I had a plan.

After more than three decades in the corporate world – culminating as Chief Audit Executive and Chief Risk Officer of a Fortune 250 company – I knew how to prepare for what was next.

I built a business plan, earned a coaching certification and wrote a book.  I was ready.

What I didn't plan for was losing myself in the process.

When I walked out of my office for the last time, I left behind more than a career.  I left behind an identity I had spent decades building – one so deeply woven into who I was that without it, I barely recognized myself.

No one warned me about that part.

What followed was unexpected.  Disorienting.  And ultimately the most transformative experience of my life.

 
 
 

In the quiet of the pandemic, with the world on pause and my carefully laid plans unraveling, I found myself doing the only thing that made sense – walking.

Each day I slipped into the mountains behind my New Jersey home, searching for solid ground.  What I found instead was something I couldn't have anticipated.

Nature became my teacher.  The trails became my classroom.  And in the stillness between the trees, I began to hear something I had spent decades too busy to notice – my own inner wisdom.

That journey – from the corner office to the mountain trail, from relentless doing to mindful being – became the foundation of everything I do today.

It also became the story I felt compelled to share in my second book, Walking with the Sage: A Story of Leaving Everything to Find More.

 

The transition out of a demanding career is rarely what we expect.

We plan for the financial piece. We never plan for the identity piece – the quiet unraveling of who we thought we were. But here’s what I know now:

There’s a profound opportunity hidden inside that disorientation.

Nature has a way of meeting us exactly where we are.

When we slow down enough to listen, the wilderness offers a kind of wisdom that no boardroom ever could.

This is the work I'm most passionate about: guiding accomplished professionals through their own metamorphosis –  from the life they built to the life they're becoming.

 

I bring a unique combination to this work:

The strategic, risk-managed mind of a Fortune 250 executive and the grounded wisdom of someone who has navigated this terrain firsthand.

As a CrossFit enthusiast, dedicated hiker, and Sierra Club outings leader, I don’t just teach these principles, I live them.  I believe the greatest investment you’ll ever make is in your own well-being.  It’s a return that yields vitality, engagement and purpose.

Through 1:1 coaching, digital courses, and nature-based experiences, I help you access your own inner knowing and design a second chapter that's vital, inspired and expansive.

 

 

“We recently invited Kathy to speak to our iWin Women’s Networking Group about how to incorporate wellness practices while balancing career and family. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the quality and value of the program from the attendees. Highly recommended!”

-Chris Magno, Senior Vice President/General Manager – Retirement Services @ ADP

“She has such a calm demeanor and astute way of getting to the heart of any issue. She is someone who really listens and because of that is able to provide compassion at the same time as provoking self-reflection and inspiring action.”

-Diana Cortese, BCBA, Founder SBKC & Teach Social Skills

“I have worked closely with Kathy for over 2 years now and she has always impressed me with her independent and original thinking around Wellness. Her recently released book ‘The Athena Principles’ is inspirational and provides a clear pathway for everyone to improve their Wellness.”

-Robyn McIntyre, Health Coach, Family Medicine Specialist, Public Health Physician

 
 

If my story strikes a chord, I’d love to hear yours.

Take a small step toward your future self.  Schedule a complimentary 30-minute session.  No pressure, no agenda.  Just an open space to talk about where you are, where you want to go and whether we should walk that path together.