or sexual orientation.
As much as a lot of us believe that we live in a world of equality today, I don’t believe we do. And as much as it sucks that we still have such a long way to go in all people being treated with equal respect, I actually think it creates an exciting opportunity.
Personally, when I achieve something that I’m insanely proud of…
- Lifting more than double my body weight
- Hearing that my newsletter or coaching call helped someone take the leap to leave their job
- Having a 60% sales close rate
- Achieving awards, scholarships, and career opportunities
I feel even more proud BECAUSE I’m a woman. Living in a world where women are still treated as less than men makes it SO much more gratifying when you see a woman succeed because you know that she persevered in spite of any pressures and prejudices.
MORE ABOUT KELSEY: If you’ve read this far, then you might find it amusing to know that this is why my partner and I called our brand “inspired idiots.” So many of us want more out of life than what we’ve settled for, but we’ve become accustomed to believing that it’s not realistic for us to have everything we want…
-to be financially free
-to have time to work on our bodies and feel good about ourselves
-to have the freedom to travel the world.
But you truly do have the power to make your life look like whatever you want it to. And once you commit to that, you just need to be willing to be an inspired idiot for a while — someone who has no idea what they’re doing, but they know they’re going to keep trying until they figure it out.
I’m a proud Canadian! Just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba! (not sure how proud I am of that part—just kidding!)
Thanks for reading!
Connect with me:
https://youtube.com/@inspired.idiots
Newsletter: https://inspired-idiots.beehiiv.com
The Woman Wednesday Blog 