Katie O'Rourke

I’ve done a lot of different things in my life—from waitressing and running a school kitchen to working a corporate job. But looking back, the roles I’ve loved the most always had two things in common: I was working with my hands, and I was being of service.

I need to create for my own mental health—my soul craves it. My hands want to make. And when I’m in that space where my mind and body feel connected, I feel calm, alive, and fully myself.

But just as much, I love helping others. I love empowering women to step into their creativity and realize they can do this. There’s nothing better than watching someone change the way they see themselves—and let go of limitations they didn’t even know they were carrying.

I do this work because I know it changes lives. My students have told me so. And because creating gives us something real—something honest—to hold onto in a noisy world.