Kate Crawford Of Korē Breathwork On How Authenticity and Vulnerability Pay Off and Help You Win Personally and Professionally

An Interview With Maria Angelova

Connecting to your authentic self invites so much creative energy allowing you to have a healthy and balanced life. Creative energy is what contributes to ease and flow and operating unapologetically into an aligned life path. Vulnerability is the path to unlimited creative energy!

Being vulnerable and authentic are some of today’s popular buzzwords. It may seem counterintuitive to be vulnerable, as many of us have been taught to project an air of confidence, be a boss, and act like we know everything. In Brene Brown’s words, “vulnerability takes courage.” So is vulnerability a strength or a weakness? Can someone be authentic without being vulnerable? How can being authentic and vulnerable help someone grow both personally and professionally? In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders, mental health professionals and business and life coaches who can share stories and examples of “How Authenticity and Vulnerability Pay Off and Help You Win Personally and Professionally.” As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kate Crawford.

Kate Crawford is a Certified Trauma-Informed Breathwork Practitioner (600+ hrs YACEP), and the founder and CEO of Korē Breathwork. Her signature breath technique, informed by her own healing journey and Physical Therapy background, profoundly shifts the relationship that her beautifully sensitive clients have with themselves; clearing the held emotional trauma at the root of their discomfort and allowing them to move forward in a life of unapologetic alignment with who they truly are.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I grew up on the back roads of rural New Brunswick, Canada. My childhood was spent outdoors, climbing trees and playing in the Bay of Fundy mudflats. I came into this world as a highly empathic and emotionally open human and have felt the collective highs and lows every day since. This openness was an extremely overwhelming feeling in my body as a child. I didn’t understand what was going on inside my body, which made it difficult to just ‘be’ with my feelings. At this time in my life, many adults found it difficult to simply just allow me to be me with my feelings and need to express them. I quickly realized it is easier for people to put on a facade rather than be their authentic self. This facade works for a while until it doesn’t. I experienced firsthand the beautiful journey of coming back home to myself and expressing who I truly am. It has made all the difference.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“On ne voit clairement qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible aux yeux” is a quote from Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince). This was one of my favorite childhood books. It directly translates to, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” I come back to this quote often, especially when I am spinning or feeling a little chaotic around what I should be doing and how I should be moving forward. It reminds me to come back home to myself, to that calm, clear heart-centered voice that I continue to foster within myself.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

The Family of Light by Barbara Marciniak is a book of channeled messages on lessons in living. It is a book that I read early on when I was first stepping into my business and healing journey. I was at the bookstore to purchase something completely different, but a little voice told me to pick this one up as well. At that point in my life, I was well-versed in Self-Improvement literature, but had never read anything like this before. Every word on each page spoke directly to my soul. I felt at home in a weird, loving way. At that time, I was really struggling with the state of the earth’s environmental climate. I was riddled with anxiety about the earth dying; caring for two beautiful young children at that time that I had just brought into this world. I felt so much heaviness and helplessness around everything. There was so much to change and so much to do! How could I possibly make a lasting positive impact?

The Family of Light is a beautiful reminder that all you can change is yourself. All you can control is how you feel and how you want to move forward. By simply attuning to you, being a steward of your own energy and showing up in your best interest, you are able to unknowingly heal the earth. Coming back home to yourself is the way that we collectively heal and as we heal, the earth heals. It was so simple and so beautiful and made so much sense to me at that time. I haven’t looked back.

Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s begin with a definition of terms so that each of us and our readers are on the same page. What exactly does being authentic mean?

To me, being authentic means you are able to move forward in your life from a place of knowing and of inner-wisdom. You are slowing down and looking to develop a relationship with your true self.

What does being vulnerable mean? Can you explain?

Vulnerability is unapologetically listening to your unique voice of knowing and of wisdom. It is moving from a place of who you truly are and what you actually need. It’s putting in the work to understand who you are at a core level and fostering a beautiful relationship with this part of you. The vulnerability lies in the fact that oftentimes, when you start to lean into the truth of who you are, you come to understand that you have spent a lot of time and energy making this part of you wrong. Practicing vulnerability is the highest act of self-love.

What are the positive aspects of being authentic and vulnerable? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?

Cultivating a meaningful relationship with your voice and moving forward from this place is going to keep the momentum. You will constantly be shifting and moving forward. You will become more familiar with living from a place of ease and flow, and the path forward won’t feel so hard and heavy.

