We had the good fortune of connecting with Kat Davidson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kat, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Growing up I believed value was based on how productive/efficient I operated in work and personal life- it didn’t leave much room for self-reflecting, pondering, wondering. My intention was to respond to e-mails within 24 hours; I would find myself working 16-18 hour days and took on any requests for help from others – burnout is real! After finding myself completely exhausted, body physically shutting down and becoming sick constantly, finding balance was critical. Oh, forgot to mention having 3 kids and trying to meet their often irrational, illogical needs? I didn’t need to be perfect- I couldn’t be, but wanted to find ways to weave moments of joy in life and take on it’s lessons. As time has passed, I try to take bits of time off to reconnect and understanding balance will continue to ebb and flow – some seasons will need more late nights, early mornings, heavy workloads, emotional tolls…some will require more time and grace from oneself, and it is okay to recharge to be able to continue. Sometimes balance looks like more social connections, sometimes its quiet spaces for self reflection…sometimes it is simply food or a nap!

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve had the chance to publish three children’s books about space, and a custom little space cat to go with them – it has allowed me the opportunity to work with schools, kid’s museums, families at events, businesses, read to my friend’s kids and it feels fulfilling to share something you’ve created that brings joys to other little ones! I love hearing as years years pass and kids will still pull the book for story time. Friends will share pictures with me of local places they’ve seen (one recently sent me a photo of a book inside a Children’s Therapy Center)- it is the neatest! My current project is developing Observer Ranch Campground & Learning Center – located just outside of Canon City. It will have RV sites, cabins, and the main building will hold a space for events and classes, as well as a library dedicated to space/earth science! Currently under construction and will open early 2024.

Some lessons I’ve learned along the way: Self-publishing a children’s book was not easy – it averaged 2 years to complete one; there were always challenges along the way: 1) Printing errors can happen and are costly! 2) Fulfillment out of your home with kids yourself makes for stressful operations – getting the hang of shipping, managing inventory supplies, platforms = seasoned time management needed 3) Orchestrating the team of graphic designer, printer, illustrator, others involved etc. can get confusing if you are not organized or can’t communicate clearly and responsively. The project to create the space cat plushes was intended to take 3 months and took 11 months…after performing quality control the results were not good – happy space cats looked like drunken space cats lost on the way to the pub. Fixing the errors took almost as much time!

Another lesson- Big plans are never executed the way they are intended- it does not mean things are not unfolding as they should, and life is still beautiful! The vision for the campground was to have a place for community to gather and grow- I can see my young children spending hours playing in the creek, hiking and finding neat rocks, admiring the stars dotting the sky at night. It has been a dream almost a decade in the making – 2.5+ years of development and the hurdles along the way have been brutal. Patience truly is a virtue!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many gems to explore in this city- I’d take them to Mochi Thai’m Donuts, they make amazing, fresh gluten-free donuts – changing flavors and they are all SO GOOD! Another little place I love is Atmosphere Gastropub – have never had a bad experience there, the Tuna Tartare is amazing! If they were so *inclined*, I would see how they fared doing the Manitou Incline… the views are fantastic! Piglatin Cocina is a recently discovered Latin American restaurant with the best drinks and food – it has such a good vibe and the music is great.

Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls are places to explore, the summer Thursday Drum Circles and soaking at Sunwater Spa in Manitou Springs is a combination that never fails. Fox Run and Bear Creek Regional Parks are always fun to take explore, and kid friendly – I usually always take friends with kids that visit there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Success Collective – a group of powerhouse businesswomen and entrepreneurs that inspire me regularly to dream big and persevere through personal and business challenges while giving back and serving to those around us. I’ve found great authentic friendships in this group and they are a wonderful support/networking group! My Team – Rocky, Bailey, Riqi, Phil, Dave – their passion and commitment to the work ahead is unmatched, its hard to lean into a multi-year project and stay excited for the progress, balanced during the stressful times… I am incredibly to be able to work with such incredibly competent, intelligent, and wonderful people!
My mentors – Ellen, Alain, Ruth
My friends, Rachel of Cronin Mountain, Lauren with Clarity for your Chaos, there are too many to list! My support group is incredible.
My family for the lessons and setting an example of commitment, devotion, hard work and integrity. My family were VN war refugees and childhood/young adulthood at times felt cold, missed understanding and connections. I understand now the sacrifices they made, that doing their best was an understatement and appreciate wholly the challenges that were faced.
There are so many people I’ve had the opportunity to cross paths with have left meaningful marks on me, and for that I am truly grateful.

Website: www.observerranch.com

Instagram: @observerranch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/observerranch/

Image Credits
Mike Fizer – Breezeway Studio

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