We were lucky to catch up with Katie Connolly recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Recognizing I was highly sensitive and experienced anxiety, my Mam gave me the gift of breathwork and meditation. She also helped me work holistically with my highly active nature (undiagnosed ADHD), ensuring I had food high in fats, low in sugar, limited screen time and instead focusing on creative, intellectual, athletic, and outdoor endeavours. I attribute my resilience to having learned how to tune into my body and having learned resources to support me at a young age. This is why I approach concerns from a holistic perspective, and am so passionate about sharing simple, yet powerful somatic practices with families I work with.

Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Craniosacral Practitioner, Expert Registered Yoga Teacher, Founder of a Registered Children’s Yoga School (teaching educators, therapists, and parents primarily), Master of Counselling Candidate, and Speaker. I have received many awards, to include the Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Recipient for my Children’s Yoga + Social Emotional Learning Cards.

I primarily work with highly sensitive and neurodiverse individuals and families. As a highly sensitive (undiagnosed ADHD) mom myself, part of a highly sensitive family, some of whom do have an ADHD diagnosis, I appreciate the additional challenges this can bring to parenting. I also know there are many gifts in parenting these beautiful souls. The challenge here is really honouring our intuition and theirs, in a world that is constantly bringing us out of our bodies and telling us not to trust our inner wisdom.

My mission is to help others live an aligned life and to begin to eradicate unhealthy systemic cycles. I do this by helping clients connect with their bodies (as many of us are not), feeling safe in their bodies and noticing what is going on within. From here we can learn to express and advocate, to begin to create change in our world. Change begins within, hence the name, gloWithin.

Accessibility is very important to me, and as such, I offer my services in a variety of formats at a variety of price points, to include; virtual and in-clinic 1:1 sessions and group sessions, courses on the gloWithin App, my Award Winning Children’s Yoga Cards, and my new book – 5 Minutes to Mindful Parenting. I love working in small groups or 1:1, in order to really connect and support my clients holistically. I address the systems within and around us, working with the Koshas – our physical, mental, emotional, and energetic layers.

You can learn more about the tools and sessions I offer by visiting me on IG @theglowithinyou or my website: glowithin.ca

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

100% – I only wish I followed this path sooner, however; I believe there was some wisdom to this windy road. I knew as a child that I was supposed to work with families and create a space for this, but I had no idea how that looked. I knew I wanted to have flexibility to work and be with my children, as would many educated mothers in my generations. Many told me or my Mam that I was a healer or a teacher. Turns out I’m both!

I graduated with my Bachelor in Business, with a focus on International and Change Management. During University I had some very interesting experiences, to include battling with depression, body dysmorphia that began at 10, and beginning to unwind childhood trauma. I also had a very insightful out of body or near death experience while I was at work one day. While I went out of body often as a child at will, this was different. It was almost like a cleanse, initiating me into something greater. It prompted me to dive deep into my healing and return to my meditation practice I had abandoned in my late teens.

On the work front I had the opportunity to take some interesting roles in Europe after graduating, however I was very conscious of finding a role that aligned with my values. Graduating into the 2008 recession, it was a struggle to find work despite my prior management experience since I was 16. I had a brief and challenging fling with the business world, before being faced with what felt like a mid-life crisis at 25. At this point I considered my Masters of Counselling, Education, or Occupational Therapy, but having a business degree I would have had to redo my undergrad. Given this was not feasible I continued working while taking yoga and other trainings, until I eventually had the nerve to open a family and community based space. My beloved space was one of the first to incorporate healing, yoga, sound, and other modalities from those who rented space for me. During 2020, a year after having my eldest, I closed my studio as it had been blocked by construction for 2 years and was hemorrhaging money. This turned out to be a blessing, and allowed me to bring my offerings online to reach more!

I love what I do, and can not wait to finish my Masters in Counselling this year to tie it all together!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://glowithin.ca/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglowithinyou/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katie.temp.969
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieconnolly111/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxHY2IoiYpM1K60UYFswz6w