Here We Are

Katie Olson

Katie Olson is a down-to-earth, adventurous, loving woman who thoroughly enjoys the finer things in life: nature, wellness, culture, travel, fresh food, yoga and community. Katie went to university for Global & Multicultural Studies and went on to become a Cultural Liaison. Now Katie is combining all of her passions by creating the Here We Are podcast to teach others how to graciously dance between the internal and external worlds.

  1. 4 dage siden

    Support

    I've been asked so many times how I came to be the way I am. My honest answer has always been the same: have you ever met my mom? This episode is one I've wanted to make for a long time. My guest today is my mom, Deb, known to basically everyone in my world as Mama Deb. She spent 42 years in the operating room holding human life in her hands, raised two very different daughters with grace and specificity, and has quietly been the steadiest force I've ever known. She doesn't seek the spotlight, she doesn't ask for much, and yet the ripple of everything she puts forward is visible everywhere you look. I invited her in today because I think the silent supporters deserve to be seen. KEY THEMES + TAKEAWAYS Steadiness can be inherited. Mama Deb traces her calmness back to her grandfather, Papa Lenny, who came over from Norway and modeled quiet strength in how he lived and worked. The supporter needs supporting too. Being the steady one is real labor, and Deb is honest about those moments when her plate is full and she has to stop and take stock. Knowing when to step in vs. step back is a skill that evolves over time. What looks like support in one season of life looks completely different in the next. Being raised in a village changes you. I grew up with my great grandparents down the alley, grandma two blocks away, 18 cousins nearby. Unwavering support doesn't mean saying yes to everything. My parents got real with me. They'd ask if I'd thought things through. That was part of the support. Who you become has a lot to do with who believed in you first. My mom didn't try to change me when I was a two-and-a-half year old negotiating my way into a parade. She just walked behind me. OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "The supporter needs supporting." "I'm not sure I developed it. I think I was just born with it." "Being supportive can really bring you so much goodness and love in my life. I've just been very lucky." "Let me know when you land and let me know where you're staying." "You're not the boss of me." (Me, before I was three years old, apparently.) CHAPTER MARKERS 0:21 Welcome, Mama Deb 3:46 Where the steadiness came from 7:37 Support inside a marriage 10:26 How I grew up knowing what support felt like 15:15 How Deb likes to be supported 20:05 Staying steady through decades of change 25:16 Little Katie, painted rocks, and the parade 33:30 Full circle: traveling the world with mom YOUR TURN This week's reflection: Who in your life is doing the quiet, steady work of showing up for others? When did you last tell them you see it? --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ MB01D61IVHCM0IG

    39 min.
  2. 22. jun.

    Strength

    WHAT IF STRENGTH WAS NEVER ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK? I had been noticing Anna McGee in the lives of the women I work with for years. Through my work with bodies as a massage and yoga therapist, I keep seeing certain women who carry this steadiness, this quiet strength, and they all kept saying her name. So when I finally got to sit down with her here at Duluth Creative Company, just a block from her studio, it felt like a long time coming. Anna has been in the fitness world for over 40 years. Born and raised in Duluth, she now runs a private studio with her daughter where she works almost exclusively with women over 45. And the way she talks about bodies and strength and what it actually means to take care of yourself? It stopped me in my tracks more than once. KEY THEMES + TAKEAWAYS Strength is about function, not appearance. Can you get up off the floor by yourself? Can you carry groceries, climb stairs, pick up your grandkids? That's what Anna trains for. The basics work. A squat, a push-up, balance on one foot. She's been teaching the same fundamentals for decades and says the boring stuff is exactly what gets results. Slow is the point. She lost 30 pounds over a year by doing almost nothing dramatic. That same philosophy guides everything she does with her clients. Women talk to themselves in ways men just don't. She called it out plainly: women will say "I'm such an idiot" for eating a piece of cake. That self-talk is the thing she wants to shift more than any workout. The four big rocks: hydration, sleep, movement, nutrition. Not easy, she says, but basic. And getting those right changes everything. Discipline isn't motivation. It becomes identity. You won't want to go to your 8:15 Saturday class. You go anyway. And then one day, you're someone who lifts weights. Plan your movement on your busiest day. Look at the week ahead every Sunday and put it in. If you wait for a free day, it won't happen. OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Stay ready so you don't have to get ready." "It just becomes your identity and what you do." "I don't know what happened to my body. And they don't realize it's what's been going on for the last 20 years." "The longest conversation of our life is with ourselves." "Is that it? That's it. And it builds from there." CHAPTER MARKERS 01:34 Anna's story: Duluth roots and a bro gym in the 80s 05:32 Teaching for 40 years and landing at the YMCA 07:40 Why the basics matter more than you think 18:26 On discipline, identity, and showing up when you don't want to 24:02 The four big rocks: hydration, sleep, nutrition, movement 33:28 Two hip replacements and still walking Chester Trail 41:42 How to find Anna and her free Sunday lives YOUR TURN This week's reflection: Where in your body do you feel the most steady? And where are you avoiding showing up because you're waiting to feel ready first? --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    46 min.
  3. 15. jun.