When I first started building my business and transitioned out of a traditional healthcare model, I spent a lot of time trying to still fit in a model of care that didn’t work for my true self. A lot of my identity was wrapped up in me being a traditional Physical Therapist. There were many certifications, diplomas and degrees; along with colleagues and expectations about how work “should” look and feel. When I really sat with everything and tuned into the feeling and started listening to the calm voice of ME, I came to understand and feel just how incredibly heavy and hard all the “shoulds” of the last 15 years of my healthcare career had been. I decided to feel my way through. I slowed down and continued to check in with the feeling that arose with the decisions I was making. What meaning am I putting into this feeling? What is this feeling trying to communicate with me? How does this feel in my body? I was well-versed in what heavy felt like but what did lightness feel like? I started developing a different type of internal dialogue. One that was less aggressive and judgmental and that came from a place of more curiosity and understanding.

Did this bring up an incredible amount of fear? — Absolutely. However, I would always and still do come back to the question: “Am I making this decision out of fear or am I making this decision from a place of knowing.” I feel into what my inner voice is encouraging me to do.

Are there negative aspects to authenticity and vulnerability? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?

When you move from a place of knowing, your brain is going to automatically try to shut that down. It is going to make up so many stories about how listening to what you need is probably a terrible idea. Because a place of knowing within yourself, is oftentimes leading you into the unknown. The brain does not like the unknown! To the brain, the unknown is not safe. I think it’s easy to get into this way of being at war with yourself. If you’ve been operating from a place of “what should I do” to “what do I need” it can take some time to work out that muscle memory. It’s re-writing and re-feeling into that fear. Is it programmed fear around what you should be doing or is it fear of the unknown?

From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that hold someone back from being authentic and vulnerable?

The common barrier for me, and this has been a continued growth edge that I bump up against, is worrying about what people might think about me. This question of, “How are people going to take this information? Are people going to like me?” As a recovering ‘people pleaser this has been huge for me. As I continue to grow as an individual and in my business, my voice becomes clearer and that is scary! When you are truly showing up as you, the fear of rejection is brought to a whole new level!

It also comes back to not making fear-based decisions. The specific decisions I’m talking about in business are ones you are most likely making for other people; to make other people happy and not from a place that completely benefits you and what you and your business need.

This can also bring up feelings of selfishness. Again, a lot of these feelings come from programming that a lot of us have been encouraged to follow so stepping out of line will again, feel scary.

Here is the central question of our discussion. What are five ways that being authentic and vulnerable pay off, and help you win, both personally and professionally?

1. When you start to come from an authentic place and practice being more vulnerable, things are going to start to naturally fall away. This could be friendships, jobs, relationships, etc. As you start to understand your own energy and become a steward of that energy, any energy that does not match up is going to naturally fall away. As that happens, remember that what is going to come in to fill this space will be better than you ever could have imagined.
2. Coming back to your authenticity is coming back to a feeling. It is empowering us to take a path in life that is consistent with who we truly are. A lot of times this starts as a personal journey and encourages the possibility to pivot professionally and offer to the world your unique form of medicine. Starting to connect with your true self allows for so much possibility not just personally but also professionally.
3. Connecting to your authentic self invites so much creative energy allowing you to have a healthy and balanced life. Creative energy is what contributes to ease and flow and operating unapologetically into an aligned life path. Vulnerability is the path to unlimited creative energy!
4. When you tap into this unique creative energy from a professional standpoint, you offer to the world your own unique perspective. A perspective unlike anything else out there. It is pure magic and will truly light you up. You are growing in a direction that is just for YOU and no one else.
5. I also love to look at being authentic and vulnerable as a wonderful way to regulate your nervous system. Connecting with your true self always comes back to a feeling. For all of us lovely creatives, emotionally open humans on this earth, our nervous systems have more than likely been labeled too sensitive or abnormal. Embracing your feelings is the way to connect to your truest self in a gentle and safe way. Allowing yourself to be present with your emotions, knowing you will move forward through that feeling is the best way to regulate your beautiful and empathic nervous system. On the other side? A clearer, more heart-centered voice.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I would love to cultivate a movement in heart-centered listening and tuning into the secret language of your body! The body is limitless and speaks to us all day long! It always has our best interest at heart and is only ever pointing you in a direction of love and aligned energy. A movement in slowing down, honoring what you need in every moment and moving forward unapologetically from that place.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

I lost my Dad recently. He was my person; a safe space who, during this ‘healing’ era of my life, was the perfect role model for me. He embodied this amazing innocence and lived life to the fullest, on his terms. He was pure love. Maybe we can give him a cosmic shout-out and he can dine with me in my dreams soon Xo

How can our readers follow you online?

Readers can find me on Instagram @kore_breathwork, Facebook and on my website www.korebreathwork.com

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.