Today we’d like to introduce you to Louisa Garrett.
Louisa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story is one of transformation and self-reflection. My kindness journey started about eight years ago. But before I can get into that, I must tell you who I was in my previous life. Just a short eight years ago, I used to be a super sarcastic person. I always had a comeback…no matter what the situation. I used to get pleasure from making people feel bad. If I was right about something, the whole world was going to know I was right. Sarcasm was my default.
Another thing to know about me is that I have 24 Nieces & Nephews. One of my Nieces lived with me during her high school years. She was going through the ritualistic teenage angst. I would tell her to clean her room or do her homework or clean the bathroom and she would always say “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” I didn’t care how I said it, I just wanted her to do what she was told. This went on for eight months to a year. We would do this song and dance and she would always say, “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” I didn’t know the wisdom and gravity of those words until a few months later when someone said something completely off the wall to me. I thought to myself, “why did you say it like that?” And as soon as I thought that, my Niece’s little voice popped into my head and said, “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”
From that moment on, I decided that I had to be better in order to model positive behavior for my Nieces & Nephews. If I wanted them to be productive citizens and kind humans, it was up to me to do my part to show them what that means. Not just talk about it but put it into action. It was at that moment that I decided I was going to be kinder. It was very difficult when I first started my kindness journey because as I said, sarcasm was my default. I had to be intentional and I had to make a conscious decision in every situation to respond in a positive way. The more I practiced my new normal, the easier it became because kindness is a muscle. You have to exercise it in order for it to work.
I started by simply posting motivational quotes on Facebook. Then I evolved to sharing cute videos. Every single day. It was my goal to use social media to bring laughter and a little joy to people who happened upon my page. That evolved into making at least five people smile in real life. It was my mission. The more good I did, the more it made me feel good. This went on for a few years. I was doing my part. But was it enough?
Fast forward to June 2016 when the Dallas police shootings happened. That event emotionally paralyzed me for three days. I sat on the couch and cried and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t understand how or why this continued to happen. Although there were other police incidents, the Dallas shooting hit me the hardest because it was in my backyard. On the third day, my Niece basically told me to snap out of it. She said I couldn’t sit on the couch and do nothing. She said, “you can’t give up now. if you don’t do anything, who will?” After I snapped out of my funk, I started my first non-profit called Pass the Love with a friend who was feeling the same way. The goal of the organization was to teach children how to stop the hate and Pass the Love.
Pass the Love later morphed into #MakeKindLoud. Negativity shouts and kindness whispers. We want to reverse that. Kindness should be the default. Kindness should be the norm. It shouldn’t be heralded as this great accomplishment. We are born as kind beings. Each individual person is responsible for the energy that brings to the world. Kindness is a choice. Kindness is a superpower. And we are all superheroes. The question is “who do you choose to be today”?
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?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I enjoyed being sarcastic. I loved my sarcasm gene. When I first decided to embrace my kindness journey, it was extremely difficult. I had to be present and aware in every moment. The beginning was difficult. Although kindness is who I am today, situations still pop up that challenge my journey. And sometimes I fail because I am human. But I can’t wallow in it. What I realize is that there’s always the very next moment to choose to be better. There’s always that very next interaction to choose to be kind. I found myself in a very toxic work environment. It was a struggle each day because that sarcastic side of me is still in there. It was a constant internal battle. I believe this was a test. Did I really want to make a positive impact or was it all for show? I could not allow their bad behavior to bring that sarcasm out. There were many tears and many days of feeling lost and defeated. I am so grateful for my support system. So grateful for the people who allowed me to cry on their shoulders. Although that time was extremely difficult for me, I believe it was absolutely necessary. It showed me that no matter what, kindness is always the right choice.
#MakeKindLoud – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What do you do?
#MakeKindLoud is an inclusive movement that works to spread kindness and inspire each other to be bold, to be brave, to stand tall and to shine brighter. Because we belong to each other. We offer original apparel and swag, weekly podcasts, monthly kindness summits, quarterly kindness flash mobs and two live events per year.
Our goal is to make as much kind noise as possible to change the vibrational energy of this world so that negativity has no choice but to fall out of frequency.
#MakeKindLoud gives voice to humans to help us be our best by doing and inspiring acts of kindness that can change the world and each other for the better.
Our mission is to #MakeKindLoud so that we can inspire others to help make the world a kinder place.
What do you specialize in?
We specialize in putting out positive content including morning motivational videos, nightly cuteness throat punch videos, interviewing ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things in the world. We are a brand company whose primary goal is to spread as much joy and love and kindness as possible.
What are you most proud of as a company?
I am so proud of the concept. We are hosting our very first LIVE event: The Kindness Summit on April 13th in Richardson at The Drawing Board. And it is going to be EPIC! The Kindness Summit is the first-ever conference designed to create ripples of kindness. Attendees will come together for a day of networking and dialogue around the theme Making A Kind Imprint To Change the World. It will feature a diverse lineup of 12 speakers including radio personalities, business leaders, athletes, influencers and coaches.
We also just launched our apparel and swag line. #MakeKindLoud offers shirts, sweatshirts, bags, and caps.
What sets you apart from others?
One of our mottos is We Belong To Each Other! We firmly believe that we can all win!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have had a diverse career from PR Executive to Personal Chef to Basketball Coach to General Manager of a sports facility to Motivational Speaker and now Chief Kind Officer of a company whose mission is to help make the world a kinder place. My proudest moment is being a light in this dark world.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1900 Jay Ell Drive
Richardson, TX 75081 - Website: makekindloud.com
- Phone: 254-681-1908
- Email: louisa@makekindloud.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/makekindloud
- Facebook: facebook.com/makekindloud
- Twitter: twitter.com/makekindloud
Image Credit:
Louisa Garrett
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