The Messy Parts How to Reinvent Yourself When You "Should Have Figured It Out By Now": Kelly Kopp
Kelly Kopp, is now known as “New York City Kopp,” influencer, photographer, tour guide But at 40 years old, Kelly lost everything—his house in the mortgage crisis, his restaurant job, his health (without insurance), and watched his best friend, Sandy, die of cancer. Sitting poolside in Orlando contemplating how people reach their breaking point, Sandy's death became his wake-up call to "go live." He moved to New York City with just a suitcase, discovered photography, and built a social media empire as "New York City Kopp." This raw conversation explores how devastating loss can become the catalyst for reinvention, the power of laser focus, and finding joy in the most unexpected places.
Topic Covered
The Years "Wasted" Doing What You Were Supposed To Do: Working as a manager in Orlando for about 8 years before his pivot.
The Economic Earthquake You Didn't See Coming "I bought a house in Orlando... I ended up losing the house. And that was the beginning of the domino effect."
When Your Body Sends An Invoice Your Career Can't Pay At 40, Kelly experiences chest pain and stress, goes to ER without health insurance, ends up in cardiac unit for a week with tests and a blockage scare requiring a stent.
The Compound Crisis That Breaks The Formula: "It was just so stressful. I lost my job. I lost my house, I'm in the hospital... Everything was against me... I didn't think things could get worse, but they continued to get worse."
When Loss Doesn't Care About Your Deadlines: "She got diagnosed with cancer and it was quick from diagnosis to her passing away... it was a huge, huge impact on me."
The Crisis That Makes You Understand Why People Just Stop
The breaking point: "There was a point where I was sitting at the edge of my pool looking in the pool thinking... I could understand how people could get to the point and be like, I just can't do it anymore."
The Terror Of Reinventing Yourself When You "Should Have Figured It Out By Now."
Being Your Own Hype Man When You're Running On Empty: "Sometimes I do have to motivate myself... I'll read some motivational books or something... watch something that's motivational... that'll kick me out of this little bit of a funk."
The always-on problem: "In the back of my mind I'm thinking I could do a video right now... It is challenging because... I'm like, hold on one second. I just gotta do a quick photo. I gotta do a quick video."
Show Notes:
Follow Kelly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newyorkcitykopp/#
Follow Kelly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newyorkcitykopp
Follow Kelly on TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/newyorkcitykopp
Kelly Kopp Tours: https://newyorkcitykopp.com/
Email us: hello@themessypartspodcast.com
To stay up to date with The Messy Parts and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for listening.