What if the perfect time never comes?
Katie Svoboda-Rini's life was shaped by caregiving, personal loss, body image struggles, and a wildfire that left her house standing but nearly everything inside destroyed. In this honest and emotionally rich conversation, Katie shares how she finally stopped waiting for things to settle and started living the life she wanted — with softness, creativity, and self-compassion.
Guest Bio
Katie Svoboda-Rini is a classically trained pastry chef, lifelong home baker, and founder of Sweet Skills Workshops. With over 25 years of experience in home kitchens, pastry school, professional kitchens, and her own custom cookie business, she helps home bakers ditch perfectionism and embrace baking as a joyful, healing experience.
🔗 Website: https://www.sweet-skillsworkshops.com/
🎁 Free guide: [sweet-skillsworkshops.com/organizelikeachef](http://sweet-skillsworkshops.com/organizelikeachef)
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet.skills.workshops
In this episode:
- What it's like to lose almost everything without losing your home
- The weight of perfectionism and the shame tied to food and body
- How baking became a form of healing and celebration
- Why Katie created Sweet Skills Workshops as a space for creative recovery
- The truth about resilience and what it means to soften after survival
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Riverside and Podcasting
02:38 Navigating Life's Pivots and Grief
11:23 The Complexity of Childhood and Family Dynamics
19:01 Seeking Stability and Understanding Childhood Memories
22:31 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Culinary Passion
27:38 Facing Challenges: COVID and the Fire Incident
32:18 Navigating the Aftermath of a Fire
38:42 The Emotional Toll of Loss
50:39 Finding Resilience Through Adversity
01:02:35 Lessons Learned and Moving Forward
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