KATAGLYPHS

For the last 17 years I’ve actively practiced a ritual of keeping/archiving at least one airline bag tag + one room key from every business-related trip. I had a custom case designed to store & display the plethora of precious keepsakes! + W.H. Murray - COMMITMENT Quote

Phil Knight’s words to me in 2004 when I told him that I was torn between pursuing what I believed to be my higher purpose or staying at Nike. My extraordinaire  ENCOURAGERS: Peter Ruppe “PR”/Gina Angelique Warren/Lesly Mundy/H.White

- An interview, playing a weekly game of TAG, a community youth event + an unexpected feature story in the Oregonian create the possibility of embarking on a new journey.

- “The first 60-90 days at a new job... always listen more & speak less.” - Words of advice from Peter Ruppe when I came to Nike. His advice proved to be incredibly insightful.

“Trenton + Spike Lee + "H" White = Katalyst” - Summer of 1995 in Trenton, New Jersey, at Nike’s “Believe To Achieve” event where my encounter with Howard “H” White sparked the next unexpected chapter in my KARAYZEE journey.

My infatuation with basketball “bounced” me into realizing an audacious childhood fantasy/dream of being in the NBA.  In 1995 that crazy goal manifested in a way that I could have never scripted! Simple Truth: HATERS ARE MY MOTIVATORS!

The words that I heard from Avery Johnson in 1994, he was a standout player on the San Antonio Spurs. It’s my belief that doing tasks that might be considered menial and not glamorous (aka THE LONELY WORK) are necessary for success. You gotta TRUST & BELIEVE that hard work NEVER goes unrewarded!

– The single word that Coach Mac spoke before tossing me the keys to the training room at The Haverford School - my first job as an athletic trainer. That moment catalyzes a series of fortunate + serendipitous events.

– The summer of ‘86 in San Angelo, TX  proved to be the genesis of my journey of learning that if I want something bad enough, I have to be willing to pay my dues.

– an early childhood lesson from my Mom-Mom gave me the courage to brazenly speak up on career day at USAF basic training & that decision changed my military career + my life’s journey.

- Unexpected Wisdom: Speak UP! “Speak Up! A closed mouth don’t get fed!” This phrase was my Mom-Mom’s words of advice when it came to getting what you want or need. Her words went from being a childhood nonsensical phrase to being catalytic in my life’s journey. Reminder: You get in life what you have the courage to ask for so... SpeakUP!

“Football Sonata” – Coach Bellini’s random act of permission + his game day approach & mindset allowed me to elevate my love of... sports, competition, literature and the performing arts! The sonata = permission to pursue an unusual extracurricular passion; game day mindset of our coach that we learned to embody - we do our talking on the gridiron!; Preston playground old head’s “REAL TALK” about how to respond when confronted with bigotry in a game - HATERS = MOTIVATORS!

“Football Sonata” – Coach Bellini’s random act of permission + his game day approach & mindset allowed me to elevate my love of... sports, competition, literature and the performing arts! The sonata = permission to pursue an unusual extracurricular passion; game day mindset of our coach that we learned to embody - we do our talking on the gridiron!; Preston playground old head’s “REAL TALK” about how to respond when confronted with bigotry in a game - HATERS = MOTIVATORS!

Combine the following: libations aplenty + a TRIPLE H Summer Day (Hazy/Hot/Humid) + a few lies, insults, and personal attacks about PAST athletic success bantered back & forth = it’s ON! Athletic events aka challenges between the Old Heads  & the young bucks would happen - sometimes the old heads chose to do short sprints aka the WINO RACES! Money was always wagered on the event and your reputation was on the line.

“Fresh Cut Fridays on Felton Street” - No matter what we tried to do to “avoid” this moment, we always had to get our haircut on a bimonthly schedule @ my Aunt Sandy/Uncle Bobby’s house on Felton Street in West Philly. That bimonthly “mandatory” haircut + visit to my Aunt Sandy & Uncle Bobby’s house turns into an unexpected + long-standing family tradition.

“If you master the THREE LANGUAGES of life, anything will be possible.” - Miz Lane The three languages are: the language of respect; the language of your peers; the language of the working world. Miz Lane would always say that mastering the language of the working world would be the most challenging and the most rewarding so, pursue that goal!

An unimpressive playground pugilistic moment + a  “peace offering” invitation of a PB&J sandwich serve as a catalytic equation that results in an unlikely + amazing lifelong friendship.

Our weekly, after church service visit every Sunday to see my Nana Carroll (my great grandmother) would have been delightful if she didn’t insist on doing a ritual that I believed to be mean-spirited. The long-standing rule that she imposed upon my eager, high strung, hyperactive soul was...Sit down. Be Still! For FIVE MINUTES!

On Thursdays when my grandfather would go to choir rehearsal at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church he would drop me off at my Auntie RoRo/Rose my Mom-Mom’s Sister house. I ADORED HER because she was UNIQUE, QUIRKY & ECCENTRIC! Her house was filled w/delightful ODDITIES + moments that tickled my brain! (#IYKYK Note: I was raised in two different churches. We would split time between attending Baptist Church service and the Episcopal Church services on alternating Sundays - some folks called that a... BAPTOPALIAN!)

These are the simple truths/simple LESSONS that I learned from the eclectic group of men from my childhood who “raised” me - I am a mosaic of ALL these men! “how you do the little things... is how you do all things!” belonging.  self-confidence.  be unconditional.  be present.  hustle - ALL DAY ‘ERY DAY!  pick each other up - I Got You! “don’t you EVER let somebody take your heart! “WE are built different here!”  “Don’t be on time, be EARLY.” “If you ain’t willing to do it well, don’t bother to do it at all.” “I’ve seen a lot of things in my day, but I know there’s something new to see every day so, stay curious.” ALWAYS being true to yourself.   The power of building relationships.   “you are the company you keep.”  know thy self!  be courageous in a difficult situation.  seek out global experiences. 

...I eagerly sought out and devoured insights and lessons from an eclectic array of individuals that lived in the neighborhood - businessmen and laborers, winos and alcoholics, drug dealers and users, sport coaches, some of my peers, old-heads at the playground, war vets, school teachers, custodians and other kid’s fathers. So, these are my “surrogate dads & encouragers ” that helped me on my quest to not let the  circumstances that YOU created dictate my destiny.

They chose their addiction over raising three sons... without parents in my life, I resorted to finding my life lessons from many sources: businessmen and laborers, winos and alcoholics, drug dealers and users, sport coaches, my peers and old-heads at the playground, merchants, war vets, school teachers, librarians, custodians, food service workers, other kid’s moms and dads. I learned to be constantly on the lookout for any nugget of insight/wisdom that would assist me on my quest to rise above my suffering and circumstances - turning ideas into reality became my focus + I'll show YOU! became my daily mantra. I spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground, school & the public library - all of these locales became my sanctuaries. Finding a way to rise above my circumstances and not let my circumstances dictate my destiny was my constant motivation.

Welcome to KATAGLYPHS...an auditory + visual “TIME CAPSULE” filled with the lifelong lessons + unexpected wisdom learned from the community of human catalysts that raised me - believers, friends, teachers, misguided geniuses, educators, coaches + a playground. These stories are captured + preserved via narration and film to create a unique limited podcast series for the nextGEN of leaders, makers, DOers & dreamers. A KATAGLYPHS episode will be shared every week on Wednesday. The listener will hear a series of catalytic stories that are shared in chronological order - beginning with an  introduction (KC’s origin story) and culminating with an unexpected opportunity that would spark new + amazing adventures!