We recently connected with Katherine Kiviat and have shared our conversation below.
Katherine, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
My life’s purpose is to create supportive systems of nourishment, both physical and emotional, that empower others to heal at the root and
sustainably transform their lives. My work as a functional and integrative nutritionist is grounded in emotional intelligence and structured care, helping clients feel seen, supported, and transformed.
I thrive on solving complex wellness puzzles. Whether it’s autoimmune issues, gut dysfunction, or hormonal chaos, I bring a detective-like curiosity and strategic problem-solving lens to every case. My experimental nature allows me to learn from experience and teach from wisdom.
I’m not just here to hand over recycled protocols, I’m here to build bridges between science and soul.
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?
Like many practitioners in the field of wellness, I have a personal history with chronic illness.
As a young child I was diagnosed with dyslexia and later in life with an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s. Because of this, I have always had an interest in fighting for and empowering others facing challenges. In my photography career, illustrated by the work I did with American gypsies, Christian Pakistanis living in Islamabad and the book, Women of Courage I co-authored about Afghan Women fighting for positive change in their country. After more than a decade working in photojournalism both as a photo editor and photographer, I was inspired to pursue a new career. Triggered by my son’s and my own health challenges, I went back to school to get my masters in human clinical nutrition and integrative health.
It has become my true passion to empower others with the tools and knowledge needed to help themselves live their best lives. I now lead others toward true wellness through emotionally aligned, evidence-based practices, helping purpose-driven women and sensitive high achievers heal their gut, hormones, and energy by combining emotional wisdom, functional testing, and intuitive systems that create deep, lasting wellness.
Because healing doesn’t happen without emotional safety, I help clients slow down, attune to their emotional body, and make nutrition and lifestyle choices that are aligned, not forced. My approach respects the nervous system, encourages slowness in integration, and supports healing that’s gentle yet effective.
I create holistic wellness systems that blend practical tools with deeper healing. Think digestive protocols and emotional nourishment, nutritional plans and habit transformation, detox strategies and spiritual alignment.
I translate the complex into the accessible. Whether I’m educating in a session, writing content, or speaking to a group, I bring clarity, warmth, and encouragement to the healing process. It is always my goal to help others feel empowered, not overwhelmed.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, three things have shaped my journey most and continue to guide my work every day:
1. Deep Listening to the Body (and Intuition)
Witnessing my son’s healing through functional nutrition was the first time I truly saw how quickly the body can shift when we support it correctly. It wasn’t just about food, it was about listening. His body was asking for help in ways conventional medicine couldn’t see. That experience taught me how important it is to tune in to the quiet signals – both in ourselves and in those we serve.
Advice: Trust your gut – literally and figuratively. If something feels off or incomplete, explore further. The body whispers before it screams.
2. Resilience through Challenge
From raising a chronically ill child to navigating Hashimoto’s while working as a globe-trotting photographer, I learned how to stay open and curious even when things felt overwhelming. My path has taught me that resilience isn’t about pushing through, it’s about honoring your limits and evolving with them.
Advice: Let challenges shape you, not harden you. It’s okay to slow down. Some of the deepest growth comes in the pause.
3. Seeing the Individual, Not the Protocol
In grad school and in my own healing, I realized one-size-fits-all just doesn’t work. Every person has a unique story, history, and biology. What helped my son wouldn’t have helped me and vice versa. My work now is grounded in this truth: individualized care is the most compassionate and effective path to healing.
Advice: The art of healing is knowing how to adapt what you know to who’s in front of you. Other than training/knowledge and sometimes even more important is the ability to listen to someone’s story and hear what they have lived through, what they are going through that makes them a unique individual. Their story usually contains many of the clues or even answers we as clinicians are looking for.
Healing is not linear, and neither is the path to becoming a healer. Honor your own rhythms. Stay curious. And never underestimate the power of a quiet moment to change everything.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
True healing is never a solo journey. I love creating with others who share the same mission.
I’m always open to aligned, purpose-driven collaborations with practitioners, brands, and creatives who share my passion for functional medicine, nervous system-informed healing, personalized nutrition, women’s hormones, gut, autoimmune and mental health.
If you’re reading this and something lights up inside you – please reach out! I’m interested in workshops, retreats, co-created healing programs or courses, podcasts, brand partnerships or holistic product development. I would love to hear your vision.
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Contact Info:
- Website: https://nourishingrootsfl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourishingrootsfl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nourishingrootsfl/
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/nourishingrootsfl
Image Credits
Katherine Kiviat
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
