Being your truest, most colorful self is where we started this conversation as Kari's most important value. The "truest" part is something we've heard come up often on the show, but colorful was new. So we dove right into that to better understand what Kari meant by colorful, why she thought it was so important, and why so many of us are content to live in the "beige" rather than the color. I love discussions like this one, because on the surface I (and I imagine many others) would agree with this value. We should be colorful, have fun, be expressive, and all of the things that make us who we are. Yet somehow for so many of us it seems unrealistic, scary, or unnatural. 

Kari's background is as a non-traditional coach for women & femme Leaders, which she does mostly through the company she founded, Uproar Coaching. Originally a musical theatre kid, she now has over 15 years experience in supporting "glitterbomb" leaders and organizations through opportunities for transformation. So as you can see, the colorful self concept isn't just words, she really embodies this value in everything she does. The focus she has on women was also an interesting part of the conversation. We explored that a bit to gain a better perspective on how much harder it is to be true/colorful as a woman, which segued into some philosophical thoughts on gender inequality and what if any solutions exist.

Maybe my favorite part of the conversation was towards the end when Kari made a point to say "there is never a reason to not be kind to someone else." That is a fascinating phrase to me because people can do some really shitty things and it can be a hard sell to say we should always be kind to them. But Kari's explanation was super interesting, in that for her kindness is not about saying nice words, or having proper manners, or smiling a lot--kindness is about the intention to help improve the situation and the lives of those around you. Big thanks to Kari for sharing her journey and how she approaches life.