Katie McKnight

Story By: Dr. Anthony Robinson

Many are empowered by a personal desire for greatness and aspire to achieve their goals for their own motivations. Although there is no issue with following your own dreams, Katie McKnight’s motivation for success is to inspire and positively impact others.

McKnight reminds us that the decisions of leaders and those in positions of power affect many people, and as a leader, she takes that responsibility very seriously. “Remain humble and know that your decisions don’t just affect you, [they] definitely affect others.”

After matriculating through the Alachua County School Board, she is currently employed at the University of Florida in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as a Pre-Health and Pre-Law advisor.

You may have heard of her organization, I’m DOPE, which has been creating a community for the women of Gainesville. This organization holds events that connect women in the community to each other, seeks to empower female entrepreneurs, and provides a space to network and promote their products and services.

“I love connecting women and like-minded individuals; it’s important for everyone including myself to learn all that we can while we are here and to teach others from our knowledge and experiences.”

DOPE, which stands for Definitely On Personal Elevation, has provided McKnight with a platform to discuss her self-help program and her book, “I’m DOPE Affirmations”. The goal is to show women how special and powerful they are and help them accomplish their own goals.

Her own personal elevation comes from a desire to provide for her family and from her faith. “My children are the reason I do everything! Every morning I walk through my home and pray before I get to their room. When I see them sleeping comfortably in their beds it lets me know that when I start today, whatever I do, they are affected by it, so I have to make sure the choices I make are the best.”

These values of family and religion come from her own parents, who were involved in ministry. “I have always felt that if they could handle their family and parishioners; I could handle the small things in my life.”

More than anything, she knows that the most difficult step in any journey is the first; that leaders need courage to achieve their goals. “My greatest accomplishment is being able to walk from a comfortable situation into the unknown; I was terrified, but with prayer and a lot of encouragement, I think I made it out pretty well.”

McKnight says that she’s had difficulty adjusting to being called a ‘leader’. “I’m a believer that we are all in this together, so it’s still uncomfortable at times to be considered a ‘leader’. But understand that the best leader is a follower. Listen to others and their opinions; it will show you a totally different side and you might agree with it!”

Listening is very important to McKnight, who firmly believes that servitude is essential to leadership. According to her, the best leaders are humble and teachable. “Never allow yourself to be in a space where you aren’t willing to take criticism; it will help you grow.” McKnight wants to be remembered as a loving person and as someone willing to learn and teach others.