Every once in a while, I meet someone I really admire. When I interview women for my blog, I try to find them organically, through connections. I look for unsung heroines of humanitarian efforts and community activism, women whose drive stems from motivations unfulfilled by the tempting diversions of fame and fortune. Don’t get me wrong, these women exude success, it is in their sweat and tears, but they don’t measure that success in the number of Instagram followers or how many digits fall behind the dollar sign in their bank account. If they wanted that kind of success, no doubt, they would achieve it, some even deliberately walked away from it.
That’s why I instantly fell in love with Katie Wilkes during our 60-minute phone interview.
“Everyone probably says this, but I wanted a journey.” Katie pauses for a minute. “Not just any journey, though. I knew I wanted to build something to help people.”
Before co-founding Freeheart Creative with her business “soul sister,” Dana Michelle Cook, Katie worked for Ogilvy & Mather and Res Publica Group. After a few years in the industry, she traded a promising career in advertising and public relations to pursue humanitarian efforts.
“During my last quarter in college, the local American Red Cross chapter hired me as a marketing and communications intern.” In this role, Wilkes acted as an immediate response media liaison and digital volunteer for the Japanese earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. She even helped launch a virtual pilot course in International Humanitarian Law (IHL). “It was more than an internship to me, it was a really appealing career option.”
Unfortunately, Katie graduated from DePaul University in 2011, as the Red Cross organization launched national lay-offs and a hiring freeze halted her plans.
“Using paid and unpaid vacation time, I continued to volunteer as a national spokesperson alongside my day job.” In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and other disasters, Katie brought stories to news outlets like The Weather Channel and MSNBC. In fact, she continues volunteering in this capacity today.
“Working on the ground, I saw beautiful qualities of the human spirit.” She shares, sincerity in her tone. “Most of the time, I was with people on the worst day of their lives, but they got back up and kept going.” Katie never forgot that example of perseverance, and eventually, it brought her back to her dream career.
In 2014, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies tapped her for a communications position based in Geneva, Switzerland. She had two weeks to move.
“I resigned on the spot.” She admits it was a quick decision, but necessary. “Fortunately, my boss understood and encouraged me to go.” In Geneva, Katie worked on the 2014 Ebola crisis communication efforts, but that wasn’t the most challenging aspect of her new job. She struggled the most outside the office.
“Switzerland has four national languages; French, German, Italian and Romansh. In public, I relied primarily on non-verbal communication when I couldn’t always understand the locals. It challenged me, but also gave me the confidence to tackle steeper goals.”
Like starting her own humanitarian enterprise alongside her co-founder, Dana Michelle Cook.
“Dana and I met at a women’s retreat during dance party yoga.” Wilkes giggles. “We’re holding warrior 2, balloons flying all over the place, trying not to laugh too hard.”
After yoga, they started talking.
“We both wanted to develop global stories of hope, particularly showcasing women. And we’re both passionate about story-telling.” Cook’s background in film production, coupled with Wilkes’ communications experience proved a winning combination. “Six months and thousands of post-it notes later, we formed Freeheart Creative.”
Freeheart Creative launched their first documentary series in 2017, Seeing Brave, featuring three women working on humanitarian efforts in Syria, Rwanda and Kenya. They’ve held Chicago-area screenings with Athleta, Lululemon, Red Bull and with documentary featured organizations Karam Foundation and World Bicycle Relief.
“We got the opportunity to participate in a really exciting screening in San Francisco working with Chelsea Handler and Lina Sergie Attar, the Founder and CEO of Karam Foundation,.” Karam means “generosity” in Arabic and the non-profit is dedicated to building a better future for Syria.
Other featured organizations include Leah Missbach Day’s World Bicycle Relief, an effort to equip Kenyan schoolgirls with their own bicycles and Anna Bimenyimana’s efforts to support Gardens for Health International, an effort to reinvest in Rwanda’s future following the Rwandan Genocide.
If you’re interested in viewing the documentary series, sign-up for the Freeheart Creative email list or follow Freeheart Creative on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube because you won’t find the series streaming on Netflix or Amazon.
“We don’t want people to watch the series and then go back to business as usual,” says Wilkes. “At each screening we facilitate conversations and the development of action plans through the power of story. Attendees leave with a mission.”
Katie believes there is a huge gap between the truth of global issues and the American media portrayal of these issues.
“So often, we see an ‘us and them’ mentality that feeds fear and misconceptions,” says Wilkes. Freeheart Creative aims to share honest, raw stories that make people think; regardless of life circumstances, resources or geographic location.
Stay tuned, Freeheart Creative is bracing for an exciting future.