Creator & Founder

The Benevolent Series, Website & Blog

Writer

Blog, The Benevolent Series

Tiny Buddha

Engineer & Project Manager

Civil & Environmental Engineering

International Development

Climate Change Specialist

Municipal Government

Policy & Research

Hello You & Welcome!

Hi, I’m Katayoon — though most people call me Kate.

The universe of The Benevolent Series was born from a good girl who once believed the world was benevolent. You know, kind, well-meaning and wanting to do good for others.

It was a sharp curveball to discover it was, more often than not, malevolent. So, I built this small corner of the universe to fight back, through the words of a rebel and at times a tender heart.

The good girl (God bless her, every single day) became an engineer. She designed bridges, water systems, and later, policies and programs to help her city fight climate change and lower greenhouse gas emissions. I still work on these files every day — they are beautiful, benevolent contributions.

And yet, the fires of the world seem to burn hotter.

After doing everything I could to heal the world (and maybe myself in the process), I realized there may never be a cure for my debilitating empathy — or for the question that echoes in every human soul: What was I made for?

And just as hauntingly: Where are all the people to whom I make sense?

If you’ve arrived here through a piece like “Stop Telling Me to Forgive — Why This Isn’t Helpful” “Do You Know a Soul-Shelter and Why the Soft Ones Love Them” or “The Prophecies of Indigenous Wisdom: Are We in Humanity’s Final Phase?” — welcome.

I’m so glad you found your way here.

Two is always better than one.

Recent Blogs

Illustration of a worried woman sitting at a table, holding a bill with a distressed expression, surrounded by several other bills, with a steaming mug beside her, symbolizing financial stress and anxiety.

Beyond Cliché Advice: What Helped When I Was Struggling Financially

If you’re financially struggling, this post may offer relief and validation. If you’ve struggled before, it might help you feel seen, understood, and less alone.

Jul 7

How to Live Like Your Heart Was Never Touched by Pain

One small thing—a song, a glance, a flicker of light—and suddenly, I was her again. Flirty. Free. Radiant. The version of me untouched by hurt, dancing through life like it’s a rom-com written just for her. We talk so much about healing, but no one tells you that on the other side, there’s joy so exquisite it feels like sunlight has hands. This week, I remembered: I was never broken. I was just waiting to remember the rhythm.

May 16

Where Have All the Wise Women Gone?

They told us everything we needed was already inside. But when the ache came—deep, wordless, ancient—we found ourselves scrolling, spiraling, searching. Where were the women who once held us with stories, with silence, with knowing eyes? We traded their wisdom for wellness tips and filters. Now, in a world obsessed with youth, I find myself asking: Where have all the wise women gone—and what happens to us without them?

May 10