Perseverance: The Heartbeat of Kahli Made
When I look back at the path that led me here — to Kahli Made, to entrepreneurship, to living a life that feels aligned with who I truly am — one word rises to the surface: perseverance.
This journey hasn’t been linear. It hasn’t been easy. In fact, at times it’s felt almost unbearable. I’ve carried the weight of a job that drained me, walked through the darkness of a painful postpartum season, faced the heartbreak of losing my mom, and endured betrayals that cut deeper than I could have ever expected. These were the chapters of my life that could have hardened me, broken me, or convinced me to stop dreaming altogether.
But somewhere in the midst of all that pain, I chose to keep going.
The Gift of Perseverance
A friend told me a few weeks ago, “I love watching you persevere in this life.” That really hit me to my core. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that perseverance has been the thread running through every part of my story. It’s not glamorous. It’s not easy. It doesn’t come with applause. But it’s what carried me through the days when I was exhausted, lonely, or doubting everything about myself.
Perseverance was the late nights at my kitchen table, creating products with tears in my eyes but hope in my heart. It was the mornings I woke up before the sun, determined to pack orders, update my shop, and dream bigger even when no one else could see the vision yet. It was the decision to put one foot in front of the other, even when I felt like I had nothing left to give.
Carrying My Mother’s Legacy
Losing my mom shook me to my core. She was the original “crafty queen,” the one who taught me how to create, how to see beauty in the little things, how to use my hands and my imagination to bring ideas to life. She planted the seeds of creativity that would later become this brand.
Her absence has left an incomprehensible void in my life, but it also lit a fire so deep within me. I knew I couldn’t let everything she poured into me end with grief and despair. Even though, a lot of days that's all I've felt. Perseverance became my way of honoring her — of building something that carried her influence forward, something my daughter could grow up seeing and remembering.
Why I Keep Going
If it weren’t for my daughter, I might have stayed stuck. I could have continued to live in a cycle of exhaustion, trapped in a career that left me feeling miserable and unfulfilled. But I couldn’t let her grow up watching her mom live halfway — half in, half out of her own life.
I wanted her to see a woman who chose courage over comfort. A woman who was willing to dream, to risk, to fail, to try again. I wanted her to know that when life knocks you down, you get back up — not because it’s easy, but because your dreams are worth fighting for and to do it over, and over if you have to.
The Lesson of Perseverance
Here’s what I’ve learned: perseverance isn’t about never facing hard things. It’s about walking through them with faith, integrity, and the quiet knowing that what you’re building matters. It’s about showing up when no one’s clapping yet. It’s about trusting that God is cheering you on in the unseen moments.
Kahli Made was born out of those very moments — the hidden ones, the hard ones, the ones that required me to believe in myself when no one else could. And today, it stands as proof that perseverance creates more than success. It creates strength. It creates purpose. It creates legacy.
So if you’re in a season where everything feels heavy, where it feels easier to give up than keep going, let me remind you: don’t quit. Your story isn’t over. The dream you’re holding onto is worth the fight. And on the other side of this season, you may just discover a version of yourself you never knew existed — stronger, braver, more aligned, and full of unshakable peace.
This is my story, which I'm certain will someday turn into a memoir. This is Kahli Made. Built on perseverance, fueled by faith, and inspired by the women before me and the little girl watching me now.
xo,
K