THE NORTH STAR
My Why
Everything I do has a reason. I don't just build things.
I build them on purpose — with a north star and an outcome clearly defined before the first brick is laid.
The Letter That Changes Everything
Joey Sanchez, the Houston community connector behind Cup of Joey, built a whole movement around a single letter: the Y. Not the word — the letter. Because the Y is the shape of a fork in the road. It's the moment you choose direction. It's purpose made visible.
Simon Sinek said it plainly: "People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it." The WHY is the purpose, the cause, the belief that drives everything else. It's the innermost ring of the Golden Circle — the core that radiates outward into how you work and what you build.
I've lived that truth. My WHY isn't a tagline. It was forged in floodwater.
With Joey Sanchez & Juliana — the Cup of Joey community that inspired the Y
"Harvey didn't break me. It clarified me."
The Water That Changed Everything
In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall and stalled over Houston for four days. It became the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history — 60 inches of rain, $125 billion in damage, at least 68 lives lost.
My family thought we were among the lucky ones. The floodwaters had avoided our neighborhood. We still had power.
Then the Army Corps of Engineers released the west side dams — a decision made to prevent catastrophic flooding elsewhere. We had no warning. No time to escape. Our cars were submerged. Our home filled with water. My daughter and I were evacuated by strangers in a boat from our own front door.
I lost my home. I lost my business. I stood in the wreckage of everything I had built and made a choice: I could rebuild smaller, or I could rebuild bigger — and make sure this never happened to someone else without a fight.
It's Bigger Than Pink
Before Harvey, I had built Pink Petro — a community for women in energy. It was meaningful work. But Harvey cracked something open in me.
Standing in the ruins, I realized: the energy industry doesn't just power our economy. It powers our survival. Our infrastructure. Our resilience. And the people who build and run that infrastructure — the workforce — are the most underestimated force in America.
I had been thinking too small. This wasn't just about gender equity in energy. This was about building the workforce, the communities, and the infrastructure that determine whether cities like Houston survive the next storm — or the next century.
I renamed the company ALLY Energy. I broadened the mission. And I got to work.
Pink Petro — the community that started it all
"Intentionality is not a buzzword. It is a discipline."
I Don't Move Without a North Star
Intentionality is not a buzzword for me. It is a discipline.
Everything I do begins with a clearly defined outcome. Before I launch a company, write a book, testify before Congress, or step on a stage — I know exactly what I am trying to achieve and why it matters. I don't confuse motion with progress. I don't build things just to build them.
This is what separates builders from dreamers: builders build with a destination in mind.
When Mayor Sylvester Turner stood on my lawn the year after Harvey and said, "We need to bring everyone together across our city and the industry and make this happen" — I made a promise. Not a vague commitment. A specific one: I would champion his Climate Action Plan, bridge the gap between energy and climate, and create a platform where Houston could lead the world's energy future.
That promise became Houston Energy & Climate Week. That intentionality became a movement.
With Mayor Sylvester Turner — the conversation that became Houston Energy & Climate Week
When the Water Rises, You Build Higher
Harvey didn't just flood homes. It exposed the fragility of the systems we depend on — the reservoirs, the drainage, the grid, the workforce that keeps it all running. It made clear that infrastructure is not a policy abstraction. It is the difference between life and death.
Testified Before Congress
Advocated for a green energy workforce — the people who power America's infrastructure and transition.
See Advocacy Work →
Hurricane Harvey & Infrastructure
Became a leading voice for flood mitigation, infrastructure investment, and climate resilience after losing her home and business in Harvey.
Read Katie's Op-Ed
Co-Founded Houston Energy & Climate Week
Created a platform bringing together industry, government, investors, and community to tackle the intersection of energy and climate resilience.
Visit HECW →Championed Mayor Turner's Climate Action Plan
Worked across party lines to move Houston from the energy capital of the past to the leader of the energy future.
Read the Story →
NYSE Closing Bell — November 2023
Led a delegation of nearly 100 leaders to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange — a signal to the world that Houston is leading.
See ALLY Energy →
U.S. Department of Energy Ambassador
Named Ambassador to the DOE's Equity in Energy initiative and member of the National Petroleum Council advising the Energy Secretary.
See Public Service Work →I Build Because the Stakes Are Real
I am a futurist, a founder, and a builder. But underneath all of that, I am a mother who was evacuated from her home by strangers in a boat.
That experience didn't break me. It clarified me.
My WHY is this: I believe that the people who build our energy systems, our communities, and our future deserve to be seen, supported, and equipped. I believe that the cities we live in — and the planet we share — are worth fighting for. And I believe that the only way to win that fight is to be relentlessly intentional: to know your north star, define your outcome, and never confuse activity with impact.
Everything I do — every company I build, every stage I stand on, every policy I push for — flows from that belief.
That is my Y.
Ready to Build Something That Matters?
Book Katie to speak, advise, or collaborate — and bring intentional leadership to your stage, boardroom, or community.