Plenty with Kate Northrup

I’ve been sitting at my computer screen looking at the blinking cursor, then typing, then deleting, then typing again, then deleting. As Mike and I bring our podcast, The Kate & Mike Show, to a close (and also our business relationship as it has been for nearly a decade to a close), we’ve had some surprises along the way. Surprise #1: The episode where we announced we were ending the show got more downloads than any episode we’d ever released. Surprise #2: A lot of people thought we were getting divorced (even though we made it super clear so many places that we aren’t). Surprise #3: The episode we released last week with Zach Bush, MD, broke the record that our “we’re ending the podcast” episode set, receiving 4X the number of downloads our average episode gets. It also upset some people. In the last week, I received the question I put in the subject line of this email quite a few times: How do you know the difference between when you need to just let people be upset by what you said, and when you need to change your tune, apologize, and move toward repair? Back in February I spoke up publicly about body autonomy and received some amazing feedback and a boatload of negative feedback. After wanting to curl up in a cave and hide for a few days, I finally emerged from the cave and said: I am not here to please you. I’d done my research. I knew where I stood. I felt confidence in my stance and while I knew that some folks would disagree with me, I was not there to please them. They were welcome to disagree with me. But last week was different. When I read the feedback we were getting about how the conversation had missed the mark regarding the disproportionate affect COVID-19 has had on the Black community, I knew it was true. This was not an “I’m not here to please you” moment. It was an “I screwed up” moment. How did I know the difference? Because during the first interview I had wanted to push back and go deeper around the question, but I second-guessed myself and didn’t. I knew because I just knew. I hadn’t been the best advocate or leader for our community that I could have been. Rather than defend ourselves or pretend it didn’t happen, we apologized to our community members, listened to their concerns, and moved toward repair. I reached out to Dr. Zach to share some of the feedback we were receiving from our community, and even though it was a small percentage compared to the rave reviews, he and I both knew the criticism was important and valid. If we block out all negative feedback, we stop learning. I’m not here to please you, but I am here to listen, learn, and do better. Surprise #4: This week, we have 2 episodes of The Kate & Mike Show for you. A follow-up second conversation with Zach Bush, MD where we go deeper on why COVID-19 has been hitting the Black community the hardest and where he shares equitable, accessible health solutions that will keep more people out of the disease care system. Part 2 of Ask Us Anything where we talk more about how we knew that what happened last week was an “I screwed up” moment more than an “I’m not here to please you” moment, plus I tell my birth stories, we talk about some of the grief coming up around ending the podcast, we share our best sales tips, our best tips on growing a platform, and more. I’ll end by repeating something I said in the Ask Us Anything, Part 2 episode: I understand people talk about how we shouldn't care about what anyone else thinks. But, the day I stop caring what you, our community, feels, that's the day it's over for me. I’ll be over here, staying in the game, being humble and ready to fumble, as the wise Ericka Hines says. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

Our first episode with Zach Bush, MD, "The Solution to the Pandemic You Won't Find in the Mainstream," has been downloaded 4x more than any previous episode we've ever done. We also received some important feedback that we'd missed the mark in going deep enough about the disparity with which COVID-19 is affecting the Black community. We are always listening and wanting to do better, and we knew the criticism was valid. We also knew we wanted to move toward repair, so we asked Dr. Zach to come back for a follow-up interview to unpack the conversation around health solutions (not disease care solutions) that are accessible and equitable related to COVID-19, overall immunity, and optimal health. He was more than willing, so we sat down and recorded, and here it is. Thank you to everyone in our community who took the time to write in, whether your feedback was a rave review of the original episode or an important critique. We're so grateful to be learning and growing alongside you. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

I write this with a little tear in my eye but also a swell in my heart knowing that we’re in the final countdown of The Kate & Mike Show. Thank you if you reached out to tell us you’re going to miss the show. We’re going to miss it, too...and we’re also SO excited for the new possibilities that ending it will bring. (More on that in the weeks to come.) We’ve talked about doing a show where we get to answer your questions for the last 4 years. I know you know how it goes: You think about doing something and then never get around to doing it until the very last minute. (That’s actually my creative process with everything. I’ve learned to not label it procrastination but just the way I work. The energy I’ve saved beating myself up about it has been amazing to reinvest in things that actually pay dividends...like just doing my work instead of judging myself for the way I do it.) We thought it would be really fun to find out what was on your mind and do an “Ask Us Anything” show, and I gotta tell you: I was really surprised to find out what you wanted to know more about! We went a lot of places in this episode, and I know you’re going to get some key takeaways. We talked about: • The story of how Mike proposed (and what really surprised me about it even though I knew he was going to do it) • How to successfully pitch guests to be on your podcast and how to conduct a memorable interview • Our biggest parenting triumphs this year • Our biggest business mistake to date • And so much more! Plus, we had more questions than we could answer in one session, so we’ll be putting out a second bonus Part 2 “Ask Us Anything” episode in the coming weeks. If you don’t hear your question answered, stay tuned! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

