Meet Kate Mariah Hoffman | Intuitive Reiki Healer and Wedding Doula

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate Mariah Hoffman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate Mariah, what are you inspired by?
I’m inspired by the beauty, subtlety, and significance of the seemingly “little” things in life.
I love helping people learn about these subtle aspects of their own bodies and inner-selves. I’m especially drawn to making sense of what can feel unsensible. I look for patterns, make connections, and find meaning in the subtle layers of life. It’s often in these quiet spaces of awareness that deep healing and transformation begin.

Key to these understandings is observation, curiosity, and awareness. As a former science teacher and life long spiritual explorer, these are tools I’ve been developing for a long time! They help me understand myself, my clients, and the natural world on a deep level. And, whether I’m holding space for a nearly-wed or offering Reiki to a client during a life transition, these tools help me show up with a grounded, loving presence.

Nature is especially grounding and inspiring to me. I find lessons and inspiration watching the unfolding of natural events all the time. One example I do every year is raise Black Swallowtail Butterflies from caterpillars that are born on the dill plants in our yard. This is a favorite time of year for my young daughter, Lilly. Taking the time to observe these little creatures offers us so much perspective and compassion for life transitions. I have pages of writing to share on that topic, but I’ll save that for another day. For now, I will say that rest is a key element during any transition that is often overlooked.

Although I’ve been learning from nature throughout my life, a pivotal moment for me came when I read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Her ability to weave scientific knowledge with Indigenous wisdom helped me reconcile a false separation I’d made between my science teacher identity and my intuitive, spiritual (Reiki) self.

Reading her words helped me see that these ways of knowing are not in conflict. In fact, they nurture and support each other beautifully. This integration continues to shape everything I offer: grounded, intuitive support rooted in science, ancient wisdom and compassionate awareness.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a former science teacher and life long learner of all things body and spirit related, my businesses are heart-centered and very unique.

As far as I know, I’m the only Wedding Doula in Colorado—and one of only a handful in the world. The term doula is widely used in the context of childbirth (my mom was a Birth Doula). More recently, people have begun applying the same concept—a woman hired to provide guidance and support—to other major life transitions, such as the end of life, in the form of a “Death Doula.” I’ve taken that idea and adapted it to another significant life transition: the journey into marriage—as a “Wedding Doula.”

When I experienced my own journey through wedding planning and helped my friends through theirs, I realized there was a big missing piece to the process. No one talked about the giant life transition we were going through. Everything was focused on dresses, flowers, and wedding colors. It was very disorienting and difficult to stay grounded. In 2012, I intuitively supported a friend through her wedding in upstate New York. I helped with logistics, tended to her physical needs and offered a calm, listening ear for her, her mother, and her mother-in-law throughout the weekend. Afterwards I received so much gratitude from everyone that I knew I’d discovered something meaningful. My friend said to me, “I think you were my wedding doula.” And the seed of Intuitive Wedding Doula was born.

It’s now been over 10 years since the idea was first planted. In those years I’ve supported individuals, couples, and run groups for brides-to-be and one for mothers too! It’s been a hugely rewarding journey and I’ve learned so much. Again and again, my clients affirm that this work fills a real need—and that my Reiki healing and mindfulness skills offer meaningful support during this big life transition.

Gentle Goddess Reiki is my second business baby, starting in 2018. I bring to my Reiki sessions a diverse set of knowledge and skills. Raised by a massage therapist (my mom) and Hakomi psychotherapist (my dad), I’ve been learning about the mind-body connection for a long time. I even did my culminating project in high school on the topic!

In addition to this, I taught high school science for 15 years including classes such as Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and more! This experience has expanded my appreciation of all different kinds of people and given me thorough knowledge of the physical world from atom to ecosystem. It has also taught me about the interconnectedness of all the “separate” parts which, it turns out, are not really so separate at all!

I combine this knowledge of the physical world with my experience of the subtle, energetic, and symbolic world to offer uniquely powerful Reiki healing sessions. A typical session begins with conversation and connection. Then, you move to the massage table, and we shift into the subtle work, guided by messages from your body. I use a blend of visualizations, vocal toning (imagine singing bowl sounds, but with my voice), touch, tapping and Reiki to help your nervous system relax. I invite you to acknowledge what wants to be seen, release what is no longer helpful, and welcome what you’re ready to receive. I encourage my clients to try using these visualization tools on their own to continue exploring their own inner experience and develop trust in their intuition.