    Safety

    What If The Most Radical Thing You Could Do Is Trust Yourself? I sat down with my dear friend Sam Nelson, hairstylist of almost twenty years and brand new author of Ten Things You May Need to Hear Today. We talked about the long road back to trusting your own body, your own knowing, and your own voice after a lifetime of being told you're wrong about your own experience. Sam has been doing hair for nearly two decades, but what she really loves is the people. Over the past few years she has been on her own journey discovering she is ADHD, watching her husband and kids navigate their own neurodivergence, and learning what it means to come home to herself. That journey turned into a podcast, then a Substack, and now a book. We talked about the moment everything clicked for her, what it took to get there, and how that kind of self trust ripples out into everyone around you. This conversation moves through imposter syndrome, epistemic injustice, peer support versus hierarchy, and what it actually looks like to sit with someone in their hardest moments without trying to fix it. KEY THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS From a young age we are taught to override our own signals by caregivers, teachers, and authority figures who can't tolerate our discomfort Trusting yourself often starts with small unexplainable choices that, looking back, turn out to be exactly right You don't need letters after your name to know what you've learned through living your life Holding space for someone else's hard moment, without trying to stop it, gives them permission to actually feel it Toxic positivity rarely helps anyone feel seen. Sometimes the most healing thing is simply saying "yeah, this sucks" Epistemic injustice describes how some people's experiences get believed and others don't, and naming it can be powerful Peer relationships, without a power dynamic, can sometimes reach people in ways professional relationships can't Co-trusting means lending someone your belief in their own knowing until they can hold it themselves Systems like capitalism and patriarchy benefit when we don't trust ourselves. Choosing self trust is its own quiet rebellion OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "The hardest thing I've ever learned to do is trust myself." "I cannot be an expert in your internal experience, just like you can't be an expert in mine." "Every time I do the thing that feels most aligned with myself, even if I have no logical explanation, it always is the right thing for me at that time." "Let's stop lying about how we really are." "Every time I trust myself more, that system loses a little bit of power and I get a little bit of my own power back." CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Meet Sam Nelson, hairstylist and new author  02:30 The ADHD discovery that changed everything  06:00 The hardest lesson: learning to trust yourself  07:30 How we're taught to override our own signals  14:00 Sitting with someone else's hard moment without fixing it  24:00 Epistemic injustice and not being believed  33:00 Co-trusting and the ripple effect  43:00 Trusting yourself as an act of rebellion YOUR TURN This week's reflection: where in your life are you still waiting for someone else to tell you what you already know to be true? What would it look like to trust that knowing, even just a little? --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ MB01DSGWKLZC2BK

    47 min.
  4. 8. jun.