At the very beginning of the pandemic, I somehow came across a podcast episode that introduced me to a person who’s become my favorite thinker/teacher at this time (and up there in my top favorite thinkers/teachers of all time). I have never before gone to the podcast app and typed in somebody’s name and then proceeded to listen to every podcast they’ve ever been on. My family can’t even get me to watch a 3-minute video they text, so listening to hours of content is highly unusual for me...but this person is that good. I have wanted to email you about this person so many times, but I was patiently waiting (actually, I was persistently nudging his team) so that we could interview him ourselves and craft a conversation to serve you. When Mike and I sat down to plan our final episodes of The Kate & Mike Show, this person was the only guest we felt our show would be incomplete without having had on. And I can tell you, he was worth the wait. Today, I bring you a conversation with a man who’s helped me feel profoundly calm and safe during a time in our history when there are a lot of forces pushing in the direction of fear. And he’s affirmed the deep trust I already had in the innate intelligence of nature and how it can be our guide to true healing and collective evolution in our businesses, bodies, communities, and lives. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be sharing what I think is possibly the most important conversation we’ve ever had on The Kate & Mike Show with you today. In this conversation with Zach Bush, MD, which was 2 hours of intellectual ecstacy for me, you’ll learn: • Why the mainstream narrative that we’re hearing about the pandemic is missing the mark and what 30+ years of data shows us is actually going on • What viruses actually are and how they’re critical for our health, survival, and even for our thriving • Why the conversation about either being pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine is completely missing the mark and the new paradigm about immunity that will lead to true health and resilience • About the fact that we’re experiencing an extinction event and what we can do about it • A “hit you between the eyes” perspective on the upcoming election that might push your buttons but also shake you out of a complacent slumber and get you into purposeful action • The crucial information about flu season that you’re never going to hear on the news • How to take hold of the hope embedded in all of this and use it to heal your body and the world using alignment with 3 key elements of life Listen in and allow yourself to stay open to ideas and evidence that’s different from what you may have believed up until this point. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

While a huge part of the Do Less Methodology is about learning to let go and let others do things, there’s one thing that I don’t recommend outsourcing. Ever since I started talking about the power of our monthly energetic ebbs and flows and how tracking them can change your business and your life, I’ve gotten the following question a lot: How do you talk to Mike about your menstrual cycle, and what do you tell him about what you need at different times? The answer is WAY simpler than you may think. This week on The Kate & Mike Show (the 6th-to-last episode of the show), we’re giving you the ins and outs of: • The thing you don’t ever want to outsource when you’re trying to reach peak productivity • How Mike tracks his energetic ebbs and flows and what he’s noticed about his own cyclical energy • Specific examples of what I need at different times of the month • What I do (and don’t) ask for when it comes to support throughout the month and why May this episode bring more peace, joy, and connection to your body and partnership. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

The last week of July I was supposed to be in NYC with the Origin Mastermind on our second live retreat of the year. For reasons that I think are obvious, we begrudgingly decided to have a virtual retreat instead. At first, I was feeling really concerned that I was disappointing the Mastermind members. But then, as we embraced the “is-ness,” as my friend Dr. Shefali says, and surrendered to what was happening rather than wallow in wishing it was different, magic began to emerge. Many of us are finding ourselves needing to lead virtual gatherings—from small meetings to Mastermind retreats to full-on conferences—online this year. Something happened during the event that I did not see coming, and I was thrilled by the surprise. Listen in to this week’s episode of The Kate & Mike Show to learn: • The specific steps we took (with the timeline) to set ourselves up for a glorious virtual retreat • How we used the element of surprise to weave magic throughout • The specific swag we sent, including a small $11 item from Amazon that I can’t talk about without feeling giddy • The questions to ask yourself when being in community online, so you’re not missing out on an opportunity for genuine connection This episode is a must for anyone leading virtual events this year. I’m excited to hear what ideas the episode sparks for you! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

