We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Katie Eastman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I remember it like yesterday: my mentor and my first boss, Roberta, invited me to a workshop presented by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. We drove down a dirt road, saw the farm animals grazing, and then got a peek at the apple orchards. It was quintessential Maine, a retreat center with simplistic farm-like architecture, big porches with rocking chairs, and a large conference room where we would all meet and share our losses. At 24 years old, I barely had enough years behind me to recognize any significant issues, but I was pursuing my interest in death, dying, and grief work, so who better to learn from than the Death and Dying guru herself?
This workshop was the beginning of many experiences that taught me the value of life lessons from loss.
One by one, people came forward to the front where she was seated, and beside her were notes and little gifts that her many admirers hoped she would notice. Each person shared their gut-wrenching experiences of either their impending death or that of someone who had passed. Tears, anger, frustration, and excruciating pain were exhibited by all who dared to sit in front of Elisabeth and share their pain. I have no idea what drew me to the front that day, but Elisabeth and I began a many-year friendship and mentorship that lasted until her death. I remember sheepishly kneeling on the mat and lifting the bat that people had been using to beat out all of their raging emotions. I started to hit very softly muttering a few words about how my parents hadn’t offered me self confidence and tried desperately to draw on everything I had known for just something that would be ok in this moment but alas- I was too young and way too ignorant to know myself well enough to authentically grieve in front of 100 strangers. Elisabeth sensing my discomfort tried to push me with questions but my 24 year old lack of insight basically went silent. Then I made the biggest mistake- I said “ I really don’t have any losses.” To which Elisabeth stuck her tongue out at me and blew a raspberry and uttered her famous reprimand: phony baloney!”
I could have been humiliated, crushed or embarrassed but instead I chose to be intrigued to wonder- why did that just happen? Later that day walking down the hall I was face to face w Elisabeth and without any prompting we both kissed our fingers and raised them to the heavens and she smiled. When I met her again twenty years later this moment stuck with me. We were in sync and there was a reason that I was to meet her become a follower, build a relationship with her foundation and now become a consultant for social change in her name. I don’t believe in coincidence my life makes no sense in that context. Too many magical moments have occurred along the way that can’t be explained away with rationality. Meeting this amazing Swiss power house is definitely one of those moments. And how many people can claim that their mentor and celebrity idol stuck her tongue at you! I couldn’t be more grateful for this defining moment, meeting my mentor and life-long guide.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Studying historical changemakers in college ignited my passion for psychology and deepened my understanding of human resilience. Inspired by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross—who later became my mentor—I dedicated my career to empowering individuals and organizations to transform loss and change into compassionate and purposeful growth. This journey fuels my commitment to helping others thrive in a world of inevitable change. While feeling overwhelmed is easy, what if those challenges could lead to a more fulfilling life and a compassionate workplace?
As a licensed psychotherapist, certified life coach, and change management consultant with over 35 years of experience, I offer a compassionate and strategic approach to navigate and embrace personal and professional change, transforming uncertainty into growth, resulting in personal and professional success.
I guide individuals and organizations through the complexities of loss, change, and transition. Together, we uncover insights, embrace new opportunities, and foster resilience and purpose-driven growth. As a Compassionate Change Coach/ Consultant, I offer more than just guidance—I’m a partner in growth. My personalized coaching combines strategic insight with emotional support, empowering you to:
– Amplifying strengths
– Overcoming obstacles
– Navigating change with confidence
Each session provides a safe and supportive space for to explore a client’s unique path, embracing change as a catalyst for self-discovery and empowerment.
Key Focus Areas
– Emotional Well-being: Foster resilience and cultivate a positive mindset.
– Effective Communication:Develop strategies to navigate change clearly and confidently.
– Empowerment: Shift your perspective and embrace change as an opportunity for personal and professional transformation.
Choosing Compassionate Change Coaching or Consulting means prioritizing identified goals, related to well-being, growth, and success. Together, we will turn your challenges into powerful opportunities for transformation, creating lasting, meaningful change that aligns with your values and vision for the future.
One of my most significant career challenges has been advocating for the normalization of grief. Conversations about loss are often uncomfortable, and many hesitate to engage. I’ve learned to stay compassionately present, using growth-oriented discussions to address discomfort and foster a deeper understanding.
In my book, UPLIFTING: Inspiring Stories of Loss, Change, and Growth, I share stories of individuals who have transformed their experiences of loss into opportunities for personal growth. The book provides tools and reflection questions to help readers navigate both small and significant changes, offering a blueprint for managing life’s transitions. 
My approach is built on five core uplifting principles:
1. Purpose-Driven Leadership & Living: I help clients align their actions and decisions with their core values, fostering authenticity and intention in every aspect of life and work.
2. Resilience & Emotional Intelligence: Through structured methods, I cultivate resilience, empowering clients to navigate even the most challenging transitions with clarity, emotional strength, and adaptability.
3. Structured Transformation (The Re-Create Model): My step-by-step Re-Create Model provides a practical framework for moving from loss or uncertainty toward renewed purpose and growth.
