The Blend of Life
At Kate’s Real Food, we value the spirit of adventure in all shapes and sizes. From the pros to the ‘weekend warriors’-- we know that fitting adventure into every day doesn’t always come easy, but the result is always worth it. We talked with our Brand Ambassador, Kelly Catale, about how she ‘balances’ her family, work, and her sport. She humbly explained that she prefers to find a good blend for life rather than a balance, and after hearing her out, we couldn’t agree more.
Brilliantly Blended
It is not uncommon to feel overloaded with the demands of day-to-day life; like you don’t have time to unwind with all of life’s responsibilities. Between Kelly’s career as an Engineering Program Manager, elite off-road racer, proud auntie, and loving wife-- finding a ‘balance’ hasn’t always come easy. As her following began to grow, she found a frequent question posed: ‘how do you balance it all?’ Her answer: find your blend, not your balance-- and here’s how she does it:
1. Prioritize
Determine your priorities and stick to them. While it’s ok that each day may bring a different focus, your main priorities should remain. Simply start with what means the most to you-- it’s ok to put your relationships and your mental health above all else. Use these priorities to help keep your perspective even on your busiest days.
2. Don’t Strive for Perfection
You can’t give everything 100% of your attention. If everything is urgent, then nothing is. Overworking yourself in one area of your life only leads to depleting another. This is where those priorities come in handy.
3. Set Boundaries
It is ok to say no. (Read that again). Setting boundaries and knowing your limits is a perfect place to start. We are all human, admitting that is the first step.
4. Re-center your Expectations
Everything in life goes through ebbs and flows-- pivot as you need to so you aren’t burying yourself in task after task. Allow yourself a moment to reflect on your mental health and redefine your priorities as needed.
Finding the Why
Like many advocates for mental health, Kelly admittedly didn’t always have this healthy outlook of blending life, family, work, and adventure. She struggled to find a greater purpose and focused on building her audience and platform so that when she found it, she’d feel like she had a voice.
Kelly was forced to reflect when a sports psychologist asked, ‘why do you race?’ At the time she was embarrassed to reveal that the glory and validation associated with winning was a main factor. With last year’s shutdown, Kelly was robbed of the validity she craved and had time to figure out her true ‘why’.
Inspiration struck when she heard in a podcast, ‘you decide your worth and your path’-- and she knew it was time to decide her path. It was then that she decided to start sharing her story as it is, to show that you can be a whole person-- not just what you see online. You can pursue your dream while being tied down to a full-time job; you can be happy and still struggle with your mental health; you can find that perfect blend of life.
At Kate’s Real Food, we are so proud to be working with extraordinary people, like Kelly, that value the realness of life in all of its many avenues. To see more of Kelly’s life and adventures, check out her website or follow her on Instagram!