We recently connected with Katrina 6372338 and have shared our conversation below.

Katrina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

The idea began after a conversation that changed how I saw both leadership and myself. I had reached out to a senior director for guidance about the next steps in my career. Her response was simple but shocking: she said no one had given her a playbook, so I shouldn’t expect one. It stunned me. I’ve always believed in mentorship and in lifting others as we climb. To me, knowledge is meant to be shared, not guarded. But that conversation did something unexpected — it pushed me to write my own playbook.

I went back to my first love: writing. I began publishing articles on Medium about purpose, growth, mindset, and self-discovery. Those reflections became a creative outlet, a kind of therapy. Through them, I rediscovered my voice and learned to speak from a place of gratitude and resilience. Out of those writings, I began crafting my own affirmations — short pieces that carried my lessons and hopes. Those affirmations grew into my first self-published works, collections that celebrate courage, creativity, and self-worth.

Writing opened the door for me to create more. In September, I published my debut children’s book — a story rooted in imagination, transformation, and wonder. That book reminded me how deeply I love storytelling and how powerful words can be in shaping young minds.

From there, I launched NebulaWaters, combining my writing and design passions to create affirmation-inspired products — shirts, mugs, notebooks, and more. It became a space where my words could live beyond the page and inspire others in everyday life.

When people ask why I thought I could succeed, my answer is simple: it never occurred to me that I couldn’t. I didn’t question whether I could write, publish, or build something of my own. The only question I asked was how to learn what I didn’t know. I’ve always believed that you can do anything if you are teachable, reachable, and motivated. Success, to me, isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about being willing to learn, create, and grow through the process.

This creative journey has been cathartic. It reminded me that joy, like purpose, must be reclaimed. Writing gave me that joy back — and in doing so, it gave me myself.

Katrina, 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 a scientist, a physicist, and a reliability engineer who has spent more than twenty years working in the world of space exploration. My journey has taken me from the Space Shuttle Program and the International Space Station to Next Generation Spacesuits and commercial space habitats. I’ve also worked in astrophysics, gravitational wave research, and the oil and gas industry. Through it all, my love for space has remained constant—it has been both my anchor and my inspiration.

Over time, I realized that science and creativity are not opposites. To imagine what has never existed requires both technical precision and bold imagination. That understanding led me to create my Etsy store, NebulaWaters, a brand that merges science, art, and affirmation. Through my books, I aim to remind others that innovation and inspiration go hand in hand. My work includes children’s stories, affirmation books, and creative pieces that celebrate resilience, representation, and the beauty of exploration—both in the cosmos and within ourselves.

I am most proud of my affirmation book, Mystical Girl, which I consider a love letter to women. It uses cosmic imagery—stars, nebulas, and galaxies—to affirm strength, joy, and divine femininity. The woman on the cover looks like me, and that was intentional. Early on, someone told me that a book with a woman of color on the cover would not sell, that she should be lighter or more “acceptable.” I refused. I was not going to bend to invisibility and hypervisibility at the same time. She stayed exactly as she was—beautiful, radiant, and twirling in the cosmos, representing the fullness of who I am and who so many women are.

Through NebulaWaters, I also wrote and developed Let’s Chase the Moon, a children’s book that celebrates science, imagination, and family. It features a Black family and a mother who is a rocket scientist, stylish, and full of life—because representation matters. Creating that book taught me patience, discipline, and the power of creative collaboration with an illustrator who could bring emotion and humanity to every page.

What sets my brand apart is that it bridges worlds that are often seen as separate. I bring together the analytical and the imaginative, the technical and the soulful. My work stands for authenticity, inclusion, and empowerment. I create books and designs that remind readers—especially children and women—that they belong in every space they dream of. My proudest accomplishment is that I have built something that reflects truth, beauty, and courage, and that continues to affirm others in their own journeys of discovery and light.

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

The lesson I want to unlearn is expecting me from other people.

Throughout my career and personal life, I have often assumed that others would act, think, or respond the way I would in a given situation. I believed that if I showed integrity, empathy, and excellence, others would naturally do the same. I expected them to treat me and others the way I strive to treat people. But over time, I have learned that this expectation can lead to disappointment.

The truth is, you cannot expect you—and I emphasize “YOU” in all caps—from other people. Everyone operates from their own experiences, beliefs, and capacity. That does not make them wrong; it just makes them different. I can see the potential in people, but potential is not the same as action, and it often goes unrealized.

So what I am continuing to unlearn is the habit of projecting my own values and choices onto others. I am learning to accept people for who they are in this present moment, not who I imagine they could become. It takes mindfulness to pause and ask myself, “What is really being said? What is the goal? What is the truth in front of me?”

Unlearning this lesson means freeing myself from the disappointment that comes with unmet expectations and finding peace in accepting things and people as they are.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes, absolutely. There is a very clear mission driving my journey right now.

In this new phase of my life and career, I want to continue to grow and build upon the expectations I have set for myself. I have professional goals that I want to meet and even surpass, but equally important is my creative journey. I want to write, and I am writing. I want to continue publishing my work and sharing it with a broader audience. My goal is to keep creating, self-publishing, and learning everything I can about the process—from writing and design to layout, typesetting, and imagery.

Someone once told me that my debut children’s book was beautiful, but too long. Another person told me I should have built an audience first because “no one knows you yet.” For a moment, I questioned myself. Then I remembered who I am and what I do. I work in space exploration. I live in the world of infinite possibilities and the unknown. So what if my path is backwards? So what if it’s different? It is still mine. It is my vision, my joy, and my journey.

My mission is to put my vision into the world in my own way. I’ll follow some traditional paths, but I’ll also break a few norms along the way when something feels right to me. Everything that exists had to start somewhere. Someone had to create the standard before it could be accepted as normal. As a scientist, I understand that foundations evolve and infrastructures change. The same is true for creativity—you don’t have to conform to create something meaningful. You can renew, reimagine, and redefine.

That is what drives me. The explorer in me wants to test new things, take risks, learn from what doesn’t work, and celebrate what does. Whether I’m building a fault tree for life or mapping out the probability of success, I’m still learning and calibrating. Along the way, I want to create things that resonate with others—things that bring beauty, meaning, and joy.

I want to find a publisher and a literary agent one day, and I want to turn my children’s book into a series. I have many more stories to tell across different genres. I also want to expand my affirmation apparel line, which was inspired by my writing. My dream is to grow it into a luxury brand that is chic, stylish, and empowering.

If we are dreaming big—and I always am, because I already work in space—then I want my Etsy store, NebulaWaters, to represent everything I love: creativity, exploration, and infinite possibility. My mission is to grow, to learn, to create, to innovate, and to have fun along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NebulaWaters
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klcarterwrites?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-carter-journet-52190b9?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits

The professional photos of me are taken by @lisagartistry. The photos of NASA Astronaut, Dr. Jeanette Epps holding my books came directly from her and I have permission to use them. The others are my designs, affirmations, and participation in World Space Week.