Katie Rohlfing

Connect What do you love about being over 40?

So far, I have found being 40 to be very liberating. I notice that the older I get the less I care about what other people think. There is so much joy and freedom in giving myself permission to be exactly who I am without fear of judgment. The older I get the less I hold myself back. Throughout my thirties I laid groundwork for the things I wanted to bring to fullness in my fourties; I became a working actor in Kansas City, a photographer and videographer and now a certified spiritual director.

How do you stay fabulous?

I continue to go after what I want. I push past fear of failure with the knowing that it's ok if I don't end up sticking with a certain pursuit forever. I always want to be learning and growing as long as I breathe. For me, my favorite kinds of transformation are spiritual and physical. My most recent adventures in those realms were graduating a 3-year Spiritual Direction formation program this Summer and beginning a fitness journey after a hysterectomy a few months ago.

What would you do with the $40,000?

I would love to put the money toward my plans to create a retreat center; this is a dream that developed while in my Spiritual Direction training program. I want to create a wilderness retreat space where people can come for a week at a time for respite and healing. I imagine a space where people can disconnect from a busy life and reconnect with themselves. Each day would offer contemplative practices like wilderness therapy, art therapy, spiritual direction and yoga, etc.