Are you in the wrong circle? How to find your real community with Kate Naess

What happens when you stop accepting other people’s limits and start writing your own story? In this episode, Paralympian, leadership coach, and organizational psychologist Kate Naess shares how she turned a childhood of “you won’t be able to…” into a life built on curiosity, courage, and high performance. Born with a hand difference and surrounded early on by doctors’ low expectations, Kate was raised by parents who chose a different narrative: “Kate will learn how Kate can.” From tying shoelaces and riding bikes to playing violin, horse riding, and eventually reaching the World Equestrian Games, everything became an experiment in finding another way. Along the way, a primary school teacher who believed she could do anything and an unforgettable moment with Keith Richards telling her not to stop doing what she was doing helped cement her sense of possibility. When her horse almost died after international travel and she later lost her mum to breast cancer, Kate didn’t step back she reinvented herself in a completely new sport, going from local tri club sessions to the Rio Paralympic Games in under two years.

Takeaways:

• Influence starts with curiosity – Real influence isn’t about force or “because I said so”; it’s about asking better questions so people can see new possibilities and their own potential.

• Your story isn’t fixed – Being born with a hand difference and given limiting predictions didn’t stop Kate. With support and experimentation (“Kate will learn how Kate can”), she found her own ways to do almost everything.

• Community and coaching are performance multipliers – Local tri clubs, supportive teammates, and coaches like Corey Bacon and Danielle Stefano helped Kate see what she was capable of long before she saw it herself.

Quotes:

• “Kate will learn how Kate can. If she can’t do it the ‘normal’ way, she’ll find another way of doing it.”

• “It’s not about forcing someone to change; it’s about bringing enough curiosity to the conversation that they start to see their own potential.”

• “You don’t get to the Paralympic starting line by accident. You’re not a fluke – you’re there for a reason, even if your mind is trying to convince you otherwise.”

Timestamps:

00:00:01 – Meet Kate Ness: Family, Dogs, and Life Outside Sport

00:02:21 – Born Different, Raised Without Limits

00:04:52 – Teachers, Awards, and Keith Richards’ Unforgettable Encouragement

00:07:43 – From Local Tri Club to Racing with Heroes

00:10:03 – Coaches Who See What You Can’t See Yet

00:12:06 – The Emotional Weight of the Rio Paralympics Start Line

00:16:14 – High Performance, High Pressure: Sport and Corporate Parallels

00:18:36 – Why She Chose Organizational Psychology

00:22:04 – Human-First Leadership and the Power of Curiosity

Conclusion:

Paralympian, leadership coach, and organizational psychologist Kate Naess shares how a life that began with a hand difference and low external expectations became a powerful example of curiosity, courage, and high performance. She credits her parents for refusing limiting narratives, early mentors and even Keith Richards for reinforcing her potential, and coaches like Corey Bacon and Danielle Stefano for pushing her beyond what she thought she could do. From the local tri club to the Rio Paralympic Games, Kate’s story highlights the role of community, environment, and self-awareness in navigating pressure and change. Drawing on her transition into organizational psychology, she underscores the need for human-first leadership, genuine connection, and curiosity-driven conversations in modern workplaces. She closes with a message that real influence isn’t about force or titles, but about helping people reinterpret their own stories, see their potential more clearly, and show up fully on the start line, in the boardroom, and in everyday life.