I’m keeping it short today. Mike and I have some bittersweet news to share, and we recorded a new episode of The Kate & Mike Show to tell you. Here’s the episode. Whatever moment of endings and/or new beginnings you find yourself in, we’re with you. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

Last night I sat on my couch, cheeks still wet from tears, soaked in the bittersweet moment of feeling sad that I was closing the cover of a book I’d just finished and that I was deeply moved by. I both wanted there to be more to read and also felt so totally satisfied and changed by the experience of taking it in. We’re 3 months away from the 2020 United States Presidential Election. An election in the midst of a pandemic and racial justice awakening is an even bigger deal than your average election. And so, here we are, entering a season of even more intensity. Why am I talking about the election? Because the book I finished last night is the manual for how we can come together as humans to heal in what is the most divisive time I’ve ever lived through (though I know that historically there have been more divisive times). 4 years ago, just before the presidential election of 2016, I sat in a huge auditorium in Brooklyn holding a dear friend’s hand and weeping as we listened to the author of this book offer her son’s birth story as a metaphor for the intense time we were navigating then. She asked, “What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb? What if America is not dead, but a country that is waiting to be born?” We passed tissues up and down the aisle to people we didn’t know, yet who were not strangers. Valarie Kaur’s practice of Revolutionary Love is the blueprint we need to heal as a nation and as a world. As hate crimes, xenophobia, white nationalism, and other symptoms of fear increase, now more than ever we need a new roadmap...one guided not only by love but also by the body and joy. This week we’re sharing a new episode of The Kate & Mike Show, featuring activist, scholar, and bestselling author Valarie Kaur, and in it you’ll hear: • Why wonder is the path to true healing • What Valarie experienced at Guantanamo Bay and how it changed her • How to know when to breathe and when to push in the labor of revolutionary love • The freedom in forgiveness and how to do it even when it feels like you can’t • How to love your opponent (including how to know when it’s safe to do so and when it’s time to allow someone else to do it for you) • How to know what your role is in the transition of our country and world This was one of the most stirring conversations we’ve ever had on the podcast. Listen in, get your tissues, and prepare to pick your chin up off the floor. As we enter this pre-election season, may we all learn to practice Revolutionary Love so we can breathe, push, and birth a new world for us all. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

If you’re new here, there’s something you need to know about me and this space: I’m obsessed with the body and I talk about it a lot. I love to learn about how our bodies work and how they relate literally and metaphorically to everything, specifically our emotional lives and productivity. If you’ve been around for a while, you already knew that. So many important conversations are missing a MAJORLY important piece of the puzzle: We all live in bodies, and they impact everything in our entire lives. One important conversation that often completely skips the topic of bodies (ironically, because it’s inherently about the mistreatment of bodies) is the conversation about racism. When I heard the woman I’m about to introduce speak for the first time, my body felt different than it had ever felt before during conversations about race. My body knew the potential for healing immediately because she was one of the first people I’d ever heard talk about race and racism in the context of how it impacts our bodies and why healing racial trauma needs to start with the body, not exclusively our minds. As a facilitator, author, and speaker, Milagros Phillips has been doing racial healing work for over two decades. When she came to speak in Origin last month, I got several messages from members after to the affect of: I’m in a puddle on the floor integrating the beauty that just transpired at the hands of Milagros. WOW. Several members asked if she was taking applications for niece adoptions because we all want her to be our auntie. Her work is powerful. Her heart is huge. She’s hilarious. And brilliant. If you’re ready to heal racial trauma in your body, be it black, white, or brown, so that you can affect healing in the world, this conversation is for you. Listening to Milagros will change you in the most beautiful way. I can’t wait to hear how this one moves you (and your body). Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

Reflect on your objectives as the year progresses, embracing the importance of mid-year planning amidst uncertainty. Explore personal stories and actionable strategies that foster adaptability in changing times. Delve into how environmental factors impact well-being and the significance of self-acceptance. Learn to prioritize key goals to enhance productivity and fulfillment. Discover the transformative power of reflective practices to nurture personal growth and relationships, ensuring a proactive approach to living fully in the present.