<![CDATA[KATHRYN GROW ALLEN, PHD

<![CDATA[KATHRYN GROW ALLEN, PHD - Blog]]>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:09:57 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[2024 and 2025 Reading Lists]]>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 18:03:45 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/2024-and-2025-reading-lists

For those who like to see other people's reading lists to build their own (like me!), I thought I would share my 2025 reading list. I am adding my 2024 list too. I was first-trimester-tired last December and didn't share it. Hope you find some books for your 2026 list...and happy to take recommendations for mine!

2025 Reading List

I read less than usually this year. Sleep deprivation from baby number 4 (an absolutely lovely, happy baby who unfortunately does not love to sleep long stretches) stole some of my reading time. Teaching a class again on the side of my other work stole the rest. BUT...I still managed to read some great books, many of which I highly recommend (* is for top 5):

NON-FICTION

Revenge of the Tipping Point (Gladwell)
Meditations for Mortals: 4 weeks to embrace your limitations and have time for what counts (Burkeman)*
How to Winter: Harness your mindset to thrive in cold, dark, or difficult days (Leibowitz)*
Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World (Olson)
Growth: A history and a reckoning (Susskind)
Moral Ambition: Stop wasting your talent and start making a difference (Bregman)
How Big Things Get Done: The surprising factors that determine the fate of every project, from home renovations to space exploration and everything in between (Flyvbjerg and Gardner)
Courage is Calling: Fortune favors the brave (Holiday)
Abundance (Klein and Thompson)*
The Sirens' Call: How attention became the world's most endangered resource (Hayes)*
Reset: How to change what's not working (Heath)*

FICTION

A Court of Mist and Fury (Maas)
The Rose Code (Quinn)
Swan Song (Hilderbrand)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Reid)
Atlas: The story of Pa Salt (Riley)

2024 Reading List

This was a better reading year for me. No coincidence, I did not have a baby in 2024. Writing these out reminded me how many great books I discovered in 2024, many I want to revisit! I used a * to mark my top 5 recommended books.

NON-FICTION

The Right Kind of Wrong: The science of failing well (Edmondson)*
The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the 21st C Greatest Dilemma (Suleyman and Bhaskar)*
The Four Workarounds: Strategies from the world's scrappiest organizations for tackling complex problems (Savaget)
Noise: A flaw in human judgement (Kahneman, Sibony, Sunstein)
New York Amish: Life in the plain communities of the Empire State (Johnson-Weiner)
Slow Productivity: The lost art of accomplishment without burnout (Newport)*
The Ritual Effect: From habit to ritual, harness the surprising power of everyday actions (Norton)
The 4-Hour Workweek (Ferriss)
Code Dependent: Living in the shadow of AI (Murgia)
The Global Forest: 40 ways trees can save us (Beresford-Kroeger)
The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace what matters, ditch what doesn't, and get things done (Adachi) - reread
Nudge: The final edition (Thaler and Sunstein)
I Know How She Does It: How successful women make the most of their time (Vanderkam) - reread *
Living Waters: Reading the rivers of the lower Great Lakes (Wooster)
The Comfort of Crows: A backyard year (Renkl)*

FICTION

Familia: A novel (Rico)
Mother Daughter Murder Night (Simon)
The House in the Cerulean Sea (Klune)
Things We Never Got Over (Score)
Things We Hide From the Light (Score)
Things We Left Behind (Score)
Happiness Falls (Kim)
A Court of Thorn and Roses (Maas)
The Lost Summers of Newport (Williams, Willis, White)
The Cliffs (Sullivan)

]]><![CDATA[Space is Rocket Fuel for the Mind.]]>Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:37:35 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/space-is-rocket-fuel-for-the-mind

I need solitude to recharge. I am usually quite good at making time for it no matter how busy work and home life are.

But not in this season. I am currently two months post-partum with my 4th son. His three older brothers are all under 8. We have outgrown our small home and to say that finding space and finding quiet at home is hard is a huge understatement. My usual way to recharge away from home - spending the night in the Adirondacks about an hour away - felt out of reach. My 2-month-old was not ready to be left overnight yet; life is more hectic than ever. I just kept telling myself I could take time for myself this fall. Or maybe by winter. Someday I'll get some space. But not now.

Then, while reading a book (The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom), I came across this statement:

“Our power is in our space.”

This caused me to pause. What he wrote next was even more noteworthy:

“Space is quiet - it is devoid of external inputs and does not require any outputs. It is stillness, solitude. You can create space literally by going to a physical location to be alone and disconnected or metaphorically by going to that location in your mind. The important part is that you go (and regularly).

Space is not lazy - on the contrary, space is rocket fuel for the mind.

Space is what enables you to think, reset, wrestle with the big, unanswerable questions, manage stressors, and recharge. It is what unlocks you and allows you to listen to your inner voice. It is where ideas connect and mingle in your mind. It is where you are able to think differently, approach problems in interesting new ways, connect spiritually with a higher power, or formulate insights that may change your life.”

I have known these words to be true for a long time. It is no coincidence that I have done my best writing/work when I give myself space away from everyday life. But reading it again, at this moment, was a powerful push. I knew I needed to make some space for myself right now.

So instead of pushing it off till I had the perfect day to go, I took what I could get. I realized my 2-month old is actually easy most of the time. Perhaps I could still find space and solitude, even with him along. I found a cheap midweek rate at an Adirondack lodge near Whiteface Mountain and planned a gentle hike for us. Like other retreats, I packed good food, wine, a pile of books and notebooks, comfortable clothes, and set off.

The drive alone primed my brain for thinking. Happily, the baby slept and I let my mind wander as I drove slowly through the mountain roads. We stopped for a break at a favorite spot (Paul Smith’s VIC), eating lunch and enjoying a beautiful view, and then headed to the hike I planned. The path was not supposed to be very long, so it felt doable with a baby strapped on.

What I thought would be an easy stroll turned out to be...not so easy. I didn't even pack water, assuming I wouldn't be gone long. But the mild path I started on quickly turned rocky, gnarled, muddy. I found myself grateful for those little trail marker signs as I kept almost losing my way. I climbed higher and higher, sweating profusely with the baby on my chest, worry mounting. Each time I rounded a corner I assumed would be the end, I saw no end in sight. It felt SO much longer than the advertised length.

So optimistic at the start of the path.

The internet had promised a good view. While I really wanted to see it, I almost turned back many, many times. I knew I had to reserve enough energy to get back again (it was not a loop). The baby would need to eat soon. I didn’t have any water with me. There were so many reasons to turn back.

Somewhere near what I later discovered was the halfway point, I started telling myself “ Katie, you can do hard things.” (I alternated between that and “you should really turn back now”). That led to thoughts on something else that has been a hard thing lately. I started thinking about a project I've been working on for almost three years. Recently, I had come to a point where I felt like I needed to either find a new path forward or give up. I had been leaning towards give up. I have four young children. This project needed time and money and I am short on both. It would not pay my bills. It was not a part of my full time job. It had already kind of failed in a number of ways.

In the quiet (and long) space of the hike, my brain wrestled with the idea of whether to continue this project. Those thoughts then started to overlap with the idea of finishing this hike. Suddenly, finishing the hike (with a baby) felt symbolic of finishing the project (during this season of little-kid parenting). I started to think that giving up on the hike would be more meaningful than just turning back early from a trek. I realized giving up on the hike might bug me for a long time ... as would giving up on the project. I want to be someone who does hard things. And while I understand the dangers of the sunk cost fallacy, sometimes we give up right before things get good.

So I pushed through. I got to the end of the hike. It got GOOD.

