Latest / Cyrus Webb's tracks / Kate Thurman returns to Conversations LIVE to discuss her book, anthology and music
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Conversations Live. I'm your host,
- 0:02Speaker 1: Cyrus Webb. Glad you all could join us once again.
- 0:04Speaker 1: For radio items tuning in in Mississippi, WYAD 94.1 FM
- 0:08Speaker 1: and WYADonline.com, we're glad that you all can be with us. Also,
- 0:12Speaker 1: join us online worldwide via our podcast at iHeartRadio and
- 0:16Speaker 1: Amazon Music. We're glad you all could be with us
- 0:18Speaker 1: as well. We're excited to welcome back Kate Thurman to
- 0:20Speaker 1: our broadcast today. You guys know her as an author,
- 0:23Speaker 1: media personality, speaker, and songwriter. She's really putting all of
- 0:27Speaker 1: that in full force as we're going throughout this last
- 0:31Speaker 1: quarter of 2026. She has some exciting things that are happening.
- 0:34Speaker 1: She has new services that she's able to offer for
- 0:36Speaker 1: those who are looking for personalized songs as well for
- 0:39Speaker 1: their loved ones and for themselves. But she also has
- 0:41Speaker 1: an anthology that's coming out at the end of this
- 0:43Speaker 1: year I want to tell you all about as well. Kate,
- 0:46Speaker 1: welcome back to the broadcast.
- 0:48Speaker 2: Thank you for having me, Cyrus. You know, I'm excited
- 0:51Speaker 2: every time I get to have an interview with you.
- 0:53Speaker 2: Thank you for having me back.
- 0:55Speaker 1: Well, I appreciate that, Kate. Well, you have a lot
- 0:57Speaker 1: of exciting things that are happening. A lot of times
- 1:00Speaker 1: it's interesting. I have guests who come on the show
- 1:04Speaker 1: every month. It's like I normally have members of my
- 1:07Speaker 1: Conversations Media group do. But every time we have something
- 1:10Speaker 1: new to talk about. So, of course, people got to
- 1:12Speaker 1: know you, Kate, ironically, because you were part of an
- 1:15Speaker 1: anthology in the very beginning when you and I first connected.
- 1:19Speaker 1: Now here you are, not only with your own book,
- 1:21Speaker 1: Beauty Beyond the Tears, but now here you are spearheading
- 1:24Speaker 1: your own anthology. How does it feel to be able
- 1:27Speaker 1: to not only share your own story, but help other
- 1:30Speaker 1: people share their stories too?
- 1:32Speaker 2: It feels good. Um, at first I was nervous about
- 1:36Speaker 2: it because, um, I've written books in the past, but
- 1:39Speaker 2: I've never, you know, published them. And when I got
- 1:42Speaker 2: in the anthology, I was super excited, but to be
- 1:45Speaker 2: able to now spearhead my own anthology, at first I
- 1:49Speaker 2: was nervous. I'm like, okay, um, what's going to happen here?
- 1:54Speaker 2: This is what I was thinking. But seeing the women
- 1:58Speaker 2: that joined and telling their stories, I'm super excited. I'm
- 2:02Speaker 2: honored that they chose to put their story in the
- 2:05Speaker 2: anthology and take this walk with me.
- 2:09Speaker 1: Well, it's an exciting time for sure, I think, for
- 2:12Speaker 1: them as well. So I want to talk about the
- 2:15Speaker 1: power of our story because I think that's really what
- 2:18Speaker 1: you've been able to learn. How does it feel, Kate,
- 2:20Speaker 1: to know that Not only did you have a story,
- 2:23Speaker 1: but your story has power and can be able to
- 2:25Speaker 1: impact the lives of other people.
- 2:28Speaker 2: It feels amazing, Cyrus. When I wrote my first book,
- 2:34Speaker 2: Due to Beyond the Tears, knowing that my story could
- 2:40Speaker 2: help someone brought me joy. Even though I wrote that
- 2:43Speaker 2: story in the midst of my pain, I... For me,
- 2:48Speaker 2: it was about making sure that everyone that read, got
- 2:52Speaker 2: that book knew that in the fear, I wrote that
- 2:57Speaker 2: book in a strength that only God could give me. And,
- 3:03Speaker 2: you know, I get the feedback about my story and like,
- 3:06Speaker 2: you know, you encourage me to keep the faith no
- 3:08Speaker 2: matter what. And that's what matters. The power of your
- 3:11Speaker 2: story matters when someone can come and tell you that.
- 3:16Speaker 1: Right. Exactly. I think that's such an important thing. And
- 3:19Speaker 1: you've been able to just grow since then. I mean,
- 3:22Speaker 1: you were already, when you and I met, Kate, you
- 3:25Speaker 1: were already co-hosting your own podcast with your husband, Chris Thurman,
- 3:30Speaker 1: Graceful Gatherings with the Thurmans. But then you stepped out
- 3:33Speaker 1: and started doing your own podcast as well with the
- 3:37Speaker 1: Kate Thurman Show. Talk to us about that. What was
- 3:39Speaker 1: that step like for you? to go from being able
- 3:41Speaker 1: to do something with your husband, ironically, that you pulled
- 3:44Speaker 1: him into, to then, of course, being able now to
- 3:49Speaker 1: be able to be solo and doing your own show. Oh, wow.
- 3:53Speaker 2: It feels good. At first, I was nervous. I was like, me?
- 3:58Speaker 2: Do a show by myself? Because, honestly, I think my
- 4:01Speaker 2: husband and I was leaning on each other during the
- 4:03Speaker 2: podcast together. But to step out and to do the
- 4:07Speaker 2: other podcast, Kate Thurman's show, by myself, And I realized
- 4:12Speaker 2: that I said to myself one time, I said, well,
- 4:15Speaker 2: this is your show. You know how you feel when
- 4:17Speaker 2: you go on and do an interview and you know
- 4:19Speaker 2: what you want. So just, you know, have it just relaxed.
- 4:24Speaker 2: And so to be able to do the podcast and
- 4:28Speaker 2: I want it to be a relaxed environment. And I
- 4:31Speaker 2: love for the guests to come and we just have
- 4:33Speaker 2: a conversation. And so the podcast, I love it. I
- 4:37Speaker 2: love it. I love it. Because. They love it. They
- 4:42Speaker 2: come on, and we just have a good time when
- 4:44Speaker 2: they come on the Kate Thurman Show.
- 4:47Speaker 1: Well, and I can speak firsthand because I've been a
- 4:50Speaker 1: guest on the Kate Thurman Show myself, and the thing
- 4:52Speaker 1: that I love about it, Kate, is that you are yourself.
- 4:55Speaker 1: I think so many times, and I think, look, there's
- 4:58Speaker 1: nothing wrong with being inspired by other people, but I
- 5:01Speaker 1: love the fact that you realize your gift is in
- 5:04Speaker 1: being you. What has that been like for you to
- 5:06Speaker 1: know that you don't have to change, that you can
- 5:08Speaker 1: just be who you are and that that is enough
- 5:11Speaker 1: when it comes to doing anything, including your own show.
- 5:14Speaker 2: Oh, oui. That is the most powerful thing, I think,
- 5:21Speaker 2: that revelation that I've had, especially this year, knowing that, because,
- 5:27Speaker 2: you know, knowing that my gift actually makes room for me,
- 5:31Speaker 2: that's the most powerful revelation that I have. I don't
- 5:37Speaker 2: have to change. who I am. Because for years, I've
- 5:40Speaker 2: always changed who I was. I put the mask on.
- 5:44Speaker 2: And this year, I feel like I've taken the mask
- 5:47Speaker 2: off and just been me. And people just seem to,
- 5:51Speaker 2: you know, just want to have a talk with Kate Thurman. Just,
- 5:55Speaker 2: you know, Kate Thurman is enough.
- 5:57Speaker 1: Yeah. Kate Thurman is, and I love that. And that
- 6:00Speaker 1: is so true. Now, how does it feel, though, to
- 6:03Speaker 1: not only say that, Kate, but to believe it?
- 6:05Speaker 2: Ooh. Now, to say it and to believe it wholeheartedly,
- 6:11Speaker 2: that for me, I don't even want to cry, but
- 6:14Speaker 2: I want to cry. It's healing for me. You know
- 6:20Speaker 2: my story. We've talked about how I've come through just
- 6:26Speaker 2: different types of abuse just from being a kid and
- 6:30Speaker 2: other kids abusing me, just different types. And it's feeling
- 6:33Speaker 2: like my voice was stolen, feeling like No one wanted
- 6:37Speaker 2: to truly hear anything I had to say. And it
- 6:41Speaker 2: feels good. You know, it really feels good to say
- 6:44Speaker 2: it and believe it and know that it's actually true.
- 6:48Speaker 1: Yeah, because it definitely is true. So, Kate, you know,
- 6:51Speaker 1: as you've been able to go on, of course, you've
- 6:53Speaker 1: been able to have people get to know you. You've,
- 6:56Speaker 1: you know, now, of course, been on, you know, on magazines.
- 7:01Speaker 1: You know, you've been featured, of course, you know, in
- 7:04Speaker 1: different profiles online.
- 7:05Speaker 2: Talk to us.
- 7:06Speaker 1: About that, what it's been like for you to show
- 7:07Speaker 1: other people what's possible, because I think that's the other
- 7:10Speaker 1: thing about your story is you're just saying regardless of
- 7:13Speaker 1: what people may have gone through in their past, what
- 7:14Speaker 1: they may have endured, you've been able to show people
- 7:17Speaker 1: what is possible if they don't give up on themselves.
- 7:19Speaker 1: What has that been like for you to kind of
- 7:21Speaker 1: reflect on, but also to remember as you try new things?
- 7:26Speaker 2: Just knowing that when people see me, I've heard people
- 7:31Speaker 2: say to me, even in that aspect, wow, wow. the
- 7:34Speaker 2: way you don't give up and, you know, wow, you
- 7:38Speaker 2: went through all of that and yet you stay here.
- 7:40Speaker 2: And someone said to me recently, you know, if you
- 7:44Speaker 2: look back over your life and see now where you
- 7:49Speaker 2: are in the past three years versus six, seven years ago,
- 7:55Speaker 2: I would have never thought I would be here, but
- 7:57Speaker 2: I didn't give up. And in the past three years,
- 8:00Speaker 2: it's almost like I just went Full force. Just like, okay,
- 8:04Speaker 2: it's time. Yeah. Yeah.
- 8:08Speaker 1: Well, one of the things that was a big surprise
- 8:11Speaker 1: for me and for a lot of other people, Kate,
- 8:13Speaker 1: was not only you writing your own book, but then
- 8:17Speaker 1: writing music. So you started, you know, with, you know,
- 8:21Speaker 1: the way I got to know about it was about
- 8:24Speaker 1: the theme song you wrote for your book, Beauty Beyond
- 8:27Speaker 1: the Tears. And then I don't think you stopped since then.
- 8:29Speaker 1: I think you just were writing everybody you met. I
- 8:31Speaker 1: didn't even ask, did you write one for your postman too?
- 8:36Speaker 1: If he would let me, I would. But, no, seriously,
- 8:40Speaker 1: I mean, you've been able to, you know, put together
- 8:43Speaker 1: music for yourself, music about your husband. You've been able
- 8:46Speaker 1: to help your mother-in-law, Valerie Thurman, you know, be able
- 8:49Speaker 1: to turn her songs, you know, and poems into music.
- 8:54Speaker 1: Talk to us about that gift of songwriting and what
- 8:56Speaker 1: it's been like for you to rediscover that love. but
- 9:00Speaker 1: also to share it now with the world the way
- 9:02Speaker 1: you are.
- 9:04Speaker 2: Oh, wow. That goes back to me saying, talking about,
- 9:08Speaker 2: you know, having my voice. Knowing that, you know, my
- 9:12Speaker 2: gifts are enough. My gifts will make room for me.
- 9:15Speaker 2: It feels good to know that I have this gift.
