Why I Feel So Aligned About the Alignment Retreat (and why you or your Austin bestie should come)

Cut to nearly 20 years ago: Kristina Lanuza and I were living together in Queens, NYC. She was sprinting across the city teaching yoga at Equinox, Crunch and an assortment of yoga studios and gyms, running her own private sessions, and freelancing at ad agencies like McCann and—you’ll have to ask her for the full list. She was doing a lot.

At the same time, I was freelancing in the ad world by day, taking and teaching improv classes at night, building my photography portfolio whenever I could, and spending hours in the darkroom at the Camera Club of NY. I was training capoeira twice a week, dipping into African dance, bhangra, and squeezing in yoga at Crunch (a gym known for its buffet of quirky, creative classes).

We were hyphenates before we had the language for it—always exploring, always saying “yes” to new experiences. One day we dreamt up a “culture gym”—a membership-based space where people could take improv, capoeira, pottery, yoga, and everything in between. We wanted to create a home for curious people. Then Groupon came out, and a bunch of similar (but soulless) models popped up. So, like many beautiful ideas, we let it go. But the dream of collaborating never fully disappeared.

As time passed, my creative obsessions boiled down to mainly three practices:

Improv, Capoeira, Portrait photography—with yoga woven through it all.

On the surface, they’re wildly different. But over the years, I started to see their deep connections. Each one taught me how to:

• Stay present.

• Listen closely.

• Take bold, intentional risks.

• Lead and follow at the same time.

  
  

In capoeira, you approach a fight playfully, consciously, with fluidity and flow. You duck more than block. You move with your opponent’s energy. In improv, you follow the scene. You lead when needed, you support when it serves. You stay hyper-present, responding in real time, and letting go of ego.

In photography, you learn when to wait and when to capture. A moment changes as soon as someone knows they’re being seen—it becomes a dance between caught and posed, spontaneous and intentional.

And in yoga, you do all of this with yourself. You listen to your body over your ego. You try something new while honoring what’s real in the moment. You strengthen by softening. You lead and follow at once.

Each practice taught me how to listen—with my body, my breath, my attention, my lens.

Which brings me to now.

A few months ago, I was catching up with one of my best friends, Meagan Novara, who works in restorative justice. As she shared how restorative circles work—how people show up with presence, speak truth, feel emotions, and listen with compassion—I had another lightbulb moment. I said, “Wait. We should do an improv workshop and a restorative circle together. They both require the exact same skill set.”

She immediately yes-anded me. I yes-anded back. We called Kristina. Within a week, the three of us were dreaming up a retreat.

And now… we’re doing it. In Austin, Texas, this summer on Saturday, July 12th.

Introducing: The Alignment Retreat A one-day immersive reset for mind, body, and spirit.

You’ll experience: Yoga to ground yourself and turn inward. A restorative circle to practice empathy and truth-telling. An improv workshop to play, build presence, and take joyful risks. Portraits to capture your strength, softness, and alignment.

You’ll practice the same essential tools—presence, listening, empathy, connection—through different lenses. Because when we learn something multiple ways, we integrate it more deeply. It becomes embodied, not just understood.

And yes—it’s our first time offering this retreat together. But this is not a thrown-together experiment. We each bring decades of experience in our fields, and we’ve carefully designed this day to be playful, powerful, and practical.

Whether you’re a burnt-out creative, a team leader looking to recharge, or just a curious human craving connection—this day is for you.

Early bird pricing ends June 20. We’re keeping it intimate on purpose, so space is limited.

Learn more and sign up here, (Head to the bottom of the page to register.)

Or—do that thing where you send this to your favorite Austin friend with a “this feels SO you” message. We’d love to see you there.

With curiosity and courage,

Kat