    Local Food & Herbs

    What if the medicine you needed was already growing in your front yard, and you just forgot it was there? I first noticed Angela Krick across a busy restaurant floor at Famous Dave's when I was a teenager. She had this magnificent life energy. Years later, we found each other in a yoga teacher training, sat next to each other in every meeting, laughed the loudest, and went deep fast. That's Angie. She's one of those rare people where the conversation skips the surface entirely and goes straight to the things that matter.  Today she came to the studio with a jar of fresh-picked tea and a few flower essences, and we talked about plants, history, food as medicine, and what it means to actually live connected to the earth. KEY THEMES + TAKEAWAYS The body remembers plant medicine. A single sip of rosemary tea in a circle of strangers can be more instructive than ten books, because the learning lands in the body, not just the mind. Herbs work with the body, not against it. The goal isn't to suppress symptoms but to support what the body is already trying to do, whether that's moving phlegm, clearing a fever, or drawing something out through the skin. Yarrow, plantain, mullein, and boneset are four herbs worth knowing by name. Angela has used all of them in real, unglamorous moments, including a deep thumb cut, scabies, and a displaced rib, with results that stopped her in her tracks. We didn't lose plant medicine by accident. The Flexner Report of the early 1900s systematically closed eclectic and herbal medical schools, and a domination-based culture that values extraction over relationship has been chipping away at this knowledge for centuries. Dandelions aren't weeds. They're first-responders. Their deep taproots break up compacted soil, accumulate nutrients, and offer medicine for the liver and kidneys, especially in spring when the body is moving out of winter stagnation. Food is the first medicine. Eating seasonally, sourcing locally, and actually preparing your own meals isn't a lifestyle trend. It's one of the most direct ways to feed your body what it needs before it ever gets to crisis. We are children of this earth, and so are the herbs. Angela keeps coming back to this: the plants and the body are both nature. They know how to find each other. FAVORITE QUOTES "We want to assist the body in doing what it actually is trying to do, not suppress the symptom or make the pain go away so you're just not feeling it." "People aren't herb deficient, but really we kind of are. We just need to actually nourish our body so that the systems and organs and pathways work well, and then we feel well." "Folk medicine never dies. It's not dead. It's not gone. But we were severed from this connection." "The herbs will work for you and they want to. You just need to treat them with respect." "It's not just about what is that herb good for. That's not the holistic picture. Now everything matters." CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Heart speak and how Angie and I found each other  04:28 Growing up outside and arriving in Duluth  09:29 Herb circles and learning through the body  12:14 Fear, humility, and the early years of herbalism  15:05 Real moments: yarrow, plantain, mullein, and boneset  23:29 How and why we lost our connection to plant medicine  31:16 Food as medicine and living cyclically  38:34 Magic Mullen, flower essences, and how to find Angie YOUR TURN This week's reflection: Where in your life have you been reaching for a quick fix when what you actually need is to slow down and work with what's already there? --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    51 min.
  5. 1. jun.