At the top of that summit was such a breathtaking view. It was the greatest reward for not giving up.

Furthermore, I discovered that other hikers had left these at the top:

These stone piles are called Inukshuks. I first learned about them in Greenland. Coincidentally, the project I contemplated the whole way up partially includes moving forward with ideas born during a 2021 project that took me to the icy shores of Greenland. It was a career-changing (and life-changing) experience that made me realize how interested I was in heritage. Since then, I have done work in heritage that I am proud of, but my efforts to expand work in Greenland keeps hitting walls. This project, if successful, would be the first tangible follow-up since that trip. And as I contemplated whether to dedicate time and money towards it during this complex time in my life, I reached a hard-won summit and found these stone statues. Inukshuks have helped people navigate for thousands of years in the Inuit world. In the mental and physical space of this hike, I found a sign telling me what to do next.

I was so excited, first to have made it to the top, then to see the Inukshuks. I threw my hands up in the air (and startled the little passenger on my chest). I headed back down the mountain with a huge grin on my face. What felt like a far distance on the way up was covered quickly on the way down. I finished the trail covered in sweat. I was completely exhausted and entirely inspired. I used the quiet space of the return trip to craft a plan for how to push this passion project forward, despite the difficult season I am in, despite the excuses. Because I can do hard things. Even with a baby along for the ride, I can do hard things.

Hard earned rest.

“Our power is in our space. Space is rocket fuel for the mind”

The quiet path and the long hike gave me space at a time when I needed it most. And that space helped me listen to my inner voice, think through a decision, wrestle with an unanswered question. In that space I found the strength to really challenge myself. Space really was rocket fuel for my mind.

Many people don’t realize how much space is lacking in the way we live today. When was the last time you were free from all distractions, no inputs, not outputs, no noise, no voices other than your own? When was the last time you had true mental space? Or physical space, devoid of all the reminders of what you needed to do?

Is there anything you are struggling with at the moment? Are you facing change but are unsure how to handle it? Are you a leader unsure how to lead, or a parent unsure how to parent in a particularly challenging season? Do you have an idea you’ve always dreamed of developing, or a project simmering on a back burner? Do you feel like something is missing in your life or your career?

If there is something tugging at you, begging for an answer, you may not need to hope you will stumble upon a giant, complex solution. You may not need to wait for the challenging season to pass. You may not need a lot of money or time. Something far easier may help. It’s something you can carve out right now, or plan for in the very near future. All you might need to help with whatever it is you are struggling with is a little space.

I don't know who needed to read this story right now. If it's you, take this as a sign. Find some space, and you might just find a whole lot more waiting for you there.

“Our power is in our space. Space is rocket fuel for the mind”

Stuck on the side of the road. His good behavior wore off on the way home.

]]><![CDATA[Q2 Professional Updates]]>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 10:51:31 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/q2-professional-updates

This 2nd quarter has been expectedly different from normal. The middle month of Q2 (May) was my due date for son #4, which means the first month of the quarter was the stressful lead up to labor (April) and the final month of the quarter (June) had the sleep-deprived weeks of life with a newborn. With these unmovable realities of my quarter, I knew this season would be different.

As a big fan of the Lazy Genius, I decided to heed her advice to ‘live in your season’. This meant having reasonable expectations and celebrating small wins. It also meant simply saying no at times. Regardless, I still set out to achieve something. I find work very fulfilling, so it is not hard to motivate myself to make progress even in the face such a huge change. Light work actually makes me feel more balanced in the chaos of parenting small children. In past seasons of having a new baby, the newborn months were made better by a little work on interesting projects with flexible deadlines (and no need to present myself in person). While I do not think all people should try (or be expected) to make progress professionally while on maternity leave (I do understand the argument against that!), this is just who I am. The older I get, the more comfortable I am with acknowledging who I am and what makes me happy. A little work helps me thrive in times of change.

With that said, this post-baby season ended up my hardest. It included not only a newborn and post-birth recovery but also a struggling toddler who responded to the change by boycotting sleep and two school age kids with an intense end of school to-do list of baseball practices, field trips, school activities, summer camp prep, playdates, birthday parties, and the overall ramp up of summer energy. Needless to say, my list of achievements is very modest.

But even small achievements add up to something. With low expectations, stuff still happened that kept me connected to my professional dreams. I am sharing them, no matter how small, to stay motivated for the third and fourth quarter of the year. Anyone else staring down a season where they need to have low (but not zero) expectations, I hope reading this helps. Some seasons of life are just monsters. But we do not need to completely sideline our dreams. We can instead aim for small, achievable progress. We can be proud of what does happen and content with what doesn’t. Happiness can come from appropriate expectations and kindness to the ebbs and flows of life. That is the mantra I've reminded myself of often this quarter.

Full hands these days.

What I did manage in Q2 (April, May, June) 2025:

1. Wrapped up work projects in my Advancement Director role in anticipation of maternity leave. It was tough to figure out where and when to step away in the month leading up to leave. This is my first maternity leave where I'm not a PhD student or professor with clear breaks at the end of terms. Preparing to leave for three months was different (re: more difficult) this time around. Luckily, I have a very competent team. I did what I could but walked away confident they could handle what I could not wrap up in time.

At my office, preparing for maternity leave

2. Discussed/agreed to start teaching again. This quarter I discussed teaching opportunities with three institutions: Eastern Oregon University, University at Buffalo, and St. Lawrence (the former two for virtual classes). Turns out I miss teaching (more than I anticipated) so I was glad to be asked to jump back in. I did say no to new course preps, only agreeing to classes I’ve taught before. This was a kindness to future me. Updating a class is much more doable than creating a brand-new one.

3. Said goodbye to a long-term contract with Educational Testing Services. In April ETS very suddenly terminated all contracts with outside guest lecturers (like me). I suspect the types of projects we did are doable with AI now, or else they could not stop people from submitting AI-generated content, which they could create themselves. What was surprising was the speed at which the contracts were cut. I signed my annual contract in January, submitted a project proposal and outline by the end of March and had it accepted. By early April, I received notice that my contract was cancelled, effective immediately. They graciously paid me for my incomplete project, but I now no longer have this option as a means of freelance work. This ends five years of working with them. This was not particularly crushing, I didn't do a ton of projects with them. But its noteworthy. Freelance and consulting work is unpredictable. A consulting contract will be terminated much more quickly than a full-time position will be eliminated. This is my first experience with this truth but unlikely my last.

4. Had a debriefing on my bid for a state contract. In Q1 I shared how I met my 2025 goal of writing a bid for state work. I had an interview but was unsuccessful at landing the contract (which was unsurprising). They offered the chance to receive feedback in a debriefing which I jumped at. The only option was a call one week after labor. I managed to get my ragged self onto that Zoom call and it was WELL worth it. The feedback was specific and insightful. I know my proposal was not very strong this first time around but now I know why. Writing the proposal was a great learning experience but the feedback is what made it a huge step forward in the possibility of landing state work in the future. Notably, I learned I scored the highest (of all applicants) in cost. I scored so high because I was the LOWEST bid in terms of my price. Knowing where to price is hard, knowing where I compare to others is helpful.

5, Drafted a new microcourse for Ralph Wilson Park. Using the template from "5 Birds to Find this Winter," I created "5 Days in History at the Park." We have not launched it yet but I am looking forward to doing so, hopefully soon!

6. Finalized 2 pieces for Ralph Wilson Park. These were all started in Q1 in anticipation of maternity leave, so work in Q2 was light - editing, approving, and sharing. This was doable while waiting for labor/sleep-deprived. The first article, A Legacy of Trees, and the second, An Investment for Buffalo’s Kids, highlight the heritage-building happening at the new 100-acre park on Lake Erie.

