Hello friends!

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Thanks for taking a moment to pop by and get to know me.  My name is Katie Robinson and I am the face behind @katherineilona on Instagram.

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Although my largest credential is being a mom, I have made it my mission and passion in life to share scientific research, studies, and clinical trials with parents in an approachable way. I feel that most bloggers dumb down information too much and miss important points. I also feel that most published papers are too dense with statistics and methodology for most non-science mamas to wade through.

And that brings us here. To my mission and journey as a mom doing research for my own family in an attempt to live a healthier and HAPPIER life. At the end of the day, joy is so valuable to health. Never let anyone take that from you by shaming you or telling you that you are harming your baby. However, I also feel that education and understanding are our greatest weapon and tool. We can truly learn so much from asking questions. Research takes years to accumulate so while some of the things I will share have been proven by other scientists, other things are meant to encourage you to question and make your own conclusions based off of current facts.

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I am also a neuroscientist. My research interests were specifically focused on Brain and Behavior relationships as well as Phenomenology subsets (consciousness, perception, awareness, and neuropharmacological effects). I am currently finishing my clinical rotations and am working as a therapist outside of Washington, DC. I have a strong biochemistry background, neuropharmacology understanding, and neurodevelopmental interest.

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I started this journey as a wedding and elopement photographer based out of North Carolina.  Although I still photograph life’s most special moments, I am currently a destination and adventure photographer traveling across the world capturing weddings, elopements, intimate ceremonies, and engagements on the tops of mountains and in the most beautiful churches.  Photography, however, is not how this journey began.  I have always been in love with the brain and with people.  I grew up thinking I wanted to be a pediatric neurosurgeon and majored in Neuroscience and Women’s Studies in college.  As I found that connecting with, helping, and empathizing with people of diverse backgrounds involved hearing their stories and connecting with them on a deeper level, my current academic home is that of counseling and clinical psychology. 

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My lifelong academic pursuits are much like my artistic ones — to connect with people.  Academically, I do this by understanding their minds and getting to the heart of their spirit and drive; artistically, I do this by capturing their story  and heart behind the photographic lens — creating moments to be forever cherished.

 

I love to bake, create my own recipes, and whip up some secret ones that have been handed down to me by my grandmother who had an incredible talent in the kitchen.  Pies are my specialty.  I have always loved baking them because the pie crusts are, in some ways, a form of sculpture and art to be molded and shaped.  I also love to get outside — backpacking, yoga, skiing, rock-climbing, kayaking, swimming, and running all keep me busy in my *cough cough* spare time.  I believe that music is an incredible outlet for the soul.  Although no longer pursuing a career in the music field, I am still a professional harpist and continue to perform benefit concerts from time to time or just practice on my own.  

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I have a yellow lab puppy named Daisy Mae.  She is currently training to compete in Retriever Field Trials — a long distance endurance sport for retrievers involving land and water game retrieves.  She’s pretty badass.  I’m 24 years old and am married to the most wonderful man.  He is currently a Captain in the United States Army and we are stationed in DC.  He loves me like Jesus and teaches me each and every day what it means to selflessly serve our little fam.

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Now onto what I do.  Sure, I take photographs and I LOVE that job, but I have so many interests and passions, that picking just one seemed limiting.  I am not an in-the-box kinda girl.  My father always passed along some wisdom from my grandfather when I was growing up.  He would say, 

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“Katie, you can do

anything, you just

can’t do

everything.”

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I kept looking for an outlet through which I could share my creative pulse.  Youtube, initially, did not seem quite right (although I’m coming back to this one).  Instagram seemed great, but I need more room to share thoughts and grow a community.  Etsy wasn’t right on its own.  Pinterest was a mirage.  Facebook is outdated (or so I hear from my sister).  And thus I landed on a blog. My community is filled with go-getters, questioners, researchers, curious minds, loving mamas, joyful women, and so many more people.

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Therein lies the name of my blog, “The Full Bucket Blog”.  I chose this name after chatting with my friend Kaitlyn and my husband Michael about needs and wants and dreams and desires.  I felt so empty sometimes, I felt like I was always behind and that there were too few hours IN MY LIFE for all of the things I wanted to accomplish.  Simultaneously, I KNOW that taking things slowly and living a life of purpose is fulfilling and healthier for your mind and body.  I was endlessly working and working while relying on those around me to “fill my bucket”.

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What should you fill your bucket with, you might ask? 

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Well, all of our buckets look different.  All of their contents are unique.  That said, one thing our buckets all have in common is that they are filled with meaning.  Before I go and tell you that you can’t fill your bucket with the newest Prada purse, I am going to set the scene.  It does not matter what your bucket is filled with.  I am not going to tell you that dogs are allowed but purses are not.  What I will implore is that you analyze the MOTIVATION behind what you want to fill your bucket and why you are choosing those things.  The things that make it on my list, that fill my bucket, are the little things that bring me joy no matter what is happening in my life. To read more on the joy vs. happiness paradigm click here.

I found that over time, shallow relationships, having the best clothes or the prettiest instagram feed, hiding my awkward from the world, and being FAKE were not things that made me happy.  They resulted in a head hitting the pillow at the end of the day feeling empty and me relying on those around me (my friends, boyfriends/fiance/husband, and family) to fill me up. 

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Instead, the things that keep me going are things like meaningful hugs, stopping to connect with a stranger or someone that needs to know that someone cares about them, a phone call to an older family member just because responding to an instagram message from someone that has 1/100th of the followers you have because you’re not just an account, you’re a human too, dog kisses, realizing that dandelions are just trying to be flowers, looking out of your car window while you drive and realizing this crazy world we live in is the most beautiful place, appreciating that every day we wake up we have an opportunity to change the world, the list goes on and on.

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So….what do I do?  I talk about life, my sweet baby boy, raw motherhood. I talk about your mind, body, and spirit, and I empower YOU to embrace your own genuine and authentic heart and live the most purposeful life possible.

 

Join me on this journey.  I’m not asking for another email to receive totally unrelated notifications asking you to buy my presets or coffee mugs.  I am asking you to walk with me, hike with me, run with me, bake with me, and SHOW UP to embrace who you are and what you were meant to do.