ABOUT Dr. Katie Sandoe, THE SPARKOLOGIST

making leadership SMART, FUN, and DEEPLY HUMAN.

Katie is a keynote speaker, mindset and performance expert, podcast host, and marathoner. She has over two decades of experience helping people and organizations thrive. Katie brings a unique blend of executive leadership, entrepreneurship, and cross-sector expertise — spanning nonprofit, corporate, government, and small business. Known as The Sparkologist, Katie blends her academic depth (Doctor of Education, certified in various leadership assessments and facilitation) with her playful “Doctor + Dork” style that makes even the toughest topics — burnout, conflict, change, emotional intelligence — feel approachable and transformative. She’s spoken to more than 200,000 people, delivered thousands of hours of professional development experiences, and is celebrated for her unmatched energy, her ability to spark “ah-ha!” moments, and her belief that thriving means finding joy, fulfillment, and success on your own terms.

my JOURNEY

For years, I chased success the way we’re told to — bigger titles, more responsibility, longer hours. I pushed harder and harder until I was staring down burnout. That’s when I realized something important: hustle culture is a lie. True success isn’t about grinding yourself (or others) down — it’s about leaning into purpose and letting that internal compass guide all aspects of your life, including work that moves you.

That shift changed everything for me — including how I tackle some impossible challenges. It’s how I earned my doctorate while running a business, launched a podcast that landed in the Top 25%, and trained for five marathons (and counting) — all without giving up joy, fulfillment, or impact. The truth is, you can still set ambitious goals and achieve big things — but you don’t have to sacrifice your wellbeing to do it.

Now, I help leaders and teams do the same: step off the corporate treadmill, find clarity, and unlock the spark that makes both work and life feel rich, energizing, and deeply fulfilling.

my PHILOSOPHY

I believe thriving doesn’t come from doing more, faster — it comes from doing what matters, with clarity and purpose. Hustle culture teaches us to measure our worth by output, but I’ve learned that lasting success is about alignment: when your energy, values, and goals all point in the same direction. That’s when you stop surviving and start thriving.

That’s why I call myself The Sparkologist. My work is about creating sparks — of insight, of courage, of possibility. I help people and teams unlock mindset shifts that change everything: how they show up, how they lead, how they live. I’m also the Doctor + Dork — I bring the research and evidence-based practices and tools that work, but I’ll also laugh with you, challenge you, and make the hard stuff feel human and even fun.

At the core, my philosophy is simple: people aren’t programs to optimize. They’re whole, complex, creative beings — and when we tap into that wholeness, individuals thrive, teams perform, and organizations succeed.

WHY WORK with ME

When you bring me in, you don’t get a canned speech or a cookie-cutter workshop. You get a strategic partner who knows what it feels like to be in the trenches of leadership — the pressure, the responsibility, the exhaustion, and the hope for something better.

I’ve spent 25 years leading across nonprofit, corporate, government, and small business sectors. I’ve built strategies, led teams through change, and navigated both boardroom politics and frontline challenges. I’ve successfully navigated the tension between admin and operations, knowledge workers and manual laborers, and different generations. That breadth of experience means I get it — I understand the realities leaders face and the messy dynamics teams navigate.

But here’s the difference: I don’t just bring expertise, I bring energy. My keynotes and leadership experiences are high-impact, research-backed, and fun. I blend the science of performance and leadership with the spark that makes people lean in, laugh, and walk away with tools they’ll actually use. People don’t just listen — they transform.

At the end of the day, you’ll leave with more than ideas. You’ll leave with clarity, courage, and momentum. And yes — a few “ah-ha!” moments you’ll be talking about long after the session is over.

My personal mission

“i help leaders and teams FUEL THEIR FIRE, so they can LIGHT UP THE WORLD.”

Marathoner & Amateur Athlete

I train for the long run in life, leadership, and actual miles. This high-performance mindset has helped me accomplish some impossible things. It’s a mindset that I teach other leaders too.

Top 25% Podcast host

On the Spark Something New podcast, I explore different ways of looking at your life (including leadership and work) with some brilliant experts and incredible every day humans.

Doctor & Dork

I bring the research and the funny faces. I also don’t do small talk, but I’ll happily chat about philosophy and living with purpose (including ikigai) over coffee or street tacos any day.

Dog lover

Zander Michael (yep, he has a middle name) is my office buddy and keeps virtual meetings interesting. He’s now become an on-camera staple and the fan favorite people ask for.

Katie’s TRAINING & BACKGROUND

  • 25 years experience in Executive Leadership & Strategic Communications

  • Expertise in High-Performance Mindset, Organizational Culture, & Personal Wellbeing

  • Doctorate in Adult Education, Masters in Communications, & Bachelors in Public Relations

  • Certified in Speech Writing & Stage Performance Mastery

  • Certified Ikigai Advisor (the Japanese philosophy of a life worth living)

  • Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner

  • Certified Conflict & Change Management Practitioner

  • Certified Sparketype Advisor

  • Trained by Tara Mohr in The Coaching Way, Playing Big, & Loving Well

  • 2014 Leadership Lancaster Graduate

  • 2019 Central Penn Business Journal Woman of Influence Award Winner

  • 2020 Penn State Harrisburg People to Watch Award Winner

  • 2022 Lancaster Chamber Athena Award Nominee