Kat
Name: Kat Love
Lives in: Aegina Island, Greece in the summer and Piraeus, Greece for the winter. I visit Germany and the USA often to visit with friends and chosen family. I love slow travel so I will often visit/live somewhere new for a few weeks out of any given year as well.
From: I was born and raised just outside of San Francisco in the California East Bay area. I’m half German and half African American, but I didn’t visit Germany until I was 10 years old and never learned to speak German. Since I have lived in Greece for 10 years now, I speak better Greek than I ever did German. So the question now of “where I’m from” feels like I should include Greece too.
Job: I help psychotherapists get more clients, more referrals, and help people heal. My services range from one-on-one business and marketing coaching to running a software program I created that helps therapists write their websites in the easiest way possible. I also offer group training and programs to help therapists with specific areas of business. For example, I recently ran something I called “Website Group” which helped therapists discover how to create their own websites.
I have a background in website design, front end website development on WordPress, and inbound marketing. As I have grown my businesses though, I have also grown my skills. I am a more well-rounded, full-stack entrepreneur now more than ever, growing in the areas of sales, product and service design, and the ability to build and manage teams. It’s really fun. My interest in helping therapists stems from my own personal healing and growth. Therapists helped me heal from childhood sexual abuse and neglect and so when I was thinking of who I want to help, I couldn’t think of a better group of people.
Tell us your first three jobs (ever!): My first real job was working in a library! Hilariously “Type 5” job right? I mean, information is heaven on earth. My favorite things about working at the library were putting freshly returned books back on the shelves, going on my breaks to the basement to read new things I found, and doing something called “shelf reading.” Shelf reading is where library workers read the spines on the items on the shelf and rearrange any materials that are out of order. It was extremely satisfying to ensure the books were in order not only because the practice of shelf reading is meditative in nature but also because it meant that other knowledge-seekers could find what they were seeking.
My second job was at a huge fabric store called “Joann’s Fabrics.” I started sewing and crafting as a child and it developed into a passion for making my own garments. That job was also really fun. Especially the part where I got a discount. For the job itself, my favorite things were the most anti-social. I did not like running the checkout line or cutting fabric but if they gave me a bin of fabric to shelve or items to restock, I was in my own little happy place.
My third job was lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons. I swam competitively both as a kid and in college and was the goalie on my high school water polo team. Lifeguarding and teaching swimming was a natural extension of something I was skilled at, passionate about, and could share with others. Lifeguarding is also a very quiet, mindful job. You sit by yourself and watch others. This is the literal “watchtower” job.
Zodiac sign?: Capricorn
Enneagram type: Type 5, the Investigator/Observer
What do you love about Greece? There are three things that I love about Greece: my partner, my Greek family, and swimming.
In a previous lifetime, I was working as an art nude model. And this is how I met and fell in love with my partner Kostas. I would tour around Europe in the summers, doing photo shoots with photographers in various cities. Kostas hired me to model for him, and I totally fell for him! So he’s the absolute best thing about Greece. And a close second to him is his family who adopted me as their own. I love them more than my heart can feel.
I realize that loving a place because of the people that live there might be “cheating” out of answering the question, so I’ll also share my third most favorite thing about Greece: swimming. I love swimming in Greece – specifically Aegina. And the amount of love here is far beyond any reasonable amount of love you ought to usually feel for something. Sapphire water, crystal clear, and with my friends: the fish. Visiting with sea life is nothing short of magical. There are lots of types of common fish like “kalogries,” which translates into nuns, who are dark reddish or black and only a bit larger than your standard goldfish. These are the schools that you can swim in the middle of. The types of fish you become one with as you swim along. But then you’ll also spot the occasional mini swordfish, octopus, jellyfish, flatfish, or morray eels. I love them all. You can also see dolphins from our bedroom balcony sometimes. So that’s also not too bad.
When I am in the sea I feel: calm and safe. In a place of peace. I also do distance swims as well, which are good for the body too. But yes. Certainly, certainly swimming is the best thing ever about Greece. Come and swim! You will love it.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you: As much as I love swimming in Greece, I also did get attacked by mini swordfish one time. Luckily these fish are so small, and their swords blunt, no physical harm was caused. Here’s how that happened:
Across from Aegina, there is a gorgeous and uninhabited island that has a small cave on one side. The cave is small but so is one’s access to it: you can only get into the cave by swimming through a channel-like opening between two rocks.
One day my partner Kostas, our niece, her friend, and I decided to boat to the island and swim into the cave. Because the space between the two rocks is narrow, you have to swim in a single file line. I volunteered to be the last person of four in the line. While everyone in front of me entered into the cave, I was still in the cave’s entrance, standing on a rock, halfways in the water, and halfways out. As I started looking up into the inside of a cave, out of absolutely nowhere, my niece a meter in front of me started yelping. And within seconds I was too. I felt like I was getting pelted with little sharp rocks all over my body, both under and above water. Because it was dark in there, we had no idea what was going on. The two people in our party more in the cave were like, “wtf is happening?” and although my niece and I were not really in danger we were still freaking out. That moment probably lasted 10-15 seconds but it felt like 15 minutes of just being pelted and confused.
We eventually figured out it was a school of what are called “Zarganes” in Greek – mini swordfish, silver, slender, and about 12 to 14 inches long. Apparently, when they are frightened they go into “flight” mode which includes jumping. They probably were chilling in the cave and got scared when we showed up uninvited. Because I was standing in the entrance of the cave, I got most of the action, but luckily not even a bruise. Just some adrenaline.
I look back on that and laugh! Adventures in Greece! #greekislandlife
Where we are most likely to find you in Lynn’s Kundalini Yoga? Rooftop yoga and Enneagram events, most likely in winter and early spring while I’m on the mainland or virtually anytime.
The first time you tried Kundalini Yoga: The first time I tried Kundalini Yoga was with Lynn on her rooftop. I find the practice to be very grounding.
Tell us your top tip to combat climate change: Go vegan. It actually makes an impact. Plus you save the animals and improve your own health. Three wins. No losses. As someone who has been a vegan for almost 20 years, reach out if you want any inspiration. You can do it. The planet, animals, and your health will thank you.
Anything else you’d like us to know?: You can see what I’m up to in service of others on my personal brand website katlove.com or follow me as a human on Instagram (Kattothelove) where I post my life adventures – usually including lots of swimming.