As a child, I was very introverted, was the kid with no friends who got bullied, and this all led to having severe social anxiety and insecurity. Since I was 6 years old, I practiced Rhythmic Gymnastics, a very popular sport in Europe. Anyways, performing at competitions was the only time where I could truly be myself. But combining the stereotype of being skinny in the sport of Rhythmic Gymnastics plus my immense amounts of insecurity, I developed a monstrous Eating Disorder called Anorexia Nervosa. I nearly lost my life, in fact, I did see the light for a split second. I will never forget the moment when my life flashed before my eyes. That moment was when I realized that there was no way I was going to let the disorder take control of me. Instead, I told myself that I am in charge of controlling it. Once I recovered, I published my book, NO ONE CAN FIGHT BUT ME, which discusses my battles with Anorexia. With this book, I landed radio interviews, TV interviews, and more in order to spread awareness about Eating Disorders.

Prior to starting college, my life mainly consisted of school, social anxiety, and an eating disorder that took control of my life. I practically never went out with friends, attend high school formals, or did any of the "normal" things that kids my age did. This is why I was so excited to start college. I thought it was going to be a fresh start. I attended the University of California, Merced to study Molecular & Cell Biology with the goal of one day getting into medical school. Merced was a small town in central California, 4 hours away from Los Angeles. It was a very difficult transition for me, but am grateful for the experience, friends I made, and of course the education haha

Anyways, as I mentioned I had the goal of getting into medical school one day, but after having extreme difficulties my freshman year studying Biology, I realized that I didn't think I could handle that career route. I explored various careers throughout my years of college including dentistry (because I thought it would be nice to follow in my father's footsteps), nursing (because it would allow me to work in the medical field without having to go through the difficulty of medical school), and then I discovered physical therapy. Let's back it up a bit... Since I had a background in Rhythmic Gymnastics, I wanted to do something with my knowledge. This is when I got certified as a fitness trainer. I loved training my clients and seeing them grow towards their goals! Anyways, as I mentioned previously, during my 4 years of college, I discovered Physical Therapy. This field was very similar to fitness training, so once I graduated college, I applied to various physical therapy programs and happened to receive acceptance letters from around 5 programs. I decided to commit to a program in Oregon, mainly because it was closest to home. It would still be a 2-hour flight from home which meant not being able to be around my family, having to do long-distance with my boyfriend, and overall just being away from home for 3 years. BUT I felt like I had no choice. I had a career to commit to, so I moved to Oregon. 2 months after starting the physical therapy program, I realized that I didn't see myself in the medical field. As a result, I withdrew from the program.

Throughout my years of college, I discovered a passion for social media, but it was just a hobby. Since my boyfriend had developed a hobby of his own, photography, we went on photo shoots throughout the years. Without realizing it, I was learning a lot about content creation. Furthermore, when I graduated college, I not only began to apply for various Physical Therapy programs but also dove into Network Marketing. I partnered with Monat, a global luxury beauty and wellness company. Being a partner with Monat has taught me about business development and leadership, as well as, allowed me to discover amazing products for my hair, skin, and body. Additionally, I was able to share this partnership with others around the world and form a team of women all across the world. Mentoring my team was the key to discovering my passion for becoming a social media coach. I started coaching other business owners and bloggers on social media and worked at Equinox as a fitness trainer. But I still felt something missing.

Shortly after, I realized I knew a lot more than I thought about social media marketing. After all, I did spend about 3 years reading books about marketing, paying for business coaches, attending webinars, and simply learning something I had a huge passion for. I honestly did not even understand why I was so passionate about social media marketing & social media in general. It made no sense whatsoever. I spent day and night trying to figure out why I had this passion. And then it all just slowly started to make sense. I started to remember all those times I had major social anxiety as a child, the countless times I got bullied, the eating disorder that made me think I wasn't skinny enough and did I mention that in college I got harassed out of my sorority. Why? Because some "mean girls" spread rumors about me. The rumors that were spread were horrific. It honestly hurts to even talk about it. I'll never forget the amount of effort and work I put into my sorority. I was going to be the next president and finally be seen... be noticed. But no, I was kicked off to the side once again, feeling like a piece of trash.



Furthermore, I started asking myself why I wasn't happy with my fitness training career at Equinox. I loved training, but why was I not happy working there. Well considering most of my life I was either bullied, harassed, had a lack of confidence, etc., I realized that I could not have anyone controlling me anymore. My boss at Equinox was such a kind lady, but the idea of a "boss" made me feel like I was once again being tossed around, and the one thing my subconscious was telling me was: "You are not worthy of having someone be above you. You feel belittled when you have a boss. It's time for you to realize that you are the boss."

