{Video} Finding Your Voice (and an exciting announcement!)

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”

-Rainer Maria Rilke

Sacred

One of my favorite things about music, and songs for that matter, is they help us access deep places of emotion mere words and conversation can’t touch. Melody, lyrics, and rhythm transport us to places we can’t analytically conjure up off the bat. It’s sacred, it’s cathartic, it’s inexplicable at times.

MPJ

Songs and the writers behind them are an invaluable gifts to our human experience. In step with this,  I’m thrilled to announce my upcoming podcast interview with the incomparable Matthew Perryman Jones. Of any singer/songwriter, Matthew has this downright uncanny ability to make me feel my feelings. I can’t run from the truth in his music.  His voice cuts straight to my core every time I hear it. Matthew’s truly a master of his craft, yet a humble one, as his journey’s been marked by crippling emotional pain and loss at times along the way.

Podcast

Part of the reason I started a podcast, (besides the fact that they are all I listen to these days!), is to bring to light the unexpected stories of great men and women we see crushing it in their field, whether creatives, humanitarians, writers, and innovators.

As you may know, It can be misleading if not discouraging to see these trailblazers on their public platforms, (especially social media), and assume they’ve lived a charmed life. Well, perhaps a few have, however, as I get to know these stories, so many have fought hard to get where they are and stand in their place of influence. I want to know how they’ve done it as this always seems to prop me up when I feel discouraged in my own journey of finding voice.

Enneagram

I can’t wait to bring you my conversation with Matthew. I believe so many of you will relate to his struggles, especially in terms of depression and anxiety. He’s a prolific poet, and singer’s singer, and a heart that bleeds kindness and compassion to everyone he meets. He’s also a 4w5 for you fellow enneagram nerds out there and describes how tool has helped in his overall emotional and spiritual journey.

If you want to get a head start on this very special podcast, check out Matthew’s work. Your soul will find a steady companion, one you’ll quickly realize isn’t going anywhere. Stay tuned!

Love & Gratitude,

Katie

xoxo

Where is Your Happy Place?

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.”
-Anatole France

You’ve arrived

Where are you? What are the smells, the sounds, the landscape, the energy, and the people like? What emotions rise like a hot air balloon in your chest, slowly filling up with the gust of anticipation, of fun? What is the relationship that you have with this place? I bet it’s a very happy place, indeed.

Switcheroo

I get stuck. This happens about once every three months if I don’t give my surroundings a little switcheroo. Call it boredom, call it a shiny thing withdrawal, call it ADHD, call it whatever you will—but it’s true. As a result, I’ve learned it’s super important to intentionally seek out our happy places as often as possible, so we don’t get forgetful and lose perspective of the vast, diverse world we hold citizenship in.

Homebody

Perhaps you are thinking to yourself, “But I don’t need to go find my happy place, I’m a homebody, and my happy place is on the couch.” Okay, fair enough. We can dance theoretically here if you want. So, the couch is really your happy place; that’s awesome. However, if you’ve gotten comfortably numb while glued to Season 5 of House of Cards (guilty), and forgot what inspired feels like in your bones, it may be time to move around a little bit.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being at home. I love routine and ritual and rest…all those “r” words.  The older I get, I consider myself a homebody more and more. I love the control of it all, however, I can easily slip into the rut of complacency and self absorption, thinking the rest of the planet shares a striking resemblance to me.  Thankfully, it doesn’t!

New York

(One) of my happy places is New York City. I just got back from a week there to celebrate my birthday and do some much anticipated Brainspotting with the developer, Dr. David Grand. My nerd and city girl  were both fully satisfied, and It was glorious.  That said, I’ve very grateful.

When I conjure up my happy place, here’s what I envision:

I smell the steamy wafts of street vendors and food trucks hustling their curried meats, freshly baked pretzels, and savory egg and cheese sandwiches. I hear a slew of foreign languages fighting across streets to be heard; some bickering, some joking, and some sharing the latest juicy office gossip. I hear the bleating horns of cabs and the soulful strains of a singer- songwriter covering a Beatles tune in Central Park.

I see stunning, impossibly thin models smoking cigs and downing green juice on their way to a shoot.  In the same glance, the finance guys head back to Wall St. in their fitted John Varvatos and shiny watches after lunch. They’re shamelessly checking out the models.

All of it

The dreamy parks of the West Village teem with young dads swinging their kids and lovely older married couples drinking cappuccinos as they read the Times. They’ve seen a thing or two. Cafe owners fling wide their french doors and water the poppy colored pansies in the flower boxes. They thoughtfully write out the nights specials on a chalkboard and do a quick tasting of the night’s featured wines with a tiny, well-versed staff.