    Self Expression

    What does it actually mean to be fully, unapologetically yourself? Not just in the safe moments, but in the chaotic ones, the heartbreaking ones, the ones where nobody's watching. This week I'm sitting down with one of my oldest, most sacred friendships. Someone I met on a dance floor at a wedding over 20 years ago and never let go of. This conversation on self-expression is one I've been carrying around for a long time, waiting for the right moment to set it free. Marko Hurst drove up from Saint Paul to sit with me in person at Duluth Creative Company, and I knew before we even hit record that this one was going somewhere real. Twenty-one years of showing up for each other, through loss, through adventures, through India and back. I've watched this man become more himself with every trip around the sun, and I wanted to know how he does it. Marko is wildly creative, deeply intuitive, and one of those rare humans who has always known who he is, even when the world around him didn't quite have a container for it. Growing up queer in northern Minnesota, leaning into beauty, food, design, and words, he built a life that looks and feels like him from the inside out. This conversation is a love letter to that. And honestly, a bit of a love letter to us. Key Themes + Takeaways Your truest self is a practice, not a destination. Self-expression isn't something you arrive at once. It's something you flex and tend every day, like a muscle. One promise a day. Keep one promise to yourself every day in service of who you are. Whether that's writing, moving your body, cooking a beautiful meal, or arranging the flowers just so, it all counts. The morning ritual as an energetic anchor. Even after getting laid off, Marko kept his routine. Getting ready, showing up for himself. Not vanity. Energetic cleanliness. Owning your full identity is the gateway to power. Once Marko fully stepped into his sexuality, everything opened up: his voice, his leadership, his creative output. The most vulnerable, expansive version of yourself is where your power lives. Beauty hunting as a survival skill. Marko grew up alongside real grief and chaos. His response wasn't to harden. It was to seek beauty, actively, intentionally. Reading the room without losing yourself. There's a difference between code-switching and self-betrayal. Knowing when to hold back isn't shame. It's wisdom. Intuition is built, not just born. The more you trust that inner voice, the louder it gets. Our Favorite Quotes "In order to expand into what I want in this world, I have to live my truest, most authentic part of me." Marko Hurst "I just remember at ten years old looking around and being like, I know what I can control. I can control my environment, how I show up, and how I look for the beauty." Marko Hurst "You've always been you since the moment I met you when you were nine. You've never been anybody else than Marko." Katie "When you can express your true self, you come home to a deeper level of yourself. That's where your power lives." Katie "If that's the only thing I did that day, just get ready, I feel like I've accomplished something." Marko Hurst Chapter Markers 00:20 The Welcome 01:34 The Wedding, the Loss, and the Soul Agreement 06:22 How Marko Became Marko 13:00 The Morning Ritual 18:28 When He Got Out of His Own Way 26:22 Beauty Hunting 29:00 Self-Expression in a Foreign Country 37:08 One Promise a Day Your Turn What is one small promise you've been putting off making to yourself? What would it look like to honor that today, not perfectly, just genuinely? And a softer one to sit with: where are you turning the dial down on who you really are? Is it out of wisdom, or out of fear? --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ MB01VMJV1CQLHJX

    43 min.
  6. 25. maj

    Basics

    What if the most radical thing you could do right now is go back to the very basics? We are living through a time unlike any other and I believe the way through it isn't to do more, push harder, or figure it all out. It's to breathe. To drink water. To show up. One day at a time. Welcome back to Here We Are — and welcome to Season 3. I am so thrilled to be back, and I've been thinking a lot about what this season needed to be. After everything we've been moving through, individually, collectively, as a human family, the answer kept coming back to the same thing: basics. As a massage therapist and yoga teacher, I see it every single day. People walk through my door feeling it in their bodies, in their bones — the weight of this unprecedented time. And the question I get asked more than any other is: how do I keep going?  So this season, that's exactly what we're going to explore together. Back to basics. Staying the course. Through it all. Key Themes + Takeaways We are in a historically significant and deeply uncomfortable time and that calls for radical simplicity, not complexity. Taking care of yourself first isn't selfish. It's how you show up for your community, your family, and the world. Presence is a practice. Our minds want to run to the future or the past but coming back to right now, even when it's hard to look at, is where healing lives. How we live one day is how we live our lives. The smallest choices, a glass of water, a breath, a walk outside — add up to everything. The opposite of depression is expression. Knowing what makes you feel alive and putting that into the world matters more now than ever. Grief is real and it's everywhere right now. Naming it, the loss of jobs, of ways of life, of an older world, is part of moving through it. There is a lot of light. In people, in the youth, in communities. We just have to look for it. Our Favorite Quotes "Simple things can make the most profound impact." "How we live one day is how we live our lives." "The opposite of depression is expression." "As soon as we can fill ourselves with health, wellness, delicious food, hydration — the common basics — once those are met, it is much easier to be a human." "If you're alive at this time, you have it in you to carry forth." Chapter Markers 0:22 — Welcome Back 0:45 — Why This Season Is About Going Back to Basics  2:22 — What I Hear Every Day as a Massage Therapist  4:04 — The Fast-Paced Mind and the Practice of Presence  5:20 — The Capacity to Pivot as a Human Family  7:16 — A Preview of Season 3 Guests and Topics  21:14 — Boredom, Foundations, and the Art of Noticing Your Turn This week's reflection: "What is one basic thing — a breath, a glass of water, a moment outside — that you can come back to today? And what does your body need you to notice right now?" --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ MB010ZHLODAKPYX

