Gabriella Garcia is a military spouse who’s made several big moves with her husband. We recorded this episode as Gabby was about to make her next big move from Texas to Florida... as she was getting ready to say goodbye to a church community, several local organizations she served with, and a city she’d started her business in. She has some incredible advice for anyone making a major life transition, and gets real with us about the ups and the downs moving can bring.

Guess what?! Podcasting is hard. It takes time, money, marketing, research, booking, technical skills and so much more. That's why it's important to know what you're getting yourself into ahead of time.

I got together with the women of the Styling Social Justice Podcast, Donae Cangelosi Chramosta and Rania Mankarious, to discuss what we've all learned throughout the process of launching a podcast.

Here's where you can listen to Styling Social Justice, and find more information on Rania and Donae: www.stylingsocialjustice.com

It's been awhile since I last released a new episode... so where have I been?! Starting my brand new, Houston life!

Listen for a short recap of what this podcast is all about, a personal and professional update and a tease of what's to come in season two.

“I’ve killed your step dad. I need you to come get your brother and your sisters.”

It was the week before Thanksgiving when 18-year-old Cathy Hamilton received this phone call from her mother in the middle of the night. She hurried to the house and found her mother being put into a cop car, the kids waiting amongst the chaos. But despite the truth in what was happening, Cathy had to go inside and see for herself. Could the man who had put her and her family through literal hell really be dead? Was this truly the end of a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse?

I don’t even know where to begin in describing Cathy Hamilton. She is a CEO, mother, wife, daughter, friend and sister, sure. But Cathy Hamilton is a fighter. She’s resilient, beautiful, strong, smart, caring, successful, determined and everything that one man told her she’d never be.

On this episode, Cathy opens up about her past, the power of forgiveness and the decision to start her non-profit, San Antonio Threads. I am both grateful to Cathy and incredibly proud of her for sharing her story with us.

“It will get better. Nothing lasts forever.”

Jess Elizarraras is the Food & Nightlife Editor at the San Antonio Current, Elsa Fernandez is the Founder of Eye Candy Boutique and together they are the hosts of Ay Tú Podcast. Recorded locally here in San Antonio, Ay Tú is a space to celebrate, encourage and empower mujeres across the globe.

Today, we're teaming up to create "podception" aka podcast inception. Here on Coffee with Katie, we're covering life milestones and how to survive them - including making a big move, starting a business, finding yourself and moving in with a significant other. Once you've listened here, head over to Ay Tú to hear the advice we'd give our teenage selves. These ladies are a ton of fun, easy to chat with and... they brought wine. Enjoy!

Jessica Honegger is the founder of Noonday Collection, a $17 million business built on women’s empowerment and a global sisterhood that impacts more than 20,000 people around the world. She is also a wife and Mom of three, adoption advocate, podcast host and author.

You know what else she is? She’s scared. Shes scared of the unknown, scared of stepping out of her comfort zone, scared of sharing her full self. She’s just like all of us. We all have fears - fears that are debilitating and prevent us from making important decisions, furthering our careers or living our dreams.

That’s why Jessica is now making it her mission to help us find our courage, as imperfect as the journey may be. On this episode, we’re talking about how she's currently overcoming her fears, the idea of borrowing bravery, a life-long struggle with body image, the reason she almost didn’t publish the book, and what she thinks is the biggest issue women around the world are facing today.

She’s the queen of the cupcake, business badass, wife and mom of two littles, journalist and TV host. But beyond all those titles and responsibilities, Elizabeth Chambers is, hands down, one of the kindest, most hard-working people I’ve ever met, simple as that. If you happen to catch her at Bird Bakery, you’ll see her wiping down tables and serving customers, up to her elbows in sugar and flour. She’s managed to cultivate a life full of love and a business with an incredibly clear vision, top to bottom. In this podcast, we cover how she started the bakery and created a kickass team, how she’s currently honoring her late grandmother, balancing personal and professional life and so much more.

With a life-long dream of being on television, Christina Jovanna Olivarez set out to get her degree in broadcast journalism. She took all the internships, created her own show... she set herself up for success! But then why, after graduation, did she hear so many no’s? It was her best friend who finally said to her “What if your perfect job doesn’t exist? What if you could create it on your own?”

And with that, The Social Butterfly Gal was born. Christina is now an entrepreneur creating kickass social media campaigns for big businesses in town, cultivating a community of fellow female entrepreneurs through her #SwarmSociety AND she just teamed up with that same best friend to create a conference to empower women called Hustle + Socialize. Christina is finally saying YES to herself! But it hasn’t always been easy, and the success didn’t happen overnight. On this episode of Coffee with Katie and Kickass women, she’s sharing the story “behind the butterfly” in our first ever live recording, featuring questions from some of our guests in the audience.

Christian Reed-Ogba creates community wherever she goes. As CEO of BethanyEast PR & Mgmt. Consulting, she produces events and creates killer campaigns for huge clients like the City of San Antonio, VIA and University Health System. But amidst the hustle and bustle of owning a business, she’s ALWAYS advocating for women’s rights and our city’s black community.

On this episode of Coffee with Katie & Kickass women, Christian talks about how she deals with the haters (#doubletapordelete), the power of asking for what you want, checking your privilege, meeting her husband on twitter and her newest role - Adjunct Professor at Trinity University.

In college, Dr. Stephanie Ham got a call no one should ever receive. “Your Mom has stage 3 ovarian cancer and is being rushed into emergency surgery.” Stephanie didn’t just get sad or scared - she got ANGRY. She enrolled in graduate school for biomedical engineering, started her research and ended up growing a 3D tumor that enhances the way drugs are tested and had the potential to seriously revolutionize cancer treatments. She patented her research, and at just 28, is the CEO of Onco Solutions, LLC. Stephanie is also my cousin, and I could not be more proud of a human being if I tried really, really hard. In this episode, we talk about starting a business, fundraising, mental health, self care, relationships, family and everything in between.