07/14/2025
Getting to know Kate…please read, i know its long, but so worth making it to the end…
I started working at the age of 14 downtown Saugtuck for Linda Holmes at Belle of the Reef a brass and nautical shop. The following summer I went to work for the Jann’s at Around the Corner Ice Cream Shop and Bed & Breakfast. My next job was at Arnold’s Restuarant (the Redwood or better known now as Waypoint). I worked 2 years while in High School at the SHS front office fo 2 hours everyday. At the age of 17, I became a teller at Citizens Trust & Savings Bank downtown Saugatuck(i worked there the summer it was robbed, biggest bank robbery in the US that year), while attending college for Interior Design. My next job had me at Bright World Candle in Saugauck as well and then moved to Demond’s working in the deli for Cheri Engel. After college it was time to find a more permanent job. Nothing in the design industry in the area provided anything full time so i went to work at Haworth, but only for 3 months, that was plenty of that place! I applied for a second time at Prince and interviewed with three different groups of people and was hired. I stayed there for 13.5 years. During those years,I lost my dad, my bestfriend, i was 27, (he was only 61) and it was before i was ever married, what a huge loss, but before he died, he helped me as i purchased land and my own home, all while facilitating all of my own contract work and pulling all of my own permits. I Moved into my house in december of 1999, daddy died in August of 2000. Througout those years at Prince and JCI, i also took on second and third jobs at times, Kalico Kitchen, Dunesview, Felt Mansion as a Day of Event Coordinator and summer tour representative, Raised Siberian Huskies, Got married and gained 3 children! Taught Sunday School, led the kids choir at church, and helped with bible school in the summers. I also planned several fundraising events for Gibson Church to help with the edition of the new narathex and handicap accessible entrance. When our jobs at JCI were leaving for Canada, i then qualified for the NAFTA program and schooling (which ended up never being paid for due to the fact that Michugan works couldnt keep the same staff and no one follwed through with my process, that was a huge finacial hit since i had no job and my husband had just gone back to work). This is when i decided to go to Blue Heron Academy for Medical Massage Therapy. Took the 1201 hour course, which was twice the amount of time required in Michigan for becoming a Massage Therapist and graduated with a 96%, which was pretty exciting considering i was over 30 at this point! My first Massage “job” was at a salon, a year was all it took to know that wasn’t how i wanted my massage experience to work, it was very limiting, financially and as to how i could practice what i had learned. I choose to then go out on my own and alsonworked with Dr. Alfieri at his chiropractic clinic as his massage therapist, which instill do on wednesday afternoons. It took a lot of years of self promotion, changing office venues and referrals to build up the the thriving practice i have now. During those 18 years I did what i had to do to pay my bills as well. Again, I worked at Dunesview and Kalico kitchen one or two nights a week. I also took a third shift job in Grand Rapids for a company called Roskam baking. I was a third shift plant coordinator. I really did love that job, I was able to make a big difference with several of my supervisors and implement many of the things that I learned while working at prince/JCI. But there came a time when third shift was making it so that I wasn’t giving what I needed to give during the day when I worked on my Massage Clients. I guess working all night, sleeping in a papasan chair at my office for two hours, working on massage cleints all day, and then sleeping a couple of hours before going back to work after making diner and taking care of my family really didnt work so well! So, I left Roskam and I worked a night a week at Dunesview and continued to grow my massage practice. During Covid, i was forced to close my doors until our governor decided inqas worthy to work, i never felt so worthless in all my life, my clients needed me now more than ever! I ended up volunteering my time to help my dear friend to keep the doors open at her restaurant, i answered the phone and took orders, she cooked and the i took money and handed out food. It’s the only thing that kept me sane. When I was finally able to go back to work, Iswore they’d never shut me down again. And Here we are, almost 19 years later, and I have never experienced any other work so rewarding as being a Massage Therapist. Helping others to regain mobility, alleviate inflammation, decrease anxiety, and bring about overall relaxation to their body and their mind is such rewarding work, it hardly feels like work!
Life has never been just an easy glide, I experienced the loss of my daughter Lydia, i was almost to my due date when we lost her heart beat. Miscarried a second time shorlty after concieving again in 2007. I went through a seperation in 2010 and divorced in 2012, dating AGAIN…uhg, and then meeting my now husband and got married again in late 2012. Again inrsn into some infertility issues and we decided to try Invitro Fertilization. Very costly experience. Full payment was required before they would do the procedure. This began 2 years of fundraisers to only obtain 1/3 of what we needed. I had to make the decision to give up on my dream of becoming a mother. I dont know that I’ll ever get over that. My biggest heartbreak was losing my Mom in December of 2021. She was my biggest supporter through all of these life events and Changes, the growth and the sadness. And yet today, I continue to do all things that would make her proud. I still talk with her, it just gives me comfort. She sees me and my train wrecks, my successes and in my joy and pain. She’s always watching over me. I sure do miss our nightly foot massages and conversations. But I am strong, not only because of all I’ve survived, but because of all she taught me and because most importantly, I know that through this all, God is the head of my life. I am just a vessel, I perform the works that He gives me the strength to do. For that, I am blessed and grateful.
I want to thank all of my clients throughout the years, some come and go, some maintain weekly, monthly, quarterly. Many have sent referrals, some have moved on to others who could help them differently, and I’m ok with that. I know that I cannot help everyone, just as not everyone can help me. But I have learned from all of you, and I have grown by doing so. Attending my continuing education events every year to learn better ways to address your needs is so important and beneficial for me and for you. I happily refer to other avenues of service that compliment what we do, such as chiropractic care, acupuncture, nutritionalist, PT, medical specialist, etc. Hand in hand, working with all of these specialist only gives YOU the best care possible, and that is truly what matters…YOU ♥️ I couldn’t be who I am without all of you, so thank you so much, especially for all of the encouragement over the years!
