A Confession, Some Exciting News & A Favor to Ask

Spring has officially sprung and we made it through to the end of daylight savings time, which in my book, is something glorious to celebrate.  Can I get an amen from any of you seasonally affected friends out there?  

Spring is typically a time symbolizing new beginnings.  We dial into more regular fitness routines, we edit our wardrobes, and we clean the dusty baseboards of our lives in order to create a bit of fresh forward momentum.  It’s exciting, right?

In my experience, it can also be a time to bite off too much.  A rush of energy kicks in and I feel like I can take on the world, so I over-commit and find myself sitting cross-legged and frustrated on the floor of my office wondering how I got there.  

Do you ever feel this way?

I did this last spring as I kicked off my podcast.  I freaking LOVE podcasts and find myself looking for any opportunity to be alone in the car or in between clients at work so I can listen to one of the hundreds I subscribe to.  If I didn’t text you back, it’s not because I didn’t want to.  

I probably was just in a podcast haze starting at the ceiling.  Sorry about that.

Well, I lined up some incredible first guests (Ian Cron, Matthew Perryman Jones, and Miles Adcox to name a few), got into the work, and after airing three episodes, quickly discovered I was in over my head.  My "Operation: Podcast" had failed.  

Or had it?  

I always try to see failures as opportunities.  Where was the opportunity here?  The opportunity was to get crystal clear on my vision.  I learned something highly important: without vision, action is only haphazard at best.

I’ve spent the last several months crystalizing a vision for the community I want us to build, and the exciting news is, along with the podcast, I’m bringing you some opportunities to connect to this lovely healing arts community by hosting some cool upcoming events starting in April! Whoop!

You will be hearing more on that in the near future. However, I wanted to plant the seed as well as ask a favor.
 
You hear from me a LOT.  Yet you are the heartbeat of why I do what I do.  That said, I really need to hear from you to continue to build out this vision.  Would you pretty please take five minutes and fill out this survey?  There are seven questions that will seriously help me direct the next steps of the blog, events, the podcast, and more!  

Thank you, seriously.  Time is precious, and I value yours (as well as your feedback!). I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

Love & Gratitude,
Katie
xoxo

Emotional Fitness: An Interview with Miles Adcox

Happy Thursday!

Today’s episode is near and dear to my heart, perhaps because it’s personal.

Life is absolutely full of light and dark, good and bad, ups and downs—all kinds of colorful seasons.  Something I love about the passage of time is we get to see many of the complex questions of yesterday make a bit more sense in our today.
 Often times, our painful past experiences have birthed resilience stories that we get to carry along in our pocket and give away to those in need.  It doesn’t mean we’d want to go through those seasons again, yet it sure gives levity and meaning to the wounds.

Part of my story has been a crippling battle with depression/anxiety dating back to high school.   About a decade ago, it came to a head, despite years of therapy, cocktails of medication, you name it.

Thankfully, I heard about Onsite workshops from Cindy, a dear family friend.  I could tell by the way she described her time there that this wasn’t your typical treatment program.  No, Onsite was different; experiential in nature and truly transformative.

I was desperate, so I went.  Scared out of my mind?  Yes.  I still went.

Desperate trumped scared.

Grateful doesn’t begin to describe how I feel in retrospect.  Going through “Living Centered,” their flagship program, was an unforgettable healing experience.

Today, I’m beyond excited to share a very special interview with Miles Adcox, owner and CEO of Onsite.  As you’ll learn in the intro of today’s episode, Miles has quite an impressive resume, and yet, his humility and transparency about the shifting journey he’s been on is inspiring and endearing.

I can’t wait for you to listen and learn more about Miles’ story and upcoming projects.  Every time I talk to Miles, I’m reminded of what it means to truly make life matter, taking each day as a new opportunity for growth and change.  I have a hunch you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about after listening to this interview.

Enjoy and share away!

Love and Gratitude,

Katie

*My podcast theme song is titled “Land of the Living,” written and performed by the very brilliant and gracious Matthew Perryman Jones.

Pause & Reset — The Eclipse (and a VERY special announcement!)

Hello!

I hope your week is going well and you were able to catch the total eclipse on Monday. It was magical, eerie, mysterious, and simply moving. To be honest, I’m still very much processing it today.

In fact, it stirred up deep emotion and thought I wasn’t expecting. I’ve loved hearing friends and clients describe their experience as well. A common thread of feedback I’m getting is how unifying this mind-blowing act of mother nature was and is in light of the current chaotic times unfolding before our eyes.

The light became dark as the sun took a leave of absence for mere minutes. We dipped into the great unknown and uncertain, and all the surrounding chaos got dim in comparison to the display of pure genius we beheld.

Yes, indeed; a much-needed reprieve, though brief.

I’m struck by this powerful notion of pause: a collective joining of earth’s awareness directed in nature’s singular display of awe and wonder. Nature has an uncanny ability to ground us in the present moment.

I feel this grounding at the beach as well. Next to the ocean, my little life gets filed away in the perspective drawer and those mighty waves of relief wash over the worrisome details that seemed overwhelming. A pause…a deep breath…and a gentle reset.

As I sat drinking coffee and journaling the jumbled tangle of feelings bubbling up beneath the surface pre-eclipse Monday morning, I came across a quote from Author and Enneagram teacher, Ian Cron.

It helped me put language around what I was experiencing. Ian elegantly stated,

“Humans are the only beings that have the agency to mask their identities. Our goal is to become the true self.”

Yes!! How often do you find yourself putting on masks that disconnect you from the truth of who you are? I know I do… often.

For me, the eclipse served as this dramatic invitation to pause, notice the truth inside, and reset to the path of my essential self. This constant awareness is our collective true north.

When the light of certainty gets dim around us, hopefully we can call on courage and dig deep into that pulsing inner light of wisdom and truth that longs to lead us.

What’s guiding you? What masks do you find yourself wearing that may not be true to who you are? Perhaps this practice of pause will be an opportunity to observe, accept, and completely own our true and unique stories.

Speaking of stories, I’m incredibly excited to bring you a brand new podcast interview next week with Miles Adcox, Owner and CEO of Onsite, an internationally known therapeutic and personal growth workshop among so many other amazing things.

I’m especially grateful for him as Onsite has been a major conduit of personal healing, changing the trajectory of my life a decade ago this month. He is an incredibly effective and heart-led leader and I know you’ll be inspired by his insight, humility, and courage.

Get excited, friends!! 

Love & Gratitude,

Katie

{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

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!