Kate Stewart is the founder of I Know This Girl, a community for women to discover their power through diverse wellbeing events, holistic practices, and sound meditation tools.
She previously worked in the corporate world and set up her business during the pandemic with the help of a Hatch Incubator after discovering the healing power of holistic wellbeing interventions.
Kate has battled with anxiety problems for many years and realised that the solutions that worked for her could work for other women too, becoming determined to bring the power of sisterhood and community to women everywhere.
“I believe that we can thrive in life and not merely survive, regardless of where we’ve come from and what we’ve experienced. That a community of women can be one of the most healing – and unstoppable – forces on earth. That with the right tools, anyone can flourish in work, life, and love.”
Kate had a physical studio space to operate from before the pandemic hit and had begun to build up a regular customer base, but all of that fell apart with the arrival of national lockdown.
This was a “blessing in disguise” for Kate’s business as it gave her the time and space to really build her product and brand, focusing on the long-term vision for the enterprise and what steps she needed to take to move forward.
This is where the Hatch Incubator came in and, alongside the expert sessions, the biggest benefit for Kate was the community of other founders she was able to connect with.
“I got so much inspiration and nuggets of wisdom from the other founders. There is so much more clarity in bouncing ideas off others and learning from people at different stages.”
This also helped with the feelings of isolation which are incredibly common in solo founders, particularly those who set up their business during the pandemic.
At the heart of Kate’s business is collaboration and the desire to bring women together. The Hatch Incubator programme brought her together with a community of other female founders wanting to make an impact on the world and the relationships created during this experience have continued on after the programme ended.
She also collaborates with other providers to bring a whole range of wellbeing offerings together in the hope that the women she reaches with her support will be able to discover the combination that works best for them, enabling them to lead happier, healthier lives.
Kate offers free and discounted places to those who are unemployed or on low income to make the services affordable and accessible to all.
According to the Mental Health Foundation feelings of loneliness rose from 10% in March 2020 to 26% in February 2021, and Kate founded I Know This Girl determined to offer women the right tools to look after their mental health and find their community.
Moving forward with her business Kate says that she will continue to refer to the notes that she made during the Hatch programme, particularly as she looks to expand. The mentor that she was matched with on the Incubator was “just incredible” and helped her with setting goals for forward planning and the expansion of her business, laying the groundwork for this process.
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