Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kate Battistelli.
Hi Kate, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’m the author of the bestseller The God Dare: Will You Choose to Believe the Impossible and Growing Great Kids: Partner with God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life. I’m a contributing writer to the (In)courage Bible for Women and The Spirt-Led Woman’s Bible, and my writing has appeared in Guideposts, The Joyful Life magazine, The Better Mom, Mici magazine, and more.
I am one-third of the popular Mom to Mom Podcast. In addition, I was chosen to be an honoree with She Leads Tennessee. As a young actress in New York City, I had a life-changing experience, going from understudy to starring as Anna in the Broadway National Tour of The King and I opposite Yul Brynner for more than 1,000 performances. My husband and I laid down our careers in the Broadway theatre in answer to our first “God Dare,” moving out of New York City and into a life of homeschooling and home business.
I speak at workshops, churches, conventions, and conference settings, inspiring others to let Jesus pick their future. I am convinced none of us are here by accident, but our ultimate purpose is to change the world.
I live in Franklin, TN, near my daughter and seven grandchildren, and I blog about food and faith at www.katebattistelli.com. My goal is to serve women by encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones and into His irresistible future.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road by any means. My husband and I had hoped to have a big family, but soon after our daughter, Francesca, was born, I suffered an ectopic pregnancy and was unable to have any more children. We tried to adopt four times, but each time, it fell through for us. I had a rough time with infertility because I couldn’t understand why on earth I had to deal with it.
It didn’t seem fair and caused me to be angry at God for a few years. But He reminded me, that no matter what I had or didn’t have in this life, knowing and loving Him was worth it. At that moment, I let every bit of anger and frustration go and began to experience peace for the first time in several years. As our daughter grew, It became clear after time went on that we would be raising an only child, which actually worked out exactly as God had planned.
We were able to help her find her way in the Christian Music industry, which led her to many number-one hits and awards, including a Grammy and several nominations. And speaking of big families, she has given us seven grandchildren! In 2016, I began dealing with severe anxiety that seemed to descend on me out of nowhere. Coping with it took everything out of me for a few years. I had no idea where it had come from at the time. But now I realize we were trying to sell our house in Georgia, my mom was in hospice, and our daughter was about to have her third baby.
I had always dealt well with stress in the past, but all of a sudden, I had to deal with a strong dose of it. It lasted a few years and finally dissipated. Then, in 2019, I had a massive seizure in the middle of the night that put me in the hospital. Again, we had no idea where it came from as all brain scans showed nothing abnormal. It took some time to get the medication right, but seizures have been gone for a couple of years now, so that’s encouraging.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a young actress in New York, I was cast in the Broadway national tour of The King and I as the understudy for Anna, the “I” in the title. I knew my job as an understudy served primarily as an insurance policy for the show’s producers. Never in a million years did I think I’d get a shot at playing the lead role with the famous and very imposing Yul Brynner.
So, I dutifully did my job in the chorus. I never dreamed I’d come into the theater at 7:15 one night to find the leading lady out with pneumonia and that I had to go on and “whistle a happy tune” in forty-five minutes! This was back in the 80s, decades before cell phones and computers. I’d been out all day shopping with friends and had no way of knowing I was performing that night.
When I arrived at the theater, the nervous stage manager grabbed hold of my shoulders, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, “She’s sick. You’re on!” I didn’t have a second to freak out (or back out!). He brought me to the leading lady’s sumptuous dressing room, and her hairstylist and wardrobe assistant attended to me as they prepared me for the show. I nervously put on my makeup, desperately trying to wrap my mind around the responsibility laid in my lap just moments before.
I’d had lots of understudy rehearsals, so I knew my role backward and forward, but I’d never worn a single costume (or the enormous hoop skirts that are heavy!), handled a prop, or performed a scene with Yul Brynner, who was a huge, iconic star in those days. But I finished the show in one piece and ended up replacing the leading lady for another two weeks. When she returned to the show, I dutifully returned to my place in the chorus because that’s what you do when you’re an understudy.
But the story doesn’t end there. Over the next couple of weeks, the king decided he liked performing the show with me. So, even though he could have his choice of dozens of New York actresses to choose from, the king chose me to replace his leading lady. Not only did he choose me, he bought out her entire two-year contract so he could put me in this bigger-than-life role of a lifetime! Let me tell you, it never happens this way in professional theater. They always bring in an experienced performer for the leading role. But it happened to me, and I was only 26 years old.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is this: if God calls you to it, He will equip you to do it. Each of us is here to change the world, but we need the guts to step out of our comfort zones and do what He’s telling us to do. For me, it was writing my first book, Growing Great Kids, when I wasn’t a writer! It made no sense, and honestly, I had no desire to do it, but by my obedience and doing what God instructed me to do, He has since opened up a whole new world for me.
My second book, The God Dare, expands this concept using 14 biblical heroes and many of my personal stories. If you had told me 12 years ago that in 12 years, I’d have written two books and been working on my 3rd and 4th, would speak at conferences across the country, and be a co-host of a successful podcast (the Mom to Mom podcast if you want to check it out), I would have told you that you were crazy! But that’s how God works. He gives you the call; it’s up to you to step out and follow Him into your irresistible future!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katebattistelli.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katebattistelli/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateBattistelli/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/katebattistelli
