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EMPOWERING WOMEN'S HEALTH

What is Empowered?

Empowering women through knowledge and fitness.  
Specializing in women over 40. 

 

EMPOWERED offers two services.

  • An educational 3-part lecture series (for groups).  Each lecture builds on the last.  Topics include the importance of being your own advocate, how female physicians can support you, specifics about menopause, as well as detailed health and fitness needs for women over 40.  Lectures are in person.  The lecture series would be appropriate for fitness facilities, office or board rooms, school classrooms, retirement homes, community centers, conferences, women's groups & organizations, trade shows, Expos, or  Women’s Shows.

  •  A unique approach to one-on-one personal training, offering individually tailored workouts, using minimal equipment to be completed at the client's home on their own.  This includes an in-depth interview, initial assessment & intake (through email, Zoom, and or in-person), a custom-written health and fitness plan (including nutrition, wellness & sleep suggestions), an in-person “show & tell” where the workout is reviewed, and client support.

       Availability: Currently, I am available for consultation.  If you are interested, please contact me via the form of        the contact page or email me at info@em-powered.org 

       

     ***  A portion of the revenue will be donated to women’s charities in the Olympia area.

In response to the lack of information as well as inaccurate and disinformation regarding women’s health and fitness, I was inspired to create EMPOWERED.  
 
The female anatomy and physiology is unique and require special attention when it comes to fitness. Unfortunately, the fitness industry has largely ignored the female demographic. Most of the industry's education and information is focused on men and then applied to women, without taking into consideration female hormones, menstruation cycles, giving birth, and menopause. This lack of attention and study has resulted in a shortage of helpful tools for women who want to stay fit and healthy.  In addition, the health and fitness industries don’t often take into account or address the many physiological differences between men and women. My female-specific training certifications set me apart, and therefore, I am able to address these differences and focus on helping women succeed.

 
The gathering of women is a sacred tradition that has been practiced for centuries. It is a unique bond of sisterhood that I wish to cultivate through EMPOWERED. My goal is to create a safe and trusted space for women to come together to learn, share, and ask questions about health and fitness. Under this umbrella, I aim to make taboo and shamed subjects such as women's hormones, menstruation cycles, and menopause, beautiful facts of nature, and commonplace topics.

A Note About Inclusion

EMPOWERED is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where every individual feels valued and respected, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, educational background, national origin, religion, or physical ability.

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CERTIFIED MENOPAUSE COACHING SPECIALIST

About Katherine

My name is Katherine (she/her), and I have lived in the Pacific Northwest region of Washington State for most of my life. This year, I passed the 50-year-old milestone.  I have been moving and training my body for over forty years, starting with ballet at the age of seven and continuing with self-driven workouts to this day. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts and over fifteen years of teaching experience. During my career, I have taught ballet for over a decade, as well as group fitness classes, including Les Mills, Yoga, and Pilates.
I am also a personal trainer. In 2023, I became a Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist and in June of 2024 I completed my certification as a Women's Coaching Specialist. 
 
My husband and I enjoy exploring the world through food and travel. I am passionate about supporting the arts, cooking, cold plunging, and helping others.


 

My Personal Journey

How women experience menstruation and menopause is unique to each woman.  Since the beginning of having my cycle, I had a difficult experience.  My mother told me my Grandmother, her mother, had a similar experience with her cycles.  I, like many women, past and present, was put on birth control to help level out my symptoms.  This helped for many years and allowed me to pursue and participate in an active life, studying dance (rigorously, in college for sometimes 7 hours a day) and, eventually, teaching ballet and fitness.  

 

A few years into my marriage, I took myself off birth control, not to get pregnant, but to give my body a break.  It didn’t take long for the severe dysmenorrhea (the diagnosis I received after my very first gynecological visit) to return.  To be completely honest, I believe I had some sort of undiagnosed condition, even though I underwent a pelvic ultrasound that came back with more or less “normal” results.  My symptoms did not fit the profile for endometriosis, but if I could take a guess, I would say it might have been Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).  I’m guessing, and of course, I could be wrong.

 

I was so tired of the monthly merry-go-round of extreme pain and other symptoms that I asked my OB/GYN what my options were. Since my husband and I did not want to have children, I chose to have a hysterectomy (keeping my ovaries) at 48 years old.  I believe it was the right choice for me.

 

Within four months of my hysterectomy, I experienced nearly every telltale symptom of menopause, with the exception of hot flushes. I saw a naturopath and took some recommended supplements.  About 6 months after that, the symptoms had mostly disappeared, so I stopped taking the supplements.   After that, I had some bloodwork done to see where my estrogen and progesterone hormone levels were. At the time of the test, they fell within the normal range, leading me to believe that my body was still producing a somewhat regular amount of hormones, probably because I kept my ovaries.  I am guessing (not a hypothesis from my physician) that the hysterectomy was a bit of a shock to my system, and my body needed to recalibrate itself.  Currently, I am experiencing mild menopause symptoms that are not very bothersome or disruptive to daily life (but it really depends on the day).

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Recommended Resources

Recommended Books
  • The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter  (For all females over 40)
  • The Vagina Bible by Dr. Jen Gunter              (For all females & those under 40)
  • Blood by Dr. Jen Gunter                                (For all females & those under 40)
  • A Monk’s Guide to Happiness by Gelong Thubten
  • Handbook for Hard Times by Gelong Thubten
  • It's Not Hysteria by Karen Tang, MD, MPH
  • The Menopause Brain by Lisa Mosconi, PhD 
  • Outlive by Peter Attia MD
  • Becoming Bulletproof by Evy Poumpouras 
Helpful Aids
Articles & Blog Posts
Recommended Websites
EMPOWERED Tools
Who to Follow on Instagram

American College of OB/GYN     @acog_org

Menopause Society                      @menopause_society

Dr. Jen Gunter, MD, OB/GYN         @drjengunter

Dr. Karen Tang, MD, GYN               @karentangmd

Lisa Mosconi, PhD                           @dr_mosconi

Dr. Vonda Wright, Ortho                @drvondawright

Dr. Christine Vaccaro, OB/GYN    @drchristinevaccaro 

Pelvic Health & Rehab                   @pelvichealth

Pelvic Health  PT                              @theoriginway

Ashley Winter, MD, Urologist         @ashleygwinter

Girls Gone Strong                            @thegirlsgonestrong

Molly Galbraith, GGS                       @themollygalbraith

Franziska V. Haydanek, DO            @pagingdrfran

REACH OUT
Let's Connect

To reach Katherine, Please fill out the form.

Address : Olympia, WA

Email : info@em-powered.org

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