We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Wiggins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie below.
Katie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I have been through a lot of pain and hurts that steered my emotions and choices for a long time. Through the death of my father in 2008, I learned resilience. Serving others is healing. I allowed God to be sovereign and align my heart and pain with his will and for his glory. Purpose from pain is all I know because of God. I find allowing others to be connected and loved helps them find their meaning and purpose.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Katie Wiggins founded Healing Roots to bring purpose to the pain of losing her father to murder. Healing Roots is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit In Jacksonville, Florida; we help individuals and families find hope and healing as they navigate the grief of losing a loved one to homicide in the state of Florida. Those we serve find hope through individual and group counseling for low to no cost. Our mission is to celebrate and grieve with those suffering. Losing someone to murder is a layered loss and can be prolonged, unlike natural loss. Katie and Healing Roots help those suffering feel safe, heard, and connected to God and people during a dark time. Check out their social media and website for more stories and testimony. Serving others is often done through providing space for counseling, advocacy, and connection to their faith. Serving heals and Healing Roots help clients see purpose from pain. Their missionary-based heart is lower cost grief counseling to avoid causing further stress to the grieving population they serve and to be present first and foremost, which means they work solely on grants and donations. Katie works tirelessly to provide for the clients and plan ways to make their stories heard and their loved ones seen. Every life matters, and meaning can come from anything painful when we allow God into the story.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Faith, connection, and wisdom. We must keep moving forward even when that means failing forward. I believe everything happens for a reason, even when the reason is painful and makes no sense. When we are looking for results and outcomes, we will miss the process of the why. Check your heart and ask your ‘why’ before moving forward.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents taught me how to fight for what’s important and work hard. My dad was a hard worker and showed great resilience from his past traumas. My mom showed me how to give those who hurt us grace and to forgive when it seems impossible. Most of all, both parents did their best, and through their failures, I learned resilience and how to be who I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: healingrootssupport.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healingroots_counseling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealingRootsCounseling
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HealingRootsCounseling
- Other: https://linktr.ee/healingrootscounseling
Image Credits
Social Media and pictures were created by our social media manager Maeghan Morin