Image from my article "An Investment in Buffalo's Kids", a review of the new park's features for kids (like these awesome heritage-inspired playspaces)

7. Wrote about my coming decade. Spent a peaceful birthday afternoon at a coffeeshop thinking through my coming decade (I am not there yet) and sharing what I want to achieve in it. I find immense value in reflecting on the past and dreaming about the future through writing. Rather than stressed about the coming milestone, this makes me feel excited about what's to come. I think I can achieve many of my personal and professional goals in this new decade (which will NOT feature any maternity leaves)!

Writing set-up for my birthday reflection.

8. Did a little research on new directions. I would like to try out some new work under my consulting LLC and am interesting is some professional development opportunities I discovered this quarter. This type of speculative research, often done on my phone while nursing, made me excited for the future.

9. Said No. I also consider it an achievement that I said no to several opportunities this quarter. It was hard. I love saying yes, so this was an honest-to-God challenge and achievement.

Well, that’s all. This quarter was filled with many personal wins as well: my oldest kids finishing kindergarten and second grade, my toddler (slowly) accepting his new role (NOT youngest), and my baby sleeping more and more at night. I was able to spend time with family and friends who visited us to meet our newborn. I planned our annual end-of-school adventure (this year to Old Forge), keeping our tradition going even though this year proved difficult. I have lost much (but not all) of the baby weight. I have enjoyed many spring walks and joined a CSA.

Of course, there were plenty of failures too. Days I wish I did better, moments when my sleep-deprivation or stress got the best of me. I did not always parent well, eat well, feel well, or put my best self forward. Some days, I was downright my worst self. Adjusting to life with 4 kids is certainly a challenge and some days are without a doubt better than others. All said, I survived the quarter and made a little progress I am proud of. I continue to dream of what I can do when my energy returns and my family has adjusted to life with our cute new addition. I am wholeheartedly looking forward to Q3 and all the possibility a new quarter and season can bring.

Sending everyone love and wishes for a successful 3rd quarter,
Katie

]]><![CDATA[Tell me, what is it you plan to do, with your one wild and precious life?]]>Wed, 11 Jun 2025 16:48:38 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/tell-me-what-is-it-you-plan-to-do-with-your-one-wild-and-precious-life

I write this on the day of my 39th birthday. I carved out a few precious child-free hours to post up with my laptop at a favorite local place to write. I woke early this morning (3am to be exact, I am nursing my youngest) and in the dark morning hours wondered how I was looking down the last year of my 30s. While my 40th birthday seems the time to reflect on the decade past and dream about the decade forward, for some reason I feel like doing it this year. In a world that feels increasingly negative or scary, I don’t want to wait to dream of beautiful things. Perhaps this reflection will be something to think about all year long. Perhaps I will now have time to modify and think deeper on these goals. Perhaps when I reach my 40th birthday, I will have a whole year’s worth of clarity to launch with more purpose than ever before. We'll see. So here is a bit of a life reflection and some bucket list items I think I would like to go after in my 4th decade.

On my 30th birthday, I was surrounded by a small group of friends and family and my husband. We celebrated on a boat sailing down the Danube, Budapest lite up in the background and a Roma band providing the soundtrack to the start of my 3rd decade. I could not have foreseen the way the next years would have unfolded. I like to think 30-year-old me would not have been disappointed.

My 20s was a decidedly vast decade, defined by travel to 10 countries, some trips lasting weeks or months at a time. I dove headfirst into becoming an anthropologist, very unsure of where i was headed but determined to enjoy the ride. I met amazing people all over the world and was changed in ways I could never expect.

My 30s on the other hand, took a drastic turn. At 31, my husband and I welcomed our first son. And last month, on the eve of my 39th birthday, we welcomed our 4th (30-year-old me would be most surprised by this). The years between have been filled with our parenting journey, as well as the hard work of taking my training as an anthropologist and finding out how it could support a growing family. If my 20s were vast, my 30s were small. We lived in small communities, from a town in the mountains of rural eastern Oregon, to another small town outside Buffalo, and then finally settling way up in New York’s rural North Country at the foothills of the Adirondacks. International travel has been minimal. Most of my days have been spent in a 30-mile radius to home. You might think transitioning from an international traveler to a small-town resident of rural America would be disappointing, but it has not been. I’ve enjoyed building my family “in the country” so very much. I would not change a thing. Living globally and then living locally have been equally satisfying.

With two very different decades mostly behind me, I can't help but wonder what the next one will look like. With all these experiences, what could my 40s hold?

I believe in living big and boldly, even if it means welcoming failures, facing change when I am not feeling brave, and walking down the paths less traveled. I believe in the sentiment behind Mary Oliver’s famous quote, which is why I used it as my title:

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

So with my remaining time (before I rush home to my family and birthday celebrations they want to be a part of), I drafted some dreams for my next decade. I reserve the right to throw them all out if, at the end of this year, I change my mind. But perhaps sharing them and then thinking them through over the course of the year, will help me narrow in on what it is I want to do with MY wild and precious life. Maybe it will motivate you to do the same. No need to wait for a milestone birthday to inspire you. Dream big now.

How to Spend My 40s:

Explore new ways to “be an anthropologist”: I don’t know where my career is headed, but I know that I will forever consider myself an anthropologist. That needs to be present in what I do. Equally as important but a bit harder, I want to continue to use my expertise as an archaeologist. It might be through volunteer work (ie: last year I ran an archaeology dig for my oldest’s first grade class; today I chose an archaeology book as the mystery reader at son #2’s kindergarten class). It might be through work (ie: I just agreed to teach a heritage and public archaeology class next spring). However I do it, I don’t want to lose sight of these loves. If they are not the primary way I provide for my family, they should still be woven into my work and life. Not because I need to justify my years spent earning a Masters and Phd, but because they bring me joy.

Write a book: throughout my 20s and 30s I have written a lot for adults (a 400-page dissertation, many scientific and public facing articles) and even spent time developing manuscripts for kids. In my 40s, I want to pick a direction and finally write the book. Whatever book I am supposed to write, I would like to be holding it at the end of this next decade.

Build a dream childhood home for my family: I dream of an unforgettable childhood home for my kids. I am someone who is greatly influenced by the spirit of a place and find the concept of home very important to my happiness. One of the draws of living in the North Country is the possibility of purchasing a home with land, fully immersed in nature. We are an agricultural zone, so even raising animals or planting an apple orchard are all easy dreams to achieve. I dream of a childhood home for my four sons that will make it hard not to spend time outdoors and interact with nature. I want to make that home a reality as soon as possible. I hope when they are grown they will feel nostalgic for the freedom and fresh air of their childhood. Four kids who are barefoot, dirty, and free - that’s what I want my memories to contain in the coming years.

Help those I love live THEIR best lives: I spend a lot of time reflecting and exploring how to live my best life. For years now I have used Powersheets to do this, along with seasonal overnight reflection retreats, daily habits of planning, and more. I've read a lot of books on ways to live fully, face fears, be ambitious, balance family and professional goals, and more. In the coming years, I wouldn't mind sharing what I have learned. I would love to provide community, to help others who might want to live more fully. My first priorities are my husband and kids, but this could also include my mom (on the eve of her retirement), my friends, my former, current, or future students, my colleagues, and more. A world where people are living their best lives is a world I want to be in; however I can help make that happen will be well worth the effort.

Give my older kids their first international experiences: The years of my 40s correspond with formative years of my oldest sons. While I am 40-49, my oldest will be 9-18. My second son will be 7-16. These are the years I would like to introduce them to the world. I have the same goals for my younger two but acknowledge that might not happen before I turn 49 (that may end up on the 50s bucket list).

