We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Kathryn Tapper (aka Dr. KTap) recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. KTap, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Dr. KTap, 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?

I was born and raised in Jamaica and migrated to the U.S. to start college. After becoming ill in my second year of college, the diagnosis of end-stage kidney disease did not deter me from pursuing my career dream of becoming a physician. I graduated college on time, completed medical school, and was trained at the Mayo Clinic in the field of Family Medicine.

Years later, after having to return to dialysis, I made the difficult decision to pull the plug from working in the clinic in order to take better care of my health. Not too long after, I officially began my journey as a holistic health and lifestyle coach with the goal of empowering women who struggle with their wellness to GLOW from the inside out by implementing a holistic approach to their health and lifestyle. As the founder of GLOW Coaching, my team and I guide women from feeling lost, misguided and stressed about their health and life to feeling empowered, wholesome and at peace within themselves. Our services include group as well as private coaching, holistic health consultations, and retreat as well as VIP experiences.

In addition to elevating my client community and helping them succeed, I continue to spread the message of empowerment and the importance of holistic health by speaking on multiple platforms, including podcasts as well as virtual and in-person events.

One of the newest adventures for me this year is publishing my first book titled, “You Are Greater Than Your Diagnosis”. By sharing my own personal experience with an illness, the reader journeys through 10 steps that guide them on their own path to wellness, knowing that they are not defined by their diagnosis. My expertise in the health industry as a physician and holistic health coach coupled with my unique personal experiences as a chronic illness patient for over 20 years is one of the things that sets me apart from others in the health and wellness industry. I stand as an example for my clients and followers to discover a new paradigm of their lives so that they too can live more healthily, wholesomely and freely.

There will always be challenges to face in life but we get to choose how to face them. We have the choice to listen to our instincts or follow what people tell us to do. Remember that you are the most important person in your life, and that your power already lies within you. Never dim your light but instead, GLOW from the inside out and allow that light to radiate to others. In order to shine that light, it is important to understand that your wellness starts from within you and begin to live more holistically well. Always remember to show up for your health in order to glow up in life. #showuptoglowup

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

The short answer is that I would absolutely choose the same profession and career path. In fact, the profession chose me. Every experience in life takes you to where you need to be. It demonstrates what you need to learn about yourself, others and the world. Even the challenges that we face in our lives, especially in our careers are growth experiences for us to evolve into the higher version of ourselves. It’s not an easy path and that is why it is so important to understand how to live life in a holistic way.

I knew that my dream of becoming a physician was only the starting point of my purposeful career journey but I didn’t know how it would unfold. Studying the field of medicine has helped me to navigate the healthcare industry as a patient, and being a patient definitely helped me to become a more thorough, understanding and empathic physician and holistic lifestyle coach. I undoubtedly know that if I didn’t face these challenges in my life, it wouldn’t have sparked the motivation and drive to also become a holistic health and lifestyle coach, speaker and an author. If it weren’t for each of these specific pieces of life’s puzzle, my experience of life would have created a completely different picture, which continues to evolve.

That is why I embrace and welcome challenges because I know that what is truly taking place is growth. These challenges are wonderful opportunities for me to learn, and ultimately share my wisdom with the world, being an example of how others can also elevate the way they live.

So embrace your journey, welcome your experiences and grow into the higher version of yourself!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Owning your own business is no easy feat, especially when there is no business framework on which to build. When starting a business, the early excitement and vision of your dream is alive in your bones, and at the same time the grappling unknowns of running a business can hang over your head like a thick dark cloud. This is what happened to me. I remember my first year of working in the coaching space as I grabbed at straws, both big and small, to gain knowledge on how to run the different aspects of a coaching business. I invested a large sum of money to learn about business strategy because I thought that everyone else had the answer. I was coming from a place of desperation and often became disappointed when my expectations of the business weren’t moving as fast as I would have liked. In fact, they were moving quite slowly. No one stressed how important it was to put in the work but also nurture the process while waiting patiently to see the result, which would show up in its own time.

I like to compare it to planting a seed. When you plant an intentional seed in your business, you need to provide the appropriate nutrient-rich soil, water, and fertilizer, and then give it time to get rooted and grow. The seed doesn’t grow overnight. It needs to be nurtured over time and the grower needs to have patience with the process of growth. I began to pivot from a place of desperation to a place of ease and flow, once I understood the process.

I also learnt so much from different coaches that I began to discover what was truly right for me and how to operate my business based on my lifestyle. There are many ways to be successful in business. That’s a fact! However, the way to run a successful business that’s right for YOU, is a completely different story. In my case, with my health challenges, I knew that I couldn’t do things the way other people were teaching me how to do them, and I began to listen more intently to my inner guide. I began to slow down and rest more, so that I could continue to take care of myself while nurturing the business as well. I listened more to what my body, mind and spirit were telling me to do. Once, I made this shift, things began to flow much easier in both my business and personal life. Now, I am currently in a space of fulfilling my purpose on earth in a place of ease and flow while enlightening the minds, hearts and bodies of women (and men) all across the globe. There is no turning back! There is only EXPANSION!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/drktap/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/drktap/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drktap/
• Other: FREE GIFT from Dr. KTap – The Holistic Healing Guide: https://www.drktap.com/holistichealingguide