Katie Woods, Holistic Esthetician, Entrepreneur, Herbalist

Mar 3

I met Katie almost six years ago over Instagram.

We bonded in person over our dark sense of humor, mutual love for science, and the absurdity of life and Cetaphil. This quickly ignited a friendship that would lead us to late night phone sessions, collaborations (soon I hope!), and future travel. Katie is the OG in the space of holistic wellness and skincare-her intellectual work is unique to her and hard to emulate, though others can certainly try. Katie is authentic and honest in a way that I rarely find in others, especially in an industry that breeds a lot of copycats with derivative opinions on everything from hyaluronic acid to color schemes. Her refreshing sense of self is a dynamic combination of wit and talent. I feel honored to call her a friend and a colleague Salut Coven!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do, and something you secretly enjoy?

My name is Katie and I grew up in The Green Mountain state of Vermont. When I was young I couldn’t wait to leave but as I grew older, I couldn't wait to get back. After exploring for about 15 years, I’ve recently moved home and it’s been glorious to be closer to nature. I’ve spent the past year rebuilding a community here, re-envisioning my skin care business and starting some new projects and collaborations.

I am the ultimate curious skeptic which leads me down so many exciting yet sometimes maddening rabbit holes of learning.

What is your sun, moon, and rising sign? In what ways do you identify with each?

My sun sign is Aquarius - Independent! Moon in Sagittarius - Desire to wander. Rising is Gemini - Curiosity!

Describe yourself in five words.

Curious, Creative, Intuitive, Independent, Hermit.

What does being an esthetician mean to you?

Having the ability to transport my clients to a parasympathetic state during a session. This state maximizes health, happiness, creativity, spiritual wellbeing and skin health! We rarely spend enough time in this healing state so I feel very lucky to be able to create that space for people.

What does Health + Wellness mean to you? How can we make wellness a more inclusive space for all?

How can we make wellness more inclusive? Wellness is having the access and freedom to choose what well-being means to you and the ability to practice accessible self care rituals for both physical and mental health. Wellness can become more inclusive when we choose to take small but consistent steps to make our own unique gifts more accessible. The desire to make huge changes can feel intimidating and sometimes hinder us from doing anything at all. It’s the small incremental habits that can make a huge impact over time.

And finally, what does Feminism + Sisterhood mean to you + why is it important?

Both conscious and unconscious gender bias is pretty rampant within us but I don’t think many of us are aware of it. I think being a feminist means that we should constantly question these biases, be open to changing our minds and having the (sometimes) difficult discussions with those who think differently than us. I try to ask myself.. “Do my beliefs and behaviors support equality for all, or just for some?”