Merge the global character of my 20s with the local, home-based nature of my 30s: I would love to see my 40s include more of the far-flung adventure I saw in my 20s, without sacrificing the joys of focusing on home and family which characterized my 30s. I would like to live globally and locally. And I would like to see the direction of impact go both ways. While I want to continue to be shaped by the different international and local places I spend my days in, I would also like to shape them. I want to have more of an impact on this world, leaving it better than before. I don't yet know what that looks like, either on a global or local scale, but I would like it to be a defining feature of my next decade.

Learn what it means to be healthy and well in my 40s: This is simply a nod to the fact that when I enter my 40s, taking care of my mind and body might require change. What worked in the past might not work in my future. Being intentional in this space will impact my ability to achieve everything else I dream of!

Well, that's all for the moment. I look forward to reflecting on these ideas over the course of the year, and figuring out what it looks like to achieve them in the decade to come. If you have read this far, I hope you feel a little inspired to dream big too. Dreaming "big" looks very different for each of us. I encourage you to do the hard work to figure out what that means for you. My list is unlikely to resonate with everyone, nor should it. Build your list. It will be well-worth the effort. If you take nothing else from reading my words, take that with you. Go do something about your wild and precious life.

Cheers.
Katie

]]><![CDATA[Modern Anthro Consulting: Q1 Update]]>Sat, 22 Mar 2025 11:21:29 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/modern-anthro-consulting-q1-update

In August 2024 I started a new job very different from my old position as Assistant Professor of Anthropology. A few weeks later, I discovered I was expecting my 4th child. These two were a lot to juggle mentally and physically. Progress with my consulting work under my LLC Modern Anthro Consulting reduced significantly. Luckily, I had worked ahead a bit before starting the new position. The rest of 2024 was characterized by having little time or energy to do anything but rely on those reserves.

When 2025 started, I wanted to recommit to my consulting side work. With New Year energy, I worked to find ways to fit in consulting around my full-time job and family obligations. I thought I would share some Q1 notes here. Make no mistake, progress is still slow. But it’s not non-existent, and for that I am happy.

What I did in Q1

With my New Year energy, I set out to have a list of progress to share by the end of the first quarter (January, February, and March 2025). I was happy to compile the list below, as it shows a distinct difference from August-December 2024. In the past quarter I:

Launched my first heritage microcourse, a collaborative effort to help people identify winter birds in Western New York.
Worked on a small content project related to heritage work in Greenland (a microcourse targeting a specific audience, now unclear if we will be able to launch it given the evolving political situation).
Submitted a bid for a New York State contract. This was one of my 2025 goals, I am excited I finished it early in the year. With a new Women-Owned Business Certification from NYS (which gives me a small but not non-existent boast in bids for state contracts), I wanted to learn how to write a bid for state work. Like most government things, there is a learning curve. A few days after writing this was a goal for the year, a NYS agency emailed stating they had found my business on the State’s contract system and wanted to draw my attention to a request for proposals to be posted the next day. I am convinced this was a sign; this was the bid I needed to write. The process taught me a lot. It has not moved forward yet, but I am also 100% okay if it ends up just a great learning experience.
Created a 2025 content calendar laying out my writing plans for the RWP Heritage Engagement Project (HEP). I am really excited about the new subjects I get to explore.
Compiled a bunch of social media suggestions to bring traffic back to some of my 2024 HEP articles. (Fun fact -the popular online publication Buffalo Rising just picked up two of my 2024 HEP articles and reran them - here and here!)
Wrote more for HEP: I wrote my February HEP piece on Wintering Well. My January piece, a reflection on the project in 2024, was finalized and posted in Q1 (although mostly written in December). I skipped March due to a lack of time but did manage to start April’s piece.
Resigned a contract with Educational Testing Services to write lecture material used in TOEFL iBT testing. For years I’ve freelanced for them, writing and recording 10-minute lectures on anthropology/archaeology topics. I typically only fit in a few a year, but its good money and interesting work. After signing a new contract for the year, I pitched an idea for a lecture that was approved and started work on step two (lecture outline production),
Filed my company’s biennial statement. This was an easy but important step in keeping my LLC a legitimate business in the State of New York.
Filed my 2024 business taxes.
Attend a SBDC webinar for exploring new opportunities for MWBEs (my Women-owned Business Enterprise Certification).

My first launched heritage microcourse

A Note on Fitting it in...

As this work does not benefit or build my work as Director of Donor Relations at St. Lawrence University (unlike when I was an anthropology professor), I cannot justify doing it during traditional work hours. I also have lots of little kids, prenatal appointments, and other life responsibilities. It is, without a doubt, tough to find time to work on these projects. Since I am always inspired reading how others manage to juggle a lot, I'm sharing my approach. This quarter, I made a few productivity tweaks that worked:

Woke at 5/5:30 a few mornings a week. I did not do this the whole quarter (February illnesses and March insomnia interfered), but I did it enough to buy some work time. My brain loves this time of day when no one else needs me. I achieve twice as much in half the time.
Took a few vacation days and hit consulting projects hard on those days
Did an overnight retreat in early January and another in February. An evening and morning alone provided roughly 7-8 uber-focused work hours at each, in quiet, super comfortable Adirondack hotel rooms. My January work retreat doubled as a planning retreat when I could focus on thinking through my 2025 goals.
Did a few Saturday/Sunday work sessions. Hockey season with two kids on two different teams and a third easier kept at home meant winter weekends were not exceptional work times. But I managed a few sessions. Sometimes I escaped to a coffee shop, once grabbing the spot in front of a fireplace. I love these projects. Getting myself to work a bit on the weekend is logistically hard, but not mentally difficult to commit to.

Writing retreats always include good food and coffee

What I did not do much of was evening work. This is a terrible time for me. I am SO wiped out after work, dinner, evening activities, and bath/bed routines. I also don’t like to rush the evening bedtime with my older kids. They are more willing to read, practice writing, and tell me about their day once tucked into bed with little lap desks and reading lights. I don’t want to short change that time, it won’t last forever. So while many champion the split shift and evening work, this didn't work for me this quarter.

Learning when and how you work best is 10000% worth the effort. If your brain is too tired at certain times of the day/week, trying to work then is fruitless, aggravating, and draining. When your brain is awake and ready, you can achieve far more in less. My goal is not just to put in the time, but to put in highly productive time…quality over quantity. Figuring out my *magic times* helps me fit more in. Those times can change though, depending on the season of life I am currently in. So I revisit the idea often and redirect when what I am trying to do doesn't work. The overnight writing retreats have been a recent add to my life, a tactic that came when some of my go to working hours were not longer that productive.

If you are reading this and hoping to start or grow your own business, I hope this is helpful! To be clear, it may all sound great but know there are plenty of days where I am flopping. Not all weeks are good. In the winter when everyone gets sick, snow days wreak havoc on schedules, and energy is low, it feels incredible to achieve anything at all. But I believe in slow productivity and not giving up on projects that bring me joy, even if I have to fit them into the margins. There are plenty of things I am not doing great at (don’t ask how clean my house is, how often I fit in a shower, or how long I take to answer text messages). Achievement lists don’t reflect the struggle or failures that accompanied them. Difficulty has to be read between the lines, but all who are ambitious face it. In case you are someone who needs to hear this, don’t let tough seasons or low achieving phases convince you to give up on whatever it is you are working towards. We are on this earth for a limited time. There is no reason not to go after all the things we want, to keep life a giant experiment, and to try to squeeze in as much joy, professionally and personally, as possible.

