Meet Kim Genkinger | Writer + Meditation Teacher + Work In Progress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim Genkinger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
This quote, to me, is everything: And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, “What if you fly?”

The first time I read these words, I remember feeling my lungs expand and every cell in my body light up. This happens every time I re-read it, which is why I have it etched into the back of my iPad.

I love it because, oh my darling, it’s a beautiful, gentle reminder of what life looks like on the other side of fear.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In 2018, I made a giant U-turn in my professional life. I left LA ad agency life, where I was a Creative Director/writer, to open Belgium’s first drop-in meditation studio in Antwerp. My own meditation practice helped me cultivate the skills I needed to be a better manager, listener, partner, and creative, and I wanted to help give other professionals the same kind of tools.

The studio temporarily closed in March 2020 for more than a year, and suddenly I had the space I needed to continue to deepen my meditation practice and my ongoing studies. It also, ironically, brought me back to my keyboard and writing. Just before the pandemic hit, I had the idea for Sit in the City: LA Meditation Cards, which I just launched in May. I call it my COVID baby. So, lately, I’m busy spending a lot of time doing what I did as an agency creative—marketing, strategizing, and conceptualizing. Only this time, I’m doing the thinking and creating for my own brand. Which is kind of a beautiful full-circle story.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Love this question!

Inviting and encouraging people to not just discover, but fall in love with the city they live in all over again is a big part of why I created Sit in the City: LA. So, my short answer is I’d bring out the SITC deck and let the cards be our guide for the week. Every day we’d pick one of the 30 different hidden gem “spots” in the deck, then plan the eating and drinking around that location.

So if we’re downtown, Otium would be at the top of the list. That, and Water Grill for the lobster roll. And then to Perch for a drink and to drink in the views. If we’re somewhere on the west side, we’d go to Bay Cities Deli and order a couple of Godmothers to bring to the beach. No dinner required after that. If we’re out towards Pasadena, Pie and Burger is always a must-visit. And if we’re up the PCH… um, Nobu.

At some point I would also ask my friend Nina to host a small dinner party. Her Sous Vides skills are off the charts as is her ability to gather a fun, inspiring group of people around her table.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As the saying goes, it’s taken a village. But if I reflect on where I am today—taking something from an idea that was in my head to a physical product that I could hold in my hands in 15 months— my big, gratitude-filled Shoutout is to Lynda Resnick, vice-chairman and co-owner of The Wonderful Company in Los Angeles. During the 7 years that I worked as a Creative Director under her direct guidance, I learned volumes about product design and development, creativity and communication, listening and leading. She both celebrated and challenged my work and, in the process, gave me the invaluable gift of making me more aware of my strengths and my weakness. I’m a more fearless, compassionate, and can-do entrepreneur for it today.

Website: https://sitinthecity.com

Instagram: @sitinthecitycards

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sit-in-the-city/

Twitter: @sitinthecityLA

Facebook: @SitInTheCity