Uncharted Paths

From Suits to Soul: Kristin & Lindsey's Paths to Passion-Driven Careers

Episode Summary

In this behind-the-scenes episode of Uncharted Paths, hosts Kristin and Lindsey take a deep dive into their personal journeys of stepping off the conventional career path to follow their true callings. From finance to fitness, and consulting to comedy, they share how they navigated their own "suit-and-tie" moments before embracing passion-driven careers. Kristin reflects on her transition from a high-powered consulting role to pursuing comedy and now executive coaching, while Lindsey discusses her leap from a corporate finance job to building the pole fitness industry from the ground up. Together, they explore the challenges of leaving the security of the traditional career ladder and the deep personal fulfillment that comes with following the soul’s true calling. This episode highlights the importance of listening to your inner wisdom and embracing uncertainty—an inspiring message for anyone looking to chart their own path. Tune in for stories of reinvention, vulnerability, and authentic expression.

Episode Notes

Connect with Kristin Wald: Website | LinkedIn | IG

Connect with Lindsey Kimura:  Website | LinkedIn | IG

Episode Transcription

[00:00:00] Welcome to Uncharted Paths. The podcast that dives deep into the journeys of courageous individuals who listen to their inner wisdom and forge paths of authentic expression. In a world where conventional success often overshadows personal passion, we illuminate those who have dared to venture off the beaten track.

In Season One, we're uncovering the untold stories of unique alumni from Harvard Westlake School. You may recognize names like astronaut Sally Ride, the former mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, and actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. But now we're shining a light on the hidden gems. I'm Lindsey, and I'm Kristin.

Join us as we explore the stories of these remarkable individuals, share their triumphs and challenges, and uncover the lesson that can inspire possibility for all, especially today's generation. It's time to follow your heart and chart your own path. Welcome to Uncharted [00:01:00] Paths. 

Hi, everyone. This is Kristin and Lindsey, a little behind the scenes of Uncharted Paths, the podcast. So, you get to know a little bit about us instead of us just interviewing other people. 

 Lindsey, what was the moment you knew the traditional path wasn't for you?

I recognized this in college when I started changing my major. I had gone in as pre-medical biology and kept following my interests and passions for art, writing, Italian, studied abroad in Italy. Junior year, I was like, 'Oh no, what is my major?' I loved health care. I loved well being, and so I ended up with public health.

 What did that look like in your career? 

It still follows that path, I would say. I really follow what I'm interested in for my career. Whatever my passion is at that time, I end up working in it.

 I've done a lot of [00:02:00] work in fitness and entrepreneurship, startups, and helping people grow their soul aligned businesses. 

But I know you pretty well, and I know that it didn't start there. You started in a suit. 

Oh, that's true. Okay. So, after college, despite following my passions, I actually went into finance, because financial stability was really important.

 I ended up working as a compliance analyst for a bond management company in a full business suit. I realized, 'This is not me.' And that's when I told my boss, 'I'm going to teach English in Japan,' because that was something I had really wanted to do. So, I went to teach English in Japan, got back, wanted to go to ESPN because I love sports.

 I did, ad sales, media, and then X Games events. 

 I always like to push the frontier of things that [00:03:00] haven't been done. I spent 20 years in the pole fitness industry developing that as a sport.

 When I first started out in pole fitness, it was not an activity at all. We pretty much had to create an industry out of nothing when there was so much stigma against us. There was a lot of talk of, 'Oh, it's stripping' or 'This is not real' or body phobia, all these things. That's why I haven't been as public about it, because it wasn't as accepted.

 How did that feel wearing a business suit at work and then being focused on the pole fitness industry? Did it feel like you have two lives? 

It did. So when I was working at ESPN, I was also teaching, performing, competing at that time. We were just starting to use Facebook, and a photo came up of me way high up 15 feet in the air doing a pole trick. The office manager at the time was like, 'You better take this down so none of the [00:04:00] VPs see it.' At that point, I was like, 'Wow, I can't share my personal life here at corporate ESPN,' which felt a little less corporate than the finance job, because I thought, 'Oh, it's sports. People are relaxed,' but not in that world still. 

 It's tricky when you're good at what you do. It's not like you were in your first finance corporate job and you weren't good at it. My guess is you were excellent at it and same thing with ESPN. What does that feel like when you're good at something but you still know it's not for you?

That's always been my challenge. It's kept me in places beyond the expiration date, because I'm good at it or I can do it. So, it always makes my departure a little delayed. 

 It's like being highly capable. So, it's not like, 'Oh, you're terrible at this, it's time to go.'

 It has to be a soul decision. I received a metaphor once that was like, 'Sometimes you get shoved out of the nest, and sometimes you have to jump.' When I got that advice, I almost threw up, because I was like, 'Oh no, can't I just get pushed?' Yeah. [00:05:00] But that wasn't my path. I kept having to jump.

 I hear that connection with your story as well. Even with all of the hardship of the taboo art of pole dancing, turning it into a fitness industry, what kept you showing up? 

