Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Gustafson.
Katie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been drawn to the deeper layers of what makes us human—the stories beneath the surface and the patterns that shape who we become. My path to this work, though, has been anything but straight.
I started out in music, writing and performing songs that gave voice to things I didn’t yet know how to say out loud. Music was my first form of therapy—my earliest way of understanding emotion and connection. Later, I spent a season as a sous chef, learning how creativity, timing, and chaos can come together to create something beautiful and nourishing. That rhythm—of art, order, and improvisation—still shows up in how I approach both life and my work.
During another one of those winding career detours, I worked as an interior design assistant, and it was there that I stumbled onto the Enneagram for the first time. I was fascinated. Here was this tool that named the unseen architecture of our personalities—the motivations, fears, and desires that quietly direct so much of our lives. It felt like discovering a map I didn’t know I needed.
That curiosity eventually led me back to graduate school for clinical counseling, where the Enneagram and psychotherapy began to merge into something transformative—not just for clients, but for me personally.
In 2021, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and that experience deepened everything. Treatment and recovery cracked me open in ways I couldn’t have anticipated, teaching me about surrender, resilience, and the quiet courage it takes to rebuild.
Today, my work is a tapestry of all those chapters—music, creativity, therapy, and the Enneagram—woven together to help people uncover the patterns that hold them back and come home to their truest selves. It’s been a winding, beautiful road, and every detour has made the work more human, more real, and more alive.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not smooth—but deeply worth it.
I started my career in music, and while I loved the creative process, I eventually realized I was craving a deeper kind of connection—the kind that happens when we get honest about what’s really going on beneath the surface. Leaving the music world to build a private therapy practice from the ground up was a massive identity shift. I had to grieve one dream while slowly building another, all while learning how to protect the creative part of me that still needed to breathe.
Over time, I found that my best work happens where creativity and psychology overlap. But living in that intersection takes courage. It means coloring outside the lines and trusting that the next step will appear as you take it. Moving into the Enneagram teaching space, expanding into the corporate world, and eventually returning to the stage—all of that required a kind of faith in reinvention that doesn’t always feel safe, but feels essential.
I never want to grow stale in my work. Staying in integrity with my life, values, and desires means pushing boundaries and taking risks—some of which have been exhilarating, and some just plain hard. Writing my first book, The Naked Enneagram: A Therapist’s Guide to Uncovering Your Essential Self (coming in 2026!), has been both. It’s easily been the most rewarding labor of love yet. Navigating the literary world and building a team that both challenges and champions me has been an adventure in itself—equal parts joy, frustration, and growth.
But I think my breast cancer journey a few years back primed me for this season. It showed me I can, indeed, do hard things—and that life’s most meaningful work often comes after everything unnecessary has been stripped away. That experience taught me resilience, perspective, and the courage to keep creating—even, and especially, when the path is anything but smooth.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Katie Gustafson Consulting LLC?
“I never want my work to feel formulaic—it’s about creating spaces where honesty, healing, and creativity can coexist.”
At its core, my work is about helping people come home to themselves. I’m a psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, speaker, and writer based in Nashville, and everything I create—from one-on-one sessions to workshops and retreats—flows from that mission.
Through Katie Gustafson Consulting, I blend psychology, storytelling, and the enneagram to help individuals, teams, and organizations move from autopilot to alignment. My approach is both clinical and creative, grounded in years of therapeutic training but fueled by a belief that transformation happens when we make space for curiosity, compassion, and creativity.
One of my favorite projects is The Practice, an online community that offers guided reflections, seasonal workshops, and resources for sustainable self-growth. It’s a place where therapy meets real life—practical, soulful, and accessible.
What sets my brand apart is the integration of depth and artistry. I never want my work to feel formulaic. Whether I’m leading a corporate Enneagram intensive, writing my upcoming book The Naked Enneagram: A Therapist’s Guide to Uncovering Your Essential Self, or hosting a retreat, my goal is the same: to create spaces that invite honesty, healing, and renewal.
I’m proud that my brand feels human—equal parts professional and deeply personal. It’s not about perfection; it’s about presence. And in a world that moves fast, I hope my work reminds people that slowing down, telling the truth, and tending to the inner life is not just brave—it’s necessary.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I’d say: start where you are, not where you think you should be.
When I was first building my practice, I spent way too much energy trying to get it “right” before I began—perfect logo, perfect niche, perfect plan. But the truth is, clarity comes from movement. You don’t find your voice before you start; you find it because you start.
If you’re building something—whether it’s a private practice, a creative project, or a new path altogether—stay close to what’s alive in you. That’s the compass. The rest you’ll figure out as you go.
I also wish someone had told me that growth doesn’t have to mean expansion in every direction. It’s okay—necessary even—to pause, simplify, and realign when things start to feel off. Integrity isn’t a static place you arrive at; it’s a practice you return to again and again.
And finally, protect your creativity at all costs. Whether you’re a therapist, a designer, or an entrepreneur, your creativity is what keeps the work honest. Don’t let busyness or comparison drown that out. The world doesn’t need another polished version of success—it needs your particular truth, told bravely.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katiegustafson.co
- Instagram: @katiegustafson.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiegustafson.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kagustafson/
- Other: https://substack.com/Katiegustafsonco