Welcome Q2!
Katie

My January retreat included an amazing sunrise. Pro-tip...forget about Jan 1. Book a room midweek in early January when rates plummet and you can splurge on a room with a view.

]]><![CDATA[Modern Anthro Consulting LLC - 2024 Recap]]>Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:17:45 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/modern-anthro-consulting-llc-2024-recap

In March of 2023 I established a business entity around consulting work I had done on and off for a few years. What seemed at the time to be a good financial decision turned out to benefit me (and my family) in more ways than I expected. While growth of my consulting and business entity is slow (it has always had to be third priority after my full-time role and parenting), growth IS happening. A look back on 2024 helps me see progress and pushes me to keep growing in the new year.

2024 Recap

This was a big year outside of my consulting (which, naturally, impacted growth). I finished my last year as an Assistant Professor, started a new role in a new field at a new university (Director of Donor Relations at St. Lawrence University), found out I was expecting, and managed to keep my other three kids alive these past 3 months. All said, I would have loved to achieve more but can appreciate why that did not happen. Here are some highlights on what I did manage in 2024:

1. Stumbled through business taxes for the first time, learning a lot (including the fact that I way overpaid my estimated tax payments).

2. Finished a second year of running the Heritage Engagement Project for Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy. I explored a bunch of new topics and genuinely enjoyed writing every single piece I did for them (10 in total for 2024). The articles I wrote include:

"Ending Plant Blindness and Species Loneliness" - a look at two growing but ill-understood trends affecting humans today and the role of parks in offering a solution.
"Nature is Still Open" - A call (with evidence) for why we should seek time in nature even in the depth of winter.
"Parks for Happiness" - a look at how happiness research is linked to time spent in quality greenspaces.
"Buffalo’s Short-Lived Marine Airport" - a historical piece on the short-lived (and largely unknown) early 20th century airport whose artifacts remain in the park today.
"A Tale of Three Parks" - the story of three different greenspaces in the same spot on Lake Erie, comparing the new park with those that preceded it.
"Baseball as Heritage" - A recasting of the game as a form of American heritage and a glimpse at how this park (and others) can help that heritage endure.
"A New Bridge Down an Old Canal" - a celebration of the arrival of the park’s new bridge with a dive into the history of the Erie Canal used to transport it.
"Architectural Heritage at the Park" - celebrating the discovery that an outdoor amphitheater with a long history in the park is actually part of an architectural legacy.
"Welcoming the Winter Birds of WNY" - a collaborative call for celebrating the wildlife heritage of winter birds on Lake Erie and how a park supporting a future for this heritage can impact us in the present.
"Reflections on the Year" - A look back at the second year of the project (and a bit more on the articles above - coming soon)

3. Was hired by Greentopia to help promote the new New York State Park being built in downtown Rochester. I wrote for them, went live on the radio, and spoke at a fundraising event. It was a ton of fun to explore heritage-building at another park.

4. Applied for (and was awarded) my Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Certification with New York State. This was actually a substantial undertaking, so I am proud I got it in and was accepted.

5. Used my consulting experience to help move out of a teaching position and into a Director-level, non-teaching position. The work I have done as a consultant/independent contractor helped get me outside the academia mindset, learn the [financial] value of my work, and advocate for the applicability of my skills beyond the college classroom.

My first time on the radio - live and with no prior knowledge of what I would be asked!

2025 Goals

I didn’t set out with any specific goals for 2024 other than to find a new full-time position while continuing to grow my side consulting work. This year, I think It might be worth setting some. So, by the end of 2025, I hope to:

Learn how to write (and submit) a bid for a state contract. I have yet to do much with my MWBE certification, other than register with the State’s contract system and look around for about an hour. On it, I quickly realized I need to learn how to write a bid for work. Goal number one for 2025 is to take up the offer of help from my local SBDC (Small Business Development Center) to learn how to do this.
Double my gross revenue from 2024. That seems like an easy, tangible goal to strive for (and track). This can be from new contracts/clients, or growing existing/past projects.
Write a better business summary on my website and solidify the ‘elevator pitch’ description of the types of consulting I do (and want to do, going forward).
Take an extended working retreat before baby arrives in May. Getting out of my normal spaces to work elsewhere does wonders on my creativity and productivity. I discovered this while writing my PhD dissertation, when I used an Aunt's cabin in the woods for a writing week. I was shocked at how much easier (and more enjoyable) it was to work there and completed drafts for multiple chapters, including a very dense one. These days, I schedule a night here and there to work, plan, and strategize in a fresh environment (usually a lodgy hotel in the Adirondacks). This year I would like to take a multi-day retreat (at least two nights away) before baby number 4 makes it hard to get away for awhile.

When I established Modern Anthro Consulting, I didn't have a clear plan. In many ways, I still don't. This business is growing in directions I didn't expect, allowing me to grow and explore as well. Because the work I do under this business is third after parenting and my full-time job, it does grow slowly and I have to fight the urge to feel frustrated. One of my favorite books from this past year helps me fight that frustration, however. In Cal Newport's Slow Productivity, he explains how "slow productivity supports legacy-building accomplishments by allowing them to unfold at a more human speed." My slow but steady achievements may (hopefully) add up to something great in the end.

I am excited to see what 2025 brings.

Seeing the sun rise in Wilmington on Whiteface Mountain, the location of one of my working retreat this year

Writing/working retreats always start with lighting a candle :)

]]><![CDATA[October, November, & December Updates]]>Fri, 20 Dec 2024 16:31:08 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/october-november-december-updates

A tough season punctuated with some small professional wins and worthwhile happy things. To finish what I started (blogging periodic updates this year), I will share the last few months in brief.

What I Read

NOT MUCH. I have struggled to read this season and that’s been hard in and of itself. I only made it through two books, abandoning many others and wondering what happened to my reading habits.

I Know How She Does it (Vanderkam) - a reread
Living Waters: Reading the Rivers of the Lower Great Lakes (Wooster)

One of a number of good books I abandoned in my reading slump.

What I Worked On

A collaborative piece on winter birds for the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy that I really enjoyed writing. I got to learn about birds from my coauthor at the WNY Land Conservancy. We are also working on a bird identification micro-course to help new birders spot winter birds on Lake Erie, to share soon. After this, some birding may be in my future!

A reflection piece for the end of the year with the RWPC Heritage Engagement Project. I absolutely LOVE reflection writing and other reflective activities in December. I used to just dive into January and fresh start mode but now I see the deep benefits of starting with a reflection on the year ending.

A year-end reflection on my consulting work. I wanted to take a reflective look at my consulting work, especially since I hit a major rut these past four months. My new full-time job and other life changes left me without time and energy to write, develop existing and explore new projects, consider a clearer vision for my business etc. BUT, despite ending on a low note, casting a wider glance back helps me remember progress still happened. There are things I am proud of and there was growth, even if it was small. Once again, a big fan of taking time to reflect like this.

A new project with the Greenland team is in its early stages and I cannot be more excited. (If only I could find more time to work on it). If it launches, it will be small in scope but meaningful to me. Its exciting just to reengage in this area of the world that captured my fascination when I stepped foot on its icy shores three years ago. I will share more later.

Completion of my Women-Owned Business Enterprise Certification with New York State, a very time consuming and complex process. This certification will allow me to bid competitively on projects posted in the New York Contract Reporter. Have I had any time to do anything but pat myself on the back for this one? Nope. But maybe New Year energy will change that.

Photo from my 2021 trip to Greenland, which I've been thinking about this season!

