This is a creative diary of my website journey with Animal Naturopath, Veterinary Nurse, and my younger sister, Kathryn Landman of Naturally Rooted Collective.

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The Back Story

Kathryn is six years younger than me, though if I’m honest, she has often seemed like the wiser one.

Especially when it comes to animals.

Since she was tiny, animals somehow ended up in her orbit. Or maybe she ended up in theirs. She was the child carrying the dog around like an extra limb, sleeping with cats curled into her side, trying to rescue absolutely everything. At one point she got bitten by a wild mouse the cat had dragged inside because, of course, her first instinct was to try save it.

Where I’ve always been a bit dreamy and indecisive, Kathryn has always been practical. Steady. The sort of person who notices what actually needs doing and simply gets on with it.

And animals trust her.

They always have.

So when Kathryn started talking about wanting a better website for Naturally Rooted Collective, I knew straight away it mattered.

She’d built her own site already after feeling inspired by a webinar and a vision she had for a free gut reset that could gently introduce people to a more natural way of supporting their dogs. It worked. Technically.

But it felt small somehow.

Too basic for the depth of experience she had behind her, and too generic for someone who has spent most of her life caring for animals.

It didn’t feel like the Kathryn I know.

And when someone has spent years becoming really good at what they do, I think their website should feel like them.

The Woman Behind the Work

The thing about Kathryn is that she’s deeply caring, but she’s not soft around the edges.

She’s practical. Straight-talking. Very calm when things go wrong.

The person you want beside you when everyone else is panicking.

And I think that’s part of what makes people trust her.

What’s funny is that she used to faint at the sight of blood.

When she first started veterinary nursing, she fainted during surgeries. Repeatedly. Every time students had to observe operations, down she went.

Most people would probably have decided veterinary work wasn’t for them.

Kathryn didn’t.

She stuck it out, learnt the work, got stronger in it, and eventually became the number one surgical support nurse in her practice.

I love that story because it explains something essential about her.

She feels things deeply. But she doesn’t fall apart when things get hard.

She steadies.

Over the years she kept studying too. More than fifteen years in veterinary nursing, followed by rehabilitation work and animal naturopathy, all while continuing to ask bigger questions.

Because after years in practice, she started seeing the same patterns again and again.

Animals struggling with chronic digestive issues. Skin flare-ups. Ongoing discomfort. Owners desperately trying food after food, medication after medication, wondering what they were missing.

And Kathryn was asking questions too.

Not because she stopped believing in veterinary medicine. She hasn’t. But because she became increasingly frustrated by how quickly things could become medication-focused without enough curiosity about what might actually be driving the issue.

She wanted to look deeper.

Diet. Stress. Gut health. Environment. Patterns.

What was happening here?

What was this animal’s body struggling to tell us?

The Website Process

Kathryn had already created her branding herself, the logo, the greens, the earthy colours. And it felt deeply personal in a way I didn’t want to mess with.

So this wasn’t about reinvention.

It was about creating a website that actually felt like sitting across from Kathryn.

Grounded. Calm. Sensible.

The feeling of finally finding someone who doesn’t panic, doesn’t overcomplicate things, and might actually help.

We leaned into nature without making it feel cliché. Greens, warm neutrals, breathing space, softer imagery. The taped polaroid feel added warmth and helped soften the clinical side of veterinary expertise.

Because at the heart of this work are people who love their animals deeply and are often scared, overwhelmed, and trying very hard to do the right thing.

We also simplified things.

Rather than overwhelming visitors with information, we focused on creating an easier starting point.

A free 3-Day Gut Reset for Dogs.

Something practical. Gentle. Grounded.

A place to begin.

What Emerged

The unexpected part for me was watching Kathryn take up more space in her own work.

For years, I think she saw herself mainly as the capable person behind the scenes, the veterinary nurse, the one supporting surgeries and helping things run.

But somewhere during this process, it felt like she stepped more confidently into another role too.

Teacher.

Guide.

Someone helping pet owners understand what might actually be going on instead of feeling frightened or stuck in an endless cycle of changing foods and hoping for the best.

Naturally Rooted Collective feels like an extension of everything she has spent years becoming.

Experienced. Grounded. Caring.

Someone who won’t rush you, dismiss you, or pretend there’s one magic answer, but who will help you ask better questions and understand your animal more deeply.

Connect With Kathryn

If your dog has been struggling with digestive issues, flare-ups, sensitivities, or you have that nagging feeling that something just isn’t settling, Kathryn’s free 3-Day Gut Reset for Dogs is a really beautiful place to begin.

And if you’re craving a website that feels more like you, more human, more lived-in, I’d love to help with that too.

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