Topics: Living a life that matters, the myriad benefits of self-reflection
In this edition of Solutions News, we investigate what it means to live an examined life, and how by reflecting on the end of our days, we might choose to live a life imbued with meaning, prioritizing relationships and our deeper values. Our guest is filmmaker Kate Carter, founder of Life Chronicles, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families cope with impending loss by recording life stories. How can we, each of us, proactively choose our own individual path that we are here to tread on this planet at this time. Life Chronicles helps us retain the wisdom, the personal interactions, the emotions, and the personal connections on film for the next generation to experience, and so much more. We all have words of wisdom and words of care to leave behind. Tune in to hear about the therapeutic value such interactions can bring, and how self-reflection can bring out wisdom we never knew we have to share. (Produced by Kristy Jansen)
Kate Carter is the Founder of LifeChronicles. The story of LifeChronicles is a story of a deeply personal experience that became a mission to serve people everywhere. In 1998, Kate Carter was reeling from the news that a dear friend with breast cancer had been informed that her disease was advancing rapidly. ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) had taken her husband only 15 months before, leaving Kate’s friend to raise their three children alone. While friends and family pulled together to provide for the future care of the children, Kate collaborated with her friend to produce a video that would keep her love alive for them for years to come.
It was this experience that inspired Kate to create a service – really a gift – possible for many people, everywhere. After 18 years, LifeChronicles has helped more than 1,400 clients preserve memories and expressions of love on video.
As if part of a great plan, almost everything in Kate Carter’s life has prepared her for her work today. From an internship in video production, embarked upon solely from a fascination with the field, to her own critical illness 30 years ago when her children were very young, her experiences and training have made her comfortable with and capable for the work she pursues each day. Even her past experience in the corporate world was invaluable when she needed to mold an innovative idea, originally intended to help a dying friend, into a functioning, thriving organization intended to help any person, anywhere, in the same situation for the last 22 years.
Kate owned her own word processing and medical transcription business for 13 years before LifeChronicles and was the executive administrative assistant to the president of a corporation for five years. She has received a number of awards including: The NFL Community Quarterback Award, The Women's Day Award, ABC Radio Powerful Difference Award, The Garden State Film Festival Broader Vision Award, The American Assoc. of Women in Communications Founders Award, UCSB Outstanding Agency Award, KLITE Community Hero Award and the 2019 Santa Barbara 1st District Commission for Women Service Award, to name a few.
Kate Carter, our guest on July 17th, 2020.