Meet Katie Brown | Intentional Gatherer, Dinner Party Host & Event Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We spend the first part of our lives growing up surrounded by built-in community, but when we reach adulthood it suddenly becomes overwhelming and intimidating to create consistent, authentic community. So I wanted to create a space where I could meet people in an inviting atmosphere and get to know them beyond surface level conversation. And to me, there is no better way to do that than a dinner party.

So I started hosting dinner parties at my home with the simple goal to gather intentionally. Every gathering had a purpose and every detail, from the theme to the place cards to the food to the conversation, revolved around that purpose. Over time I’ve gotten to see how hosting in this way allows guests to feel seen and known around the table, and it has become my favorite thing about my business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While I am a host, I actually think of myself more as an intentional gathering facilitator! My job as host is to create loose structure at my gatherings so guests feel gently guided through the dinner. I begin with a purpose and then develop a creative theme that revolves around it (like color, hometowns, women, or even toast!) so guests know what they are walking into and how to participate. I want each guest to feel like they are part of the gathering, not just attending it. All too often I think people go to parties and question if it really mattered that they were there, and I never want that to happen at my gatherings. I’ve spent a lot of time listening, observing, researching different personality types and asking for feedback so I can create an atmosphere where guests know their presence matters. While I’m not perfect at it, I am constantly learning and prioritizing this aspect of hosting.

In addition to hosting in-person gatherings and working with clients, I also really love helping people host their own intentional gatherings. I know how daunting hosting and gathering can be, so I am on a mission to make it attainable, intentional and fun for everyone, no matter their hosting skill level! I truly believe that anyone can be a host and there is plenty of room at the table for anyone who wants to do so.

Overall I’d say my biggest challenge has actually been one of my biggest motivations! Most people don’t immediately understand me when I say “I host intentional gatherings”. And I can understand that, it’s not necessarily a common term. But It’s not about being the picture perfect host (there’s actually no such thing as the perfect host) it’s about being mindful of the atmosphere you create by designing your gathering around an intentional purpose. Which is not necessarily a foreign concept, but it’s also not talked about enough. So I’m endlessly motivated to show people what it means to “gather intentionally” and hopefully inspire them to do the same in their communities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many wonderfully fun things to do in LA and I love that there are so many options with different neighborhoods & activities for all kinds of interests! If I had a friend in town we would definitely spend a day (or two) at Manhattan Beach or somewhere in Malibu and of course go for a late night ice cream run at McConnell’s. We’d also probably do some thrift shopping or hit up a flea market, visit The Original Flower Market downtown (my favorite place in LA) and catch an outdoor movie!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The most successful hosts (in my opinion) are the ones that accept help. It takes so much work to put together a gathering and there’s absolutely no way I’d have the energy to continue hosting if it wasn’t for the people in my corner encouraging, assisting and supporting me along the way. I’ve had so many friends and family drop everything to help me in the 11th hour, hype me up when I’m discouraged, and freely offer their talents, supplies and time. Their belief in me and my dream has played the biggest part in my story, and I’m more grateful to them than they will ever know.

Website: www.atthelane.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/gatheratthelane

Other: www.tiktok.com/@atthelane

Image Credits
Photos by Katie Brown, Evangeline Lee, Renata Kiss and Holcomb & Co.