SPOTLIGHT: Louisa Garrett
I first met Louisa Garrett through a mutual friend on the internet. I was taken immediately by her enthusiasm, bright smile and laugh, and intense determination to "Make Kind Loud"
Louisa is the epitome of a LIGHTbeamer because she uses her social media channels relentlessly to share her message of Kindness.
She shows up LIVE every single day spreading a message of compassion and empathy toward others. You can't help but fall in love with Louisa within 2 seconds of meeting her.
She's infectious.... and a powerful LIGHTbeamer leading the way to make this world a better place.
I'm honored to feature her for this month's LIGHTbeamers Spotlight!
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APRIL: You are the powerful creator behind The Kindness Summit and Make Kind Loud... tell me how that began.
LOUISA: I started my "Kindness journey" nearly a decade ago. But before that, I was super sarcastic. I lived and breathed sarcasm. I was sarcastic for no reason; locked and loaded with a retort. That was my MO. I turned sarcasm into an art form.
One of my Nieces lived with me during her high school years. I would tell her to clean her room or do her homework or whatever and she would always respond with "It's not what you say; It's how you say it."
At that time, I did not care how I said it. I just wanted and expected her to do what I told her to do. This went on for about a year. Each time I told her to do something she would say "It's not what you say. It's how you say it."
Fast forward another 6 months, someone said something to me that was completely off the wall and I thought to myself, "why did you say it like that?" Immediately, my Niece's voice popped in my head and said "it's not what you say. it's how you say it."
In the moment, I thought of all of my Nieces and Nephews. I had 21 at that time. I realized that if I wanted them to be kind humans and productive citizens of the world then I had to model that behavior. It was in that moment that I decided to be a better and kinder human.
It wasn't easy at first because the sarcasm was my default. I had to take pause and ask myself the hard questions. I had to look at myself in a full-length mirror and examine who I was and who I wanted to be and make a choice. It was difficult and it was painful. Painful because I knew I wasn't leaving the imprint I wanted to leave in the world. Painful because I had to be honest with myself about myself. Painful because then I had to do the work.
Maya Angelou is often misquoted. She said, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." Most people quote her as saying when you know better, you do better which is not the case. The point of her quote is the action. And I had to take action in my life. No one could do it for me. I still struggle today because Sarcastic Louisa is still inside of me and there are times when she begs to come out. But I have a choice to unleash her or not. I choose not the majority of the time. Those times that I stumble and those times that I'm not my kindest self, I know that the very next moment I can do better. I'm a work in progress as we all are. It's constant work. The reality is we belong to each other. We were born to help each other and to love each other. That's what I strive to do. The message I want others to hear is that WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER and it's time we start acting like it.
APRIL: What does being a LIGHTbeamer mean to you?
LOUISA: Being a LIGHTbeamer to me means standing tall and shining regardless... Regardless of what's going on in the world. No matter what. That takes a certain amount of strength and resolve. There will always be bumps in the road. There will always be tragedies. There will always be crap. But a LIGHTbeamer shines in the midst of it all. We are all LIGHT beamers. We just have to own it.
APRIL: What is one piece of advice you'd give to another woman about using her voice and sharing her story?
LOUISA: Everybody has a story and it's so important to share those stories. Whatever is on your heart and whatever you've gone through in life, you can use that and people can learn from you. Don't think that your voice doesn't matter because it does. It's important that we all use our voices and share our stories because that's how we get connected. Through connection is how humanity comes together by sharing the stories. And if we never share our stories, we can't relate to each other. It's about listening to each other and hearing what we've been through. YOUR VOICE IS VALUABLE. YOUR VOICE IS VALUABLE. YOUR VOICE IS VALUABLE.
APRIL: What do you love most about your work?
LOUISA: I love how heart-centered the work is and the connections. Life is about connecting and this kindness journey has allowed me to connect with so many different people from around the world.
APRIL: What are you busy creating now?
LOUISA: So many things. I have a collaborative book launching in October. I'm working on a children's book about kindness that will be ready to publish at the end of October. I'm also working on an inspirational book; musings about life and love and how to be better. And working on a kindness course. Recently, I got into the voice over business. And working on my YouTube channel to get it monetized.
APRIL: How do you relax after a busy week?
LOUISA: Energy is precious to me. If I've had a big week or big event or big something, it is so necessary for me to recharge. That could look like staying in bed all day bingeing on mindless TV or staying under the covers or crying. Living in this world is exhausting at times. So, it's imperative that I take the time to recharge. Throw in a good deep massage and I'm in heaven.
APRIL: What kind of things do you like doing outside of work?
LOUISA: I love hanging out with my Nieces & Nephews, my grandson and just family in general. I also enjoy looking at the moon and marveling at life around me. A great time for me is being at the house playing board games, laughing and talking with the people that I love. Conversely, I also enjoy the quiet; sitting with my thoughts and feeling all of the feelings.
Be sure to follow Louisa's Kindness journey... and share her with your friends and family!
WEBSITE: www.makekindloud.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/louisa.garrett1
https://www.facebook.com/makekindloud
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lou_4_real/
https://www.instagram.com/makekindloud/
YouTube: #MakeKindLoud
