Motivational speaker inspires self-worth in area middle schoolers – WBKO

GLASGOW, Ky. (WBKO) – Words of self-worth and hope rang out in the Barren County Middle School gymnasium, as seventh and eighth graders heard from motivational speaker Kate Garnes.
Garnes was raised in Missouri by her single mother. From a young age, she struggled with depression, citing instances in her life involving an absent father and disloyal friends.
For several years, she was an actress and dancer in Orlando, FL. She worked at places like Walt Disney World and Universal, but she still felt lost. After speaking with someone at her 10-year high school reunion, she decided to chase after her dreams of becoming a motivational speaker.
“I’d never told anyone out loud before, and as soon as I said those words, all questions, doubts, fears [were] gone. It’s like when you get in a car and your windshield is foggy, and you turn on the defog and … it’s crystal clear,” she said.
In 2018, Garnes began booking speaker gigs. Now she works to empower students who struggle with mental health. She has visited 35 states and hopes to speak in all 50 one day.
“Somewhere along the line, we all started believing the lie that everybody else has it figured out,” Garnes said during her speech.
She wants to teach people that it is ok not to have it all figured out. Through personal anecdotes of trauma and depression, Garnes hopes students will feel heard.
“One of the most comforting things you can hear is, I understand,” she said. “We don’t need somebody to solve our problems, we just need someone to say, ‘I get it.’”
After the speech, students lined up afterward to share their stories and thank Garnes for helping them feel seen. Many interactions ended with a hug, some even with tears.
In addition to her role as speaker, author, DJ, choreographer and podcast host, Garnes calls herself a gladiator. She wants people to know that when they feel the most alone, they can still fight those negative thoughts.
“I found out rock bottom has a basement. I felt that pain through my core to my spine. Unfortunately, there are many of you who know the exact pain I’m talking about, and if you are one of them, I see you, I know you, I hear you, I am you,” she told students. “And if [I] can find a way to stand up on the base of rock bottom, so can you. You are not alone.”
BCMS was able to bring Garnes in with the help of Graves Gilbert Clinic. It is part of the school’s initiative to raise awareness of student mental health, especially during September, which is National Suicide Prevention Month.
Mental health resources for the Barren County School District can be found here. To reach out to Garnes, her website is kategarnes.com.
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