Kara Kemp shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Kara, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day really belong to my four-year-old border collie, Scout. He’s my furry alarm clock, and when he’s ready to play ball, that’s when the day begins—no negotiation. We’ve got our rhythm: coffee in hand, ball in motion, and the steady cadence of fetch setting the tone. Somewhere in that shuffle between throws, I carve space for reading from Mark Nepo’s Book of Awakening. His words remind me to lean into wonder and presence, even in the ordinary.
From there, I move into journaling. Even if I’m feeling rushed or uninspired, I’ve made it a practice to answer three simple prompts: I am grateful for… I will let go of… I will focus on… They’re small anchors that keep my creative wheels turning, reminding me that forward motion doesn’t always have to be grand sweeping—it can be as gentle as a sentence.
I call these practices my bookends. I attempt to close my day the way I began it: with reflection. At night, I circle back to the intentions I set, noticing how they may have shaped my choices—or how sometimes they didn’t—and giving myself permission not to judge when the mark wasn’t met. These bookends don’t make the days perfect, but they give them shape. They remind me that each day is its own story, and I get to decide how it begins and how it ends.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Kara J. Kemp, a coach, storyteller, and creative producer dedicated to helping people and communities live more authentically through story, play, and connection. Through Kara Kemp Coaching, I design creative retreats and workshops that inspire growth, clarity, and renewal. My whole-brain coaching approach helps creative thinkers find structure and linear thinkers discover innovation, blending heart and strategy to create meaningful, lasting change.
I collaborate with artists and community partners to produce The Bloom Stage, a multi-genre art show celebrating human stories and the various mediums we can express them in. I volunteer my time because I believe action is the antidote to despair and it is the best weaver of community fabric and understanding. Current projects include a workshop series for dementia caregivers using art and storytelling, a countywide theatre showcase, and leadership within a nonprofit called ECCHO Live, a nonprofit supporting live event professionals through education, connection, human resources and mental health care.
Between coaching and these endeavors, I’m working on my first book of stories, and keeping pace with my husband and dog, I’m continually looking for and creating spaces where people can bloom—fully, bravely, and together.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That one day I’d arrive—that adulthood was some final destination where I’d finally know who I was, have all the answers, and life would somehow get easier. Culturally we were taught that growing up meant reaching this end-stop place of certainty.
But that’s just not how it works. Most of my clients come to me because they’ve been chasing that feeling of “arrival,” believing something’s wrong with them when a shift or change in their awareness comes into their life. The truth is, we are always evolving. Growth rarely comes in grand, sweeping gestures—it happens through small, subtle shifts that continually shape us.
Yes, as we age, we become more conditioned and better equipped to process hard times. In some ways, that is easier. We learn that small mistakes won’t destroy us, that we can navigate challenges with more confidence and compassion. But I don’t think we ever reach a place of full knowing. We still have questions—we’re just better prepared to live with them.
And that’s okay. You haven’t failed because you’re still learning. Staying curious, open, and willing to have conversations and evolve is where the real joy, contentment and growth live.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
My defining wounds have mostly come through sudden, traumatic loss. Early in childhood, there was the upheaval of divorce—a time when emotional tools and resources were scarce—and the constant weight of growing up as a young woman in the South, where others often tried to define who I “should” become could be abrasive and trying. Then, during my teen years, I experienced the loss of three siblings and the murder of my best friend, each in separate circumstances.
I found healing through artistic expression—collaborating with other artists, exploring different mediums, traveling, and experiencing new cultures that expanded my understanding of people and the world. For the past fifteen years, storytelling has been my most transformative form of healing. And I would remiss if I didn’t acknowledge there was plenty of therapy, training, intention choosing and journaling that have all been essential tools in this ongoing process.
I’ve always been a performer—majoring in theatre and helping launch a start-up theatre company for my first career—and storytelling has allowed me to connect more deeply to my lived experiences. Preparing a story for the stage challenges me to see it from multiple perspectives, revealing new insights with each telling. I then have the honor of using those insights to encourage others to explore their own stories.
As the daughter and granddaughter of teachers, I’ve come to understand that my deepest healing comes from helping others find theirs—through story, art, and the courage to express what sometimes feels unspeakable.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My Dog, Friends, Family, Creativity, Food, Adventure…….maybe in that order 🙂
My friends would tell you that I like to make people feel seen and create spaces where people feel they belong. That I’m a vigilant supporter of my friends—sometimes hilariously, irrationally so. That I’m not afraid to be silly and serious in the same sentence, and that I have an intense stare that’s always taking everything in.
They’d say I can cook a brilliant meal and serve it on a gorgeous setting while also coming up with the silliest human tricks just for the sake of a good time, and that I’m absolutely bonkers for my dog. My mother once told me, “You have great friends,” and I’ve woven that motto into the fabric of my daily life with earnestness for the past forty years.
They would also tell you I believe people should have the right to be and love who they are, and that with intention, we really CAN all get along to a degree and drop the damn shame swirls. I claim I don’t love musicals, but I’m usually the first to break into a song in the morning when I’m feeling good. I’m strong as a horse, exhaustively punctual, and deeply committed to the people and passions that light up my life.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I once had a younger nephew tell me, “You had everything, but you threw it all away.” To be fair, he was young, going through a lot, and just repeating something he’d heard my dad say. At the time, I was in college and had rejected an Air Force ROTC scholarship to Vanderbilt University—a clear path to becoming an environmental engineer—to pursue theatre at a state university.
I unapologetically chose a life of uncertainty and artistic pursuit over a “sure thing” career. Culturally, we often view uncharted waters as misguided or arbitrary, but every step of my path was carefully chosen. I may not have known exactly where each decision would lead, but I was deeply attuned to who I was, asking the questions that felt essential, and committing 100% to each choice. Along the way, I learned to trust my instincts, weigh pros and cons thoughtfully, and lean on my lived experience. Choosing a life that wasn’t conventional didn’t mean life just happened to me—it meant I was actively crafting it, step by step, with intention and curiosity.
I hope my legacy is one of encouragement, creativity, and connection. I want to be remembered as someone who helped people feel seen, heard, and empowered to embrace their full selves—through storytelling, play, art, and community. Whether it’s on the stage of The Bloom Stage, at a creative retreat, or in the quiet work of coaching and mentoring, my goal has always been to create spaces where people can bloom fully, bravely, and authentically. I hope my work inspires others to trust themselves, take intentional risks, and live with curiosity and wonder, even when the path isn’t clear. Ultimately, I want to leave a legacy of courage, joy, and generosity of spirit, showing that a life well-lived is measured not just by accomplishments, but by the ways we nurture ourselves and others and cheer them on into their own potential.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://karajkemp.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karajkempcoach/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-j-kemp-613b391bb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karakempcoaching/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@karajillkemp4144
Image Credits
some images credit to Angel Pardue Photography
