In this special episode of Ventures, Kathryn Little (my amazing mother) and I discuss finding oneself, discovering purpose, transitioning out of idealism, saying yes and no to the right things, processing grief, marriage, parenting, and being who you are as an entrepreneur and human being. Indeed, when thinking about the best possible guest for this episode, I asked my mother and she graciously agreed to share her story and insights.

You can watch this episode below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts (search for “Ventures”).

In this episode we cover the following:

3:12 - Tee-up and introduction of Kathryn

4:21 - Kathryn’s story, growing up in New Jersey, schooling, endeavors, family, helping build community, caring for people, and lessons along the way.

19:53 - Memories of Kathryn having all the energy, creating a vibrant and joyful home, caring for the neighborhood and schools, how did she do it?

23;20 - Tips for marriage and parenting

27:18 - How did Kathryn keep discovering who she was, live out of that, and not do too many things?

32:12 - Commonality of people’s journeys around transition from community, cultural norms, and idealism.

38:05 - The parenting journey, guiding children even when you know they are heading down unhealthy paths.

43:12 - Idealism and safety, parallels in technology, and transitioning out of it.

45:12 - For those who did have parents pouring into them and supporting them, what is Kathryn’s advice for them?

50:31 - The meta-theme of a season of fundamentalism, learning a lot of practical things, safety, practical life skills, taking the good from it and moving on.

53:18 - Big question: how does someone discover who they are? (Thoughts on discernment. Parker Palmer’s work: http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker/)

57:10 - What questions, problems, and/or projects is Kathryn focusing on in the next stage of her own journey.

1:01:17 - Where can people find Kathryn online or contact her? Email: kathylynnelittle@gmail.com