I realized I had this passion for social media because IT WAS THE ONLY PLACE THAT ALLOWED ME TO BE SEEN AND TAKE CONTROL. It was my safe place. Just like gymnastics! I loved competing because I was the center of attention on stage... I WAS SEEN FOR WHO I AM. I never felt so relieved to understand all of this. Most people try to be someone they aren't on social media, they lack that authenticity. I'll be straight up - so many people are fake on social media. BUT NOT ME. Since it was my safe place, it was the only place where I could truly be myself and not worry about what others would think. And the best part was... PEOPLE SAW THAT. They saw me for who I am and accepted me.

So here I am... March 2022... I have a damn marketing agency. Like how the hell did this happen. I landed my first client. I was sitting there in total shock. I thought THIS was it. I thought I was FINALLY done changing my career. But nope... there was still something missing. You probably noticed by now that I keep saying "there was still something missing". Let's dive into that a bit. For years I kept telling myself that something is missing, BUT the truth of it is that NOTHING WAS MISSING AT ALL. The reason I was continuously switching what I was doing was because I THOUGHT I had to choose one thing and do that and only that. Even on social media, everyone says you have to ONE NICHE. Hearing this made me feel sick to my stomach every time. Why? Because it's not fair that we have to choose one thing!!! Like clearly I am passionate about various things - I love social media, content creation, dance, travel, marketing, and more. I have many hobbies and passions. Something I didn't mention yet is my athleisure brand - SWIFT GROOVES. I had been wanting to launch a brand like such for years!!! And the one thing stopping me was the fact that society tells us that we have to focus on ONE thing career wise.

So this is what I did - I said "F*CK IT. I AM GOING TO CREATE MY OWN DAMN PATH AND DO IT ALL." So I invested my time and money into yet another course and learned everything I needed to know to launch my own clothing brand. The old me would have said "what about your marketing agency?", but the new said "I have a marketing agency and I have an athleisure brand. I do it all." That's why Marie Forleo created the term "multi-passionate entrepreneur". 

A little over a year after launching my agency and my athleisure brand, I hit a certain type of burnout that I haven’t experienced before. It wasn’t physical burnout, it was mental burnout. At this point in time I had a pretty solid portfolio. In just one year, I had landed social media managements clients in the fashion, food & beverage, movie & film, and sports & fitness industry. I even had some graphic design and website design & development clients. BUT none of it was consistent. Although I’m grateful for landing these clients, I was sick and tired of getting underpaid. Yes, it was pretty cool to be able to say that one of my clients was a popular coffee shop in Santa Monica, California, but if I were to tell you how much this client (and all my other clients) were paying me, you would agree that I was getting severely underpaid. As for my athleisure brand, SWIFT GROOVES, this brand is growing to the day. I definitely couldn’t have done it without the help of my social media managers. One thing I learned is that IT IS VERY HARD to commit to growing 2 businesses. Because I decided to focus on SWIFT GROOVES and not scout for new clients for the agency, I was able to host amazing events for SWIFT GROOVES, specifically a yoga class taught at the famous yoga & wellness sanctuary, ARTHA. This was such a highlight in the growth of SWIFT GROOVES. I also invested in yet another eCommerce mentor that to this day is coaching me to grow the brand.

With that said, it was definitely hard to kind of let go of my agency, but I was okay with that. Why? Because it got me to where I am today. Because I was sick and tired of getting underpaid by all my clients, I was ready to land a full-time remote position as a social media marketing manager. I knew this would allow me to do something I love and get paid for my hard work. I hoped to land a position that would allow me to use my bachelors in Biology… GUESS WHAT?! That’s exactly what happened. That’s the power of manifestation!!! I was offered a position as a social media marketing manager for the CEO & Founder of the health & wellness company, NEXT|Health. I’ll never forget my first interview because it felt like a dream. I learned that the doctor has 3 businesses, was in the process of writing a book, relaunching his podcast, and essentially needed someone like me run his socials. If you read my story up until hear, you can see the resemblance in the doctors goals and my experiences. When I got the phone call offering me the position, I screamed with excitement. I could not imagine that I landed a position that I manifested for myself. 

A couple month go by, I still have the job and can’t wait to see where it’ll take me. And I’m “just living life” lol. (Note: yes I used to think having a 9-5 would destroy me because of my past… BUT after finding a position that saw my worth and what I can offer, I realized that the stereotype of having a 9-5 isn’t true. If you find a job doing something you truly love, you end up forgetting that your job is a job. Plus, there are so many positions out there that allow you to take on leadership roles that essentially evoke the same feeling you have when you have your own business. Trust me on this.)

