253. She Shows How Major Life Crisis Can Amplify Agility and Deny Injury
Kay Lathrop
She ignored the subtle messages that it was time for a change in her life. The little feather tickle became a brick. Finally, when her penthouse condo flooded, it felt like she’d been hit by a Mack truck.
Kay Lathrop is a champion for human possibility and an advocate and catalyst for change in the realm of spinal cord injury recovery and rehabilitation. Kay believes she has been in training for her current role all of her 30-year career. Her career has spanned nursing, teaching in the medical device industry, and coaching. Her business positions have ranged from hospitals to medical device manufacturing, coaching and consulting firms. Today she produces and hosts the Defy Injury Podcast as part of her role as Program Director at her business, Amplified Agility, LLC. From her present perspective, each step has taught her lessons her soul needed to learn in order to be and do what she is called to do now.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
In her childhood in the Midwest, Kay read the popular Cherry Ames books and knew she would grow up to be a nurse. In high school she was a nurse’s aide at a retirement home. After graduation she completed a three-year nursing school. “I was quite sure I was going to be a nurse for the rest of my life,” she said.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Bringing all her skills and experiences together, Kay devoted herself to the challenge of severe spinal cord injury, creating her company, Amplified Agility, LLC, and a podcast, Defy Injury. “I was searching for success stories about people recovering from injury, and I was really having a hard time finding them. I knew they were out there, but it was taking a lot of effort. And I thought, ‘If I’m having such a hard time finding these stories, yet know they’re there, somebody fairly-newly injured or their friends and family, they don’t have time to do this kind of search. So let’s find them! Let’s really, in an in-depth way, interview people, and bring all of these stories into one place.’”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“I made a lot of changes, and the question I asked myself was, ‘Does it bring me joy?’ I actually said to my husband, ‘If it doesn’t bring me joy, I’m not doing it anymore.’ Every day I just have more joy, more peace and balance. Every day, because I’m really doing what I feel is my gift, my talent; it just creates an entirely different day. I kind of want to keep going back to the joy!”
Steps to Success from Kay Lathrop
- Commit yourself to life-long learning. Keep challenging yourself with new skills and information.
2. Start journaling and noticing your thoughts and feelings.
3. Pay attention to the “little tickles” that tell you it’s time to
change; don’t wait to get hit by a Mack truck.
4. Look for what brings you joy, and keep going back to it.
On Her Bookshelf
Connecting With Kay Lathrop
Email: kay@amplifiedagility.com
Website: AmplifiedAgility.com
Twitter: @kay_lathrop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.zurn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylathrop
