Who Do You Think You Are? Reclaiming Your Identity with Kat Perkins
- Johnette Cruz
- May 4
- 3 min read
Behind The Filter Podcast
This week on Behind the Filter, we are welcoming back a very special guest: Indianapolis native, author, and keynote speaker Kat Perkins.
Since our last conversation before her book launch, Kat’s journey has come full circle. Her memoir, Girls With Pearls Have Power, officially launched this past October on her birthday, and she is currently traveling the country on a powerful book tour. She returned to her roots recently in Indy to speak at a health fair hosted by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at the JW Marriott.
While the city was buzzing with convention energy, Kat was in the mix, shifting the conversation toward something that affects us all: Mental Health and Identity.
Breaking the Stigma: Mental Health and Identity
Kat’s message has evolved into a powerful framework for healing. In a community where mental health was once a "family secret" or a stigma to be hidden, Kat is pulling back the curtain.
"Mental health is an issue right now... it’s always been an issue, but now it’s just being more talked about than it has ever been. My book crosses over into that mental health aspect because I talk about the things that happened to me—the abuse, the child abuse, the mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Those things wear on a person’s mind."
Kat’s work focuses on a keynote titled "Who Do You Think You Are?" It isn’t just a question; it’s a challenge to look past the identities handed to us by others.
The ITR Framework: Recognition, Permission, and Submission
Kat introduced our listeners to her ITR Framework, a three-step journey to reclaiming your life:
Identity Interference: This is the "noise" from our past. Kat shared how her own aunt used to tell her she was "ugly" and "would never amount to anything." These interferences mess with a person's psyche if they aren't strong enough to resist.
Identity Transference: Living out the agenda or identity someone else handed to you—often shaped by trauma or culture before we even reach age 25.
Identity Revelation: The moment of unveiling who you innately are.
"You have to recognize that something is off. This is not making sense. That’s not me... You give yourself permission to research who you are. And then you submit—not to what they say, but to who you are."
Stories from the Chrysler Foundry to Foster Care
Kat’s book isn't a traditional memoir; it’s a narrative experience punctuated by poetry. She shared a heartbreaking story of her father, a young widower with five children, who worked at the Chrysler foundry. To hide his children from "the welfare people," he would keep all five kids in a hot car during his shifts.
"I realized that I had to forgive my dad for some of the things that happened... I wrote a poem for my father called 'Daddy, I Forgive You.' It’s easier to forgive than it is to carry resentment. It just festers. It weighs you down and breaks your spirit."
She also opened up about the harrowing reality of the foster care system in Indianapolis. Kat described being 10 years old and moved to a home off 40th Street where "dirty old men" and lack of belief from caregivers made life a living hell.
"I felt somebody breathing on me... I woke up and here’s this old man touching and feeling. God sent an angel because Diane [another girl in the home] woke up and he tripped... She saved me in the nick of time."
The Call for Change
Kat’s experience mirrors the stories many are still telling today. We discussed the current state of DCS and the heartbreaking reality that "poverty does not equal neglect." Kat believes the system requires a total overhaul to prevent children from being "tossed into" environments that lead to further trauma, addiction, or incarceration.
"The longer we hold those things in, it festers," Kat warned. "It gets in your bloodstream... it takes over your life. We’ve got to learn how to let things go."
Connect with Kat Perkins HERE.
Watch or listen to the full episode below!
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~J
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