Passionate, wild & creative. I love connecting with others and learning about other perspectives and cultures.
About Me
About the wildkat
How did I get the name wildkat? Funny story. My maiden last name growing up is Farrell (sounds like feral) which translates to "a wild animal or a wild state." My first name is Katarina but everyone called me "Kat" so my nickname turned into WILDKAT. Kids are so creative. It has stuck with me ever since and I have learned to accept it and even love it as its shaped me as a person. I try to live boldly and without fear. I have traveled to 30 countries and counting and my favorite type of trip is one without an itinerary. I ski and snowboard, and love to push the limits and go as fast as I possibly can. I have gone skydiving and done donuts on a jetski while trying to go so fast that I fly off. I have cliff-dived in Catalina Island, Lake Mead, Southern California, and Hawaii. I tried pufferfish at a sushi restaurant where the waiter claimed it was the most dangerous fish on earth to eat as there could be a poisonous puffer fish in the batch and it could kill you instantly with one bite. I love to dance ridiculously in public and embarrass my friend group. I started playing beach volleyball in my late 20's without having ever played volleyball before, and now I am obsessed with it, took lessons to try to become a better player, and I play every single week. I approach strangers and ask them silly questions like what their spirit animal is. My friend group is diverse and I have noticed that I attract a lot of bold, creative, and entrepreneurial people around me. I think life is too short to sit still, feel uninspired, or feel bored and that you should always want to learn, read, explore, take risks, and live wildly. I have two kids and a husband and I love them with my entire heart.
My Education
I attended UC Berkeley, my dream school since I was young. I have always loved the city of San Francisco and I was determined to go to this school and I did whatever it took to get here. When I got the acceptance letter I didn't believe it was real at first. I will never forget the day I received the acceptance letter. I was living in an apartment in San Francisco at the time, and my roommate brought me my mail and said "this one is from UC Berkeley and this envelope is so big it looks like you got accepted to the school." I took the envelope from her hands and just held it, hands shaking. I opened the enveolope with her there and read the first word, "Congratulations..." I started crying and felt this sick feeling to my stomach. This feeling reminds me that it is important to stick to your guns and to always go for it, even if it seems impossible. I was not the smartest kid in school, and I still am not the smartest person in the room. I am a hard worker and a passionate person and when I have a goal in mind, I do not stop until I get it. Even when I get a no, I will still keep trying.
I majored in Poltical Science as I wanted to attend law school. After working for the District Attorney I wasn't sure if I could mentally handle being an attorney because the work was heavy and emotionally draining. The DA dealt with a majority of child sex trafficking and murder cases in Oakland. I decided to put my dreams of being an attorney on pause and to explore the start-up scene in San Francisco since that seemed extremely exciting at the time. It was. I have been involved with start ups as small as 5 people, and with start ups/companies that were acquired by companies with over 1,000 employees.
wild /wīld/
adjective
- (of an animal or plant) living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated."a herd of wild goats"
- (of a place or region) uninhabited, uncultivated, or inhospitable. "an expanse of wild moorland"
- lacking discipline or restraint.
"wild parties were never her scene" - not based on sound reasoning or probability.
"a wild guess"
I love the definition of wild.
I feel like it has a bad reputation, but when you read the definition, there is something freeing about it in the sense that it goes against the norm. I like it because it is impulsive, unrestrained, and free. I have noticed that a lot of kids' clothes have the word "wild" on them which also gives the word a purer meaning as kids have absolutely no filter or preconceived notions of how things work and why we do things a certain way. Kids do things on their own volition with no restraint and it is the most refreshing thing to watch. A kid's imagination is unmatched and being able to see the world through their eyes is magical.
The picture is of me cliff diving in Kauai.
Professional/ Work History
Travel, start ups and tech!
Currently, I manage Airbnb properties in California, Utah and Mexico. This photo on the left is one of the properties I manage. I have been a Superhost for 3 consecutive years and it's definitely taken blood, sweat, and tears to get there. I worked at the largest PM company in the US, Vacasa, for a year and a half, and prior to that, I worked at TurnKey, another PM company and tech start-up for 4 years. Prior to this, I worked at a roofing supply company for over 3 years. Prior to this, I was involved with 3 different start-ups in San Francisco for 2 years. Check out my LinkedIn profile to learn more!
My passion lies in the travel and technology industries. I am passionate about SMB and sales and marketing strategies. I love being involved in projects and decision-making concepts that make positive changes for the company or project.