Hi, I'm Katie Kanda. The Village Keeper.

THE WHAT, NOW?

A keeper doesn't own the village.
A keeper tends to it.

They open the doors. Light the fire. Set the table. Make sure there's enough tea. Notice who's missing. Hold the vision.

so who tends to the tender village and all her visitors?

Me.

I'm a tender human raising tiny humans, too. I'm also Doctor of Chiropractic with a special passion for prenatal + postpartum care, a community builder, a professional space-holder, a sassy and chaotic lover of reminding you to rest and forgetting to rest myself, and a bit of a magical witch.

And for a long time, I thought being a good parent/professional/woman/human meant being the one who could hold it all.

The baby. The house. The work. The marriage. The logistics. The feelings.

I became very good at being needed. And very good at pretending I wasn’t absolutely melting under the weight of holding it all. Until I couldn’t pretend anymore. In the winter of 2024, only a handful of months after the birth of my second baby, I was diagnosed with two life changing autoimmune diseases. This stopped me in my tracks, jeopardizing my most favorite identities as a gifted bodyworker, a (former) professional dancer, and a generally able-bodied person. My body literally started falling apart, screaming at me to do something different. And so this, all of this, is me dreaming of how we can do this different. Because while this story is mine, I know I’m not alone. It’s not just me wondering

Who is holding the people who do all the holding?

These questions became the beginnings of The Tender Village.

I've spent years creating spaces where people can exhale, connect, move, laugh, cry, reflect, celebrate, and remember themselves. Through almost a decade of chiropractic practice, and now also hosting retreats, gatherings, ritual, somatic experiences, and community, I've watched what happens when people are given something that has become surprisingly rare:

A place to be fully human.

Not a place to perform wellness. Not another thing to accomplish. Just a place to land.

I don't believe I have all the answers. I don't think any of us do. I believe in good questions, deep listening, shared meals, nervous-system regulation, embodied experience, beautiful spaces, and people who are willing to show up for one another. I believe that asking for help is a form of strength (I’m still working on this one!). I believe rest is productive. And that we deserve it simply because we exist. No need to earn it. I believe friendship is a form of healthcare.

And I believe that sometimes the most radical thing we can do is let someone else make the tea.

Welcome to The Tender Village.

I'm so glad you're here.

xoxo,

KK