    25 min.
  7. 23.09.2024

    Bali

    Ever wondered how a spontaneous trip can lead to a life-altering journey? Join us in our latest episode as we dive into an unexpected adventure from Duluth, Minnesota, to the spiritual heart of Bali. 🌏✨ 🌺 Episode Highlights: Discover the serendipitous meeting with Mowgli in a cozy Ubud restaurant that sparked a profound friendship rooted in Balinese spirituality. Hear Brittany's inspiring story of following her intuition from Seattle to Bali, leading her on a path to becoming an Indonesian citizen. Unveil the layers of Bali's rich cultural and spiritual tapestry, including the unique Balinese naming traditions and the principles of Tri Hita Karana. Experience the deep connection between the Balinese people, their community, nature, and spirituality. Explore the significance of names like Wayan, Made, Nyoman, and Ketut, and the close-knit nature of Balinese society. Journey through Bali's lush retreats, spiritual ceremonies, and family traditions that foster a sense of gratitude and connection. Learn about the balance of karma, reverence for ancestors, and the challenges modernity brings to these timeless practices. Get a taste of Bali's fresh and blessed coconut milk ice cream from Kind Coco and more! 🚴‍♂️ Whether you're curious about cycling through tranquil rice paddies, consulting monks about past lives, or understanding the profound love that binds Balinese families, this episode promises to leave you inspired and longing for your own tales of serendipity and spiritual connection. 🎧 Tune in now to Here We Are: Bali and let us take you on a transformative adventure. 🌿💫 --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    1 t. 10 min.
  8. 16.09.2024

    India

    This episode is a heartfelt journey through the vibrant tapestry of life in India, as shared by my dear friends Salome and Ashrita from Bangalore. Over the past 12 years, our friendship has flourished despite the miles between us, and this episode is a testament to the enduring bonds we've built. 🌿 Experience Salome's scooter rides and her work at Jamboree, and visit Ashrita's serene home studio for yoga and sound healing. Learn how yoga in India is a spiritual practice linked with Ayurveda and the resilience needed in India's dynamic environment. 🧘‍♀️ We discuss the challenges faced by women in India, balancing cultural traditions and safety, and celebrate the kindness and hospitality that define Indian culture. Explore evolving gender roles and the power of international friendships. Key Chapters: Daily Life in Bangalore (0:00:00 - 0:10:31) Yoga and Indian Life (0:10:32 - 0:21:28) Lessons from India (0:21:29 - 0:25:24) Women's Challenges in India (0:25:25 - 0:34:29) Indian Diversity and Kindness (0:34:30 - 0:42:08) Women and Indian Food Culture (0:42:09 - 0:52:12) Food and Hospitality in India (0:52:13 - 0:58:56) Friendship and Celebration (0:58:57 - 1:10:27) International Friendship and Growth (1:10:28 - 1:12:29) Join us in this heartfelt exploration of life in India, where we celebrate the beauty of daily routines, the profound impact of yoga, and the resilience of women navigating cultural traditions and safety concerns. This episode is a testament to the transformative power of friendship and the enduring bonds that connect us across continents. --------- How to connect with Katie Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.attunewellness.love/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Say hi to Katie on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/_.kjo._/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave a review on the Apple Podcast app or the Spotify app: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    1 t. 13 min.

Om

Katie Olson is a down-to-earth, adventurous, loving woman who thoroughly enjoys the finer things in life: nature, wellness, culture, travel, fresh food, yoga and community. Katie went to university for Global & Multicultural Studies and went on to become a Cultural Liaison. Now Katie is combining all of her passions by creating the Here We Are podcast to teach others how to graciously dance between the internal and external worlds.

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