Kathryn McDaniel: Perseverance Personified
Post Author: Michele Stillwell, Marketing Distribution Portal Enthusiast | Marketing Guru | Accounting Shark | Lover of All Animals | Bourbon Drinker
Perseverance is not giving up. It’s persistence and tenacity. It’s giving the maximum effort required to do something…and keep doing it…until the end, even if it’s hard.
The word “perseverance” originally comes from the Latin perseverantia and means to abide by something strictly. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it. If you’re doing something in spite of all the difficulties, you’re being strict on yourself.
No one knows PERSEVERANCE better than Kathryn McDaniel!
If you know her, you understand this. If you don’t, let me share a bit of her inspiring story and journey.
Kathryn began her career in print sales in 1980 at the age of 23, so to say she’s a seasoned veteran in the printing industry would be an understatement.
Over the years, she’s given back to the Kansas City community in countless ways…donating printing to various organizations, going out of her way to attend events, and on and on.
Kathryn is the busiest woman I know.
She is dedicated to her goal of maintaining a healthy environment by being a leader in the print industry, all while maintaining her status as being 100% woman-owned and operated, with all the certifications to back her up, nationally as well as in Kansas and Missouri.
MEDiAHEAD provides solutions to many of the well-known brands in Kansas City. Kathryn built these relationships over time and has kept them in large part due to her personal dedication to these accounts.
She has fostered numerous healthy partnerships as evidenced by the testimonials we get from each and every client.
Kathryn infuses our core values into each employee, encouraging them to seek opportunities that will provide cost savings for our partners, enable consistency in their brands, and reduce their cycle times.
Each and every employee understands this and we live by these values.
Kathryn is our rock! She’s been through some tough times both personally and with the business. Nothing keeps her down.
She comes in each and every day with a smile on her face and will always laugh at our stories about our weekend or vacation escapades. She, in turn, makes you laugh at each of her stories.
Kathryn is truly genuine and has a HUGE heart for each and every one of us. You can enter her office at any time of the day and she’ll always turn around with a smile on her face and welcome you.
Each employee at MEDiAHEAD stays at MEDiAHEAD because Kathryn treats each employee as she would want to be treated. As a result, she has a team of dedicated employees who love their leader and want nothing more than to see the company succeed and continue to build her dream and success.
And this is why all of that love matters, now more than ever.
In December 2017 the entire team at MEDiAHEAD was crushed when Kathryn came into our annual Christmas party and told us she’d been diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. The good news is that she had surgery and they successfully removed all of the cancer. The unfortunate news is she is going through immunotherapy for a year and there is a 50/50 chance it could come back.
Let me tell you this. I’ve never seen a staff come together so closely, (we were close even before the news) but since, we’ve all pulled together and continue to get things done. We all are extremely passionate about our jobs, passionate about Kathryn, and we’ll do anything we can for her.
Kathryn takes PERSERVERANCE to the next level…and we’re honored to be a part of her journey.
A beautiful piece about a beautiful person!!!
Sally, Thank you, we are so lucky to have her!
Kathryn is the personification of perseverance… and kindness, and dedication, and acceptance. How lucky you all are to work with her, and how lucky she is to have a staff like yours.
Karen thank you so much for the lovely words.
Not the news I want to read or receive. That said, PP is KM. F’ing A! Wonderfully written by MS.
Mike,
Thank you so much for the kind words. Yes, we were devastated, to say the least. Take care, Michele
Keeping Kathryn in prayers and sending healing hugs her way. She is an absolutely incredible woman and I have no doubt she will continue to persevere and beat this! My thoughts are with you, MEDiAHEAD!
Kimberly,
Thank you so much for the kind words. She is an incredible woman and she will beat this. We all feel the same way.
Take care –
Kathryn dedication to her company and her clients is always reassuring. As someone just said, “she always has a smile on her face”, and she has the best laugh … and THE BEST OFFICE! Prayers are with K, and you all at MH.
Freddie,
Thank you. We think she is the best, and yes, she always has a smile on her face. The best office for sure! Thank you again for taking the time to comment.
Take care –
I worked for Kathryn for six years. I never have worked for a nicer more caring genuine person. She always greeted me with that beautiful smile and always said hello no matter how busy she was. She was the best employer I have ever had.
Douglas,
Thank you so much for your kind words. We think the world of Kat!
Thank you Blue Gurus We really appreciate all that you do for us!