- 9:17Speaker 2: And people, they trust me. That goes back to everything
- 9:20Speaker 2: we just talked about. Being Kate Thurman is enough. Finding
- 9:25Speaker 2: my voice and using the gifts that God gave me,
- 9:28Speaker 2: it feels good that they trust me. It feels good
- 9:32Speaker 2: knowing that the finished product, just the reaction on their
- 9:37Speaker 2: faces and some call me back with tears in their eyes.
- 9:42Speaker 2: It feels like it's a part of what I'm supposed
- 9:46Speaker 2: to do.
- 9:49Speaker 1: So the love of music, this is something that seems
- 9:52Speaker 1: to be something that kind of is a family thing.
- 9:55Speaker 1: I mean, when did you first discover that love? I mean,
- 9:58Speaker 1: that is definitely not a gift that I have. but
- 10:00Speaker 1: when did you discover that love.
- 10:01Speaker 2: For yourself um I've always loved music I remember I
- 10:08Speaker 2: was about 5 or 6 singing Whitney Houston and I
- 10:12Speaker 2: would sing and then I started getting picked on and
- 10:15Speaker 2: it was like I got quiet and I stopped singing
- 10:17Speaker 2: for a long time um And it wasn't that I
- 10:21Speaker 2: couldn't sing. I could sing just fine and lead the choir.
- 10:24Speaker 2: I just thought I was doing it all. And now
- 10:31Speaker 2: being able to use those gifts and now being able
- 10:34Speaker 2: to say out loud, yeah, I can do all of
- 10:38Speaker 2: those things. Even when I first told you about the
- 10:42Speaker 2: song or write music, I don't know if I initially
- 10:45Speaker 2: told you that I could sing. Did I initially tell
- 10:48Speaker 2: you that? And then eventually... I did?
- 10:51Speaker 1: Yeah, you did.
- 10:52Speaker 2: Okay. And then eventually I started, you know, singing. Like
- 10:57Speaker 2: for people. Because I hid that because I was still
- 11:02Speaker 2: stuck in, a part of me was still stuck in
- 11:06Speaker 2: the past. And then I had to, I was still
- 11:09Speaker 2: healing in different parts. I had healed and was able
- 11:12Speaker 2: to speak and talk about my books. But this time
- 11:15Speaker 2: I needed to talk about the other gifts. if that
- 11:18Speaker 2: makes sense. So I needed to let everybody know. And
- 11:21Speaker 2: then I discovered at five. So then, you know, my
- 11:24Speaker 2: family always knew and, um, some of my family can
- 11:29Speaker 2: definitely seen. Um, but I just hid it. And knowing
- 11:35Speaker 2: now that I didn't need to do that all those years,
- 11:40Speaker 2: I thought, you know, I was just wasting the gift.
- 11:44Speaker 2: And then I started praying and, um, it was just
- 11:48Speaker 2: revealed that I needed to go ahead and use the gift.
- 11:51Speaker 2: So I discovered it early, shut it down for years,
- 11:56Speaker 2: and it's almost like I'm rediscovering it, if that makes sense.
- 12:01Speaker 1: But the interesting thing about this, Kate, which is why
- 12:03Speaker 1: I'm glad we're having this conversation, is because I think
- 12:06Speaker 1: it's in all of our audience out there, no matter
- 12:09Speaker 1: where they are, they have a gift. All of us
- 12:11Speaker 1: have gifts, right? But it's all in what we choose
- 12:14Speaker 1: to to do with it. But you're not just out
- 12:16Speaker 1: here just doing something. You have been able to realize
- 12:20Speaker 1: the business aspect of it and make sure that you
- 12:23Speaker 1: are protecting yourself. But also, you've now got into this role,
- 12:28Speaker 1: a new role for you, really, in many ways of
- 12:31Speaker 1: being able to educate others. Talk to us about that.
- 12:33Speaker 1: Have you always understood the importance of the business of
- 12:38Speaker 1: the music business?
- 12:40Speaker 2: Well, for about 15, 16 years, I've been behind the
- 12:44Speaker 2: scenes in music. My daughter can sing. You were right. Family, right?
