Meet Katrina Gerlach

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katrina Gerlach. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katrina, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I wouldn’t say I’ve overcome the challenges- but I survive them. I persist.
The biggest piece is ACCEPTING that this is something that’s going to happen. Sometimes I’m going to be sick. That’s what it is. It will pass. I don’t need to beat myself up over it.
Could I have done something different to prevent or help prevent a worsening episode? Maybe, but it’s in the past. And I’m here now. So it’s just time to move on and deal with what I can. Make the next right decision.
What that next right decision is depends on how bad the episode has gotten by the time I’ve really noticed it and been able to take care of it.
Sleep, Shower, Eat, Drink Water, Take things off the calendar and to-do list, Snuggle my cat, take a mid-day nap, Take a day to do nothing. Piddle around. Eat ice cream, Listen to Taylor Swift. Find ANYTHING to keep you going. Remember you just have to commit to taking 1 more breath at a time. and then you go from there.
And when I’m doing well, I try to give gratitude, acknowledge what is going well, how I can continue it, and how I can leave room for hiccups along the way. I take time to practice Compassionate Self-Forgiveness and deal with the dark parts of me that take me to hard places. I give myself permission to enjoy and love who I am. I cannot hate myself into getting better.

I want to run a business, and I feel called to run this business. I feel like everything that happened in my life and all the careers I’ve worked, the certifications and experience I’ve lived and gathered, have brought me here. To a place where I can struggle, out loud, and succeed publicly, so others can know they can do it to. Todays world is hard. Running your own business is scary and lonely. It doesn’t have to be. I want to make spaces where people can take care of themselves and feel supported and loved. A place where there is minimal expectation from you and you can show up authentically and just. Be. Grow. Learn. Heal. Feel Good in your Mind. Feel Good in your Body. Feel Good in your life.
I’m going to get sick again. I’m going to struggle again. But I’m also going to succeed. I’m going to love. I’m going to heal. I’m going to experience joy. I’m going to be living my human experience. In all its messy ways.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I create & hold spaces for people to feel good in and about their lives. I do this through a variety of practices.
In 2019, I was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor on my pituitary gland. I spend the next several years preparing for and trying to die.
The only reason I survived was because of my yoga and because of my cat. I was learning to take my yoga practice off the mat and apply it to my life as I went through my 200YTT and at the same time, learning to shed the religious & societal traumas of being born a woman in a Christian family. I couldn’t help but notice that my cat (Professor River Song, or River) didn’t seem to feel shame or guilt over things like expressing her wants and needs, communicating her boundaries, and resting when it was convenient for her. I also noticed I didn’t love her any less when she was inconvenient to me. When she woke me up in the middle of the night, I didn’t withhold my love from her because I genuinely didn’t love her any less. It occurred to me that these same lessons could be applied to me. So as I continued in my yoga journey, I noticed my best teacher was my girl, Riv, and I wanted to apply to my work not only all the certifications that I have accumulated and love but also all the lessons I’ve learned from her along the way. After all, everything I know I learned from my cat.
It’s been a journey of trying to figure out how to fit everything together. But ultimately, I feel like the changes I’m making now are steps in the right direction.
In addition to the public group yoga classes I teach in various places around the community, I’m excited to be building my own Katrina & River community for people who value their self-care and want to life lives they can feel good in and about. I’m expanding locations for my public group classes to make it more accessible and convenient to the community. I offer private services, both hands-on and hands-off to learn what self-care practices are right for you and (if I offer the services that are the appropriate fit for you) space to practice those practices- with ever expanding services including Holistic Movement Therapy, Chakra Balancing, Dosha Assessments, Empowered Movement & Meditation and more. I host events of a wide variety of self-care practices from game night to small business support. And I’m PARTICULARLY excited about the addition of workshops, retreats, and trainings for people who want a deeper dive into their practices or an opportunity to practice self-care in community and for longer periods of time. Because sometimes, an hour or two just isn’t enough.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Bravery- I was never going to beat the fear. So I had to just learn to do it scared. Seriously, if you keep waiting to start until you’re not scared or until you’re “ready” you will never ever start. because the fear is keeping you here where you’re “safe”. You can plan and plan and plan all you want, but you have to pick something and you have to start. It’s terrifying and overwhelming and you just have to decide you’re going to be scared and do it anyway. pump yourself up. work out. listen to good music. deep breath. and put yourself out there.

Community- I found a community of women who build me up. I’m FANTASTIC at what I do, and I do a lot of things. and I’m good at all of them. BUT I’m not good at everything. There are some things I’m never going to be good at. I’ve found people who life me up in those areas. When I’m discouraged (weekly) and think I’m doing everything wrong, I’ve got people I talk to. And when I was looking for community in ways that I was missing, I just went out and created it.

Resilience- I’ve failed, been rejected, and pivoted more than I could possibly count. You have to keep going. and this is going to lead into a bonus 4th one that I DID NOT have when I started my journey and was only able to find because of the number of rejections and failures but ultimately helped change things for me- CONFIDENCE. My business is better when I’m genuinely confident in what I’m doing. But you know what made me confident in what I’m doing? Being rejected 1 too many times. At a certain point, I realized that I actually didn’t care what you thought. Because I KNOW what I’m bringing to the table. If you’re too closed off to see it, that’s your loss. In fact, it’s even better. Because it leaves room for the people who do value what I’m bringing.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

The ladies in my corner at The Beauty Boost Indy. I didn’t know how helpful having supportive people in your life can be. I’ve struggled with relationships my entire life. I never had close family ties and always found friendships to be something I performed, not something I was a part of. I joined TBB for an excuse to find new places and things and just get connected to the activities after having to start over, yet again, in my 30s. I wasn’t expecting to meet people. I had never understood the benefit of relationships. But then I met these women. These women who are out here doing the dang thing. And supportive. and loving and uplifting and caring. These women who want you to succeed just as much as they want to succeed and don’t view it as competition. As a part of my own self-care journey, finding this group has helped rewire my brain and repair my relationship with relationships. It turns out, the world actually has people in it who love you and want the best for you and want to help you overcome your hurdles- not just benefit from what you have to bring to the table. They don’t mind if you just show up to receive the love and support. I had no idea. This is where I found the strength to be brave. The place where I could safely explore my confidence. The team work I needed to remember being a woman isn’t a great shame. It’s not a burden to carry. It’s a joy to be a part of. I get to be healthy. I get to be empowered. I get to be beautiful- inside and out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mysite.vagaro.com/apanawellness/our-team
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrina_and_river/

Image Credits

Headshot by Kelley Klemmensen Photography