In recent years, wellbeing has become a lifestyle imperative.
Whether pursuing a healthier diet, striving to get fitter, or seeking spiritual sanctuary through holistic wellness, embracing life is the 21st century’s new Utopia. And nobody knows more about ‘living’ than Kat Vitou…
Kat’s world plunged into darkness in April 2015. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of just 39, she embarked on her own voyage of wellbeing, ensuring her mind and body were in optimal condition to overcome one of life’s greatest adversaries.
After extensive research and specialist advice on holistic, integrative medicine, Kat decided to take ownership of the areas of her life that she could control. Embarking on a ‘close-to-nature’ diet based on keeping her body alkaline, she bravely fought the disease.
And won.
Following her remission, Kat trained with Integrative Nutrition, the highly renowned and largest nutrition school in the world. She also qualified as a Level 4 Life Coach (UK certification).
Kat currently runs a Holistic Clinic from home for one-to-one mentoring, as well as hosting group workshops on healthy living and universal wellness. She also runs corporate workshops to help employers promote less absenteeism and less presentism – her diverse list of clients includes Virgin Atlantic, Golin PR and Deloitte.
Through her own humbling experience, Kat’s holistic lifestyle has proved a catalyst in helping others do the same, empowering clientele with her company, Well+Life+Tribe. Her interesting, fun and educative workshops are a sell-out and her client base has grown incrementally over the years.
Kat’s brand new venture, “The Well Life Tribe”, an online training program launching in September 2019, aims to give people a chance to learn about wellness and the health coaching industry. She has a panel of experts helping her, including doctors, nurses, nutritionists, neuropsychologists, psychotherapists, yoga teachers and personal trainers.
Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role
I am a walking think tank who loves people, my career initially started in digital advertising, moving into publishing, and then starting a family. When I had children I started a local community site, and also a local fundraiser event to help poverty in the UK.
After having cancer age 39, my life changed and I had to adapt to a new normal, and I trained to be a Health Coach. I loved it so much I also trained as a Life Coach, I wanted to help people, life is about thriving; we don’t have time to blink and miss it.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
Initially not to start with because when I trained it was for my own self-preservation, but as I grew to love it more and more, I wanted to find a way to reach people and show them how you can live a balanced life in this fast-paced modern world. Remembering how stressful work can be in big corporations, I wanted to work with people and get them to be authentic, be balanced and recognise that life is here to be enjoyed. I love working with Managers and Directors teaching them to be mindful of themselves and the teams they have to help them to become successful.
But I also love working with the overwhelmed mother who is trying to be a wife, be a Mum and go to work.
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
Yes, but haven’t we all. I have faced many but I have always tried to find the silver lining, even when I had to dig really deep, it is always there. Cancer was a big challenge as anyone who has been through it knows. But the positive side of that is what I am doing now. I love coaching people, helping them feel better about life, teaching them to see things and working with them to make good decisions.
In terms of challenges with my job, starting up the business has been up and down, mostly up, the original vision is not where we are at the moment, but that’s where it came from. We still work from that place, but so much more of what we do has helped us extend out from the original idea. Every day is a new day in the Well+Life+Tribe HQ
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
My family is my biggest achievement on a personal level. Raising kids today is a minefield, myself and my husband relish keeping them real, as much as we can in a world that changes so rapidly. I love to take them travelling, showing different cultures, making them kind, learning to be happy, and grateful. They are involved in my work process because I want to make a mark on how they are going to live as adults. I have worked in their schools, and we run camps for kids in the summer.
Well+Life+Tribe is my passion and so far my biggest work achievement, it is an authentic business I eat and sleep it, but I get balance through mind and body work. The team are amazing, they work hard but we respect one another.
When I speak at events now, it comes from a very real place, and the more I learn the more everyone around me learns. We coach, we provide ways to give you things that enhance your life. We also know how to keep it real, and we definitely do not preach.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
Listening, it helps when you do this because no one person is the same as the next one. Everyone I work with is unique, and when you listen you can help. It is an art form. People feel like they can approach you, and they trust that you will give them your full attention. They also know that I give them space to talk freely.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
I have been mentored, and it has been critical in my business for growth and understanding, I love to learn and be taught by a mentor who has had experience for years is so valuable. It is one of the best ways to understand business. I mentor people who I work with, I encourage growth and look at skills that they have and then I help them to apply in business and in life. It is part of being a good mentor.
If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Parity, what would it be?
As a business owner, and a mother I want to make sure we are all equal, we are placed within institutions early in life and given the same books, and then we change the ball game in adult life. In my business, we will be pushing forward getting rid of all the barriers. We want a peaceful world! We want you to be real.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?
Speak up, and stop worrying about what everyone thinks.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
In 2020 we want to release our online course, where people will be able to access a way to balance themselves, we have over 40 wellness experts (this is growing month on month) as part of the Well+Life+Tribe and this resource will be more transparent. Our aim is to keep reaching out to people, at home, at work, in life, at school and to make people thrive in life, learn to live well, love more and stop people coasting. If we all tried to make small changes we would be less opinionated and more empathetic.
