My Name is Katie. A few things about me: I’m the type of individual who likes going to restaurants, and the table orders six dishes for two people. Yes, we do need all the food! I like drinking champagne on any occasion and for no particular reason at all during picnics and at home, but I prefer lemon drops in a restaurant or bar. I find myself happiest through random moments such as eating cereal in the middle of the night, sharing long, engaging conversations with randoms, or laughing with clients in the gym. Most of all, I find the deepest joy as I journal into the bottomless pit of self-awareness, seeking insight. Include double internal pleasure if I am using colored pencils! All that above, I consider myself a 5-star Google review, but to be safe, let’s just say I have a B+ personality. And no, I will not show you my math work! I calculated a B+ on a curve grading scale using a TI-83.
I hold many jobs that serve the same purpose: to empower, enhance and encourage people to reach their next level. I work in my local school district as a paraeducator and in Seattle as a personal trainer (Katie’s Personal Fitness). I am a writer/comedian discovering through trial and errors (plural) how to hone my craft, and every day the world reminds me my most important job is being a mother to Hazel.
I find great pleasure in having zero pets. Hazel has a snail named Lemon that’s been dead for two months, but she hasn’t noticed because I just throw in fresh kale leaves. I am aware that this sounds similar to a dating profile. And on that note, if you are a woman who enjoys ordering multiple dishes at dinner (especially at an Italian restaurant) and enjoys witty banter with a 70% chance of making you laugh, please let me know. ***Master Level cuddlers only need to apply.
So, why am I doing this blog and platform? Well, it’s simple yet not easy to explain. If our behaviors, thoughts, and feelings cause discomfort, then pain needs to be treated as if we are rehabbing a part of our physical body to return to athletic standards. The approach I use is the same as the fitness approach. I need not ignore the pain but work alongside it, taking my mental and physical conditioning to sit with myself and answer tough questions in newer ways for more extended periods under tension to build a higher consciousness threshold.
Pain is too complex and challenging to narrow down. People experiencing pain in this area come to me. They want me to help take the pain away.
Instead, I help the body create a higher threshold before the “pain” starts again. I say, ok, let’s work by creating load throughout your knee in different ranges of motion and new ways.
I see this concept of a knee having pain as I do our behaviors and awareness to expand our emotional intelligence. In this case, similar to someone with knee issues who might hire me to get physically stronger, I would see a therapist or other resources to help me get mentally stronger.
I will always have anxiety. My anxiety is the same if I’m in Trader Joe’s debating to myself if I should buy two small watermelons rather than one large melon or when I realize I’m running 15 minutes late. Anxiety is like that viral youtube video that came out years ago about the honey badger. Honey Badger doesn’t give a sh*t.
Anxiety doesn’t give a sh*t! Anxiety does whatever it wants to do!
I have built up a tolerance to deal with life’s complexities of watermelon stress at Trader Joe’s! On any level, I now know what my anxiety is saying to me at that moment and what options I have to acknowledge it and deal with it—the simple reminder, but not easy, to accept that the anxiety will pass. I have a resilience now to where anxiousness doesn’t hijack my day.
I do not assume to live life better than anyone reading this. Still, I explore my life with deep curiosity and a creative thinking process to understand my behaviors and notice how they impact me and those around me. At 25, I started therapy to process dating, marriage, infertility, divorce, doubt, anxiousness, and inner wounds from adolescence. The list reads like a brochure of treatment specialties on a therapist’s website.
At age 38, I started going to therapy monthly, or as frequently as needed, 2x a month without stopping. What can I say? The therapy gods are undefeated whenever I think I’m ready for a break, when another layer of onion shows up. I find this to be true because the longer I work on myself, the easier and faster it is to connect the dots; the more intrigued I am, the calmer I feel on the inside as I resolve the inner conflict. Indeed, there are seasons with breaks, and that’s a personal preference.
I know I can be *that* friend to help you start or continue creating curiosity that leads you to the levels you desire to achieve. An awareness of you begins to bring you inner peace by connecting with a familiar story, or wherever your mind takes you, building a desire to create a plan and embrace radical compassion. I promise you that you will not find anything I am selling you on this website. I also promise you that this website is merely a stepping stone to help ignite your own stories of post-traumatic growth and pass them on to others around you like a compassionate wildfire.
As I tell my clients in training, luck has nothing to do with winning or reaching your goals. The same holds for us who do the work emotionally. I didn’t get where I am today by luck. I got where I am by deep, radical compassion for myself and sitting through the worst pains I have ever felt in my life! The mental anguish gave my body similar physical sensations of panic, punctured lungs, cardiac arrest, and all sorts of things I thought I might need to go to urgent care to check out. By slowly increasing my mental awareness threshold, I have been able to go deeper than I could have imagined. I want to share this with you. I want to help create shortcuts to help you figure out what you feel or think might keep you from your goals, relationships, and best life.
I have created a unique system of worksheets that might not be for everyone but will land in the hands of someone to be a game changer. I have met some brilliant minds who helped me work on changing my thoughts and working through anxiety, and I’m taking what I have learned to share with you.
On the website, you will find three sections:
*That* Friend Katie Blog: shares different experiences and themes as I went through them. It is perfect if you or someone you know on this topic can find comfort that it gets better or doesn’t go as planned, or, more importantly, the feelings you are dealing with aren’t limited to only your suffering. The Struggle Bus always has an empty seat, and we’re all on it off and on!
Oh My Gosh, did I tell You: it shares exciting stories and adventures that I capture as they are unexpectedly happening- very unplanned!
Katie’s Tool Box: shares examples of me working through feelings and worksheets. Playlists to comfort any vibe, from breakups to enjoying the love of your life, to music that has the potential to stir your soul.
I look forward to our best friend relationship, and in whichever convenient way for you, either on social media, Facebook, Instagram, the Marco Polo app, or the website. I am excited to get to know you and be *that* additional friend added to your inner circle when you need advice (insert topic here)!