We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate Knight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
Soap Hope supports organizations that promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the community. This can happen in a variety of ways. We believe the biggest impact towards inclusion is providing rewarding supported employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The disabilities community deserves the same right to equality in employment opportunities as any other group. We believe increasing employment opportunities and improving community engagement of people with disabilities are civil rights. Hiring a person with a disability is like dropping a boulder in a pond. Major ripple effects are felt in every direction – colleagues benefit, the company benefits, and the community benefits. Soap Hope provides support to organizations who train, place, and support people with disabilities in community employment. Every time you shop with us, you support these organizations, too.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have never really been someone with five or ten-year career goals. My philosophy has always been to pour myself completely into whatever I am working on and then seize the opportunities that come along. My kids would probably sum this up with a Frozen 2 quote – I really just try to “do the next right thing”. I have just found that the best thing for the long term is to crush it in the short term. So while my career has been winding – from Hollywood to Tanzania to Dallas – it has been marked with a reputation for passionate hard work and getting sh*t done.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
To Do • Hit the trails in the Great Trinity Forest – so much to see and explore! • Visit Bonton Farms. Grab breakfast or lunch in the cafe, wander the farm and say hi to the goats! • Shop for a Cause! Starting in October, you can visit the Soap Hope showroom to buy our natural soaps and meet some of our teammates that make Soap Hope so special – we are working to prove the value of inclusive employment for adults with disabilities. • Cidercade – spend an evening playing unlimited arcade games and sipping locally made cider. • Perot Museum – Because, Science. To Eat & Drink • At least two meals that include tortillas – so probably breakfast tacos at Rusty Taco and then dinner at Meso Maya • Happy Hour at Three Nations Brewery – order take out from Cane Rosso next door when you get hungry • Step it up a bit with dinner at Sassetta – people watching across the patio is always entertaining and the whipped ricotta is insane • I haven’t gotten to try it yet, but I would definitely include a late-night piece of cake from the Cake Bar vending machine!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Before coming to My Possibilities I spent seven years building the Social Innovation Accelerator at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. By far, the most meaningful part of that job was the opportunity to work with hundreds of social entrepreneurs here in North Texas. Through the ups and downs, these brilliant, creative, driven dreamers taught me much more than I taught them – about tenacity, gratitude, and ingenuity. During my time as Director, I was able to coach the founders and leaders of 45 different businesses and organizations. It was a privilege to witness the passion and commitment that goes into creating lasting change. To borrow from Steve Jobs, while some may see them as the crazy ones, I see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Website: soaphope.com
Instagram: @soaphope
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soap-hope/about/
Twitter: @soaphope
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soaphope

Image Credits
Photo credit: Matthew Shelley Head shot: Courtesy of Kate Knight

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.