Episode Overview

Drawing parallels between Steve Jobs' famous "Think Different" campaign and Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," Kate Harris explores how both celebrate the power of seeing things differently. She reveals how Jobs, like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, rejected conventional wisdom and created new paths rather than following established ones. Kate emphasizes that what society calls "madness" is often innovation in disguise—the ability to hear music others cannot, to believe in impossible things, and to create your own doors rather than searching for the right ones. The episode challenges listeners to embrace their inner "mad ones" and recognize that profound curiosity and wonder-fueled thinking are what drive real change in the world.

Creative Prompts

• The Wonderland Workshop: Write a short story where Steve Jobs and Alice meet at a tea party hosted by the Mad Hatter. What impossible ideas do they share? What innovation emerges from their conversation that changes both our world and Wonderland?
• Six Impossible Things: Imagine you've been challenged to believe in six impossible things before breakfast. Things that don't exist yet but could revolutionize how you live. What are they, and why does the world need them?
• Down Your Own Rabbit Hole: Reflect on a moment when you followed curiosity despite uncertainty—a personal "rabbit hole" that led to unexpected growth or discovery. How did this experience change your perception of what's possible in your life or work?

Join The Rising

• Resources
• Instagram: @katemharris and @istoria_studio
• Kate's Weekly Newsletter
• Istoria Studio

Episode Summary

Join Kate Harris as she explores the powerful concept that profound growth comes not from choosing between easy and hard, but from choosing which hard we're willing to embrace. Through personal examples, Kate shares how they adopted the motto "non sine periculo" (not without danger) to guide their choices. She emphasizes that whether we acknowledge it or not, we are always making decisions—the question is whether we'll choose deliberately. When we select the hard that stretches us, we not only transform ourselves but become lighthouses for others standing at similar crossroads.

Creative Prompts

• Write a single text message from your future self to your present self about the hard choice you're facing today. Keep it under 50 words.
• List three everyday routines you do on autopilot. Pick one and write two short paragraphs: one describing how it feels to stay in that pattern, and one imagining how it would feel to deliberately change it.
• Choose an object in your room that represents comfort or safety to you. Write 4-5 lines about what it would mean to let it go. (Could be literal or metaphorical)

Join The Rising

• Poet's Rebellion Resources
• Instagram: @katemharris and @istoria_studio
• Kate's Weekly Newsletter

Rebel Poets Rising is produced by the Istoria Studio. To learn more, visit https://istoria.com/studio/.

Episode Overview

In this vulnerable episode, Kate Harris confesses to being "the queen of building walls" and explores how her self-protective barriers ultimately became a prison of her own making. Drawing from personal experiences of being hurt, she reveals how each painful encounter led her to build stronger walls—only to realize these same walls weren't just keeping others out, but keeping parts of herself locked away. Kate shares her journey of deliberately dismantling these barriers and invites listeners to consider what walls they might need to transform, suggesting that true safety isn't found in perfect defenses but in trusting yourself to know when protection is needed and when openness serves better.

Creative Prompts

• "The Single Brick" - Write down one wall you've built in your life on a piece of paper. Crumple it up. Now smooth it out and on the back, write one tiny action you could take tomorrow that goes against that wall. Not next month, just tomorrow.
• "Two Minutes of What If" - Set a timer for exactly two minutes. Close your eyes and imagine one routine or habit you do daily. Now imagine doing it completely differently. Open your eyes and jot down the first feeling that surfaces.
• "The Opposite Note" - Write down one thing you always say to yourself (like "I need more time to prepare" or "I should wait until I'm ready"). Now write its exact opposite.

Join The Rising

• Poet's Rebellion Resources
• Instagram: @katemharris and @istoria_studio
• Kate's Weekly Newsletter

Rebel Poets Rising is produced by the Istoria Studio. To learn more, visit https://istoria.com/studio/.