From Pink Slip to Passion Project: The Story Behind HeyKate

It happened in between Parent–Teacher Conferences.

One minute, I was getting ready to meet with another family. The next, I was told I was part of a “Reduction in Force.” In education-speak, that means the district doesn’t have the funding to keep your position — no matter how good you are at your job. It’s not a reflection of your performance. It’s simply money, budgets, and numbers.

But when you’re on the receiving end, it doesn’t feel like numbers. It feels like you’ve been erased.

There was no warning, no compassion, just the news and the unspoken expectation that I would push down my emotions and carry on. In that moment, I felt less like a human being and more like a cog in a wheel.

I took the news, asked my questions, shared my thoughts — firm but professional — and then walked right back into those conferences with warmth and grace, because that’s what my families deserved.

The kicker? This was the end of March. Which meant I still had months left to teach, knowing that no matter how hard I worked, my job would be gone. I did my best because I have integrity, but there were days I cried in the coat closet. Days I screamed in the car on the way home. Days I carried the weight of that loss like a stone in my chest.

When the last day of school came, I packed up my classroom and walked out for the last time. And then… I was lost.

For weeks, I floated through my days like I was underwater. No routine. No purpose. Just a hollow ache where my career used to be. I had been “Teacher Katie” for so long, I didn’t know who I was without it.

But slowly, a whisper began to break through the fog: Maybe this is your chance.

Maybe this was the moment to create something of my own. Something flexible. Something creative. Something that didn’t require permission to exist.

That’s how HeyKate began.

At first, it was just an idea: help small businesses with the work that bogs them down — content creation, admin support, maybe some Teachers Pay Teachers resources. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I could blend everything I loved: making educational materials, organizing chaos, and using my voice acting training to start a podcast or narrate audiobooks.

What started as a flicker of possibility became the blueprint for my next chapter — one I would write myself.

It hasn’t been easy. Some days I feel like a confident business owner. Other days I feel like I’m running a very elaborate lemonade stand. But even if that’s true, I’ve always liked lemonade.

So here we are. HeyKate is officially in business, and this blog (and podcast) will be where I share the truth: the wins, the flops, and the messy middle of building something from scratch.

If you’re starting over, thinking about it, or just need a reminder that you can rebuild from the rubble, you’re in the right place.

Because sometimes, the detour is where you finally find yourself.