Hi, I’m Kat. :)

I’m excited to share more of my work with you and your community. I’m the author of the book We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships, which was released in January 2020 in response to an already looming loneliness epidemic later declared by Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy in September 2024.

I help people foster friendship and community in places that weren’t built with connection in mind (a.k.a. most neighborhoods, buildings, and cities)—and I advocate for urban design that makes it easier. 

The longest longitudinal study done on human thriving (The Harvard Study of Adult Development) found that the most important factor in our health, happiness, and longevity is the quality of our relationships. 

My background is in UX design and community building, and I regret to report that the UX of our neighborhoods is leaving people disconnected and lonely. My work puts me on the frontlines, working directly with individuals who have a hard time creating local friendships and community because their buildings, blocks, neighborhoods, and cities weren’t designed for connection. 

I hope to reach many more city leaders, builders, urban planners, architects, and urban designers to encourage them to design for connection. Design creates our cities, shapes our culture, and can foster our connections — if we let it! 

I’d love to talk about this at your conferences, associations, and gatherings with other people working in related areas. I hope to help inspire the current (and next) generation of New Urbanists and city builders to create places where people can more easily access each other and experience feelings of belonging and connection. Reach out any time.

Learn more about my work: Check out my podcast interviews on Spotify, featuring episodes with The Good Life Project, Meetup HQ, Brave UX, and more.