Author: Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World

We recently connected with Kathy Erwin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathy, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
When I was young and learning about the world around me, I saw people as generous and kind. I guess I was lucky to be raised in a Christian family who focused on the good all around us. My perspective about people grew into one of acceptance and love. I felt it was easy to give back, when I had so much love in my heart to give. I quickly learned that this positive approach gave back to me, ten fold. The proverb “Do unto others” was spoken and taught on a regular basis from my mother, an amazingly generous woman. She exudes love and kindness for all humankind. Naturally I adopted the moral code of generosity, which led to decades of inner strength to become successful in my ventures.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Coming from a family of teachers, particularly both my father and grandmother, I always knew this was my path. I have a caring and generous heart, a true love for all beings. This soon developed into teaching others when I was only 17 years old. I worked as an assistant in an after school program. I blossomed and thrived. I taught art, sports, music, dance and initiated a homework club. Although I didn’t have good grades in school, somehow this passion and purpose helped me graduate college, and then earned two masters degrees in Education. I now reflect back on 31 years teaching in all levels from Kindergarten to college prep. Venturing on, I found my sweet spot; special education and lastly ended in high school administration. Seems like a big variety and world wind of experiences, which brought me to where I am now. With an adventurous spirit and a side hobby of travel, I am now sailing around the world, meeting others, learning cultures and teaching yoga in remote places along the way.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Raising 4 children to become productive and successful young adults, is so fulfilling and rewarding. The three main qualities my husband and I feel we taught them was; finding their passion, developing discipline and determination. Every successful mentor of mine seemed to have an inner passion that supported them to success. Whether it be a career path, a hobby, a lifestyle or a purpose, these people exuded a profound inner drive. For me my passion was in helping others. If I saw someone in need, I felt internally motivated and determined to offer a service of one kind or another. This pattern has repeated in my life over and over, even after retirement. As a full time sailor, living on a sailboat in remote locations across the Pacific Ocean, I developed many skills. Sharing these skills with others came naturally to me and my husband. It was so rewarding giving a network of support to the cruising community. For example, my husband started a safety communication group for hundreds of sailors headed west from California. I taught the village and cruiser children arts and crafts. I did canvas repair on dozens of boats. With Starlink, I trained and became a certified yoga Instructor. Providing yoga sessions for local villagers and cruisers is so rewarding. As a traveling sailing community we all learned together how to help each other making breads, yogurt, growing herbs, and more importantly learning together about weather systems, reverse osmosis water makers and solar/wind powered electricity. Passion, determination, and discipline have played a huge role in our lives, past and present.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Recently, I dove into a new challenge of creating an online presence as a yoga instructor. I am not necessarily a business person, don’t claim to be very technically skilled and definitely don’t feel comfortable in sales. But again, I am passionate about serving others, am determined and disciplined to meet this huge challenge. I know I need support in this endeavor. I learn from other like minded folks, but need guidance in the complicated world of YouTube. I have started a channel, it’s fun to watch it grow, but it’s painfully slow. Look for yourself, maybe even drop a comment. You might be the only one who does, LOL. So, wish me luck, send me some skills, or find me on some hidden, sandy beach in Fiji for restorative yoga.