What I Struggled With

Pregnancy: I found out I am expecting my 4th this season and the physical (and mental) exhaustion seemed to infiltrate my every cell. I was sick every day, almost all day. I just started my new 8-5 job (in an entirely new field) and the combination of the two centers of exhaustion and uncertainty collided HARD. This showed me the deep importance of health and energy for doing things I love. Take away my health (or in this case, make me feel unhealthy, even though my symptoms were for a healthy pregnancy) and take away my energy and things go south fast. These past few months saw very little of things I greatly enjoy (reading, walking, cooking, writing, time in nature, moments of solitude, exciting new work projects). Their absence proved how much these small things matter. I enter the new year with a newfound appreciation for my normally high levels of good health and energy.

New job: I am still not accustomed to the new full-time position that has changed so much of my life. Not only what I do, but when and where I do it has altered drastically. For one thing, I went from almost complete control over my work schedule…to none. Which leads to my next struggle…

The loss of normal routines and rhythms. Without WFH and schedule flexibility and being expected at the office by 8am each morning, our family’s morning and evening routines became difficult. Likewise, an in-office 8-5 schedule eliminated important rituals. For example, it took away the buffer time I had between the morning kid routine and starting work, when I usually read for a few minutes with coffee, or simply gathered thoughts in solitude. Same with the end of day - I often built in a little time alone before the rest of the family got home. I cooked (simply) while disconnecting from work. I enjoy cooking dinner and miss it. You would think after four months new routines/rhythms would emerge. In some areas they have, but they are not ones I particularly like. Leaving my husband to fend for himself getting three small children ready for two different drop offs in two different towns during the week IS a new routine…just not one either of us likes.

What I Enjoyed

The things above really impacted me most days and I spent these months in survival mode. But a few bright spots include:

A solo writing retreat in Lake Placid that allowed me to write the two RWP articles I mention above, as well as gain some much needed solitude. I always equip these solo writing nights with good food and good rest, and the drive through the Adirondacks in silence is enough to get me relaxed and ready to write. Given I had barely written two words in this period before this retreat night, breaking my writer’s block felt amazing.

Lunchtime and Friday night yoga classes. Finding a weekly, then biweekly lunchtime yoga class was amazing, as was a few specialty classes that paired live music with yoga on three Friday evenings.

Elementary classroom visits: I was able to do two school-visits to my kindergartner’s class - a Halloween craft day and a gingerbread decorating party. His transition to full-time school was a bit bumpy, so these bright spots were good (for him and for me).

Coffee/brunch get-togethers: a few coffee/brunch dates with former colleagues, students, and friends. The older I get the more comfortable I am acknowledging that small group or one-on-one things are preferable for me compared to large gatherings. I love to really talk to someone, without distraction. Friend dates this season, including some with brand new colleagues, were bright spots.

Halloween and beautiful fall weather. North Country this fall was stunning - warm, calm, and colorful. While unseasonable warmth unsettles me, I would be lying to say I didn’t enjoy it. Halloween was one of those beautiful days. I took half the day off of work, which allowed me to visit my Kindergartner’s classroom, see both elementary school kids in their outdoor parade, get dinner and snacks ready for the after-school pre-trick-or-treating rush, and go into the evening without feeling like I lost my mind.

Time with other parents. Befriending the parents of your kids’ friends is a big move in increasing your happiness while raising little kids. These are people you can look forward to sitting next to at hockey games, greet cheerfully at school-events, and get together with to entertain both you and your kids. We even fit in a mom’s night out this season at a new restaurant.

Two dinner dates. Managed to fit in two dinner dates with my husband, both at places with really good food. This is not easy at this stage of life, but I really enjoy it when we make it happen.

Some Holiday Magic. I went light on the holiday festivities this year without much energy to back it up. But I still enjoyed some of our staples - getting the tree at our local tree farm, a solo trip to the creperie, decorating, making cookies (just one kind this year), a fiddle concert, and gingerbread houses. I can accept that not every holiday season will be the same. I remember going light the year I was pregnant with my third as well (and actually, I was in my first trimester - read: ill - for ALL three of my older kids, so I imagine those other holidays were light on festiveness as well).

So there is a brief update on the last 2.5 months. Overall, the months didn’t feel that great. But recording difficult times can be as rewarding as recording good times. For others going through a tough season, personally or professionally, its a nod to some human camaraderie to read you’re not alone. For yourself, reminding future you of a tricky time makes good seasons feel sweeter. Despite my current mood, I know a good season will come again. Admitting this wasn’t a good season will perhaps alleviate some burden while opening me up to welcome brighter times in the future. I am ready, universe! Send me some of those sweet months to savor!

A focal point at a fall evening yoga class with live music

]]><![CDATA[August & September Updates]]>Thu, 10 Oct 2024 16:25:06 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/august-september-updates

These were surprisingly challenging months. I didn’t expect that. I faced new obstacles and complicated emotions. I am happy October is here and that some of the discomfort that came from chaos (August) and change (September) is behind me. Onward and upward!

What I Read:
Non-Fiction

The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace what matters, ditch what doesn't and get stuff done. Kendra Adachi (reread)
Nudge: The final edition Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

Fiction

The Lost Summers of Newport Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White

What I Listened To:

"The Tea’s Made:" The Hidden Cost (And Value) of Food and What Does it Mean to Have Wealth
"Reimagine Rural:" Innovation is Part of Rural America's DNA

What I Worked On:

Ralph Wilson Park Heritage Engagement Project (HEP): I was excited to share my September HEP article Architectural Heritage at the Park. It shares a fun discovery I made in the archival research room at the University at Buffalo this summer. I made an appointment to access the papers of a world-renowned architect in a pursuit of substantiating a claim about the architectural history of a feature of the park...and had great luck! I also started a collaborative article I will be writing with the Director of Development and Communications at the Western New York Land Conservancy, coming out in early November. I am excited about this too…it has already been an enjoyable collaboration.

My Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Application for New York State: this is a HUGE and complicated application. Turns out it is hard to prove you are a women with a small business in New York State. But I got it in by an August 31st incentive that will result in a ‘sail-through’ review in which I will (hopefully) get it back faster then normal. I had a lot of help from my local Small Business Development Center. In truth, I am not sure what I will do with this right now, as I don’t have time for new contracts. But, it’s always important to be looking ahead. In the future, this will make me competitive for state consulting contracts. (Spoiler Alert...after more work and pain in early October, I found out on October 7th I got the certification!)

A speech for a fundraiser for the new State Park coming to Rochester, NY. On August 1st, I delivered a speech at a fundraiser for the new park. I don’t think I nailed the presentation (although I felt good about the content). Luckily, I brought a best friend as my date who assured me I did much better than I felt. I am going to go with what she said.

My 2023 Family Photo Book: This is such a big project, but I am so happy when its done! It brings me a lot of joy to capture both big events (the birth of my third child) and lots of mundane pictures of everyday life.

What I Struggled With:

Starting a new job: this new job came with many changes in what I do, where I do it and when I do it. I went from complete time autonomy (except class times, office hours, and meetings) to a very structured schedule in the office Monday - Friday 8-5. There are lots of downsides to this, but also some upsides. Establishing a routine and keeping work and home life more separate feels more doable now. Until you consider trying to fit in consulting outside those times...

Understanding my professional identity: I am in advancement and fundraising now, but this does not feel like my professional identity. I don’t exactly know how to describe who I am these days. An anthropologist who also does advancement work? Turns out lack of clarity in your identity is actually emotionally draining. I think humans like to have a clear understanding of who they are. When that changes or becomes murky, it creates quite a bit of discomfort. At least for me.

