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

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I’m extremely lucky as both my parents role-modeled a healthy, loving, and balanced relationship with each other throughout my life. To this day, they still hold hands while driving and are each other’s best friend. I only ever remember one fight between my parents throughout my entire childhood, and it wasn’t even a real fight. While eating dinner as a family, our dining room ceiling began showing long cracks, collapsing above our heads as we watched in horror. After the initial shock of hearing the breaking wood, my dad yelled at my mom to get us out of the room. She swiftly ushered me and my sisters to the back bedroom for safety, as my dad began frantically putting up two-by-four posts to keep the attic in place. From the bedroom, we heard booming voices making demands of each other. The worry and frustration were evident in the sound of their voices.

I didn’t grasp the situation at the time but just registered the noise that sounded like they were fighting. I must have been eight years old, but I remember it clearly. Through tears, I asked my older sister, “Are mom and dad getting a divorce?” “What?!” she asked as if I was insane. “Of course not!” But that’s how uncommon it was in my house for my parents to yell at each other. Of course, they raised their voices at us kids but they simply did not raise their voices to each other in front of us. I saw my parents model a wonderful relationship, so I never wanted to settle for anything less.

While I had some toxic relationships when I was younger, I knew I didn’t want to settle until I found someone special. I wasn’t willing to put up with arguments or manipulation of any kind. Most of my friends were getting married in their 20s and having kids, yet I remained single, holding out for the one who could live up to the partnership I saw in my parent’s marriage. I met my husband when I was 29 years old and got married when I was 34 – and he was worth the wait. He is my best friend and we are better together. Communication is our strongest asset as a team. While it took some time to learn each other’s styles, we never raise our voices and if we need a minute to calm down, we give each other that time. As they say, we never go to bed angry. In my vows, I said I would “always remember his kind-hearted intentions and forgive quickly” and that has helped us too. I just don’t see the point in fighting and it’s something we won’t allow into our marriage.

My parents have always showcased a deep sense of loyalty to their friends and family. My dad, in his 70s now, still has breakfast every single Sunday morning at a local diner with a group of guys from high school. They’ve had that routine for over 30 years, once their young kids grew older and they didn’t need to attend softball or soccer games in the morning anymore. They understand just how important it is as you grow older to have people around you who knew you when you were young. People who can help keep you grounded, reminding you of your core values and where you came from.

I’ve learned that people who have seen many versions of you have a deeper understanding of your soul’s evolution and can reflect that growth back to you when you lose sight of it. These long-time friends can be mirrors and when you are on a long journey and lose yourself, those mirrors are crucial to finding your way back home.

A few of my dad’s friends went with him on a cross-country road trip to Hawaii after high school. They still talk about that trip. While now their annual trip is a weekend at the Jersey shore, where they play cards and take naps between meals, they still value that time together and ensure they make time each year to get away. This yearly trip is an important routine to both my parents. It’s a reminder to me that you have to keep your social connections strong through the busyness of every day. People are the most important part of our lives.

This core value of connection has stuck with me my whole life and guided my journey. In finding my passions, when seeking the strength to overcome traumas, and through all the fun times too – the people are what make it all possible.

Katie, 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 am an author and advocate for health and healing on a mission to empower others to heal through writing.

My passion has always been education and I am a life-long learner. With a master’s degree in education, I work with college students as the Director of Health Promotion at a small liberal arts school in the suburbs of Philadelphia. With over 15 years of experience, my expertise is in substance education and recovery support. As a trauma-informed yoga teacher, I bring aspects of mindfulness and spirituality into all my work.

Fragile Thoughts: A Healing Memoir was published in 2023 by New Degree Press and is written as a personal narrative and practical guide to healing because we all have a #writetoheal. Fragile Thoughts explores the intersections of three powerful healing tools – vulnerable storytelling, journaling, and yoga – and how these practices can help transcend trauma.

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

Authentic connection is the only effective strategy that matters. Word of mouth will always be the best marketing tool and if people connect with you, then they are likely to recommend you to others. I run Learning Circles, which are book clubs with a self-study twist. Sure, we read books and reflect on them but in our groups, we strive to build courage, compassion, and connection and that’s what keeps people coming back and telling friends to join too.

When running these groups, I have a job to do but I also have to be open and honest about my own struggles. When in the group, I can not just paint a fake smile on if I am not truly feeling that way. If I want others to share, I need to share. The vulnerability and honesty build deep levels of connection and that connection is what has been feeding the growth of my book and business.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Books are my thing! Not only am I an author, but I run Learning Circles and so I have many books that have significantly impacted my work, my philosophy, and my entrepreneurial thinking. The first one that comes to mind is Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Amelia and Emily Nagoski. This book has changed the way I live my life and manage my work. We all know that mental health and physical health are intertwined, and working in health promotion I’ve been teaching this to students for over a decade. But there was something about how this book outlined the strategies for removing the stress from the body and linked it to our brain’s evolution that made it stick. I now offer a 30-minute workshop sharing the gems from this book, 10 strategies to avoid burnout, to my college students and it’s their favorite workshop too. The strategies are specific, evidence-based, and easy to implement. And since burnout played a big role in my journey, this book has been instrumental in the way I live my life now.

To give more context, many moons ago in a previous job on a college campus doing the same work, I was overwhelmed and unsupported. To prove to the world I could do it, when I was in my climbing the ladder, strong independent woman era, I kept pushing forward taking care of my job, even though I didn’t have time to take care of myself. My mind kept going but my body gave me warning signs to slow down. I started getting migraines, once a month at first but then it became weekly. I saw a doctor to get an MRI as webMD said I must have a tumor. No physical reasons for the migraines, the doctor said it must be stress. I continued working, without a quick way out of the toxic environment I was in, and my body continued to shout at me. I started getting extreme stomach pains that would come in waves at random times throughout the day. More doctor’s visits and many more tests revealed nothing. My doctor recommended that I quit my job. While I was trying to get out, it took more time. And during that time I broke out in stress hives, twice.

You know that quote “If you don’t pay attention to your wellness, you’ll be forced to pay attention to your illness.” Well, I was forced and finally moved back home, got a new job, and finally focused on myself. Still doing the job I was passionate about, but with a compassionate supervisor, I was working just the regular 40 hours and found time to sleep. I was able to start therapy, and began my yoga practice. I had time to write again, my passion from childhood, which was extremely healing. The migraines stopped after I moved almost immediately. As the pressure in the world around me subsided, so did the pressure inside my head. After a few more tests for the stomach pains, which persisted, I learned I had a stomach ulcer. My body began eating itself to get my attention! The body keeps the score, as Bessel van der Kolk says. And he is right. (Another fantastic book).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beanagent4change.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiebeanwellness/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebeanwellness/
• Other: Substack: katiebeanwellness.substack.com Linktree: https://linktr.ee/katiebeanwellness