I was so passionate about what it did for me and what it did for all of our community.

Just the empowerment aspect and the fitness aspect and the novelty of it. Your first spin is always super magical. Empowering more people to be free in their bodies and to express and be authentic kept me going. 

 I tried it once, and it was tragic. I left that class so bruised and my upper body is not my strength.

 It was hilarious and very sad. I admire anyone that can do pole fitness cause, Woo! It is serious.

 And what has been the biggest challenge of leaving the traditional path behind? 

For me, it's been not having the security of the paved road and [00:06:00] knowing what's ahead and always having that uncertainty and unknown and facing fears like financial instability. Often in careers, you get promoted or you get celebrated, but without the ladder path, sometimes you don't get seen or recognized.

 You're just swimming out in the deep end and having to figure things out. 

 How do you keep going when it gets hard? 

I really tune into my inner intuition and look at things as an experiment. Let me try this. Let me try that. Let me plant these seeds and then see what takes off. 

 Have you ever been tempted to get back on the corporate ladder?

Many times. I always wrestle with getting back on because of the stability factor. When things get really tough, especially transitional periods, I'm tempted to go and be like, 'Let me just get that easy job that I can predict and that's right there.' 

What is that little tug that your soul says,'Don't even think about it. You [00:07:00] may not apply to that job!'

For me, it's the sense of staying true to my values, which are freedom and health. I find that really being creative and working for myself have always provided that, no matter how challenging the times come. 

 Why is the Uncharted Paths podcast important to you? 

I'm super passionate about what we're doing, because I feel like now, more than ever, with layoffs and job insecurity and the economy, people are being forced to really look inward and say, 'How do I want to be spending my time now? What can I do?' Knowing the amount of fulfillment one gets from following their passions and charting their paths, I want to make sure that other people hear the stories of people doing that, all of our guests, and that they're inspired and have resources and examples to look at, because we're covering stories that aren't often [00:08:00] celebrated.

Amazing.

 So, I'm gonna start with this. Kristin, what makes your path uncharted? 

 From a little child, when everyone was selling lemonade on corners, I was selling candy canes during the holidays. I went and bought all different flavors of candy canes, and took them to a street corner and sold candy canes over the holidays, and I thought I was a genius.

 It was like a whole little business thing at, like, age seven. I feel like actually the college I chose was a little uncharted, University of Wisconsin, Madison, from Harvard-Westlake, at the time, I mean, really, barely anyone went there. 

 When I visited, I mean, it's just magical. It was just the perfect fit for me, because I told my dean I want UCLA in a different state. I really wanted that real college experience. When I got there, I had no idea what to major in. So, my parents were like, 'Grab a highlighter, look through the course manual, and just highlight anything that sounds interesting.'

So, I start highlighting and it's like, Parasitology, Microbiology, Pathogenic Bacteriology. I'm like, 'What is [00:09:00] happening? Why do I like these classes?' This is a good uncharted moment. The class I really wanted to take was called Medical Microbiology and Immunology 341. It was only for juniors or seniors.

I emailed the teacher and I said, 'I want to take this class. I'm a first semester freshman.' And the teacher was like, 'Sure, why not? Good luck.' And I was like, 'Okay, I have none of the prerequisites, but I'm just going to show up.' I remember going to that first class, and I left the class, I called my dad, and I was like, 'I know why I'm in college.'

 It was only 60 kids a year that got into the major. I just knew I wanted it so bad, and it was incredible. 

Another good story, but my bacteriology professor was like, ' Close your eyes. Answer this question. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?' And I was like, 'Uh, a suit.' He's like, 'You're not a doctor.' He was like, 'It has to be in your soul, in your blood, because it's a hard path.'

From there, everyone in my major either went into research or medical school. I wanted to be on the business side of science. 

 I ended up going into strategy consulting for a very large consulting firm and loved it. 

[00:10:00] What do you think drew you to the financial part, which was very different than the science paths people were going on?

Well, I didn't want my best friend to be my microscope. I was pretty clear about that. And being a doctor was not the right path for me. I was more like on business strategy versus finance. I was doing business processes, and

 I loved the collaboration. I loved solving problems around a table. I loved coming up with business process flows of how to make things work more efficiently. That's something I just love doing. So, it was really aligned for me.

 I remember, I really wanted into the pharmaceutical part of the company, and um, they told me no analysts are allowed in that group.

I started just like knocking on doors and doing everything in my power, and I ended up getting accepted into the group. 

 I guess, now that I think about it, I don't like closed doors. I remember reading, when I was in consulting, the guy who was trying to be the CEO at the time, he wrote, he really had to go to the bathroom and he saw a door. It said locked on it, and he wasn't gonna try to open it, [00:11:00] but he had to go to the bathroom so badly that he just tried it, and it was unlocked.

He was like, 'How many doors do we not open because it says locked on it?' And it just kind of opened my eyes. I remember being at that consulting firm and talking to a partner, and I was like, 'Tell me your story.' And he was like, 'Well, I left college, I started working here, and I still work here.' I was like, 'I can't have that be my story.