It’s the quirky innovation of the Highline, the classic majesty of Central Park, the edgy grit of Tribecca, the polished panache of the Upper West Side, the sweaty stench of the subway, the esteemed fashion houses of Soho, and the sprawling boldness of Brooklyn. All of it makes me intensely happy.

Faces of God

As you may gather, the City lights me up. Sure, there are other cities I adore, however, not many cities lend this visceral gift of inspiration and pulsing energy. It’s constant, messy, creative, gorgeous, exhausting, delicious…it’s life.
One of the many reasons this is my happy place is I see so many beautifully diverse faces of God. By this I mean, I’m reminded that God is pure love and creativity, and thus far bigger and better than we can possibly fit into a box.
My world shrinks up if I don’t intentionally commit to a bit of wandering. Wandering reminds me there’s an insane amount of life out there and it doesn’t look just like me. When I am in my happy place, It’s impossible NOT to see the bigger picture.

Zoom out.

If we take a wide-lens camera and zoom out really far, I think the overall footprint is love. It’s far more recognizable than hate, though hate desperately fights to be seen and heard. So, this is my invitation to you: go find the place that reminds you of life’s brilliant color, possibility, and love. You don’t have to get on a plane or spend a bunch of money. However, you may need to wander off the familiar path (or couch). Where is your happy place? Is it the ocean? The mountains?  Perhaps your the park down the street.  Whatever that place is, I’d love to know all about it…

Love & Gratitude,

katie

xoxo

{VIDEO} Therapy Packages Are Here (so let’s crush the second half of 2017)

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” 

-Maya Angelou

Jumpstart

Here we are already in June. 2017 is bounding forth. In fact, we are already half way through the year. I’m a big fan of any reason to jumpstart newness, growth, and positive change, so naturally, June always presents with the opportunity to take inventory of where we’ve been and where we’re going. I love a good excuse to evolve.

Therapy

So many people have the wrong idea about therapy. Perhaps I was guilty of criticism at some point. However, I’d like to challenge some faulty ideas around therapy, what it is, and who needs it. I’d also love to invite you into some exciting new opportunities to thrive I’ve got cooking for you.

More

Thankfully, our culture is also evolving and warming up to the idea that in fact, psychotherapy isn’t for crazy, weak, and troubled souls. There are so many types and levels of therapy, however, in my book,therapy is for anyone who longs for more: more self-awareness, more success, more joy, more healing, more creativity, and more healthy relationships to name a few. It is also for anyone who simply feels stuck and needs a safe place to process and heal from life’s often bloody punches. Therapy is not for the weak, its very much for the strong; those willing to look in painful corners, unlikely places, and perhaps blocked spaces in time in order to create a vibrant and joy-filled path forward. Therapy requires a ton of courage.

Uplevel

Also keep in mind that there doesn’t necessarily need to be a lack or deficiency present to validate investing time and resources into therapy. I work with countless clients who really just want to take their whole life to the next level and need the support, accountability, and structure necessary for that upleveling.

Full

I like to see the glass half full, and with that in mind, we’ve got six full, promising months ahead in 2017. This month, I’m rolling out a new model of therapy I’ve been building for a while now. I’m offering highly personalized therapeutic packages lasting anywhere from three to twelve months, depending on the specific needs of the client.

Three Things

I’ve found that we thrive in tangible and systematic ways when three things are present: structure, ritual, and guidance. As a therapist, I like to see myself as a guide of sorts who doesn’t necessarily have advice or answers to dole out, but who carries a bright flashlight and a slew of tools as I walk alongside you, creating safety and drawing out insight that’s already locked deep inside.

Reach

If this type of partnership sounds intriguing or at all appetizing to you in this stage of your journey, I’d love to connect! Learn more about this new way of therapy by inquiring here. I’d love to empower and help you specialize a beautifully designed path forward. I believe your best life is very much in reach—I’d be honored to guide you deeper into the process.

Love & Gratitude,

Katie
xoxo

Love Potion No. 9

“How can we be loved if we are always in hiding?”
-Donald Miller

Vases

Romantic love is the stuff of endless, brilliant art forms: song, poetry, film, fashion, story, sculpture, and much more. It’s been known to spark wars and sculpt history.  We all have relational histories that form us into the creatures we are today. Some of that history is redemptive and life-giving, some reminds us more of a once exquisite vase, crushed and broken into hundreds of pieces on the kitchen floor. The mess and heartache is so big, we sweep it  into a pile and dispose of it. We shop around for weeks, sometimes months, until we find a replacement; something perhaps with a sturdier base and more color. Just the thing that will complete our once cold, bare room.