This blend of the practical and spiritual is also the foundation of Intuitive Wedding Doula. Weddings are a very stressful time. They can bring up a lot of old wounds and unprocessed feelings. Pulling from my years of experience as a healer, teacher, event planner and coach, I am able to support clients with where they are – navigating both the emotions and logistics with ease and grace.

What am I most excited about?

What excites me most at the moment is the incredible healing experiences my Reiki clients are having. When I first started Gentle Goddess Reiki, we were in the COVID years and I did most of my sessions remotely over the phone. Remote sessions have a unique and wonderful magic to them because clients are unencumbered by the physical constraints of a massage table and being worried about their appearance. They can move and make noise and use their own intuitive wisdom to guide their own healing.

Recently, however, most of my clients have come for in-person sessions in my office in Broomfield, CO. Being in-person has allowed me to incorporate more intuitive touch, and somatic listening into the sessions along with the vocal toning which is extra potent when we’re in the same room – instead of transmitting through a cell phone speaker.

In person, I’ve found that my unique blend of skills supports clients on multiple levels—physical, psychological, and spiritual. Some have experienced significant relief from chronic or post-surgical pain that hadn’t responded to other treatments. Others have gained clarity in areas of life where they once felt stuck, anxious, or uncertain—often during major life transitions. Alongside this physical and emotional healing, many clients also identify and release old patterns of thinking that are no longer serving them or their loved ones.

I don’t take full credit for this healing. My clients are just as much the “healer” as I am. But there’s something truly magical that happens when we come together with awareness, intention, and compassion. It creates an opportunity for meaningful healing and gives me this beautiful, whole body feeling that fills my heart with hope.

What has been most challenging?

The biggest challenge on my journey has been figuring out how to balance all the different aspects of my life. The idea of my first business came to me at the age of 29. In my 30’s I experienced the death of my father, the birth of my son, then the birth of my daughter and the death of my mother. When I decided to leave teaching at the age of 37, there was still plenty of life to take care of besides my businesses. Balancing the creative drive to follow my passion with the very real and pressing needs of my family continues to be an important aspect of being my own boss. Listening to my body and following my heart’s intuitive knowing has been key to finding this balance. As they say, I must take my own medicine!

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?
I grew up in Boulder, CO and there are a lot of special places to see there.
Celestial Seasonings Tour is always a favorite, as well as the Dushanbe tea house (can you tell I love tea?). While in Downtown Boulder, take a walk along the creek path or visit one of the many wonderful restaurants and shops on Pearl St. Mall.

Outside of Boulder, there is lots to do. Two very unique things that are not to be missed in the Denver area are The Butterfly Pavilion and the Denver Meow Wolf both of which are kid friendly and one of a kind!

If you’re looking for a more adventurous travel plan, make your way to the mountains and enjoy some hiking, rafting, amazing views and hotsprings. The Great Sand Dunes are incredible, Glenwood Springs has both rafting and hot springs, and Telluride has gorgeous waterfalls! Colorado truly has too many beautiful places to choose from!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I know this may be a bit unusual, but I’d like to dedicate my story to Grief. When my dad told me he was sick, I was 30 years old and had been married for 3 months. I had, like many of us, thought my parents would live forever – or at least much longer.

It was the grief of his passing, 3 months later, that cracked me open and made me lean into my spiritual practices to help me through the flood of emotions that arose within me. Emotions that I was not used to dealing with – especially anger.

It was because of my grief that I ended up on a Women’s Entrepreneur Retreat in Kauai with Emma Juniper. And it was there that I was re-introduced to Reiki and highly encouraged, by several participants, to look into getting trained.

When I returned from that trip, I found Helen Knight with Dreamtime Healings and got my Usui Reiki Level I certification later that summer. I also continued to study with Emma and started to put together the seeds of my first business: Intuitive Wedding Doula.

I would also like to acknowledge my first yoga teacher, Wendy Bramlett, original owner of Studio Be yoga in Boulder, CO. Her teachings taught me how to explore my body using breath and awareness. This subtle listening continues to serve me as a person and as a healer. Wendy died in 2012, but her work lives on through the many lives she touched.

Website: YourWeddingDoula.com & TheGentleGoddess.com

Instagram: @intuitive.wedding.doula & @gentle.goddess.reiki

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-mariah-8ba0b74/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intuitiveweddingdoula & https://www.facebook.com/GentleGoddessReiki

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@katemariah22

Other: Email: Kate@KateMariah.com

Image Credits
Andrea Enger Photography

Elle Hygge

Yellow Feather Photography

Kate Hoffman