Kate Hudson Told Me To Follow My Sun Sign, Then I Quit My Corporate Job

How quitting my corporate job helped unlock the artist within

You might have read the title and thought I was being hyperbolic, but I promise you this is a true story.

Once upon a time I worked at one of the top 5 entertainment public relations firms both in the U.S. and globally. They came up in old Hollywood and after launching the careers of a few Hollywood legends, their reputation was solidified. I just knew in my twenty-something young brain I would work there, and I would be this high-powered Hollywood publicist one day. I knew everything about pop culture and was plugged in like nobody’s business when it came to celebrity. In my head, I was "that girl,” and no one could tell me different. After starting at a boutique PR firm that wasn’t actually what I wanted to do, but I viewed it as a foot in the door, I started to slowly ascend the entertainment ranks. Making friends all over to get those glowing recommendations I knew would come in handy one day when a spot would finally open up at my dream firm.

After having some truly awful bosses (some far too incompetent for their career level and some that were trying to be the second coming of Miranda Presley), I finally found my way to Rogers & Cowan. I truly achieved my dream of making it to the big leagues. I was working with A-list actors, musicians I admired, and some truly inspiring creatives spanning producing, writing, and content creation. Wow…there was just one problem. I forgot that I was a woman. Scratch that, a black woman working in corporate. Man, I was so naive.

Through the years, I worked really hard—no one could say I wasn’t damn good at my job—so when you view someone as blocking your goals, or as someone you don’t want to be friends with (or can’t use), what do you do? You throw them under that damn bus running 60MPH and walk away. I could literally see the light behind my eyes start to fade in photos. It would be many years until I got it back.

First, it was my boss. A boss I looked up to—who made my mental health deteriorate so badly that I developed hard lumps on my back that flared up anytime I was stressed. She pushed me to the point where I basically told HR I was going to sue. I’ll let you fill in the blanks of what could have happened here. For once, HR did the right thing and actually let her go. It sent ripples through the company. INSANE. Completely unheard of. Felt great in the moment, but in a way it cursed me.

I thought, wow, this is a fresh start. I can start over and prove my worth again—but this time, the right people would notice. That was my second mistake. My colleagues at the same level started to see me as competition. Before, they just pitied me and were generally nice because they knew my old boss was totally insane. But once I started jumping onto accounts that had been theirs, or getting chosen for opportunities over them, it became a real problem. I fell deeper and deeper into depression and could feel the career I dreamed of slipping through my fingers. I was living in a constant state of having to “cover my ass,” because blame that wasn’t even mine kept landing on me. It made me absolutely dread going to work.

Then another miracle happened.

My company merged with another PR powerhouse and became R&CPMK. I was placed under the supervision of a high-powered, highly respected publicist whom I loved. He was truly amazing—and his client list even more so. I got to work with incredible talent and learned an insane amount in a very short time. But even with all these new opportunities—I’m talking rooms filled with the most famous actors, directors, and agents in the business—I looked around one day and really noticed the life I had been dreaming of.

Everyone I spoke to was either divorced, never married, had no kids, had no real accomplishments outside of work (which wasn’t really their achievement, but their clients’ accomplishments), and was paid like shit. I’m talking Senior Vice Presidents still paid like shit. My world fully collapsed that day.

Did I really want this future for myself? Were my only options being married to my work and alone forever, or leaving the business entirely to have a life? That’s GRIM. What was I even working toward?

I remember one big-time publicist I knew casually mentioning she couldn’t afford a new car, so she just kept driving her shitty old one (I won’t name the exact car in case she ever stumbles upon this). So…you can’t afford a new car, can barely afford rent, have zero personal time to take care of yourself, and you’re married to the job? I guess the one constellation prize is that you can claim bragging rights by saying you work with so-and-so.

My “dream job” was starting to look more and more like a nightmare. Did I want to spend the rest of my years making other people’s dreams come true without realizing my own?

So where does Kate come in?

I worked on her team and one particular evening I accompanied her to the launch of her vodka brand. It was truly an amazing event. She even had pieces from her limited-edition capsule collection there and gifted me so much clothing—which I still own to this day (thank you so much)—including a beautiful, luxe faux fur coat that’s very Penny Lane meets New Jersey mob wife. I’ll wear it to the grave. Anyway, she had a tarot reader there who was also a psychic. I had to stay there anyway until Kate was ready to leave, so once my work was done, I sat down with this reader and she read me for filth. Not a single footnote missed. It’s been years, so I can’t remember her exact words, but I remember writing the bullet points down in my Notes app. More or less, she said I was going to go in a completely different direction, but that I was afraid to lose stability. She went in deep on that theme.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Kate overheard part of it.