As for my agency, well it never really went away because I’m always open to coaching aspiring entrepreneurs who want to learn about all things business and social media. I did create and launch a whole course containing all the knowledge I’ve gained over the last 7 years. Course creators often called their courses "their baby". I'm not one to do that, BUT I will say that the way I structured this course will help aspiring entrepreneurs learn more about what they want to do, discover themselves on a deep level, all while learning about social media and business. I have taught this course LIVE to various clients and the outcomes have been incredible! FUN FACT: I actually got offered a one month contract with ACA, American Collegiate Adventures, at Pepperdine University, to teach social media to some high schoolers. This was such a cool opportunity that allowed me to literally educate and inspire the next generation (which by the way knows soooo much more than I did when I was these kids age!!!)

At this point in my life, everything was looking great, but a part of me wasn't happy. I have always kept myself busy with new projects (as you probably would have noticed by now), but I felt like I had no social life. I wanted to go out their and just live life outside of all the business and work things I had going on. I don't think I have mentioned this yet but in Spring of 2022, I decided to take my first heels dance class at Playground LA with the amazing choreographer, Marissa Heart. This decision  changed my life in ways I never thought were possible. The rhythmic gymnast inside me got so excited. I always loved performing BUT I thought I had to leave that part of me behind. Well, I was wrong. Flash forward one year, and honestly I still could not recognize myself. Of course my technique and flow got better, BUT the thing that I didn't know I needed was the crazy boost of CONFIDENCE that was reignited my dance. That's not it though... after being bullied as a kid, then in high school, then harassed out of my college sorority, then even in grad school, I convinced myself that the idea of having a community of supportive gals was not something the universe planned for me. Well, I was so wrong. Dancing didn't just give me confidence, it gave me a safe-space, it gave me friends. I felt welcomed. To this day, I still feel like I am in a dream.

Now what? It seems like I have everything figured out in life, right? Oh boy, definitely not. The hustler mindset inside me starts screaming "why haven't you started a podcast, why haven't you put more time into growing your clothing brand, Swift Grooves". Those "why haven't you" thoughts were killing me from the inside out. I have a toxic trait of having too many "unfinished projects" because the creative ADHD girl inside me loves trying new things. The reason I started having all these "why haven't you" thoughts is because I haven't I didn't want my clothing brand to be another one of those "unfinished projects".

So what did I do? I told myself the hard truth: I CANNOT DO IT ALL. I am one human with one brain. I can't spread myself thin and try to do everything. I need rest and I deserve to enjoy my life. BUT most problems have solutions. My problem at this time was that I did not have the time and energy to do all the things that I wanted to do. If you're thinking to yourself, "why didn't you find the time?", then I am here to tell you that I definitely did try. The truth is I did have the time, but I didn't want to trade my free time of hanging out with friends and simply enjoying life in exchange for growing my brand and starting a podcast. So what did I do? Well, I took my goals and broke them down. I asked myself what made sense to start first and trusted my gut. BUT I trusted my gut a little bit too fast lol. Although, I did learn a big lesson which was that I had to break all of these things down because I can't do all of that at the same time on top of my job and personal life. This is a lesson that you probably would find in so many books and hear on so many podcasts, but I believe that some people like myself need to go through the experience of doing things on their own, only to occasionally realize that the advice others give them can actually be beneficial. I guess this is the definition of being stubborn.

Somewhere above I mentioned the fact that I THOUGHT I had to choose one thing and do that and only that. Even on social media, everyone says you have to ONE NICHE which is not fair -- we shouldn't just have to choose ONE thing that we want to do in life!!! Although all these points are true, I have come to learn that the ideas of having ONE NICHE on social media can actually be beneficial for my mental health. NOT thinking "omg I have to film myself talking about social media tips and my skin care routine and my dancing and the list of goes" is actually such a relief. These thoughts are what sparked the question, "WHAT DO I WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR?" The answers came to me quickly. I love my job as a social media manager and I love social media in general, BUT I don't want to me known as a "social media coach". I love creating content about things like my hair care routine, BUT I don't want to be known as a "curly hair girl expert". I love marketing, but I don't want to be known as that "marketing girl" on social media. I love travel, BUT I could never see myself as one of those "travel girlies" on Instagram. I love all things health and wellness, BUT I don't want to be known as someone who "gives you nutrition tips". I love advocating for body positivity, BUT I don't want to be known as just "body positivity advocate". I love love love to dance, BUT I don't want to be known a just a "dancer".