- 12:49Speaker 2: My daughter can sing. She can do a lot. So
- 12:52Speaker 2: when she came to me at 13, she was like, Mom,
- 12:54Speaker 2: I want to dance. I want to sing. Of course, me.
- 12:57Speaker 2: I've always been this way. I'm going to take it
- 12:59Speaker 2: to the next level. I started getting executives and I
- 13:04Speaker 2: started working with people in the industry. And so I
- 13:08Speaker 2: learned along the way. what to do and what not
- 13:11Speaker 2: to do. And one of the hardest lessons you will
- 13:15Speaker 2: learn in the industry is relationship building. That's the very
- 13:19Speaker 2: first thing that I teach people. You have to build
- 13:22Speaker 2: a relationship in this industry. You're not out here on
- 13:25Speaker 2: your own. I don't care what you can do. If
- 13:28Speaker 2: you don't build relationships and build them right, you won't
- 13:32Speaker 2: get far in that industry. So that was the first
- 13:35Speaker 2: lesson I learned. When someone explained it to me, I
- 13:39Speaker 2: was like, okay, And then along the way, I wanted
- 13:42Speaker 2: to learn, I needed to learn how to protect my
- 13:45Speaker 2: daughter because she was a minor and I needed to
- 13:47Speaker 2: protect myself. So I learned how to protect her name
- 13:51Speaker 2: with the stage name. I understood that, you know, with
- 13:56Speaker 2: a name, you don't want to use your government name.
- 14:00Speaker 2: You know, so I learned why you needed a stage name.
- 14:04Speaker 2: I learned just a lot of different things along the way.
- 14:09Speaker 2: And so a lot came from just in the industry,
- 14:14Speaker 2: and they taught me what I needed to know. And
- 14:17Speaker 2: then the rest, of course, I studied for. I studied.
- 14:23Speaker 1: And I think that studying is so important. And, again,
- 14:26Speaker 1: to be able to not only know for yourself, but now,
- 14:29Speaker 1: of course, to know for others, which brings us to
- 14:31Speaker 1: what I mentioned at the beginning of our conversation today,
- 14:35Speaker 1: because now, of course, not only are you producing information,
- 14:38Speaker 1: music for yourself, you're now providing a service where people
- 14:42Speaker 1: can have personalized music. What does that mean, like, you know,
- 14:45Speaker 1: that you could turn this gift into a business, Kate?
- 14:48Speaker 2: Oh, it feels good. When I first came up with
- 14:51Speaker 2: the idea to turn music, turn stories, or turn anything,
- 14:57Speaker 2: you and I were talking, and You helped me realize that,
- 15:02Speaker 2: you know, I have value even in that, you know,
- 15:05Speaker 2: because I was just helping people for free. And just,
- 15:10Speaker 2: I think I was burnt out. And that's when I realized, like, okay, Kate,
- 15:16Speaker 2: it's time to, you know, pay attention to the things.
- 15:21Speaker 2: There was another, for me, it was another class, like,
- 15:24Speaker 2: listening to you and understanding that my services are enough.
- 15:30Speaker 2: And I am enough. And I don't need to burn
- 15:33Speaker 2: myself out trying to help people. And then I learned
- 15:37Speaker 2: from everybody else, you're worth it. Just tell me what
- 15:41Speaker 2: you need me to do. You're worth it. If I
- 15:43Speaker 2: will go and do this for someone else, I'm going
- 15:45Speaker 2: to pay you for your services. I don't want you
- 15:47Speaker 2: spending all your day and time. So that felt good
- 15:50Speaker 2: knowing that people actually valued what I have to say.
- 15:54Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I think it goes a different layer here, Kate,
- 15:57Speaker 1: because there are people who will say, because even in
- 16:01Speaker 1: certain things that I do, well, I can do that
- 16:03Speaker 1: or I can do this. And here's the thing. They
- 16:07Speaker 1: may can do the surface level, but the actual business
- 16:12Speaker 1: part of it, do they have that knowledge? And you're
- 16:14Speaker 1: kind of helping them in that part. What has that
- 16:17Speaker 1: been like for you to know that you can Be
- 16:19Speaker 1: able to provide a service. You can give someone something
- 16:22Speaker 1: that is memorable, like a song for themselves or for
- 16:26Speaker 1: a loved one, you know, or something. But also let
- 16:28Speaker 1: them know the business side, too, because you're adding an
- 16:31Speaker 1: educational aspect in there, too.
