Let Kate McGormley describe the rush and unbridled joy she experiences every time she goes water skiing, a sport she’s done every year since she was 6 years old. An advocate for mental health and the power of kindness, she takes us through how she got into the sport, the mechanics of getting up on skis, and how being outside on the water helps her appreciate her body, her health, and the goodness that always exists in the world. Her infectious laugh is something that will brighten your day and may just convince you to give water skiing a try!

At the end of the podcast, I share something that brought me joy this week related to the episode. Given Kate’s focus on the joy of the outdoors, please check out the latest Fix Solutions Lab publication—The Joy Issue. Fix is a storytelling team at Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Fix was founded on a simple premise: promising solutions to the climate crisis exist — they just haven’t yet gained sufficient momentum to tip the scales.



The Joy Issue has stories about using joy as a tool for climate change activism. It’s the perfect blend of so many things I love that create the foundation for my life and career—top-notching writing and storytelling, joy, curiosity, and protecting our beautiful planet.

Topics discussed in this episode:

– When Kate started water skiing

– How she got started water skiing

– The mechanics of water skiing

– How water skiing make her grateful for so many things

Links to resources:

– Kate on Instagram – @kathryn.mcgormley

– Kate on Facebook – @Kate McGormley

– Kate’s blog – KindnessMatters365

– The Joy Issue by Fix at Grist – The Joy Issue

– Christa on Twitter – @christanyc

– Christa on Instagram – @christarosenyc

– Christa on Facebook – @AuthorChrista

– Christa on Medium – @christaavampato

– Christa on TikTok – @christanyc

– Christa’s website – ChristaAvampato.com



About Kate:

Kate McGormley is a higher education professional living in Indianapolis with her husband and two sons.  Kate is a champion for mental health advocacy and kindness. She spent 2013 doing a kindness act each day with her young sons and blogging about it at KindnessMatters365. She spends most of her time with family and friends, but also loves serving on the board of her local Habitat for Humanity and occasionally pounding some nails.  Her greatest obsession in life is her English Bulldog, Mack!

Transcript available at https://christaavampato.com/the-joy-of-water-skiing-with-kate-mcgormley/

#sports #waterskiing #joy