Tiana Soto & Katie Rapkoch shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Tiana & Katie, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
TIANA: The first 90 minutes of my day are all about grounding myself energetically. I’m up at 5 a.m., well before my 9–5 starts, to create space for myself. I start by feeding my two dogs and two cats and giving them some love, then head to the gym for about an hour of weightlifting and cardio. That’s my zone. Headphones in, music up, moving my body, and building momentum for the day.
When I get home, I make a smoothie, share a hug and “good morning” with my fiancé, and take the dogs for a walk. I’m a big podcast girl while I shower + get ready for the day. Something that gets me thinking or teaches me something. Right now, it’s Jessica Zweig’s Spiritual Hustler podcast.
I then dedicate a full hour to meditation and presence. That might look like a guided practice on the Open app, sitting in open awareness, playing my crystal singing bowls, journaling, or pulling an oracle card for the day. It’s my way of grounding before I step into my role as a Community Manager at a tech startup and into everything else the day holds.
KATIE: The first 90 minutes of my day are slow and intentional. I’m often woken up by my dog, Lilly, and we start the morning with a walk and some sunshine. When we get back, I turn on the kettle for tea and get her breakfast ready. We then sit on the couch together while I drink my tea and either listen to a guided meditation or spend 10-15 minutes in quiet contemplation. This allows my to connect with myself and my needs before being pulled into the needs of others.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
We’re Tiana and Katie, the founders of Sync’d Wellness based in Arizona. Tiana is a Certified Mindful Meditation and Sound Healing Facilitator, and Katie is a Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor and Coach with a certificate in Applied Neuroscience. Together, we’ve been holding space and facilitating wellness experiences in our community for years, and we’ve seen firsthand how powerful and life-changing these practices can be for the mind, body, and spirit.
We created Sync’d with the intention of bringing these modalities into the workplace, because that’s where most of us spend the majority of our time, and where stress, overwhelm, anxiety, burnout, and pressure to perform are often at their highest. With backgrounds in the corporate world ourselves, we’ve experienced how chronic stress can impact not just work, but overall health, the nervous system, and quality of life.
Through our signature Sync’d Method, we bring gentle movement and yoga, mindfulness and meditation, and sound healing directly into workplaces to help teams pause, reset, and feel more grounded, supported, and present, so they can feel better and do their best work, day to day.
Both of us have been on our own wellness journeys for many years, navigating and healing through emotional, mental, and energetic challenges, many of which were amplified by work-related stress.
Through that process, we experienced firsthand how transformative consistent, simple wellness practices can be. That’s what inspired us to bring these tools into the workplace in a way that feels accessible, supportive, and human.
At Sync’d, our goal is to help people feel better, stay present, and feel more connected to themselves, both at work and beyond. While we do offer one-time sessions, our true focus is building long-term partnerships with organizations over six to twelve months.
Consistency is where the real impact happens. When these practices become part of a regular rhythm, they can meaningfully support nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and overall well-being.
For us, this work is deeply personal. We know how overwhelming unchecked stress and anxiety can become when there aren’t tools in place to support the nervous system.
Sync’d exists so people don’t have to reach a breaking point before receiving care. We want teams to have practical, sustainable resources they can return to, both in the workplace and in their everyday lives.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
TIANA: As a child, I believed that I had to please everyone. That my worth was tied to how others perceived me and how “perfect” I appeared. I spent a lot of my early life people-pleasing, saying and doing things that didn’t always align with who I truly was in order to be liked or accepted. Over time, that pattern led to significant anxiety and emotional exhaustion.
I no longer believe that. Today, I believe in authenticity. I trust myself, honor what I believe and want, and allow myself to show up honestly, even if it means disappointing others or outgrowing certain relationships. Being true to myself is no longer negotiable. That shift has been deeply freeing and has completely changed how I live, work, and relate to the world.
KATIE: As a child, I often believed that I was different than everyone and never quite fit in. I moved a lot throughout my childhood and adolescence, which caused me to struggle with making true, lifelong friends.
As an adult, I still believe I am different, but I trust that being different is part of my purpose. I look at the world differently than a lot of humans, and that has driven me to create businesses that help heal not only humans, but animals as well. I am okay with the fact that I don’t quite fit in, and I am grateful for the friends that I have made while being my most authentic self.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
TIANA: The biggest fear that’s held me back has been the fear of not being enough, of not doing enough, or of my work not being good enough. For a long time, that fear kept me in my head and stopped me from putting things out into the world, largely because of a fear of rejection. I poured so much effort into everything I did, yet still felt like it wasn’t enough, and that belief followed me from childhood into my early workplaces.
That fear hasn’t disappeared entirely, but I no longer let it run the show. I’ve learned that fear is often a sign of growth, of stepping into the unknown. Every time I’ve taken a risk, I’ve gained something: clarity, resilience, or a lesson I can carry forward. Even when things don’t go as planned, the experience has always helped me rather than harmed me. That shift in perspective has changed how I move through fear and has allowed me to show up more boldly and authentically.
KATIE: My biggest fear that has held me back is a fear of judgement or abandonment. This fear has caused me to hold my tongue in times when I should have spoken the truth. I work every single day at expressing myself with both boldness and compassion despite that fear, and I’ve noticed that the more I speak up, the more I find truly aligned people who share my values.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
TIANA: My closest friends would say that my people and my personal practices matter most to me. I deeply value the relationships in my life, and I also prioritize taking care of myself, through grounding practices and lots of self-care because they allow me to show up as my best self for me and the people I love.
I’ve always been a big people person! I love building connections, making new friends, and creating community wherever I go. Those practices aren’t just for me, they support the way I show up in relationships with presence, care, and intention. Community means everything to me, and I’m excited to continue serving and supporting my people on a deeper level through the work I do now.
KATIE: My closest friends would say that truth, advocacy, and justice matter to me most. I am always speaking out against injustices against both humans and animals, and I have dedicated my life to helping humans heal while giving back to rescue animals in need. My friends would also say that my soul dog, Champ, who passed in November of 2023, is my biggest inspiration behind everything that I do; and my current pup, Lilly, is my living muse.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
TIANA: I hope people say that I made them feel seen, heard, and deeply loved. That my presence and energy left an impact on their heart, whether in big ways or small ones. I want to be remembered as someone who was committed to helping others feel better, more connected, and more at ease in themselves!
If I’ve helped people slow down, relax, reconnect with who they are, and discover a more mindful way of living, one they didn’t know was possible, then I’ve done what I’m here to do. I hope the world feels just a little softer and more loving because I was in it.
KATIE: My biggest hope is that I am remembered for inspiring others to be kind, to find what matters most to them, and to make a difference in their community. I left corporate work for the last time in May 2025, and I want others to see that it is possible to live and work in ways that sustain us while also taking care of the world around us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.syncdwellnessaz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syncdwellnessaz/
Image Credits
Zander Dyer