Me

My own love story has been a winding, quizzical one at best. However, from where I sit with the soft, forgiving lens of perspective and time, I’m grateful. It’s been imperfect, yet without regret. It’s also been a complete surprise, as the one I’d really been looking for all along was right there, yet forgotten and out of reach. She was me, and she desperately longed for the affection and acceptance I heaped on other imposters, who I mistook for my heart’s final answer.

One

This week I celebrate my first wedding anniversary. I am humbled and beyond grateful for the gift of my marriage, and for Daniel, my incredible husband whom I deeply love and respect. So, in part, today’s post is a celebration of redemption and synchronicity, as our complex stories converged into one in a most peculiar and lovely way. However, it’s also a desperate plea; a wakeup call for anyone out there who’s holding out on hope and happiness, saving it all up for that magical day when they will find “the one.”

Vault

This is a vulnerable post, one that I  share with caution a healthy sense of fear. Yet I’m convinced our stories kept locked up in a hidden vault only rob weary hearts of those who are famished–so hungry for hope.

Magnify

Marriage—companionship is a magical thing. It brings a security and knowing that we’ve got a partner in this journey of longing, as Donald Miller puts it in his book Scary Close. It also serves as a high-powered magnifying glass to all the insecurities and faults we’ve had all along, yet managed to mask with makeup, a charming personality, and some self preservation. In my experience, it has forced me to do some pretty hard core personal work.

First Love

Here is the heavy-hitting truth I’ve been pummeled by lately: If we’re not convinced of our first love, our secondary love will surely disappoint. By this I mean, unless we truly see, partner with, and lovingly care for our true selves, our “me,” the pursuit of outside relationships to fill that void will crash and burn, leaving the lonely remains of a shattered hope.

37

In essence, this year I’ve learned I’m celebrating two milestones: my first wedding anniversary, yet perhaps more importantly, a full-circle, loving anniversary with that little Katie whose been desperately trying to get my attention and total acceptance for 37 years. Sure, I’ve done tons and tons of deep personal and spiritual work and have experienced some incredible breakthrough, however, I’ve never had to put all of my baggage through that glorious filter of marriage. It’s hard, it’s heartbreaking, it’s highly unflattering, and it’s absolutely worth every it because it leads us  home. Our true home, our birthright, is connection and belonging with self: that bold, honest, open little six-year-old who doesn’t give a ripwhat other people think. I found that curious little girl in a new way this past year, and the unfolding of life’s story around me has taken on a more gracious, loving tone.

Math

I’ve learned when we go “out there” looking for someone to fix what’s broken “in here” and find it, we’ve fallen in love with how they love us as opposed to the actual heart of that person. We cannot fathom and grasp true love if we are disconnected and at odds with ourselves. The math doesn’t work. I can’t give you something I don’t have. Sure, I can try, however, I’m acting at best.

Recover

Comparison with others, harsh self-criticism, low self-worth—these are all signs that there is work to be done and vibrant healing to be had. Guess what? It’s an ongoing process. We never simply “arrive”. Today, I invite you deeper into this work with me. There is no magic potion or pill (sorry for the misleading title), but there is a whole lot of grace and opportunity. We grow in relationship, not isolation. Let’s recover the little ones we left behind so long ago, abandoning them to the needs and wants of others we sought approval and safe harbor with time and time again. The safety of home is right here, right now. When we become love rather than searching to find love, we step into a pure, radiant power.  Love is always waiting, and someone very special, very innocent, desperately wants to hold your hand. 

Love & Gratitude,

Katie
xoxo

Have you signed up for my upcoming Enneagram Workshop on June 10? If not,  Click here to claim your spot!

The Enneagram Unveiled: An Interview with Ian Cron

Hi Friends!

Today is huge. I’m bringing you a podcast interview with the incomparable, Ian Cron. Ian is an award winning songwriter, author, priest, therapist, and teacher who recently co-authored a book called, The Road Back to You: Looking at Life through the Lens of the Enneagram. It’s the perfect companion for wherever you find yourself on the enneagram journey and I can’t wait for you to check it out.

Enneagram

If you are interested in learning more about the enneagram and other resources coming your way very soon, click here. It is such a powerful resource that helps unlock our truest, most essential selves and I’d love your company journeying deeper into its truth.

Online Quiz

For now, I know you will really enjoy this honest, intimate, (and funny!) conversation about all things enneagram. No matter what your current grasp of it is, this will be a delightful addition to your enneagram experience. Also, If you’d like to take Ian’s free online type indicator quiz, click here!

Love & Gratitude,

Katie

xoxo

P.S. Mark your calendars for my very first Enneagram Workshop on Saturday, June 10th 1-5pm at BuzzPlant in lovely downtown Franklin.  Much more on that soon!