Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Quade.
Hi Katie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In January 2017, my husband Adam and I sold our house in Golden Valley, MN, packed up our lives and hopped on a plane across the Pacific to our new home in Sydney, Australia.
Adam and I met during our college study abroad program to Perth, Australia, thirteen years ago. We dated for seven years, got a house, got engaged and married, and while we always talked about how it would be fun to go back to live in Australia, I don’t think either of us ever thought it would actually happen. (Sidenote: manifest those dreams people, it works!) The universe must have had other plans because Adam’s Minnesota-based company had a large restructure, leaving him jobless for a few months. While it can be easy to panic during a time like this, it wasn’t too long before Adam got a call from a sister company in Australia who wanted to interview him for a position there. After a Skype interview in September, they flew us over for an in-person interview in October. In November, he accepted the position. In January we received our visas, put our house on the market, and were living in an entirely new continent by the end of the month.
Living in another country really opens your eyes. Traveling is so important for this exact reason, but LIVING in another country is truly an invaluable experience. Working in advertising/experiential marketing for 7 years prior to moving, I was able to pick up freelance jobs at various agencies throughout Sydney. It was a great way to get exposure to a variety of work, and grow my network in a short amount of time.
When we began talking about moving back to Minnesota to start our family, I knew I didn’t want to work at another agency. I loved the autonomy of freelancing and the feeling that I didn’t owe my time or life to any one specific company. I learned the importance of setting boundaries, like when I shut my computer I’m actually done working for the night. It’s really funny how that works, because once those boundaries are set, people really do learn how to respect them.
A few months before we made the move home, I began working with a life and business coach (shout out to Ang Stocke Coaching in Duluth, MN!). We began working through my goals and dreams, and very quickly I realized that I am a true creative entrepreneur. I wanted to find a way to combine my professional experience in advertising/experiential marketing with what I had learned about truly slowing down from the Australian culture.
With that, I came upon the idea of Balanced Roots Retreats, luxury lifestyle retreats creating connections through beautifully curated experiences.
Once we moved home in September 2019, I really got to work planning the launch of Balanced Roots. I worked with some branding experts to develop my brand, found a photographer to shoot content for my website, built my website and planned my soft launch for February 2020.
Launch month came around and it was amazing. It truly was everything I had ever dreamt about. A beautiful venue (Gathered Oaks, in Alexandria, MN), a beautiful group of people, an amazing group of vendor partners, strong connections and people leaving with big shifts in their mindsets.
In March 2020, COVID hit in the U.S. and the stay at home order was put into place .At that point in time, I was about 12 weeks pregnant with my daughter Sylvia. As the reality of COVID swept across the globe, our own stark personal realities were about to take a turn for the worst.
Our studio apartment in the North Loop was boarded up due to the riots after the death of George Floyd. In combination, we weren’t comfortable living in a shared building space during COVID while I was immunocompromised. We made the move to Adam’s family cabin in Alexandria, Minnesota for a few weeks.
In May 2020, our daughter Sylvia was born sleeping at 18 weeks. For the months following, I experienced a true winding road that encompassed processing grief, the desire to have a baby on earth, navigating through COVID and the seclusion, and oh yeah – trying to figure out to do with an in-person retreat business that I had just started.
In August 2020 we found out we were expecting what now is our 11-month old son Gabriel who was born on April 29, 2021.
Through all of my personal experiences during the past two years, combined with the altering state of the world events, I was able to get really clear and focused on how I wanted to evolve Balanced Roots moving forward. Balanced Roots Retreats now operates as a retreat planning business. We partner with individuals and businesses to plan luxury, lifestyle retreat experiences designed to create connections with others. In other words, you bring the people, we handle the rest.
It feels GOOD to get really clear with my business model and vision, and I couldn’t be more excited for the future.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not! There have been numerous challenges throughout the process of starting my business. I launched Balanced Roots Retreats, one month before we were all ordered to stay at home as COVID-19 swept across the globe. My business model was built around gathering people together, in-person, which couldn’t happen safely for nearly two years.
Personally, I was struggling with the loss of my 18-week old baby, and a few months later with a new pregnancy and the anxiety that accompanies pregnancy after loss.
Something I have learned about owning a small business is that it is a constant evolution. As I change personally and as the world changes, you have to be able to pivot your business to fit the needs of others, while staying true to your purpose and values. It’s important to check-in with yourself and annually review your business goals and values to make sure the work you’re doing still lines up with what you set out to do.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I never truly through of myself as a “creative.” I’m not good at drawing. I don’t know my way around InDesign. I can’t sing. I’m not an actor.
But, I can write. I love photography. I can whip together a website. I’m pretty good at creating just about anything in Canva. And most importantly, I create beautifully curated experiences that create strong connections between attendees. I pay close attention to each detail. I bring together vendors who can help bring my vision to life. I craft the day(s) based upon ebbs and flows of energy. I make sure each guest feels special and noticed.
There are many event planners out there, but what sets me most apart is that I am a unique breed of a creative, with close attention to detail. I have a knack for creativity and love that creativity breeds chaos just as much as I love the organization of a good spreadsheet. I love starting with a blank page, and creating an event that turns out so beautiful.
I also have a unique intuition and crave connection, so I’m able to source retreat partners that can bring equally good energy, enhancing the experience for everyone involved.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Personally? God, His grace & my husband, son and angel daughter.
Every night before bed we sing to my son “this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine” and during the last verse we sing, “because when we all shine our lights, the world’s a better place, let it shine, shine it bright, let it shine.”
I truly believe the world would be a better place if each person was able to live a life that allows their lights to shine. I realize that not everyone is able to do this, and that I have the privilege of my upbringing, education and loving family. I realize that because of my circumstances and my faith, I am able to live this beautiful life. I am so grateful. With that, I also believe it is my duty to shine my light. To fulfill my vocations of a mother, wife, and to bring light to others through my retreat experiences.
Contact Info:
- Email: katie@balancedrootsretreats.com
- Website: www.balancedrootsretreats.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balancedrootsretreats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balancedrootsretreats
Image Credits
Rachel Lea Photography