4. Community & Connection: Recognizing the power of shared experiences, I foster environments where clients feel connected, understood, and supported—building compassionate communities in personal and professional settings.
5. Empowerment through Self-Awareness: I help clients make values-aligned choices that bring meaning and fulfillment to their lives by encouraging deeper self-awareness.
Who I Work With
Are you someone who…
– Is facing the emotional challenges of losing a loved one?
– Is a leader managing an organization through major change and transition?
– Has received a life-changing health diagnosis and feels overwhelmed by uncertainty?
– Has been laid off or is experiencing a career transition? Are you wondering what comes next?
– Is preparing to relocate or adjusting to life in a new city?
– Has gone through a breakup or divorce and is rebuilding your life?
– Is approaching retirement and seeking renewed purpose?
– Is starting a business and needs guidance in turning your vision into reality?
– Is adjusting to an empty nest after your children have moved out?
If any of these resonate with you, know you’re not alone. Change is a constant part of life, but it can become an opportunity for incredible growth with the proper support.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In 2008, after years of dedicated effort, we proudly opened a fully funded pediatric hospice and palliative care clinic. However, the timing coincided with the global financial crisis, leading to a domino effect of lost funding as our major supporters faced their own financial struggles. Despite our unwavering commitment and sacrifices, we could only sustain the clinic for a few months. A wise board member observed that we had strayed from our roots—a community-based program centered on home visits—and that our expansion to a more expensive clinic had led us away from our foundation.
Feeling crushed and defeated, I isolated myself for weeks, haunted by nightmares of children in pain and overwhelmed by a sense of failure. My depression was debilitating until a day of reckoning arrived: the funeral of one of the children we had cared for.
Despite my own despair, I attended the funeral. As I entered the crowded church, the child’s parents approached me with heartfelt gratitude for the care our program had provided. In that moment, I realized that gratitude could lift even the deepest sadness. This realization guided me through the next two years. Recognizing that our work was still needed, I resolved to restructure and rebuild the program into its most effective model. I called my lawyer, personally paid the debts, and committed to recreating the organization.
Through this process, I discovered a pattern: redirecting loss and pain into service was helping me heal. Reflecting on the legacies of the children and families, I realized that parents who had lost their children often redirected their grief toward programs, services, and finding cures for the very afflictions that took their child’s life. This approach helped them find gratitude amidst their grief. My recreation was to identify the beauty and love within the pain and to ripple that love toward a greater purpose. I pivoted from pain to a purpose-driven personal and professional recreation.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
For over 35 years as a psychotherapist, I have been fortunate to meet incredible individuals from all walks of life, united by a common spirit: the determination to rise to challenges, navigate loss and change, and grow into better versions of themselves.
Among my greatest teachers were dying children—whom I call my luminaries. Despite their inability to communicate in traditional ways, these children embodied unimaginable courage and resilience. They inspired not only me but countless others, igniting my passion to share their stories.
As I began to tell their stories, I noticed a pattern: they were not alone in transforming suffering into something meaningful. People everywhere shared messages of resilience and reinvention. I realized that loss and change, no matter how painful, contain the seeds of transformation.
I discovered something deeply personal—I, too, had been reshaping myself through my own losses. Struggles with infertility, professional setbacks, and moments of grief had each played a role in shaping who I am today. This realization fueled my commitment to help others find meaning and growth in their transitions.
When I wrote UPLIFTING: Inspiring Stories of Loss, Change, and Growth, I aimed for it to be more than a collection of inspiring tales. I wanted readers to engage, reflect, and gain insights about their own experiences. My editor and I dedicated two years to designing the book to encourage self-reflection, including prompts and questions at the end of each chapter to guide readers in discovering how their losses could become opportunities for self-awareness and growth. My goal has always been to help people uplift themselves—and others—in the process.
During COVID, I witnessed a profound trend: grief prompted many to reevaluate their lives and rediscover what truly matters. I was deeply moved by the physician mourning over 75 patient losses, by families saying goodbye virtually, by those losing loved ones to COVID due to vaccine hesitancy, by teenagers grappling with depression and isolation, and by countless individuals feeling lost amid loss—only to emerge with a renewed sense of meaning.
This experience reinforced my belief that loss, approached with compassion and intention, can lead to profound transformation. It strengthened my commitment to teach and embody compassion, guiding others through their own pain with clarity and purpose, reminding everyone that even in the depths of grief, renewal is possible.
This journey has deepened my dedication to not only teaching my work but living it. I strive to learn how to listen better, be fully present, and avoid skipping the crucial steps. More than ever, I want to contribute to the compassionate healing our world so deeply needs.
My passion for this work stems from my own experiences. I’ve seen transformation bloom in the most unexpected places and witnessed the power of resilience, human connection, and the ability to recreate oneself after loss.
And if I had to choose my profession all over again?
I would say yes without hesitation. There is no greater calling than helping others turn loss into growth, pain into purpose, and change into an opportunity for a more meaningful life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https;//www.drkatieeastman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatieeas/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKatieEastman/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/DrKatieEastman/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrKatieEastman
Image Credits
Ben Bender Photography