Employee Deep Dive – Kylie Koews, Embracing Change

 “You’re never too old to restart and do something that you’ve always wanted to do.”

– Kylie Koews, Author Relations

 

Kylie Koews fills an integral role at Inkitt, now working in Author Relations. Her creativity and love for helping others makes her a dynamic member of the team. 

Growing up in Manitoba, Canada, Kylie lived constantly amongst change, moving houses frequently with her parents and three siblings. Despite this, she learned to adapt to the unpredictability. “As the middle child, my siblings always laughed because I was very talkative and imaginative,” she recalls.

Kylie’s love of English and creative writing was strong throughout high school. Originally, she had planned to continue her studies at film school. But after graduating, she explains, “I started working and enjoying becoming an adult.” It was at this time when Kylie met her husband. They became engaged after a few years, and eloped while Kylie was enrolled in college for massage therapy.

As someone who gravitates towards helping others, working as a massage therapist felt like a good fit for Kylie. However, the possibilities of creative writing still floated in the back of her mind.

 

Forced Change

In the five years that followed her degree, Kylie pursued different aspects of massage therapy including working with prenatal massage and mental health. Then, like so many people, her career changed drastically when the pandemic hit.  

While unable to work in her regular field, Kylie rekindled her creative impulses and interest in film. This led her to enroll in an online screenwriting course through the Vancouver Film School. It was a leap of faith, and it put her on a trajectory aligned with her dreams of working in the writing field.

“I started writing for an interactive game after college, building my own screenwriting experience, and sharing my own writing with the public,” she says, reflecting on her development as a professional writer. Though continuing to work with former massage clients, she was undeniably growing as a writer. Her life seemed to move more and more in that direction. “Many opportunities kept coming like a domino effect,” she says, “each of these with significant changes in my life.”

When finally deciding to leave the massage clinic to work full time in the writing field, Kylie was thankful for the support she received from her former clients. She says, “they encouraged me to go after my dreams.”

 

Just Go For It

With more and more writing opportunities arising, including a job at Inkitt, Kylie and her husband started to get serious about a lifestyle shift. This included a potential to move abroad. Luckily, they both share similar values when it comes to embracing change. “If you want to do something, just go for it,” she says, adding “this has definitely worked in our favor.”

Kylie started at Inkitt as an in-house writer in April 2021, freelancing until the end of July. She then moved to project-based freelancing including editing and formatting, and was subsequently offered multiple writing projects. After this, Kylie was offered her current role in Author Relations. Around this time, she sent in her visa application to move abroad.

In truth, for Kylie the move felt meant to be. “My husband and I had discussed living abroad and me becoming a writer from day one; it sounds like a small town girl with ‘big city dreams.’” But, re-evaluating their goals and living situation during lockdown, they mutually agreed to move abroad which allowed Kylie to pursue her passion for writing.

 

Looking Back on the Journey

Kylie now lives with her husband in Lisbon, Portugal. They both love the city and hope to stay long-term. “I would love to explore Portugal and the rest of Europe. I have fallen in love with Lisbon.”

Though settled in the city and in her current role at Inkitt, she continues to learn from and trust her past experiences. “Humans hate change, but once you accept change, you can shift your entire outlook in so many ways.” 

While now working and living abroad, Kylie maintains a close bond with her friends back in Canada, but especially with her older sister. Though their upbringing was somewhat unstable, she reflects on her experiences with a more mature lens– “I believe that everything that happened to us in the past has helped to shape us.” 

 

At Inkitt, we believe that every author in the world should have an equal chance to succeed. That’s why our mission is to discover hidden talents and turn them into globally successful authors. Join us on our mission and start the next chapter of your career with us!