If you’ve ever felt like confidence was something other people were born with… this episode is for you 💚

🌱 EXPLORE THRIVE WITH PLANTS — 90-Day 1:1 Coaching
https://strongbodygreenplanet.lpages.co/thrive-with-plants-coaching/

💚 JOIN THE FREE PLANT POSITIVE COMMUNITY
https://www.skool.com/plant-positive/about

In this episode I share:
• Growing up shy, awkward, and deeply animal-loving
• How confidence is built (not born)
• Why alignment creates real self-belief
• The evolution from “gym confidence” to grounded self-trust
• Veganism, purpose, heartbreak, activism & identity
• What it means to truly feel at home in yourself

I used to think confidence was something other people were born with.

Like there was some secret certainty I’d missed out on.

The kind we chase.
The kind we fake.
And the kind that slowly grows when we start living more aligned with who we really are.

Young Kate always LOVED animals.

Like most kids… and honestly, most adults too. However for me, it ran deep.

I was also a little contrary—quietly certain in my own awkward way. A tom-boy climbing trees, spending hours drawing animals… and crying when mum “forced” me into a dress.

I became painfully shy. Debilitatingly so.

I don’t know if that was always in me—an only child, introvert, loving my own space… Or if it grew from my eyesight.

I can’t recognise people from a distance. I can’t drive. Glasses don’t fix it.

And that made me feel… unsure. Small.

Disconnected from the world around me.

Yet one thing never changed:

My love for animals.

At 16, I became vegetarian. With zero hesitation. Even though I was the only one in my friend group who felt that way.

Looking back, that was one of my first acts of quiet confidence. Standing for something—before I even knew I was capable of that.

The shyness started to shift… just a little.

Not from the “How to Be More Confident” cassettes my dad played on our long ski trips. From something much simpler:

A love letter.

My first boyfriend wrote about my “beautiful green eyes.” And I remember thinking…

It’s wild how powerful a few kind words can be.

At first, I had no real plan.

Just the idea of a “gym body” (I’d met a boy with a gym body) and zero clue about nutrition.

Over time, something clicked.

I saw results. And more importantly—I realised:

Not with your body. Not with your thoughts. Not with who you believe you are.

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build.

Through thoughts. Through actions. Through showing up for yourself—again and again.

That journey led me to become a personal trainer… and stay for 19 years.

Because if someone like me— Shy, awkward, genuinely uncoordinated (thanks to my eyesight)—

Could feel at home in her body…

Then anyone can.

Here’s the truth:

For a long time, I thought confidence was The Body.

And I built it there.

Yet real confidence?

It’s deeper than that.

Real confidence is a calm certainty of self.

It’s knowing what you stand for— And having the courage to live it.

Every day.

When it’s visible. And when it’s not.

When it’s convenient. And when it’s not.

Especially when it makes you the “odd one out.”

That might look like:

Getting up early to train. Prepping food that aligns with your goals. Or saying no—to food, clothing, or entertainment that doesn’t sit right in your heart.

These days…

That awkward, self-certain girl… unpacking her oversized backpack on a ferry while a crowd of adults watched (my mum loved that story).

I feel deep empathy for teenage Kate— So shy, yet fiercely passionate about animals… Spending hours creating artwork of their suffering because she was too afraid to use her voice.

And I understand the Kate in her 20s— Who thought confidence was a strong body and a hard, cold edge.

It took heartbreak—

In relationships, in business, and the deepest loss of all… losing my dear mum—

To realise:

Strength matters.

And also, so does being open-hearted.

So here I am today.

A vegan health coach.

An animal rights activist.

A woman with clarity, purpose—and calm, grounded confidence.

A vegan world.

To support vegans—and vegan-at-heart humans, those who love animals yet aren’t sure how to truly thrive without eating them—to live healthy, strong, and with clarity and purpose.

And if this episode has you thinking about your own life… your health, confidence, or simply living more aligned… that’s exactly the work we do inside Thrive with Plants.

Helping you become healthier, stronger, and more confident in a way that actually feels sustainable and aligned with your heart.

Whether you’re already vegan, vegan-curious, or somewhere in between… you deserve to feel proudly at home in yourself.

 

My most complete coaching option.

This is for when you want real change, not just more information.

Together we build a fit, strong, confident plant-powered lifestyle that actually works in your real life.

Includes:

Learn more here:

Prioritise Your Health, the Animals, and the Planet—One Empowering Habit at a Time with the Plant Positive Journal:

This journal and daily planner follows a twelve month format however is not dated so it is perfect to use at ANY time of the year.

Connect with Kate across the socials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube and her FREE Skool Community, Plant Positive.

With love and gratitude plant friends.

If you liked “Confidence, Veganism, and Becoming Who You Really Are.” you’ll also like Will Potter: Exposing Factory Farms, Fascism, and the Erosion of Civil Liberties.

If you liked “Confidence, Veganism, and Becoming Who You Really Are.” you’ll also like Gary Yourofsky is Back Advocating For Animal Liberation!

If you liked “Confidence, Veganism, and Becoming Who You Really Are.” you’ll also like From Philosophy to Flourishing: A Compassionate Case for Going Vegan with Matthew C. Halteman.

If you liked “Confidence, Veganism, and Becoming Who You Really Are.” you’ll also like Chef Babette, Ageing Strong and Why Love Is Easier Than Hate.

If you liked “Confidence, Veganism, and Becoming Who You Really Are.” you’ll also like E552: Dr Melanie Joy, Carnism and Creating Effective Communication Between Vegans and Non-vegans.

If you liked “Confidence, Veganism, and Becoming Who You Really Are.” you’ll also like Dr. Will Tuttle and The World Peace Diet.

If you liked “Confidence, Veganism, and Becoming Who You Really Are.” you’ll also like For the Days It Feels Like Too Much — This Is Your Reminder.