Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin McGee.
Kevin McGee is the founder of the Atlanta Natural Life Festival taking place on Saturday, August 31st in Old Fourth Ward Park in Atlanta. Kevin started the festival to help others “live their best lives naturally.” The festival will celebrate natural, non-toxic living and holistic wellness. Kevin believes that we all could live a healthier, more mindful life, and the Atlanta Natural Life Festival helps people take a giant step toward “better.
Kevin’s self-described purpose is to feed and nourish others’ minds, bodies and spirits. Providing them with the resources and sustenance that they need to grow naturally and be in good health in all areas of their lives.
But why did Kevin choose to advocate for this natural lifestyle? And why was he so focused on living and eating more mindfully, tapping into better health, and decreasing stress?
Having spent much of his life, as many of us do, grinding, multi-tasking, working excessively in the pursuit of success, over-committing to activities and events, burning the candle at both ends and so on… he was an entrepreneur, socialite, board member, college trustee, networker and the list could go on. By all measures, he was, in his own mind “making things happen.”
Then, one day, he realized that he was being the person that others wanted him to be and not the person that God intended for him to be. His life wasn’t fully aligned with his purpose and in the midst of Kevin making things happen, something unexpected happened to him and his family. In 2015, his then 12-year old daughter was diagnosed with Cancer.
This marked the most challenging time in Kevin’s life. To help combat the illness and deal with the stress related to it, Kevin and his family embarked on a journey towards better health and wellness. They began by changing what they ate, the products they used on their bodies, the things that they allowed in their home. And most importantly, the thoughts that they allowed to enter their mind.
Along this path, Kevin found new passions in the form of Yoga, increased physical fitness and meditation. As well as adhering to a primarily plant-based diet. These new passions radically changed his life for the better.
Kevin Quote
“All of these new experiences created amazing positive changes in my life. So much so, that I wanted to share with others. So that’s why we started the Atlanta Natural Life Festival. To help others learn how to live their best lives naturally. When we live our best lives naturally and become the best versions of ourselves we build deeper relationships, stronger communities, and ultimately a better world.”
Today, Kevin and his family are all doing well and continue to walk down a path of wellness. In addition to the Natural Life Festival, they also operate a non-profit that teaches underserved children the importance of plant-based diets and living a natural life. Kevin still encounters obstacles and difficulties, but that’s life. As a result of his experiences, Kevin has learned that challenges and obstacles are not specific to race, color, creed or gender. They affect us all indiscriminately. And while we cannot control much of what happens in our lives, we can control how we respond.
Kevin believes that when faced with the difficulties in life our response should always be towards a better more positive end that aligns with our purpose. And that purpose should be one that helps to educate and uplift others.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Very few roads or paths are smooth. Some would say that no roads are smooth. My life has been no different. I grew up in a small rural midwest Missouri town. That literally had train tracks in the middle to separate the rich from the poor. My family received government assistance as did the majority of the town’s residents who were white and black. It was and still remains one of the poorest areas in the country. But my family made sure that while my pockets were empty, my mind was full. Full of dreams and ambition for a better life.
I have also had the struggle that I believe many good people have. And that is how do you continue to be a good person and maintain your integrity in a word and marketplace that at times seems to reward bad behavior and dishonesty.
Atlanta Natural Life Festival – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Natural Life Festival helps people live their best lives naturally. Everyone could live a healthier, more mindful life, and the Atlanta Natural Life Festival will help you take a giant step toward “better.”
Why live a natural lifestyle? When we focus on living and eating more mindfully, we tap into better health, we decrease stress, and we build deeper relationships, stronger communities, and a better world.
But, how do you start? We know that toxins are everywhere, but there’s no need to become paranoid. Educating ourselves and making small, smart choices every day could make all the difference for us and our families.
That’s what the Atlanta Natural Life Festival is all about. Be there on Labor Day weekend for natural products, mindful food options, good vibes, and transformative information. Start living your best life with a few hundred curious people just like you.
We are most proud of the education that we provide for others as it relates to reducing the level of literal and proverbial toxins in our lives. That could be toxic food or toxic thoughts. Both do damage to our bodies.
We differ from others in that we believe there should be a total well-rounded approach to health and wellness that incorporates things like food, yoga, meditation, skin-care. Our bodies are not independent parts, it’s a whole working thing and our approach to wellness should mirror this.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe that success is first and foremost a personal pursuit. I believe most people think success is an outward recognition and that we need other people to validate that we are in fact successful. People often seek confirmation from outsiders and people that they do not even know.
Which is why many people buy things and do things to show to others that they are successful. I have this home, this car, this money… look at me, I am successful. But if those things defined success why do so many people achieve and acquire those things, but yet still feel so empty inside? It’s very common for “successful” people to overindulge in drugs, alcohol, sex, and other addictions to mask their pain and internal lack of success.
In reality, if we feel successful in our own lives and in our own minds, that’s all that should matter. I also believe that while success is a personal pursuit it is not an individual achievement. Success is closely related to succession. In fact, they are parts of the same word. If you are successful and you’ve brought no one up with you, or no one follows you how successful are you really?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.naturallifefestival.com
- Email: info@naturallifefestival.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturallifefestival/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atlantanaturallife
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