My name is Kaitie Brinston. I am the Founder of Culture Academy, where I work as an organizational culture consultant and coach, but first and foremost, I'm a mom to three wonderful kids and a wife to my amazing hubby who also runs his own business. I started my "grown-up" working career as the owner of a licensed daycare and cherished that life for a decade. It was probably the least digital profession one could be in. I spent my days playing with and caring for kids, enjoying the outdoors for about six hours each day. This setup was a strategic design, allowing me to actively raise my own child. When Lucy was three, I was a single mom and managed everything on my own for four years until my incredible, now-husband, entered my life. As Lu grew older, her focus naturally shifted towards friends becoming the center of her world, needing me much less. I started to feel a transition brewing.

I had recently finished my yoga teacher training and found so much joy in teaching. Whether it was children in daycare or adults seeking yoga classes, I was eager to share anything that others found valuable.

I've always been a bit of a psychology nerd, especially the focus on behavior and habit change. At this point, I noticed a significant misalignment in the corporate world. Many people I knew seemed to hate either their work or the people at the work, which, in turn, made them miserable at home. I dove headfirst into this problem and embarked on the journey of Culture Academy, even though I had no idea that's where it was leading me.

Four years later, voilà! Here I am, successfully running a business from my home office, a cafe, a park, or wherever I want to be, and I love it! I can facilitate a virtual workshop, do some laundry, prep yummy soup for supper, work on a fun new project for a client, walk my dogs, and pick up my kids from school to do something cool all before the day is over.

It's EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to note that prior to becoming a digital independent, I was digitally challenged. I had no need to learn about computers or techy stuff before switching gears. I graduated high school right before the world decided that computers and tech were kind of important. It's been quite a journey (that's what people say when it was tough as heck and they failed hundreds of times). There was a massive learning curve. But with the help of mentors, friends, and ChatGPT (haha), I made it. Now, I genuinely enjoy helping other digitally challenged individuals, without making them feel like an actual monkey like I did for the first 3.5 years.

Life is good. It's my life, and my kids, my health, and my husband continue to benefit from my DI (Digital Independent) life.