Her Identity Shattered With One Email, But Horses Carried Her Through: Kate Nelson
When journalist and Indigenous storyteller Kate Nelson received an unexpected email in 2012 suggesting that the man who raised her was not her biological father, her entire sense of self ruptured. What followed was a years-long journey into her Tlingit heritage, an emotional reckoning with identity, and the complicated question of whether she had the "right" to claim the culture she had been disconnected from. As Kate pieced together her ancestry, the most constant throughline in her story is the lifeline of horses. They were the one place she felt a deep, unquestioned sense of belonging long before she had language for it. Together, Kate and HWA co-hosts Caroline Culbertson and Beth Behrs explore belonging, worthiness, and the subtle ways society trains women to shrink themselves (while horses invite us to show up fully). This episode is a heartfelt exploration of identity, lineage, healing, and the animals who carry us through our deepest transformations. About Kate: An Alaska Native Tlingit tribal member, Kate Nelson is an award-winning independent journalist based in Minneapolis who focuses on amplifying important Indigenous change makers and issues. Her writing has appeared in top publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, TIME, the BBC, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, ELLE, Esquire, Teen Vogue, HuffPost, W Magazine, AFAR, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, the Cut, The Daily Beast, Bustle, Saveur, Andscape, Atmos, Civil Eats, and more.
