#119 It's Time for a 1 Girl Revolution
With Kate Milligan
Hi! New here? Welcome to the Uplifters! I'm Aransas Savas. I've spent the last 20 years at the intersection of behavior change research and coaching. On The Uplifters Podcast, we share diverse stories of women who have found something beautiful on the other side of the hard stuff. Despite self-doubt and fear (and honestly, who doesn't have those?), they've done big, brave things anyway, and show us how we can too!
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This Week’s Featured Uplifter: Kate Milligan
Kate Milligan's story begins with frustration—the kind that sits heavy in your chest when you know something needs to change, but don’t see the change happening. After seven years in Washington D.C.'s political machine, Kate found herself pitching inspiring stories about women who weren't waiting for broken systems to fix themselves—women who were becoming the solution. Story after story got rejected. So she packed up a U-Haul and drove home to Detroit.
In reading about Detroit's motto, "There is always hope and it will rise from the ashes", Kate found her North Star. "That's what women are," she realized. "Women are the most resilient. They're so powerful that they can transform this world." That moment of recognition sparked 1 Girl Revolution, a multimedia platform amplifying the stories of everyday women changing the world.
Her Courage Practice: Lifting Others Up
Through her background in PR and media, Kate has made it her mission to identify women with important stories, ask the right questions to help them see their own significance, and create safe spaces for their voices to emerge.
She gives women permission to see themselves as worthy of attention, as leaders worth following, as revolutionaries in their own right.
In the process of uplifting others, Kate discovered her own voice. What began as a way to showcase other women's courage became the foundation for her own transformation from shy, bullied kid to Emmy-nominated documentary producer and movement builder.
Listen to This If You:
Aren’t quite sure what your big purpose is
Feel like your voice doesn't matter in a noisy world
Are tired of waiting for broken systems to change themselves
Want to turn your own pain into purpose for others
Are ready to stop playing small and start building something meaningful
5 Ways She Shows Us How to Build Our Courage Capital:
Convert frustration into fuel - When Kate felt defeated by the stories that weren't getting told, she didn't accept it as the way things are (that voice that whispers "this is just how the media works"). Instead, she used that frustration as evidence that something needed to change—and that she could be the one to change it.
Start where you are with what you have - Instead of waiting for $100,000 and a perfect plan, she decided to do 10 podcast episodes and see what happened. 260 episodes later, her "small experiment" has become a movement that's been shaped by the very women whose stories she tells.
Give yourself permission to not have all the answers - Kate's dad gave her the gift of impermanence when he said "fill up the U-Haul and move back, and if you change your mind, we'll load it right back up."
Turn your pain into someone else's pathway - Kate's experience of being bullied and feeling invisible became her superpower for recognizing other women who felt unseen. When we transform our wounds into windows for others, we discover that our struggles weren't just about us—they were preparation for our purpose.
Remember that being brave is contagious - Kate talks about how women's stories give her courage to be who she was created to be. The revolution she built didn't just amplify other voices; it created a ripple effect where courage multiplies exponentially. Every time we step into our power, we give someone else permission to do the same.
References & Resources:
1 Girl Revolution Podcast: 260+ episodes of women's stories (available on all podcast platforms and YouTube)
Emmy-nominated documentaries: "The Girl Inside" and "In Tandem" (watch on YouTube)
Main website: www.1girlrevolution.com
Nonprofit platform: www.onegirlrevolution.org
Lift Her Up:
Subscribe to the One Girl Revolution podcast (available on all platforms and YouTube)
Follow on social media:
Instagram: @1girlrevo
Facebook: facebook.com/1girlrevo
Twitter: @1girlrevo
YouTube: 1GirlRevolution
Support through donations at www.onegirlrevolution.org to help tell more stories
Shop their female empowerment merchandise to rep the movement
If You Liked Kate’s Story, Check Out These Stories:
Terry Grahl (Episode 114): The woman who nominated Kate and founded Enchanted Makeovers, transforming shelters for domestic violence survivors
Kerry Brodie (Episode 79): Founder of Emma’s Torch who left DC to create a systemic solution for the needs of asylees and immigrants
(Episode 4): Music educator who built a global teaching network from her studio apartment
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