ABOUT US

Meet Kate

Kate grew up on 10 acres on the North Shore back in the day when Albany was a sleepy little village and the main road north was a single highway!  Horses were her life and she had little idea what she wanted to do when she left school other than it must involve horses.

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Kate recalls – “I questioned lots as child, not in an obvious way to others, mainly to myself and I pondered lots too, finding I didn’t agree with many accepted ways of doing things. I was fascinated with learning, teaching and training – mainly with horses but I was intrigued with learning in general and was desperate to understand the myths that were perpetuated in both academic and equine circles around learning.  The idea that teaching and training are cloaked in mystery annoyed me and had me searching for clues as to how to train like some of the equine gurus but none of them could explain it in a way that made sense to me.  In fact many simply didn’t explain it at all and appeared to perpetuate the myths that you were either gifted or not!”

Fast forward a few years – Kate had graduated as teacher and was living in an ideal world with a partner on a small block of land, with her beloved horses and a cute cottage - she had everything she had dreamt of….

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The universe conspired to bring behavioural science and positive reinforcement training into Kate’s world via an article by Shawna Karrasch of On Target Training fame – this began the long but exciting journey towards becoming a psychologist and behaviour analyst.

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Kate’s personal life was beginning to develop cracks and the doubts and fears were creeping in about her relationship and her future.  “I felt guilty for having it all, and I was still not happy, I struggled with why I was wanting more and felt I was seeking something I couldn’t define”

The search for meaning had begun with Tony Robbins – Kate remembers it was her one and only infomercial purchase and possibly the best spontaneous purchase everI  Her thirst for motivational gurus of all types was endless and she soaked up everything she could read or listen to ranging from Tim Ferris to Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and Robert Kyiosaki. 

It was around this time that her unease and fear of the future culminated in a tragic car accident.  Kate was hit by a car while out leading her two horses on a quiet country road. Her horse Melita died as result; her other horse Jamie survived thanks to some incredible surgery by a Warkworth vet John Maikin.  Jamie is still with Kate today and Kate remains eternally grateful to John for his expertise in performing complicated surgery in a paddock. 

With her life imploding, the crash signaled the slow demise of her relationship and the fantasy life, that while looking good on the outside left her feeling hollow and lost.  “I realize now I was experiencing a level of depression that even I didn’t fully understand – lack of confidence, diminishing social interactions and a massive sense of failure loomed over me – why wasn’t it enough for me to have what I wanted?”

Fast forward again and Kate is now a board certified behavior analyst, single, and passionate about her calling.  “ I am in love with my new life, and I now fully appreciate the fact that our lives are constant works in progress and there is always a desire to improve and grow and expand – a simple law of nature! “

What did she do?

What magic happened? 

How did she transform herself from that insecure hurt and abandoned woman?  It wasn’t magic or an epiphany or just one decision or action. It was a series of slow steps and consistent small changes in what she did that helped her find herself again, and enabled her to reignite a hidden passion to help others in practical and straight forward ways.  It all started with applying the general principles she had learnt based on the science of behaviour in her daily life.

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Behaviour analysis is about measuring meaningful actions, and step by step training, exploring outcomes and investigating reasons why and then making adjustments along the way.  In much the same way as you would navigate at sea – you plot a course, and keep checking you’re on track!

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Behaviour analysts are concerned with finding out why people do what they do and how it serves them and how to maybe teach them a new way to get the same outcome that is less harmful or destructive.  Some common clinical examples might be over eating, smoking or drug addictions.  Day to day issues might be trying to increase exercise, increasing customer service skills, changing some sort of destructive routine or increasing motivation, and achieving personal or professional goals.

Kate now shares this learning with others who are facing a point in their life when enough is not enough.  Maybe you’re intrigued, like Kate was, with the how and whys of learning, and wish to apply it in your business or personal life.

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Kate demystifies the mumbo jumbo out there that is so destructive when you are seeking to make some sort of change or if you are trying to understand others and how to teach or train effectively and efficiently using best current practice.  You don’t have to change who you are or reinvent yourself or become someone else – you simply decide what you want to do and do it – with the right sort of practical support and actions based on what you want to achieve you will surprise yourself!