Prior to COVID, I never paid much attention to politics - something I regret nearly every day. Since then, though, I’ve lived a crash course in how government works on nearly every level. In the process, I’ve developed a new appreciation for those who give of their time to serve our state and local governments.
With that in mind, I am really excited to welcome today’s guest - Kimberly (Kim) Moser, Kentucky State Rep for House District 64 - to the podcast. Her background is pretty incredible - a former neonatal nurse who once flew with the national guard, Kim also has a graduate degree in architecture and served as Northern Kentucky’s inaugural director of the office of drug control policy… in addition to raising not one, but five sons (if you want to be even more impressed, read her official Legislator Profile here). Also of note, her father served years ago as Secretary of Transportation under Kentucky’s first female governor, so politics were a big topic of conversation around the dinner table when she was growing up.
Today, she’s been in office for 10 years and has passed 60 different bills, a good number of which relate in some way to substance use, mental health and / or standards of healthcare in general. On the podcast, she discusses how she ended up running for office in the first place; what its like to campaign and work daily as a state rep with 45,000+ constituents of differing political views; some of the most pressing healthcare issues facing Northern Kentuckians today; and some of the specific bills she has passed along the way.
My favorite part of the discussion centers on letting life happen as it comes and being open to starting a second (or third or more) career - and maybe even give back to your community- after your kids leave the nest.
As a boy mom myself, my favorite quote from Kim, bar none:
I raised five boys - you can’t hurt me.
You can try, but I’ve seen it all.
It makes me smile every time. Probably because I feel the same way!
Regardless of your political affiliation, I am hopeful you will come away from this episode with a new appreciation for how much work and thought goes in to representing the people of a local district and how dedicated Kim is to utilizing all of her professional and lived experience to try and help the people she represents.
