Katie has been practicing nursing for a decade. She is a huge advocate of healthy living because when you don’t have your health, you realize not much else matters. She’s also been deeply interested in personal development for most of her adult life. It started with reading self-help and positive psychology books and she became particularly fascinated with timeless wisdom. How could lessons from stoic philosophers or monks apply to modern-day life now? She listened to countless episodes of personal growth podcasts, invested in coaching and counseling, facilitated women’s groups, and started a run club in her community.
She has created a life in alignment with her values where she lives in a remote surf town, pursues her passions, and travels the world. On the outside, it may look pretty dreamy, but along the way she has gone through many challenges, including:
These challenges have shaped her into the person she is today. She has been rewarded for following her intuition, no matter how unknown and scary, and has developed resilience, seeing adversities as opportunities. Her life experience, alongside her profession in healthcare, has equipped her to lead and support others in navigating life’s challenges and living holistically healthy lives.
Nursing
Independent
Education / Certifications
Katie has always loved the water. She spent hours in her backyard pool as a child, joined the swim team in high school, and loved her part-time/summer job as a lifeguard, swimming lesson instructor, and swim team coach. Teaching and coaching came naturally to her and lit her soul.
Katie fully embraced student life during her 4-year bachelor’s degree program at Western University in her hometown of London, Ontario. She started to create a community during this time – bringing together all her friends from different areas of life, making connections, and networking. This is where she discovered her strong community-building skills.
At the age of 21, Katie entered the workforce young, giving her a lot of perspective on life. She started her career working in mental health and then transitioned to medical/surgical care. This wide array of experiences gave her a holistic approach to health and well-being. Caring for people who experienced failed suicide attempts, psychotic breakdowns, critical surgeries, and palliative patients on their deathbeds while supporting their families through it all forced her to mature beyond her years and recognize what is important in life.
Katie had always been curious about exploring the world. In her early to mid-20s she volunteered as a student nurse in Ghana and backpacked through Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. She then spent time in Latin America staying in homestays, learning Spanish, and volunteering in the community. Through these experiences, she got to know locals, learned about different cultural traditions, fell in love, got heartbroken, met friends from around the world, had many adventures, and learned new skills.
Drawn to the ocean and the mountains, it was a no-brainer that Katie was not meant to live in flat land-locked Ontario. It took her a while to gather the courage to permanently move away from all her family and friends, but at the age of 26 she finally took the leap and moved across the country to Vancouver, BC. She continued working as an acute care nurse and embraced the west coast outdoor lifestyle by hiking, rock climbing, cycling, and camping any chance she could. Shortly after moving, she met her partner Sean and dog Olly. This confirmed that following her intuition pays off, no matter how scary.
Right before Covid hit, Katie was burnt out from people-pleasing, never prioritizing rest, and supporting her family when her dad was critically ill. The pandemic was a forced slowdown for her, allowing the opportunity for her to get quiet, ask herself important questions, and develop self-care routines. She decided to focus on meaningful work/purpose, discover her values, change her mindset, learn about finances, go to therapy, let go of friendships no longer serving her, and go fully down the personal growth path.
After 7 years of working in acute care, it was extremely difficult for Katie to let go of the golden handcuffs mindset and try something different. She was surrounded by colleagues who valued their “secure” jobs, so at the time, it felt irresponsible and risky to do anything outside of that. But she finally quit and got a job at a private functional medicine clinic focusing on heart disease prevention. This was much more in alignment with her values of wellness, health promotion, entrepreneurship, and innovation. During this period she also started health coaching, online women’s groups, and a podcast.
In 2022, Katie and her partner Sean moved to a tiny surf town, Ucluelet, on Vancouver Island, BC. She continued to work virtually for the holistic clinic for a couple years (a position she created for herself using tips from The 4-hour work week by Tim Ferris). Here she committed to surfing and yoga, practicing both almost daily. Invested in the community, she hosts many potlucks with friends and started a weekly run club. Their home overlooks the Pacific Northwest trees and ocean where she manages their vacation rental suite.
Throughout all this, Katie has been seeking ways to help people at the core of their suffering in her career. She was also looking for a personal development community that wasn’t super woo-woo or too business-focused. She couldn’t find one, so she created it – an approachable personal growth platform for women, encompassing community, wellness, and timeless wisdom. Growth Gals was born!
Sign Up for Personal Growth Tips, Free Tools, and Relatable Advice!
We promise no nonsense or spam :)