Media & Press
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions):
What is the overall theme or message of your book, Adirondack Retreat: My Midlife Journey to Wholeness?
All that you need to overcome any challenge is within you.
What is it about your book, Adirondack Retreat:… that speaks to everyone?
From the overwhelmingly positive feedback I am receiving from readers, it contains messages that are touching people in ways beyond anything I could have imagined. I see now that its purpose is bigger than just my journey. I hope, in these uncertain times that have created the challenges of fear, instability and insecurity, it is proof that even in the midst of chaos, the answers can be found by returning to simplicity. Through nurturing our spirit, our connection to Nature, and to God we find strength, courage and inner peace.
What was the inspiration for your book, Adirondack Retreat:…?
My desire, at midlife, to retreat and heal from the overwhelming challenges of my life in the beauty, solitude and stillness of the Adirondack Mountains.
Who can attend your Yoga classes?
Classes are for anyone at any age. My students range in age from 20 to 80. Each class offers an opportunity to develop an intimate relationship with your body and your self, to accept yourself exactly as you are.
Author Information:
Kathleen is the author of Adirondack Retreat: My Midlife Journey to Wholeness. Yoga teacher, Reiki master, and spiritual advisor, she also presents meditation, midlife, aging and spirituality workshops and retreats. A breast cancer survivor, she is a retreat team member for Creative Healing Connections, an upstate New York retreat for women with cancer and chronic illnesses. She is also Volunteer Coordinator for Mercy Care for the Adirondacks, a member of the Tupper Lake Writers Group, and Certified Reiki Master of the Usui System of Natural Healing.
Kathleen is the mother of two grown children, a teacher, friend and mentor who has been guided to share her personal story of facing and overcoming lifelong challenges. At the age of 52, after surviving years of physical disabilities, cancer, the burdens of divorce and rejection, she retreated for a year to a cabin in the mountains to deepen her spiritual practice, heal and write of her journey. Adirondack Retreat: My Midlife Journey to Wholeness is the tangible expression of her love of God and gratitude for her own healing and transformation during that time.
Following a “calling” at an early age to all things spiritual, Kathleen immersed herself in the traditions of her Catholic upbringing. For most of her life, deep devotion and involvement in the Church and its organizations had been enough to feed her yearning to know God, though deep inside she sensed there was something missing. As a result of a lifetime of sciatica, at the age of 40 she developed a condition called drop foot, and life with its many other challenges became overwhelming. It was through Yoga and meditation that she discovered what was missing—the tools through which she would transform and heal herself, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Kathleen served as Program Director for the Mid Hudson School of Yoga for four years, managing the administrative development of scheduling 200 full-time students while pursuing her own full-time apprenticeship.
Earlier experience includes the roles of executive administrator and ISO-9000 team member, owner and manager of property management and child care organizations, and editor of The Spirit of St. Thomas, a monthly Catholic newsletter publication. For St. Luke’s/Cornwall Hospital, she served as a volunteer and later as a speaker/instructor for meditation, visualization, breath techniques and healing affirmations for their Pain Management Support Group. She was also the founder of a chapter of Gratitude Gatherings, a women’s support group. Kathleen has always devoted much of her spare time to volunteer activities at many hospitals and churches, serving as Eucharistic Minister, President of the Altar Rosary Society, religious education teacher, and participant in outreach programs.
When she is not writing, teaching, volunteering or conducting workshops, in addition to her daily practice of Yoga, meditation and prayer, Kathleen is an avid baker and cook! She loves hiking, biking, kayaking, taking long walks in the woods, spending time at the ocean beach, dabbling in photography and spending quality time with family and friends. Her adult children, Therese Marie and Stephen are her greatest joy…and a grandchild is expected soon!
