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Robby Klein.
2 of 2
Robby Klein.
Each year we celebrate the incredible people that make Nashville a beautiful place to live. This year, we toast a lineup that includes creatives, business people, culinarians, and everything in between. With a passion for philanthropy and a beautiful outlook on life, these are the men and women who make Music City shine.
Name: Kayla Felker
Age: 26
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Occupation: Registered Nurse in Psychiatry
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
One of my greatest accomplishments I am most proud of would have to include earning degrees in both Nursing and Psychology during my undergraduate studies. My educational experience at Belmont and Trevecca was rich and transformative. As great as my experience was, the five year journey came with many sacrifices, a lot of character building, and countless nights spent studying in the library until they closed. Being the first person in my family to earn a college degree makes the magnitude of this accomplishment far greater.
I would also like to include that working on the front lines providing direct patient care amidst a global pandemic is something I am proud of. Working in Psychiatry and having the opportunity to provide mental health care and support to patients during this strange, unpredictable time in our lives is definitely something I am proud of!
How would friends describe you in three words?
I asked a handful of friends to answer this question and each friend individually used the word compassionate to describe me. Some of the other adjectives they used were driven/ambitious, generous/kind, intellectual, and quirky/funny.
Name an organization or non-profit that you affiliate with outside of work and why it’s important to you.
MyLocal is a non-profit religious organization that has played an important role in my life over the past four years. The individuals I serve alongside are some of the greatest, most noble folks I’ve ever known. They have taught me how to serve the community of Nashville in a greater capacity, how to practice generosity, and ultimately how to love people really well.
Tell us about someone you consider a hero and why?
My grandmother Ruth is certainly one of my heroes. I consider it a great joy to have spent time with her learning about her history and her life. This woman knows adversity, hardship, and tragedy all too well. She is one of my heroes and inspires me because even after all of the tragedy she has endured over her seventy-eight years of life, she remains one of the most kind, nurturing, gentle, and generous people that I have ever known. She has served as such a beautiful role model throughout my life of how to love people unconditionally. She’s a Rockstar, I couldn’t think of anyone else more fitting for this answer!
What are a few of your favorite places in Nashville?
Full Ride Cycling. Trust me, no other studio compares.
Five point pizza = the best
Ovme Green Hills for all your skincare needs
Pearl Diver
Arrington Vineyard
Brightside Bakeshop
Barcelona Wine Bar
Do you have a favorite quote you live by that you would like to share (and why)?
One of my most favorite quotes comes from Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena.”
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
This quote is one of my favorite quotes as it serves as a reminder to stay in the arena doing the hard work, to risk failing but to do so while daring greatly, to know the depths of both victory and defeat, and to show up time and time again.
Special thanks to Grogan Jewelers by Lon for bringing some extra sparkle to our shoot!
Kayla Felker is wearing: 5.01 Norman Silverman radiant cut diamond ring set in platinum with 2 half carat trapazoids; 29.70 carat total weight asscher cut diamond tennis bracelet; 5.90 carat total weight asscher cut diamond stud earrings; 18k white gold diamond by the yard with marquise diamond center.