Chatting to Katie Piper is like injecting some positivity into my day, so she was the obvious choice for my In a Good Place podcast.
A TV presenter, speaker, author, podcaster, charity campaigner and mother of two young girls, Katie is one of those incredibly rare people who has taken a truly horrendous, life-changing personal experience and turned it into a means to support and inspire others.
In 2008, Katie was the victim of a brutal rape and acid attack using sulphuric acid, which severally burnt her face and left her blind in one eye. She has undergone numerous skin grafts and eye operations to rebuild her face, but the mental scars are invisible.
Rebuilding her confidence has led Katie down a path of self-discovery and, impressively, a new career as someone who promotes a positive mindset in others.
She has become a beacon of hope for other survivors of burns and scars through her charity The Katie Piper Foundation, and with her one million Instagram followers, books and an OBE, has reached “national treasure” status – even if she won’t admit it herself.
Katie spoke about how she’s in a good place as she approaches the end of her 30s, how she has learnt to accept there is no such thing as negative emotions and how there’s no place like home...
Rosie: Hello, Katie. It’s the eponymous question on this podcast: tell me, are you in a good place?
Katie: Yes, I am. I'm heading towards my 40th birthday and I feel really fortunate. I always find it so sad when I hear women moan about their age and another birthday and keeping the age secret, because you think there’s so many people that would love to age and it’s such a privilege.
In this hectic world, what is the one thing guaranteed to put you in a good place?
“It’s probably simplicity. It’s knowing you’ve got a day off, a gap in the diary, a weekend free of any commitments. That simplicity of stillness and no plans. It puts me in a good headspace. It makes me less highly strung. And I think I’m more present as a person.”
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You’re such a beacon of positivity. What are your cornerstones for rebuilding, especially after such a horrific trauma has happened to you?
“I think it’s really important to say that when you think about being positive and that whole movement of positivity, it can feel a bit robotic if you claim to be like that all the time. I don’t think anybody is. And, if you seek that way in life, you’re almost saying other emotions aren’t valid and that anger is a negative emotion.
“For me, there’s no such thing as negative emotions. The happiest, kindest people experience anger. Some people experience anger on a daily basis, but it’s controlled.
“So I think first of all, it’s acknowledging there’s this whole spectrum and allowing it into your life, otherwise you’re not able to move forward, because life is all about acceptance. And lots of things happen to all of us that we don’t always invite and seek in our lives and we don’t always welcome them, but we do have to accept them.”
What is your ultimate good place on the planet?
“It’s weird because it’s not a physical place. It’s a reflection of us, like Great Britain, the UK…
“Our togetherness, our empathy, our respect for one another – our etiquette is second to none and no one else does it like us. So I think my all-time favourite place is the UK. I’m so proud to be from here. There’s no place like home. The way we do things isn’t for everybody, but it is for us.”
Listen to the latest episode of In A Good Place here