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

Kathleen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

The most defining moment of my career was actually the ending of a 10-year chapter in corporate marketing. I had thought when I reached my goals of being a Marketing Director and working in the beauty industry I would be happy. I wasn’t. When I got freed from my job in June it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was finally able to fully dive into my own work and passions and believe in me. I wanted to become a death doula. Little did I know, 3 weeks after my freedom one of my best friends got diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer and passed away within 10 days. Had I been at my corporate job, I would have never been able to be her crossing guard to the other side or spend as much time and support as I did. It was the biggest blessing of time I’ve ever received. I finally trusted in the universe and built my own brand and dove into creativity, doing UGC for brands and taking on more spiritual clients and my world view completely shifted to the positive. Sometimes, you just have to jump.

Kathleen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Growing up in a small town in the Midwest, I always felt like I was given a bag of puzzle pieces of my soul I had to carry around with me. When I was young, some of the pieces naturally connected from shifting around in the bag, but it wasn’t until college I metaphorically sat down and started consciously putting the puzzle together.

Losing my soul dog, my partner of the time, and moving to a new city all lead me to the clear realizations that readied me to move on and prioritize myself for the first time.

So I sat down, and I made a promise to myself I would work on my soul puzzle a little bit each day. As the pieces connected, I learned tools and techniques that changed the way I healed profoundly. I learned to build the muscle of my intuition and trust it wholeheartedly. I learned to truly and completely love myself, even on hard days, when my shadow would rear its angry head. I learned to love both my masculine and feminine divine energies. I learned to reframe how I processed traumas and challenges. I learned to accept that growth is not linear, and to hold each stage with grace and gratitude.

Now I get the privilege of helping my clients connect to loved ones on the other side, help people transition over and open up conversations around death, do integrative bodywork and intuitive healing, and even get to create UGC for brands and make authentic and creative ads.

I don’t like to put myself in a box, more ANDs less ORs.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I managed teams for years and my most impactful thing I did to make them successful, loyal, and work hard was to CARE. Care about their mental health, take time for breaks, incorporate meditation and breath work practices, and just show your humanness to each other creates connection and respect and mutual understanding. The age of intense hierarchy is over.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Authenticity! All of my content, comments, and messages for either UGC work or my spiritual clientele are just ME. I don’t pretend to be someone I am not, and I am very transparent in my humanness. I also only accept collaborations with brands and people that feel aligned.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kathleenives.com/ugc-offerings
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleenives_/

Image Credits

Laura Huertas https://www.instagram.com/laurahuertasphoto/
George Duchannes https://www.instagram.com/georgeduchannes/