Articles Inspiring Conversations – Lindsay Harle Kadatz

Lindsay Harle Kadatz – 2019 Women of Inspiraiton™ Influencer | Universal Womens Network™ National Ambassador | @TheWriteHarle

Lindsay Harle-Kadatz is the owner of The Write Harle, helping small businesses refine their voice and brand message through content.

Passionate about messaging, Lindsay looks to create engaging and action-focused content strategies, aligning a company’s marketing mediums with one core message. She is the author of Depression Constipation: How Pooping Saved My Sanity…and Other Stories, a real-life tale of understanding depression in terms of constipation, humour, and mental prune juice. With everything, Lindsay continues to make puns while looking for the funny in the mundane. When not indulging her love of the big red editing pen, Lindsay spends time with her two “under the desk employee” pups Coco and Chase, and just enjoying life in general (AKA: eating, drinking wine, and making real, genuine connections with people).

UWN: Every woman has a story. Tell us about your story!

LHK: The first time I purged on purpose was July 1, 2004. And for the next nine years, I put my body, mind, and soul through hell for no reason other than self-hate and disbelief in myself. Not quite the journey I expected when I was in University, dreaming of the day I could wear my power suit and have a high-end marketing job. Rather, I struggled with looking in the mirror, going to work and feeling like a fraud in my suit, hiding my “quirk” as people called it, and living as a shell of the person I actually could be.

In June 2011, while working in an awesome marketing role with one of the Big 4 accounting firms, my power suit career vision came tumbling down as I took time off to enter an out-patient eating disorder program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital at age 29. And I am grateful for everything – the fall, the self-hate, the team who reached out, the transformation of food from “to be thrown up” to “fueling my body,” the laughter, and the tears. Most importantly, I am grateful to learn that my depression doesn’t define me. Rather, it empowers me to be a better person. That my “quirk” is my real power suit. When I stopped hiding this, I was able to step into my voice and discover where I could make real impact.  Since leaving the corporate world in 2011, I started The Write Harle to help businesses connect with their audience (resulting in awesome content and brand messaging strategies). I’ve also written Depression Constipation: How Pooping Saved My Sanity…and Other Stories, a book that brings a bit of crass humour to break the stigma of depression, helping others realize they’re not alone, while bringing a bit more understanding to what depression is (even in an extremely simplistic manner).

What I’ve learned about my story is that just because I had a vision of who I wanted to be when I was 18, doesn’t mean that it was who I am. Life allows us to grow through challenges, we just have to be open to facing the demons in the challenge. When we do, we can do things that we never imagined were capable for us.

I will never go back to my vision of a power suit in a high-end marketing job. Rather, I will focus on who is across from me and helping them feel more connected to their voice, their story, and their audience. 

UWN: Are you finding inspiration in stories of courage, bravery, perseverance to support you through this time?

LHK: YES!!! In particular, many of the women I met through Women of Inspiration™ and Universal Womens Network™, seeing how they are moving with grace and courage through this time. (Kyla Lee in particular. AMAZING inspiration each and every day)

UWN: How does it feel to be acknowledged as a Women of Inspiration™?

LHK: Still unreal and uncomfortable. HOWEVER, it has changed something within in me, acting as a calling to keep going, to start looking at myself differently, and holding myself accountable to the honour of the acknowledgement.  

UWN: We are honoured to have you part of our journey. Why did you make the decision to become a National Ambassador?

LHK: As I sat on the call with the other National Ambassador’s “FRAUD” was screaming through my head. And I think this is why being a National Ambassador is so important – to show that you can be “normal” and still influential. That you don’t have to have a number of accolades or best sellers or money raised to be seen as someone who can have an impact. For me, being a National Ambassador of Women of Inspiration™ means that I can also give back to an organization that transformed the way I started speaking to myself. And that is a gift I can never repay.

UWN: Why is recognizing women in leadership roles critical? Why now more than ever should we recognize the achievements of leaders at all levels, including the unsung heroes.

LHK: I have had some truly phenomenal SupportHER ™ leaders in my career. However, it was the female leaders who left me in awe. Who made me see myself in positions that I could aspire to. Recognizing women in leadership roles is critical because girls (AND OTHER WOMEN) need to see other stories of leadership than the traditional ones we’ve seen. If this award has taught me anything, it’s the stories of the leaders that inspire me to go deeper, to try harder, to overcome more. Sharing their stories of bravery, courage, determination, grit, creativity, kindness, compassion and so much more is crucial to help others who need these stories told for their own inspiration.

UWN: How has your adversity, and journey prepared you to lead through a crisis? What is one thing that you swear by that has helped you when faced with uncertainty or a challenge?

LHK: Humour. I learned in my darkest of days that humour was a gift I had. One that could bring a brief moment of light in the dark to help me keep taking the very next step.

UWN: Has this time of PAUSE given you time to gain a new perspective? What are some of the realizations you have made?

LHK: Absolutely it has. While I am in no way ignoring the reality of the global grief to come, I am also choosing to use this as an introspective time, to realign with my core values and make different decisions based on this. Realizations for me are:

• That I have value to help people through the dark, the anxious, and the fear when there isn’t control
• All the hardship my hubby and I have gone through has prepared us to enjoy this time together
• I can only control how I react. Nothing else. So – I get to CHOOSE my behaviours, attitude, mindset, and how I spend my time safe with my family

UWN: How has the Global Pandemic affected you personally and professionally? Tell us how this has changed, motivated or inspired you?

LHK: Professionally, I had already started making drastic changes in my business, so it hasn’t not impacted much, other than one client. Personally, I have a calm in my gut and a trust that whatever will be will be and all I can control are my actions and behaviours. While I have my moments of down and unproductive time, all in all, this pandemic has helped me refocus on my values and how I am showing up in life based on these. I am choosing to focus on who I want to continue becoming after this pandemic and am doing the behaviours required to do so.

UWN: What words of inspiration and wisdom would you offer for leaders to through this historical time?

LHK: “How are you doing today?” and then listen is the most powerful tool a leader can have. Some people may have no one to talk to at home (or have to hold in their fears/anxiousness/etc. due to kidlets and such) and may just need to talk. When an ear of kindness and compassion are offered, you are creating trust. Leaders in my past kind enough to ask “how are you doing today” have a special place in my heart and are ones that I strive to emulate (in my way).

UWN: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

LHK: Great question and hard to answer. Personally – happy, healthy, active, and very much still working on my own growth while infusing humour in everything I do. Professionally – speaking on mental health and small business; online group content/brand coaching; further developing products for brand/content development to sell online.