Prior to her REALITY experience, Kat Cole was already a seasoned business leader, speaker and humanitarian with a uniquely nuanced understanding of some of the world’s most challenging regions. But it was her time in Israel that offered a fuller understanding of the Middle East and a reminder to always pursue context and human stories.

REALITY: Describe what you do and how you are trying to make an impact.

Kat: I help people realize they are capable of more than they know, and that takes on a few different forms. First is the “day gig.” As COO and President for North America of Focus Brands, I run and build franchise and food brands around the world. I spend my days helping franchisees learn how to grow and lead their brands and teams more effectively and working with franchisee employees to realize what’s possible for them. We also spend a lot of time working on understanding what impact we can make as a consumer-focused, for-profit business. I’m also a keynote speaker and speak to enormous groups around the world. This allows me to translate my experience into lessons for others to help them think about their world differently and be more effective in their lives.

Finally, the third way I make an impact is through my ongoing volunteer work which includes humanitarian work in Eastern Africa, volunteer work in industry associations and by being an advisor and mentor to startup founders. I started doing humanitarian work in Rwanda almost 10 years ago. For many years, I had been an active proponent of elevating and educating young emerging women leaders in underserved communities in the U.S. when a friend graciously thought of me during an interview with the President of Rwanda as they were discussing his interest in supporting initiatives to help and educate women. I went there and fell in love with the country and the people and started going back every year. I’ve worked with the Rwandan government and mentored women entrepreneurs and the work just continues. Next, I started working on village transformation in border situations and this work landed me on the radar of the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council where I still serve today.

REALITY: Who inspires the work that you do?

Kat: The people who inspire me most are those who do so much with so little. That includes those working multiple jobs and supporting businesses from behind-the-scenes to people living in conflict zones. These people not only inspire me, but also help me to keep life in perspective and handle challenging situations with more calm and grace than the average executive because I understand how much more challenging it could be.

REALITY: What was the most meaningful moment on your REALITY journey?

Kat: There was a part of the trip where we all stood in a circle and almost every person brought up something that was standing out to them at that moment. It was the intersection of the power and beauty of the area and the story behind it, the openness and clarity and vulnerability with which each person shared the emotional impact of the moment and just the energy and the warmth that was coming from group that really made an impact. It was sensory overload in a lot of ways.

REALITY: How did REALITY impact your personally?/p>

Kat: I was five months pregnant on the journey and now have a five-month old! My beshert (and my husband) was on this REALITY journey as well. During the entire journey, we were all talking about how our baby was absorbing all those good vibes from Israel and from the special people that he encountered while in the womb. There is a little piece of REALITY that shows up in our son every time I look at him. A second way that my own reality has shifted is that I had been looking at the complexity of the region from outside of Israel for a very long time. I had been to almost every country that borders Israel, but I had never engaged in any humanitarian work within Israel’s borders. REALITY reminded me to seek every possible perspective of a place, a people, a dynamic and a point in time to get a fuller picture, and I have personally evolved because of that.

REALITY: How have you shifted reality since your return?

Kat: I use the connectedness that remains within the group to support individuals in their times of opportunity or need and I know that this makes a positive impact. The community is elevated when each of us contribute in an independent way. I also try to shine a light on great things that the REALITY community is doing. If somebody is doing something or running something or proud of something, I’m sharing and shining a light on that for people outside of the REALITY community.

strong>REALITY: How have you stayed connected to Israel since your journey?

Kat: I stay connected to Israel by staying close to the rituals that were so formative during our experience by way of the get-togethers and Shabbat dinners happening all around the country and all around the world with members of our group./p>

REALITY: Since REALITY, how “do” you Shabbat? Share a short story.

Kat: When I’m able to visit other cities, I have joined the Shabbat dinners held by other members of the REALITY community and we’ve also hosted and gathered our own little versions of Shabbat.

REALITY: What can the REALITY community contact you about?

Kat: Because of everything the REALITY community has given to me, I’m available to talk about the deepest and darkest things going on and the brightest and most exciting, also. I’m here to be a friend and a partner in thinking. I enjoy it deeply and it’s a privilege to be able to do that. Even if you were on a different REALITY trip, you have a friend and a family member in me forever.

 

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is proud to empower emerging leaders to explore their values, identity and new ways to strengthen their communities. We believe that as we work together to repair the world, it is important to share our diverse experiences and perspectives along the way. We encourage the expression of personal thoughts and reflections here on the Schusterman blog. Each post reflects solely the opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Foundation, its partner organizations or all program participants.