 I have to have a cooler story than that.' I would fly to work Mondays, fly home Fridays, and I remember crying in my rental car a lot in my business suit. I remember thinking 'My ego is so filled up here, but my soul is starving.' And knowing I had to do something different. When it came down to 'Can I do this long term?' The tears said everything.

I was studying for the GMAT to go to business school, and once again, I'm like, 'Whose dream am I living of being this, like, badass CEO?' So, I had to put the suit down and realize, 'Who's [00:12:00] Kristin underneath this dream?'

 What did that feel like in your body? 

Terrible! Awful. I mean, I started wearing a suit when I was in elementary school. There are pictures of me in like a pink suit going to my like kindergarten graduation. So, I was wearing suits for a long time.

I remember taking the suit off, basically, and

 feeling like a blob. Just like, 'Who am I if I put this idea of me down?' I still quit, because I knew I had to choose my soul. And ever since then, it's just been soul choice, soul choice, soul choice. It took a lot of work to decondition from other people's ideas of right and wrong, of successful and not successful. I remember I had to practice saying my name without what I do.

 I had to like literally practice taking my name away from what I do to prove that I was worthy of something, to show I'm smart or to show I am capable.

 I had to be enough being Kristin. 

What has that journey of discovering who Kristin is? What did that look like? 

 I've [00:13:00] been a performer since I was really young. I remember when I was five, I desperately wanted to be Paula Abdul.

 I remember talking to my parents and like, 'Well, what is Paula Abdul?' And I was like, 'She's a dancer.' Then I guess I'm going to dance class. So, I started going to dance class at like five or six, but just to be Paula, like nothing else. I didn't know that.

Oh yeah, girl. My first concert was Paula Abdul. Yeah. Boys to Men opened. It was great. Dance was my passion, my life, my love. I did dance all the way through high school. It's the one thing that kept me so grounded to who I am as a human being.

 I also realized that when I put the business suit on, I put my creative side down. I would literally fly to work Mondays, fly home Fridays, and then go to acting class and like improv class in Chicago. I lived in Chicago at the time, so I'd go to Second City to take improv class and acting class on the sides just on the weekends.

So, I was like this business suit by day, comedy person by weekend. I just realized that the ultimate failure was to not try at something that I loved, and I wasn't willing to have that kind of failure. I'd rather [00:14:00] fail in the sense of like, 'Never made a dollar doing it versus failing by not trying.'

So, I ended up coming back to LA and focusing on stand up comedy, writing, acting. I had some really cool moments like pitched a tv show and doing stand up at Comedy Store, but one day I remember standing on stage and I just heard, 'This part of your path is done.' And then having the courage to pivot again.

I'd say the biggest thing that I've had is the courage to continue to pivot. 

 I just noticed that theme of moving from the shoulds to creative exploration and pursuit of your passions, which I found was a theme with our guests as well.

 Today, what do things look like? What's alive for you? 

 I realized that emotional well-being, alignment with soul, lighting up from within, doing what gets you up in the morning. And if it's not, then figuring out what does keep you going is [00:15:00] literally my life's work. Emotional intelligence, neuroscience, just understanding the language of emotions.

And so I am now a certified life, career, and relationship coach helping people step into their best and brightest selves. It is the most fulfilling thing I could have imagined doing. It's so aligned with the podcast where you're literally helping others from your life experience.

 And just the power of listening and the power of sharing stories and the power of sharing experience. I think that's the most valuable thing we can do with this podcast. All these people are so special. Let's start sharing their stories and let them be seen because the paths that we're shown is, I mean, it's so limited.

So, I think that's why, no matter how much work this podcast is, it is worth every second just to think that one person could listen and say, 'There's another way for me.' 

You and I talk a lot about how a lot of the externals are recognized fame, fortune, [00:16:00] status, but we don't see the subtle things like emotions, feelings, the mental health work, overcoming challenges, issues at home, what's behind closed doors.

 Those are the kinds of things that we want to reveal and have our guests share about. It's like the things that people keep behind the closet or people who aren't seen in society, because it's more subtle, their contribution. I just feel like that's such an important point of our podcast.

 Stepping out of accolades, accomplishment, how many awards do you have? How many non-profits have you started? How many A's do you have? to How do you feel in this moment? Do you feel connected? Has anyone just checked in with you today? Yeah. Have you checked in with yourself today? Have you learned how to fail?

 Those are the big questions that I want more people to feel seen, heard, and connected. Are you fulfilled? Are you whole? Do you feel good? [00:17:00] Exactly. 

Now you get to know a little bit more about Lindsey and Kristin behind the scenes. 

Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Uncharted Paths. We hope you feel inspired to carve out your own unique journey and embrace the courage to follow your passions. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share. Stay connected with us on social media for updates and behind the scenes content.

Links are in the description below. Until next time, keep exploring, dreaming, and charting your own uncharted path.