As I was walking her to her car at the evening’s close, she poked a little. Well—a lot. She flat-out asked me what the tarot reader and I had talked about. Now, in most cases, you’re never suppose to be honest when a client asks you something like that because it will always come back around somehow and your ass will get lit on fire by your boss. I’ve learned that lesson too many times, so I hesitated. Lie or get lit on fire. Generally it would be an easy choice.

One thing about Miss Hudson is that she has a very welcoming aura, and she’s incredibly charming—even when she’s not trying to be. When she walks into a room, you can literally see and feel her aura’s glow. She has the kind of presence that pulls you into her gravitational field, and you don’t want to leave. I would’ve been happy being a little planet—or a dimly lit star—circling around her orbit for the rest of my career. I guess that’s what spiritually fulfilled people are like. They fill their well to the point of overflow, and everyone around them desperately clammers for a cup, or even a sip. And most of all, she’s sincere, which is not exactly par for the course in Hollywood.

I explained what the reader had said to me and in broader terms I alluded to something I thought about doing. Kate then asked me to be more specific. “What are you thinking of doing?” Gulp. Talk about a moment standing still. It could’ve been that aura I talked about or the fact I felt like I was halfway out the door anyway, but I decided to be fully honest. I told her what I really wanted to do with my life, but how it wasn’t possible right now because of personal obligations and savings. Blah blah blah. Excuses, excuses.

We stood at her car door and I opened it. She looked me in the eyes and stood with one heel on the curb, the other hovering before stepping fully into her car. She turned to me and said, “I haven’t known you very long, but one thing I can pick up on is that you’re a sweet soul—determined and very capable. Salt of this earth.”

At the time, I always wore this sun pendant around my neck. It was a protection symbol in the shape of the sun. Against my all-black outfit (as was custom for behind-the-scenes workers), I’m sure it stood out. She continued, “You see that symbol you wear? Do you know what it means?”

I said, “No…” quietly. Almost in a whisper, afraid of my voice.

“It’s your sun sign. Your masculine sign. If you feel like there’s something you need to do, then you should follow the energy of your sun sign. It will guide you in the right direction. Channel that masculine energy into yourself and follow your gut. I know you’ll make the right decision—but only you can know what that is.”

She said a little more, but I think I blacked out. Talk about a surreal moment. This incredible woman was standing in front of me, dishing out life advice in such a sweet motherly way. After several minutes we exchanged goodbyes, she got into her car, and her driver took her home.

I wrote down what she said after I got to my car so I wouldn’t forget it, but how could I? Over the next month, her words danced around in my head as I tried to figure out what to do, and I gave myself every excuse to stay put. I was too old to change careers, too comfortable (I mean, it was a pretty cushy job), and didn’t know what else I could even be good at. The list went on. After about a month of going through the motions, I ran into more workplace discomfort with my coworkers, who were truly awful to work with and constantly made me doubt myself. Then I had to cover one of the worst clients I’ve ever worked with, who gave me a not-so-gentle push off the edge of that cliff. And let me just say—her filmography is not impressive enough, nor is she “that pretty” in real life, to be that snooty and bitchy to people she clearly views as “the help,” but I digress. After that day, I said, “FUCK IT,” and put in my two weeks’ notice.

I had no real plan. No security. And then, at the end of my two-week notice, I officially left—and then COVID happened. WOW. Talk about universal timing.

I won’t bore you with everything that happened in between, but now I work as a freelancer, moved to Montana, and live like a witch in the woods while attempting to finish my debut novel. While I’m not as financially secure as I was with a steady 9-to-5, but I’m a lot happier. My physical and mental health has improved tremendously, and most importantly, I make my own schedule and have the flexibility to actually enjoy my life.

Once I was able to regulate my body and emotions again, I honed in on what I really wanted to do. I wanted to be an author. And… own a spiritual shop where I sell magic candles and spiritual bath kits—but one dream at a time.

In a weird way, I credit Kate Hudson with giving me the strength to stop being so goddamn scared and do the thing I actually wanted to do. Fear kept me stuck, but a little gentle advice from a genuine movie star gave me courage. That’s crazy. Who else can say that?

So if I ever do get an agent and a Big Five publishing deal, I hope to send her a copy and bring it all full circle. Not that she’d remember—she’s met so many different versions of me throughout her life—but I’ll always remember her kindness and honesty.

And that is everything.