Kate Powers has faced plenty of adversity, both internal and external, for most of her life.

She grew up in an alcoholic home and, at 17, was 350 pounds. Past personal struggles and even more recent ones did not stop her, though. She shed 200 pounds and eventually ran a marathon. As a senior in high school, she had her own apartment. She worked full time and still made the honor roll.
Now, she can add author to her resume.

Her first book “Stop Existing, Start Living: Practical Solutions to Reducing Stress, Minimizing Overwhelm and Achieving Happiness” blends writings from her blog, started in 2008, and new lessons learned on her continued journey.

Powers started to write the book this past June. Having been told in her developing years that she was not the best writer, she dealt with doubt at first, but through encouraging friends in the field and a few good editors (she writes how she speaks, she says), she persevered.

“[The book allows me to be able] to take what I’m passionate about and what I love to do, which is being able to help other people, into a bigger arena,” she said. “It also helps organize your thoughts and your teachings and all those kinds of things.”

Powers lives in the house in which she grew up between St. Mark’s and St. Ann’s parishes. A graduate of St. Ann’s School, she had consulted and coached people in bettering themselves as a side job. Previously, Powers worked in construction and for different family members who ran their own businesses, learning good practices such as customer service and how to run a company.

After her marriage ended abruptly, Powers had to confront a new round of challenges, with a young child to care for and another one on the way.

“At that point, I had to step away from all of my business activities because I literally was just trying to survive [my second] pregnancy and understand what had just happened and put my life back together,” Powers said.

She had been trying to get into graduate programs for teacher certification, but wasn’t able to acquire what she needed between childcare and programs. After putting her blog back up online, Powers got a lot of positive feedback. Within a couple of months, she had four different speaking opportunities.
“What I’m writing and what I’m talking about is what people want to hear,” she said.

Indeed, Powers has local, national, and international clients. A mother of two (her daughter is seven and her son is two-and-a-half), she caters to many moms and women-based organizations and clients and is “able to use my experience with personal development and ways that I’ve been able over my lifetime to make positive changes.”

Her advice to people is to simply take 15 minutes each day for themselves.

“It’s a very fast-paced world and people need permission to check out a little bit and take a break and give back to themselves so that they can give to their families.”

For more information on the book, visit kfpowers.com. She is currently offering a free bonus to readers. Email her at kate@kfpowers.com with “Free Bonus” in the subject line for more information.