Today we’d like to introduce you to Cat Parks.
Cat, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Catherine but everyone calls me Cat. I am originally from Cincinnati Ohio but I moved here to Los Angeles from Nashville Tennessee. I lived in Nashville for about four years. I do a lot of different things but I am most passionate about Women’s Empowerment. I am a recording artist and model. I sing, song-write, and rap. When I was younger In school I used to joke since my name is Catherine and tell people to call me Kit Kat because I’ve got bars! Hahahaa it was when I started blogging about natural hair tips that I discovered my passion for speaking and empowering women, advocating for self-love through my workshops. I did my first workshop when I was in high-school. I was eighteen.
While in Nashville I was songwriting country music and performing my original r&b music with my band. I have very big hair and I’m often stopped and asked for natural hair tips. My blog is an outlet for everything I’m most passionate about. Music and modeling though, that’s what brought me out here to L.A. I loved the diversity here but never saw myself making the big move. Nashville felt like a second home and L.A seemed too huge. Until one day I realized that it was necessary to further my career so I packed all my bags and sold everything. It was such a big move from Nashville so I couldn’t take everything with me. I honestly gave most of my stuff away.
Upon moving to L.A I started a women’s empowerment group known as GrlPwrLA. The focus of this group is to help women come together and gain a sense of community while navigating on a journey of self-love. I always knew I wanted to host workshops that provided an opportunity for us women to have a safe space to reflect, heal, and learn from one another. What inspired me to start this venture here in L.A was me noticing how a lot of women complain about how hard it is to make friends here and I thought wow, Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities in the world so why is it that so many people feel so alone? Why are so many women competing with one another? Since starting the group I’ve hosted several workshops. It amazes me how when I moved here I knew no one except my twin sister but now I’m surrounded by a strong community of amazing women.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been an easy road moving across the world from your family and friends is never easy. After moving to L.A I also experienced what I would call an ”ego death” or a ”spiritual awakening” During this process everything I thought I moved out here for changed as my ego died but in the process, my true self rose to the surface. I then realized there’s a huge difference between finding your purpose and your calling. I was born to use my gifts to help, inspire, and uplift others. Grlpwrla has given me the opportunity to do so. I felt called to do it. I feel like God chose me for some reason to be the leader of this amazing community and I’m forever grateful.
Every time I host the workshops the women come. There were times I was nervous and wondered ”what if no one shows up?” but every time they do and they keep coming back. I think it’s because we are all looking for the same thing- community. I’ll never forget there was this girl at one of my workshops that came up to me with tears in her eyes and said “thank you so much for what you’re doing. I’ve been looking for something like this in LA.” Hearing things like this reminds me I’ve gotta keep going. By the beginning of next year, we will be an established non-profit organization. I plan on taking the workshops across the world.
Please tell us more about GrlPwrLa.
GrlPwrLa is a community of women all about self-love, sisterhood, and getting involved in the community. We provide monthly meetups, community service opportunities, and workshops, that help women gain a sense of community while fostering self-love.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Consistency. This is something I’m working on. One of my favorite quotes is “The key to success is hidden in your daily routine.” I believe that every person who is not where they want to be in their career needs to look at what they are doing on a daily basis. Usually, you can find out what you are not doing every day consistently enough to push you from where you are to where you want to be. It’s in the routine.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.catparksworld.com/
- Instagram: @catparksworld @grlpwrla
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/grlpwrla/
- Twitter: CatParksworld
Image Credit:
Emily Daniel
Stephen Aleczander
Sarah B London
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