Ten inches of water in our basement: While we were on vacation, our basement flooded, along with most of the town. It was so stressful to come home from vacation to no hot water, a mess in the basement, and the fear that my holiday decorations were lost (GAH). On the upside, we realized the strength of our neighbor's kindness (he drained all 10 inches while we were away, so we didn’t come home to the actually water, stagnant for days). The luck of finding a plumber to come out at 10pm and the joy of discovering the knocked over bins of holiday cheer survived added to the upsides of this event!

Back to School: I was so excited for school to start, conveniently forgetting the month of September is actually terrible. Little kids do not just glide into new classrooms and routines without bumps. The emotions and adjustments were exhausting and, for us, lasted all September. Hopefully ( if last year is any indicator) October will be much better.

What I Enjoyed:

A family beach vacation: Keeping many small kids alive near multiple bodies of water is very stressful to me. As are long car rides (which my kids actually did great on). I try to remember the good memories...an evening softball game (adults v. kids), morning beach walks with the baby, my kids joyful hours in the pool, cousin time, getting through a whole book while stuck in the motel room during naptime, brunch with my mom, aunts, and sister, lots of ice cream. These are what I enjoyed!

My older boys’ birthdays: Two birthdays three days a part, but we make them special. Lots of decorations, treats, a birthday present hunt (they make me hid them). No parties this year…maybe next year I'll work up the nerve (their summer birthday actually make it hard…SO much going on around their birthdays).

Becoming a godmother to my oldest friend’s daughter. It was so lovely, my little goddaughter was so well behaved, and I had such a nice afternoon celebrating her.

I am sure there is more...in every category. But this sums up a good part of my August and September. Wishing everyone a great fall...I hope your months are filled with more good than bad, more joy than stress, and more fun than work. Cheers.

]]><![CDATA[June & July Updates]]>Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:56:28 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/june-july-updates

Two very full months. I read a lot, worked on a lot of fun work projects, did a LOT under the "Things I Enjoyed" category and kept moving nonstop. Here is an update on life these past two months!

What I Read:
Non-Fiction

The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions (Norton)
The 4-Hour Work Week (Ferris)
Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI (Murgia)
The Global Forest: 40 Ways Trees Will Save Us (Beresford- Kroeger)

Fiction

Things We Hide From the Light (Score)
Things We Left Behind (Score)
Happiness Falls (Kim)
Court of Thorns and Roses (Maas)

What I Listened To:
How to Money

Favorite episodes: “Making Money Changes that Stick w/ Katy Milkman” and “The Stoic Path to Wealth w/ Darius Foroux” (these interviews were so good, I learned so much more than their titles indicate)

The Lazy Genius

Favorite episode: “Best Summer Hacks from the Lazy Genius Community”

Reimagine Rural

Favorite episodes: "A Recipe for Rural Policy Renaissance”

Reading by an Adirondack river

What I Worked On:

Presentation for the St. Lawrence Center for History and Culture. I gave a midafternoon presentation sharing my work in heritage. I really enjoyed talking with community members about how similar projects could look in the North Country.

Finalizing a contract for a new full-time job. I will be joining North Country powerhouse St. Lawrence University as Director of Donor Relations! While not the field I necessarily saw myself going into (Higher Ed Advancement - I actually thought I was leaving Higher Ed) there were so many reasons to say yes. The position is close to home and in-person (my house is a feral-child zone, no thank you WFH). It also involves working with colleagues who really struck me as happy, energetic people and with an institution that positively impacts my community. I also will be working under a person who was able to see my very unconventional professional past as an asset. As many people whose careers do not include typical job titles and credentials can attest to, finding employers creative enough to translate a unique background is key.

Projects for Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy: This month in the Heritage Engagement Project I wrote two features in June and July (a piece called Baseball as Heritage for June, and A New Bridge down an Old Canal for July) as well as social media and newsletter content for both. I also worked ahead these past two months, conducting archival research and meetings for the August, September, and October content. This was a strategy meant to relieve some of the impending chaos. As if fall with school-age kids is not crazy enough, I am starting my new job at the end of August as well. So getting ahead on consulting projects seemed wise.

Projects for Greentopia and the new State Park in Rochester: This month I got to work on a new park project! Greentopia is a non-profit in Rochester, NY who fought for (and succeeded in) getting a new State Park for the city. Initial funding for the park was announced by Governor Hochul in 2022. The Executive Director of the Greentopia hired me to do some content after seeing my work in the Heritage Engagement Project. So this month I wrote a page for a book linked to a fundraising event. Then I went live on air (my first experience on the radio)! I joined Rochester’s City Historian Christine Ridarsky, Greentopia’s Executive Director Lisa Baron, and Art Briley from New York State Parks on Connections with Evan Dawson on WXXI. It was a bit nerve-wracking (speaking to an unseen audience and answering questions I didn’t have prior knowledge of) but getting to sit in the studio and having my sons hear mom’s voice on the radio was really just…cool. This month I also prepared for a speech I gave at their fundraiser on August 1 (which I will include in my next update).

An application for the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Certification: This is a New York State Certification for my consulting LLC (Modern Anthro Consulting) that would make me more competitive for state contracts. I decided to tackle this before starting my new full-time job. The application is a beast (there are 34 requirements to complete). Thank goodness for my new BFF from Canton’s Small Business Development Center. A part of me is not sure why I added this stress to my plate this month. With a new job and current consulting contracts, I do not actually have time for new projects. But I suppose it doesn’t mean I won’t have time in the future. I’ve been told applications can be under review for a long time. So I am getting it in now to be done with it.

What I Struggled With:

Lack of routine: Until school starts back up and I am in my next full-time role, the days and weeks will be a mess, a constantly shifting landscape of priorities and commitments. While this may just be the reality of summers with kids, I find myself really craving a routine even more this year. Bring on fall (summer-lovers, you can hate me right now)!

The BLACK HOLE North Country contractors have seemed to fall into. Where are all the roofers and general contractors? Seriously, getting work done on an old house up here is really hard. We have needed roof and bathroom work for a very long time and…none of it has yet to happen. (side note: someone recently reminded me we need to check with the many Amish families, some of which do this type of work. Because they don't have a phone number or web presence, this route slipped my mind).

Summer birthdays. There are so many, including all three of my kids. So much to remember/buy/wrap/plan. August 8th will be the last birthday in my immediate family of 5, I am looking forward to it.

A lot of different projects/logistical needs all at the same time. For whatever reason, this summer feels like a giant mess of logistics, finalizing the end of one job and the start of another, consulting contracts, admin stuff for both my LLC and my husband’s (landscaping, so this is the time), travel, camps, healthcare, house…it seems like there is much more than usual. I'm swamped.

Humidity. Rain. More humidity. Ugh.

Birthday 3 of 5 in our family (one!)

What I Enjoyed:

The Dairy Festival: I love my town’s retro Dairy Festival and Dairy Princess Parade! It starts the summer vibes up here. It is also a clear reminder we live in Rural America, as the tractors, dairy-themed floats, and sugared-up kids fill main street. Since we are walking distance, we hosted a few families after the events for a cookout and a campfire, as our combined 11 kids ran wild for hours.

Another birthday adventure in the Adirondacks: My MIL and two aunts came up to watch our kids while my husband and I went to an Adirondack waterfall and brewery for my birthday. This is starting to be a ritual…turns out this is all we want to do on our birthdays. Lucky, we won’t run out of new nature spots or breweries in the ADKs anytime soon.

My 4-year-old’s Pre-K graduation: all the feels, as my middle child sang up on some make-shift risers in his graduation cap. All the feels.

