Meet Katherine Davis | Owner and Founder, Welcome Goddess

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

Hi Katherine, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The idea for Welcome Goddess had been a faint but tantalizing whisper in my ear for many years. I always loved spaces that were oriented around women and the sacred connections we share. My own powerful embodiment journey also sparked a deep desire in me to make these practices more accessible for other women.

But I already owned a thriving PR company that kept me very busy and fulfilled. Something like Welcome Goddess just seemed too fanciful to be possible.

The year I turned 50, everything changed. I felt this new lease on life and, without sounding too morbid, an urgency to do all the things while I still can. I felt more grounded, calmer, more confident, clearer. It was like I had received a reboot or a software update! This is one of the many perks of aging.

I was also awakening more fully to the deep-seated sexism in our society, even in our seemingly progressive bubbles of Boulder and Denver. I was noticing in my own personal life how often I ceded my desires, my voice, my boundaries despite all the personal development work I had done. It occurred to me how hard it is to stay in your power and radiance as a woman today without regular effort – and intentional community.

While my PR work was going very well, I could sense that something new was coming. It was welling up inside of me.

I suddenly noticed that everything was pointing me in the direction of serving women in a more direct way. Much of my PR work over the years had focused on gender equality and women’s health and rights. But I also worked in healthcare, renewable energy, tech, and other sectors. When my longtime insurance client hired me to lead a women’s empowerment workshop, I took note!

A few months later, I was in Thailand for work – managing media relations for the world’s largest conference on reproductive health and rights – and I went to recuperate at one of my favorite places on the planet, The Sanctuary on Koh Phangan island. Friends recommended that I get a “four hands” massage – i.e., two masseuses at the same time. I was told that the brain cannot process all the stimuli from two sets of hands so it is able to truly turn off. Yes, please! While I was on the table and deeply relaxed, I received a profound memo from the Universe, telling me to establish a “safe space for women to feel, heal, gather and create.” I was also told the types of classes and events this space would offer, and even some of the teachers I should hire.

I often describe this moment like getting hit by lightning because it was so sudden and undeniable.

From that day forward, I started telling people that “I am” opening a safe space for women – rather than “I might” or “I’m thinking about” doing it. Words have power and this declaration fueled its own momentum.

I initially thought that I was going to just be the owner who created the space and hired all of the amazing teachers, practitioners and facilitators. But while I was still in Asia, I traveled to Bali the following month and discovered a very powerful meditation technique called Ananda Mandala (“Circle of Bliss”). I had been practicing meditation for nearly a decade at this point – and this was by far the most impactful, effective technique I had ever experienced. I knew I wanted to share this ancient practice with Coloradans. After weeks of practicing, I decided to return to Bali to participate in a 200-hour meditation teacher training.

Today, in addition to managing Welcome Goddess, I teach Circle of Bliss and another active meditation class, as well as a somatic movement practice we call “Sensual Flow”. I also lead women’s circles and a monthly class called “Goddess Practices”. I absolutely love teaching and realize now that this is the next step in my journey. Welcome Goddess currently has about 25 teachers and facilitators leading various amazing classes and events.

What should our readers know about your business?
Welcome Goddess is a safe space for women of all ages to feel, heal, gather and create. We are wholly unique in the fact that there are few if any brick-and-mortar spaces dedicated to healing the feminine. We welcome all genders – including men – to join us for select classes and workshops. We also have dedicated programming for girls.

We offer a wide array of classes and workshops in embodied movement and dance, meditation, breathwork, sound healing, trauma release, art, women’s empowerment, sacred circles, book clubs, and more. We specialize in intimate experiences that help foster self-discovery and deep connections with others.

Every offering at Welcome Goddess takes place in person at our center in Golden. We strongly believe it is time for us to get off of our computers and phones and gather in person, in community. While technology was invaluable in keeping us connected during the pandemic, isolation and loneliness in the U.S. have reached all-time highs. Mothers are especially likely to feel lonely. Few of us have the built-in social networks that work and religion provided previous generations. But our biology depends upon being with others in person. As energetic beings, our proximity with people regulates our hormones and nervous systems. Without it, our physical and mental health inevitably decline.

I am in awe of all of the amazing women who are coming to Welcome Goddess! We are building a beautiful, strong, supportive community. A group of women who all met at Welcome Goddess went camping together last summer. The growth and healing that I have been privileged to witness (and experience myself) is truly inspiring.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I know it sounds a bit unoriginal but I live so close to Red Rocks Amphitheater that it would be criminal not to at least head over there for a hike or a concert. I also like to relax on the outdoor patio at The Fort and enjoy their guac and chips – and views!

One of my all-time favorite places in Colorado (and one that helped inspire Welcome Goddess) is True Nature Healing Arts in Carbondale. I would treat my friend to a trip up to the Roaring Fork Valley to enjoy this special place. Their public gardens are spellbinding and I love all the interiors that feel straight out of India.

If my friend was up for another road trip, we’d head down to Durango. I’ve made a lot of special memories in that part of the state in recent years. I would make reservations for the hot springs every night we were in town. We’d have to enjoy a burger at the nearby James Ranch Grill at least one of those nights!

If they were curious to see where I grew up, I would take them to Boulder for the day. I love brunch at Leaf!

I have hosted a fair number of friends at my house in Golden this year – and there are always two places where we spend a lot of time: Clear Creek and Welcome Goddess. I never tire of walking along the creek, or sitting along her banks. And friends of all genders are always keen to try a class or two at Welcome Goddess! It’s very fun to share my heart-and-soul with them.

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?
I am fortunate to have had so many wonderful teachers and mentors over the years. The old adage “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” has certainly been true in my case!

To start, the therapist I was seeing back in 2010 first introduced me to goddess energy and the power of the feminine, and for that I will be forever grateful.

I think about the meditation studio that I used to walk past every day on Tennyson St. about a decade ago; I only attended a few classes there – but it helped to jumpstart my interest in and practice of meditation.

In 2015, a woman introduced me to a book by Regena Thomashauer – aka “Mama Gena” – and it sent me on an entirely new and exciting trajectory that continues today. After attending a free Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts event in Miami, I was hooked and subsequently embarked on 13 months of advanced training with Regena in person in New York. It was during this time that I decided to leave Denver and move back to NYC full time. (The pandemic ushered my return to Colorado!)

In 2016, Mama Gena published another book, “Pussy: A Reclamation”. This book is one of our best sellers at Welcome Goddess and we have hosted two “Pussy” book clubs so far, which have been wildly popular and impactful. I believe the world would be a vastly better place if every woman could read and embody the practices in this book!

Other authors that influenced my journey early on have been Sera Beak and Tami Lynn Kent.

When I was studying with Mama Gena, she introduced me to S Factor, a feminine embodiment practice. Named for the S-like curvature of the female body, S Factor is sensual movement inspired by the erotic expression of pole dancing and stripping. But as its creator Sheila Kelley explains, in this practice, “We are stripping away layers of social conditioning, negativity, and criticism.”

One S Factor teacher in particular helped me deepen my ability to listen within and invite more sacredness to my practice: Erin Pace. I have continued to work privately with her over the years.

After moving back to Colorado during the pandemic, I felt so fortunate to find Sensually Embodied in Boulder, which is another S Factor-inspired movement studio. This is where I completed my teacher training in 2023.

Like millions around the globe, I have been inspired and impacted by the writings of Eckhart Tolle. I have taken several of his courses, including his Teacher of Presence training, which has been very helpful in all aspects of my work.

Website: https://welcomegoddess.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-davis-621b222/

Image Credits
Photos by Besti Ewing, Brandy Victory, Sierra Voss