Photo by Vlad Kudriavtcev - Opticalkind Photography
J EFF SAVAGE Running from Something to Running with Something An Interview with Kat Mische Elle
Jeff, what was your transformation for plugging into your life? was born in Southern California, and when I was seven years old, my parents split up. My mom remarried and introduced a different parenting style into the family dynamic. My dad was very carefree and relaxed and didn’t really put a lot of restrictions on my brother and me. When my stepdad came to the picture, it became more of a militant parenting style. There were rules. There were chores. There were expectations that needed to be followed. It took a lot of adjusting. 80
I N S P I RE D S U CC E SS MAGAZINE | SP RING/ SUMME R 2022
My stepfather also had a job that moved us around the country quite a bit. I was always starting a new school and making new friends or, trying to make new friends. I was constantly trying to fit in. Feeling awkward and being picked on was the norm. It affected my self-esteem, and it affected my popularity in school. I was a little chunky-chubby kid, and I wasn’t very athletic or good at sports. I excelled in things that were more creative. I played the clarinet. And that also brought me to being teased, because it wasn’t cool like the saxophone or the drums. It was an instrument that didn’t have a lot of glamour to it.
