Story & Lesson Highlights with Kyle Lee

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kyle Lee . Check out our conversation below.

Kyle , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I feel like I’m being called to speak. For a very long time — honestly, my entire life — I’ve lived with a lot of self-doubt. I’ve struggled with letting people fully see who I am because I’ve always carried this deep fear of judgment. I think a lot of that stems from growing up gay in a small, conservative town. I didn’t feel safe being myself, and so I learned to shrink, to put myself in a shell, to hide who I truly was — my personality, my light, my truth.

Over time, I think that caused me to lose my voice — not just my physical voice, but my sense of who I was at the core. And now, I feel like I’m finally being called to speak up. I’m being called to speak about my experiences, to share what I’ve been through, and to talk about the things I’ve faced in hopes that it might help someone else — especially people who have gone through what I went through as a gay person growing up in a place where they felt they couldn’t be themselves.

I feel like I’m being called to speak to people who have been made to believe they can’t have a relationship with God because they’re gay or because they’ve been told their existence or identity is a sin. I feel called to speak life into those people and let them know that they are not only loved by others but are deeply loved by God. That they are not broken. That they are not a mistake. That they are worthy of love — as they are.

Now, I feel like I’m being called to write. I’m being called to minister, to pour into people, to talk to them, to love them out loud. I want to help people feel seen, to remind them they’re not alone, and to tell them that they are perfectly made — exactly as they are. I think I’m being called to use my voice in all the ways I once felt afraid to. And I’m finally ready to answer that call.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
It’s hard to define myself with just one title — because I don’t believe I’m meant to be just one thing. I see myself as multi-dimensional, creative, and ever-evolving. I’m someone who has lived through a lot, learned from it, and now feels deeply called to speak, to create, to inspire, and to live life as fully and authentically as possible.

Throughout my journey, I’ve worked in different roles and built businesses from the ground up. I’ve been a writer, a spiritual guide, a creative entrepreneur, an event planner, and someone who uses food, art, and storytelling to care for and connect with others. I’ve written children’s books, launched a candle line, built a catering and event brand, and begun using my voice more intentionally — to tell my story, to speak truth, and to help others feel seen and understood.

But more than what I do, it’s who I am and who I’m becoming that matters most. I believe in the power of transformation. I believe that I can take any path, step into any version of myself I choose, and be successful — not just because of talent, but because of my heart, my vision, and my belief in what’s possible.

I dream of a life where I’m able to use every part of who I am: whether that’s speaking on stages, writing books that move people, acting and telling stories that shift perspectives, or simply having meaningful conversations that spark healing. I want to live a life that reflects the fullness of who I am — creative, spiritual, bold, curious, and deeply human.

At my core, I just want to help people. I want to remind others of their light while continuing to reclaim and share my own. My journey isn’t about fitting into a mold — it’s about breaking them and building something honest, free, and beautifully me.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child, I believed that I had to be smaller to be loved — that I had to shrink parts of myself to make other people comfortable. I believed that who I truly was — my personality, my voice, my queerness, my creativity, even my dreams — were too much, or somehow wrong. I learned to edit myself for acceptance. I thought I had to hide in order to belong.

Growing up in a small town, being gay, and navigating a world where I didn’t see many people like me thriving, I internalized the idea that I needed to be quieter, straighter, simpler — just to feel safe. I thought that being fully myself would lead to rejection, so I carried shame for things I now see as my greatest gifts.

But I don’t believe that anymore.

Now, I know that I was never too much — I was just surrounded by people who didn’t know how to hold the fullness of who I am. I now believe that my voice matters, that my identity is sacred, and that my dreams are valid. I’ve learned that I don’t have to tone myself down or dim my light. In fact, I’m here to shine — and to help others do the same.

I no longer believe I have to become someone else to be worthy. I am worthy — exactly as I am. And I want to live a life that my younger self could have only dreamed of, showing up fully, loudly, and unapologetically.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
When I was sad or scared as a child, what helped me most was doing something creative — drawing, imagining, making up stories — anything that allowed me to escape into a world where I felt safe and free. I would get lost in my imagination, where there were no rules about who I had to be. Creativity gave me a voice when I didn’t feel like I had one, and it gave me power when I felt powerless.

Nature also brought me a sense of peace. Being outside, feeling the wind, watching the trees move, connecting with animals

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes — the public version of me is absolutely real. For a long time, I had to hide who I was. I had to shrink myself, appease others, stay quiet, and play small to feel safe. But now, I’ve reached a point where I refuse to do that anymore. I think because I was silenced for so long, I’ve rebelled against that in a big way — especially online. I make it a point to speak my truth, to say exactly what I think and feel without worrying about how it’s going to be received.

I’m very opinionated — especially when it comes to things that matter to me like politics, human rights, equality, and injustice. I don’t sugarcoat things, and I’m not going to water myself down just to make other people comfortable. That can make some people not like me — and that’s okay. I spent too much of my life trying to be liked by hiding who I really was. I’m not doing that anymore. What you see now is someone who means what they say and says it out loud.

That said, there are still parts of me that I keep sacred. I’m very protective of my personal life now — not because I’m hiding, but because I’ve learned to protect myself in ways I didn’t know how to as a child. I am my own protector now. There are certain things about me that the public will never know — and that’s by design. But who I am at the core? That version is never hidden again. I show up as me — fully, honestly, and unapologetically.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people will say that I made them feel something real — that I made them feel seen. That I made them feel beautiful when they were struggling to see it in themselves, strong when life made them feel weak, important when the world made them feel invisible, and worthy of love when they had started to doubt if they were. More than anything, I hope people can say, “Kyle made me feel loved.”

I want to be remembered as someone who truly cared — not just on the surface, but deeply. Someone who showed up for people. Someone who poured love into the world in everything they did — whether it was through a meal I made, a conversation we shared, a story I told, or a moment we had. I want people to remember how I made them feel — because I know what it’s like to feel forgotten, misunderstood, or unloved. And I never want anyone who crossed paths with me to feel that way.

But beyond the love I gave, I also hope people remember my courage — how I used my voice after years of hiding it. How I took my pain and turned it into purpose. How I wore every part of who I was — my queerness, my creativity, my boldness, my softness — with pride. I hope they say I lived my truth out loud, and that I gave others permission to do the same.

And lastly, I hope they say that I didn’t just exist — I lived. Fully, fiercely, authentically. I chased every dream, I expressed every side of myself, and I left this world brighter than I found it.

That’s the story I hope they tell.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tiktok.com/@kyleekreator?_t=ZT-8yHODURppqH&_r=1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyleekreator?igsh=MWZnY2c4aWRwNTh5Zw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Photographer : Jacob Porter