Legoland: I somehow thought it would be a good idea to take off the day after school ended for an adventure to Legoland, NY. It was terrible and great at the same time. The park is very well done, I highly suggest it to families with littles. Inside the amusement park the kids were great, even the baby had no problem sitting in a stroller all day in 80 degrees. But back in the hotel, my kids lost their minds (and so did I). Oh well. Next year will be [might be?] better (I have also foolishly decided an 'adventure' the day after school ends should be an annual tradition).

Overnight writing retreat in Saranac Lake: I needed another focused work session so this time I booked a room in Saranac Lake midweek around a doctor's appointment there. I got so much work/writing in, plus slept soundly, without a single tiny human needing anything from me.

4th of July Travel: Lots of time with family, sticky children, and forgotten bedtimes. The 4th of July weekend saw us traveling for a few days. I also spent a quiet morning that weekend in the University at Buffalo library archives doing some research for an upcoming piece…which was actually really relaxing and enjoyable. A cool quiet research room with historic documents…not everyone’s cup of tea, but certainly mine:).

My baby’s first birthday! My littlest bug is one year old already. Time went so fast (but also…so slow?!). We took all the kids to the Wild Center in Tupper Lake and classed it up with a cake from Price Chopper we hoped he would dive into (which he did not…all of a sudden he became averse to being messy...go figure).

Trips to Western New York that included one-on-one time with loved ones: I was supposed to be in the radio station earlier than I eventually went on, but the news of Biden stepping down from the race the day before prompted a reschedule (apparently that's bigger news). I had already made the trip to WNY the night before to take my mom to dinner for her birthday. The now open day allowed me to scoop up my friend for an unplanned lunch. When I finally did get on the air a week later, I followed-up that radio interview with another lunch with another best friend I had not seen in a long time. And a third friend was my plus one to the August 1 event (more on that in next update). So I feel great about getting some friend time in, even though there are more I would like to make time for in the coming months (this is really hard to do these days for my out-of-town friends).

Yoga: I seem to have gotten back into my swing again and managed to get to at least one a week, which in this season of life is an achievement.

My baby’s first words: Uh oh, da da, mama…in that order.

Early morning walks to the river: The baby is getting up at 5:30, religiously. Since the rest of the house is not up till 7, that leaves 1.5 hours with just us. We get dressed, make coffee, and walk by the river. Its quiet and peaceful and still cool. These mornings will likely be short-lived. He will not always wake up at 5:30. Remembering this makes the routine enjoyable.

Many, many little things: Life is often a collection of much smaller, more trivial moments, many of which add considerable happiness. There are always more of these then I can write out. Little things like my kid getting his first library card, seeing a Great Aunt for the first time in many years, welcoming home a mom friend after 6 months away, a new ice cream shop in town, backyard campfires, hearing about my kid's farm chores at camp, and so many other little memories filled these months with joy.

That’s all! I am sure I am forgetting something, these past two months have been full. But good health and better (I wouldn’t say good) sleep have made them doable. There is so much new stuff filling my hours these days and I really thrive on that novelty. I am looking forward to the next two months and the changing of the seasons. Wishing anyone reading a fantastic end of summer and a joyful (or at least sane) start to fall.

Much love,
Katie

]]><![CDATA[Writing Heritage in a Land of Immigrants]]>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:44:56 GMThttps://www.kathryngrowallen.com/blog/writing-heritage-in-a-land-of-immigrants

I am writing a lot about heritage in urban parks these days. Because the parks I am working with are on or near the Great Lakes, I have been learning a lot more about this incredible system of freshwater...the largest in the world. The Great Lakes are an amazing inheritance for those who live near them, but they have not always been treated (or recognized) as such. I wrote this piece a while back and to be honest, I felt a bit weird about it after. I questioned my stance advocating for inheritance of place as one of the millions of Americans whose ancient ancestors do not lie in this soil. I am an individual of full European descent. Who am I to claim that all living in Western New York, European and otherwise, are the inheritors of this land? How do I write about heritage in a land of immigrants?

In some of my projects, I am trying to get people to see they have inherited something amazing in their natural surroundings. Whether its a lake or a greenspace supporting native species, I want them to view it as heritage. The word heritage signifies these places are gifts from the past to be protected and passed on, much like other inheritances. One does not typically destroy valuable family heirlooms: rare china, one-of-a-kind jewelry, handwritten diaries, or family cabins filled with memories. We often treat these as sacred, knowing their worth. But we are not always as careful with natural heritage, places in nature ‘passed down’ in the sense that we are the ones making decisions about what happens to them next. We have inherited this power for the places that we live our lives next to or on top of.

This perspective has a goal. I want to highlight a place as heritage in order to create a connection between the land and people living there today. I want that connection to foster stewardship and respect for the land. We can spend millions on parks, put into place habitats that will bring back native species and make room for green in a urban environment…but if people treat them poorly, the plants will die, the animals will not thrive, and the community will not reap the benefits of access to nature at the heart of these park projects. We need to motivate people and one way to motivate is to connect them to land on a deeper level. We can do this by shining a light on the fact that those who live near a Great Lake or other place of nature inherited something unparalleled, something worth protecting. But is calling all who live here inheritors of the land brushing under the rug a deeply troubled history that left the descendants of immigrants largely in charge of what comes next?

Last year I was fortunate enough to pick up Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass. One section in particular spoke to me regarding this concern. She tells the story of Plantago major or Plantains. These are immigrant plants in North America that clearly came with the arrival of outsiders. In fact, they were often referred to as “White Man’s Footsteps" by those indigenous to the land. This plant was a foreigner, but became a very useful species. It provided food in the springtime and medicinal, first-aid services throughout the year. Its seeds aid digestion, its leaves stop bleeding and heal wounds. A foreigner, yes. But, as Kimmerer states, after 500 years of living as a good neighbor, people forgot that.

Then she tells the story of poor role models for immigrant plants. There is Garlic mustard which poisons the soil and Tamarisk, which drinks up all the water. Then there is the dreaded Kudzo, the species that when introduced to a new place spreads without limits, taking over without regard to others. These strategies of being in a new place lie in sharp contrast to the peaceful coexistence of plantains and native plants. And while the plantain will never be indigenous, its peaceful coexistence can be seen as a path to becoming naturalized.

Kimmerer ends the chapter explaining that to become naturalized to a place means to live as if this land matters. To acknowledge that this land is vital to our survival. To do this might allow those who connect with an immigrant identity to become not indigenous to their land…but naturalized.

And with this I return to the idea that a heritage perspective can motivate people to take care of what survived from the past, but may not survive into the future without our help. Many I am trying to reach are not the first peoples, but they are the peoples with power now to decide what happens to places of natural and cultural heritage. We can act like Kudzo, or we can be inspired by the plantain. We should acknowledge the troubled legacy of colonization at the root of why cities run by immigrants have the right to define or destroy major gifts of nature, like a freshwater lake. But a heritage perspective can still inspire people to care. Many of our ancestors do lie in these grounds, as well as the soil of places far away. We do have the ability to rethink the strategies of those ancestors. We have a chance to revitalize the places they used and left altered in ways they may or may not have intended. We ourselves may be the ancestors lying in the grounds that future generations could honor, especially if we choose the path of the plantain.

Many of us living in the US today cannot become indigenous. We cannot change how the past played out. But we can choose how we treat the lands we live on today. We cannot become indigenous, but we can become naturalized. To protect natural and cultural places of heritage allows us to deepen our roots, feel a truer connection to this land, and celebrate our heritage as it is. And looking forward, protecting this country's heritage will allow us to provide benefits to our future descendants, much like the plantain will continue to provide medicine and food to those living in the lands it invaded.

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