Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Katie Larson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dr. Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

Maybe I am like you — a “seeker” through and through.

Us Highly Sensitive People are that way… constantly seeking…

As a child, I was either deep in the stacks of the library reading about Atlantis or deep in the woods behind my house searching for treasure…I always wanted to know what I was “not meant to know”.

This translated into learning as much as I could about the natural world, which later became my first career as a biologist and science teacher. I felt called to make deep connections in the classroom (another trait of Highly Sensitive People!), and soon my love of teaching brought me to international destinations around the world, helping local people learn English, and then helping scientists, NGOs and schools in far off locations like Costa Rica, Peru, Mongolia, Borneo, and Kenya. As I traveled, I sought to understand local customs, beliefs, and wisdom as much as possible.

Later those temporary international experiences evolved into more permanent life choices as I moved my husband and I around the world by simply saying “yes” to as many job opportunities as possible. By living in Spain, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong, I opened up to new ways of being, as well as new ways of seeking– this time through several graduate degrees.

The “Dr.” in my name comes from my PhD in Leadership and Change. My topic of research was “Transformative Learning”- the process by which we change the perceptions of ourself and the world as we grow and mature. I chose that topic because as I was doing my PhD, I was living and working in DOZENS of countries, and repeatedly being exposed to stark differences in cultures on a regular basis.

I loved my topic so much because it allowed me to understand growth and transformation from so many angles– from ancient mythology to neurobiology– and all of them only led me to want to know more (classic seeker!). I thought I wanted to continue to work in academia after I was finished with my dissertation, but after years of research and having to prove myself to my committee over and over again, I actually felt “burnt out” by the education-world and decided to remove myself from academia and take my research to the people who needed it the most.

I started my business “GrowthQuests” as a way to bring my experience and research with growth and transformation to “everyday people”. I felt like it would be easier for the rest of us to grasp how we grow and change if we had better, more holistic frameworks to explain what we go through on this universal human journey.

Also, I wanted to really focus on the word “GROWTH” over change, because I feel like “change” implies that we are inherently worse and need to improve, while “growth” implies that we are just like everything else in nature: constantly shifting and adapting to our environment in all ways.

As I continue to grow and transform, so too do my tools and techniques. I use a wide variety of useful coaching models I have picked up all over the world, as well as hypnotherapy and somatics.

I am still a seeker, but I also feel as if I have found a lot of truth within me from my own journeys. I love my job from every aspect because it truly warms my heart to know that my own curiosity is what drives my work– and so much of the growth my clients today…

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I tell folks I am a “personal guide for inner-journeys”, which means that the first thing I must do is remind my clients that they are the main character in an epic journey.

That “main-character energy” is vital because it allows us to recognize a) you are never broken, or have any inherent flaws that need to be “fixed”, but instead have gifts, skills, and talents as a result of your journey thus far. Then, we focus on the aspects of you that you want to GROW: whether it be healing yourself or challenging yourself or simply unconditionally loving yourself.

I work with you holistically: the mind, body, and soul. I use the tools of: coaching for the mind: which are conscious conversations where we process things verbally; somatics for the body: where we understand the relationship between the body and emotions and how to move them through you; and hypnotherapy for the soul: where we tap into the unconscious and higher self to heal and integrate deep lessons of growth.

Usually we create your “Growth-Quest” from scratch– based on what you need at that time. No two Quests are alike and each time we work together, you are fully seen, heard and supported.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

This is less of a lesson and more of “conditioning” I had to unlearn– and that is that being a Highly Sensitive Person is a disadvantage.

At GrowthQuests, I mostly work with Highly Sensitive People, Empaths, and Intuitives because I myself am all of these!

So many of us Highly Sensitive People (HSP) were taught as children that our sensitivity was a drawback and had to be “fixed”. Yet the more research that uncovers how common HSPs are (we are 20% of the global population) and how vital HSPs are to society (we are the peacemakers, healers, philosophers, artists, priests, and more!), the more we realize how important it is to foster and honor our sensitivity (as well as care for ourselves!).

I learned that I was a Highly Sensitive Person in 2020 and when I did, it put my whole life in perspective! From that point on, I studied everything I could about High Sensitivity (and even started writing a book!), reinvented my business to only work with HSPs, and redesigned my life to celebrate and care for my sensitivity. Living with a 10-50x more active nervous system than the other 80% of the population is very noticeable in the era of overstimulation– so taking care of ourselves is key.

I pride myself on creating a lifestyle that celebrates my sensitivity and I work with clients who are in the process of doing the same. If you are just realizing you are also Highly Sensitive (I have a quiz on my website!), I offer “HSP-101” coaching sessions that help with this and e-courses just for you!

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Authenticity.

Anyone can fake knowledge– but you can’t fake authenticity.

I pride myself on being transparent and real with my clients, because I find that our shared humanity is actually what helps us grow– not an “authority figure” telling us what to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.growthquests.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatiegrowthquests
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@unfoldgrowthquests4484

Image Credits

Olivia McDowell (photographer)