- 16:34Speaker 2: Yeah, that part. Sometimes when people come to me, I've
- 16:38Speaker 2: seen them do music. And Cyrus, they don't go past
- 16:44Speaker 2: the first two steps. they just doing music and releasing
- 16:47Speaker 2: music because they have the, the, the tools that AI
- 16:50Speaker 2: tools there to help them. Well, you have to be careful.
- 16:54Speaker 2: So it feels good for me to know that the
- 16:57Speaker 2: people that I work with, I'm, I'm here to say, Hey,
- 17:00Speaker 2: you don't want to do it that way. That's not
- 17:01Speaker 2: going to be good for your business that, you know,
- 17:03Speaker 2: or Hey, you know, pay attention to this because if
- 17:07Speaker 2: you do it this way, it's not going to have
- 17:09Speaker 2: a great effect. This is the way it should be done.
- 17:11Speaker 2: This is the way, um, In order to protect yourself.
- 17:15Speaker 2: So it feels good knowing that I am helping people
- 17:19Speaker 2: along the way. People actually, I talked to someone yesterday
- 17:24Speaker 2: and we were talking about, you know, the music and
- 17:29Speaker 2: they said to me, they said, you know, what you
- 17:31Speaker 2: have to offer, because a lot of us, we probably
- 17:34Speaker 2: can go out and make a song, but We don't
- 17:36Speaker 2: know what to do past that. And I was like,
- 17:38Speaker 2: that's true. So you're right, Cyrus. I'm able to educate
- 17:42Speaker 2: along the way. And I think that's priceless to know
- 17:45Speaker 2: that they're protecting themselves.
- 17:48Speaker 1: Right. Well, it's a great thing, Kate, for sure. Again, everyone,
- 17:51Speaker 1: Kate Thurman has been our guest. She's an author. She's
- 17:54Speaker 1: a speaker, media personality, songwriter. We've been talking with her about,
- 17:58Speaker 1: as I said at the beginning, very busy time for her.
- 18:01Speaker 1: Not only, of course, gearing up for the anthology that
- 18:04Speaker 1: she's spearheading that's coming out later on this year. It's
- 18:07Speaker 1: going to be available for pre-order here in just a
- 18:09Speaker 1: couple of days for those who are joining us on
- 18:11Speaker 1: October the 9th for the Kindle edition. But also, of course,
- 18:16Speaker 1: she's been able to provide this service. Right now she's
- 18:18Speaker 1: running a special during the month of October where you
- 18:20Speaker 1: can be able to get a personalized song at a
- 18:23Speaker 1: very great price. So, Kate, I want you to let
- 18:26Speaker 1: our audience know, how can they stay connected with you
- 18:28Speaker 1: and be able to keep up with everything that's happening?
- 18:31Speaker 2: On everything, it is Kate Thurman. And also, you can
- 18:37Speaker 2: reach me on the link to meetthethurman.com.
- 18:41Speaker 1: All right. Well, Kate, congratulations to you on everything. It's
- 18:45Speaker 1: been a very busy year. Excited for you and looking
- 18:47Speaker 1: forward to what's coming up next.
- 18:48Speaker 2: Thank you, Cyrus. Thank you for having me.
- 18:50Speaker 1: Okay, glad to do it. We thank your audience for
- 18:52Speaker 1: tuning in to another great segment of Conversations Live. Until
- 18:56Speaker 1: next time, I'm your host, Cyrus Webting. As always, enjoy
- 18:58Speaker 1: your day, enjoy your life, enjoy your world. Thank you
- 19:01Speaker 1: for being with us here at Conversations Live. Let's go
- 19:03Speaker 1: make today amazing. Take care.