Anyways, you get it... The realization I had at this point was that I am passionate about various things. I have many hobbies and passions - that right there was my answer. My hobbies don't define me. My passions don't define me. I DEFINE MYSELF. If I've lost you, then keep reading because it's all going to make sense now. The last question I had to ask myself again is "can I or can I NOT do it all?" The answer was clear - Yes, I could do it all, BUT NOT at the same time. As long as I kept my overall goals in mind, I knew I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. With that said, that is exactly who I decided to start showing up as on social media. At this point I told myself, "the thing I want to be known for in the long term is a confidence queen. One who is happy. One who is ambitious. One who shows up. One who knows how to set boundaries. The one who takes confidence to another level. My goal is to radiate that confidence and inspire others to go after what they want to do in life.

Ladies and gentlemen, I really thought I had it all figured out at this point, but oh boy... the truth was that I was only in the beginning stages of having figured out myself and what I want to do in life (long term). Between September of 2023 and November 2023, I went through something that felt like "a moment of pause" in my life. It felt as if I was forced to just live the life I had reached at that moment (work, dance, friends, etc.) There was nothing new coming up. Honestly, it felt as if the universe was hiding something from me and would only reveal its secret AFTER I did some inner work and learned to live in the moment. I kinda went crazy... but eventually I found beauty in adding certain things like listening to podcasts while detoxing in an infrared sauna. For about 3 months, it was as if my mind gained some brain cells or something. It was like a smoothie of self-improvement, mindset work, heightened levels of spirituality, mental detoxing, and frickin clarity. That's what the universe was hiding from me.

That's when I had the ULTIMATE F*CK IT MOMENT. The realizations that were coming through have never been more clear. This is when all the angel numbers started appearing. While deeply asleep, I started being able to control my dreams. I even started having visions. I mean... I felt like I was on top of the god damn world. I took this clarity and began discovering the version of myself that I am today. I took some extreme actions like dissolving my businesses (my agency and my athleisure brand). It's almost as if I started from scratch. This is when I came up with the term "Identity Navigator". I was so frickin excited to learn that this title was not in anyone's Instagram bio.

My whole life I was trying to figure out what I wanted to be known for... what is my main identity... little did I know that I was already living the life of all the identities I wanted to be. Once I realized that all my identities make me who I am, I started figuring out ways I can navigate them all. This is kind of the reasons I decided to get rid of my agency and my athleisure brand. Those two things were not me, rather they were two things I was kinda hiding behind. Don't get me wrong... maybe one day, when the time is right, I'll reignite my clothing brand. You can probably tell that this is also when I started looking at life in a much more realistic way. This is also when a lot of exciting things started appearing. AND it's when I met one of my best friends (that I am pretty sure I manifested). Her name is Cooper Phillip. She's an extremely talented recording artist and vocal coach. We came into each other's lives at the most perfect moment. 6 months into our friendship, we're in god damn Thailand!!! Things got wildddd. Anyways, one thing led to another and I kinda became her manager because this girl is the next big singer ou there, and I knew I had to do my part in helping her get there.

Isn't it interesting that as soon as I let go of something, that's when something new came into my life? This has definitely been another one of my biggest lessons. The concept is so true though! How the hell can you add something new into your life if there's no space? Oh wait, you can't. It's simple math lol. Even my dance career started growing! I got signed with a management, 216 Talent Agency. This felt unreal and so professional of me. Side note: I mentioned dance career, but technically is dance/modeling/acting (anything performing arts... your girl LOVES being in front of the camera haha). If you think this is the only new thing, then you're wrong. Additionally, I finally stepped into my podcasting era. I got the microphone, created a name (Infinite Inventions podcast), cover art, etc. Overall, it was just all happening for me.

So I combined it all. My identities were: manager (social media manager for my job, artist manager to my girl, Cooper), dancer & model, podcast host, published author, and your personal Identity Navigator, Self-Improvement, Social Media & Business Coach. It's only fair I share my deepest, darkest secrets with you via some one-on-one coaching, right?

Overall, I am good at what I do because I am passionate about it and I found the thing I needed to reignite that confidence inside me. Moreover, anything that I am passionate allows me to be in my safe space, which is so important because I don't have to hide who I truly be who I am. Not having someone boss me around, belittle me, tell me what to do or not to do, and toss me to the side, avoids those childhood memories. And lastly, I am HAPPY with how my life is because I know I am not forced to only do one damn thing.

My best advice to anyone who is struggling to find themself is to identify any pain you have experienced, then connect that to what you are passionate about and take time to understand why you are passionate about that certain something. Doing this will only be the beginning of your journey in this life. I look forward to getting to know YOUR story and helping you write the next chapter in your life. I would love to mentor you and help you get clarity and success in whatever it is you want to do. If any of my past struggles are ones that you have faced or are currently facing, especially if it has to do with something in your personal life, then just know that you are not alone. You are always welcome to send me a message on Instagram and I'll do my best to give you that safe space you might be needing.

Love, 

Kat