Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Nelson.
Hi Kathryn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story has never followed a straight line, and I think that’s what makes it interesting!
I began my professional career as an educator, spending 14 years teaching in South Carolina and Texas and earning National Board Certification. Teaching gave me a lifelong appreciation for creativity, human connection, and the magic that happens when people learn through experience.
But I’ve always had an entrepreneurial and artistic spirit. I’m also an actor, an event designer, and someone who believes life should be an adventure!
In 2018, I founded Alley Kat Adventures, a company built around a simple idea: bringing people together through playful, memorable experiences. What began as a creative venture has grown into a business offering scavenger hunts and interactive adventures in nearly 1,000 cities, with more than 75,000 participants over the years. We’ve worked with corporate teams, travelers, families, and people simply looking for a different way to experience the world.
Building a business has taught me an enormous amount about resilience, reinvention, and trusting my own unconventional ideas. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve learned that creativity and determination can take you places you never imagined.
Today, I’m continuing to grow Alley Kat Adventures while exploring other creative pursuits, including acting, teaching, and helping people reconnect with their own creativity.
As I approach my 50th birthday, I’m particularly excited about this next chapter. I believe reinvention is possible at any age, and I still have plenty of adventures ahead of me!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not! But I think some of the most interesting adventures begin with unexpected detours.
Building Alley Kat Adventures from the ground up has required tremendous creativity, persistence, and adaptability. As a small business owner, I’ve worn just about every hat imaginable, from designing experiences and managing events to marketing, customer service, and navigating the constantly changing world of online travel and experience marketplaces.
Like so many entrepreneurs, I faced one of my greatest professional challenges during the pandemic, when the world essentially stopped gathering, traveling, and participating in experiences. Building a business around bringing people together suddenly became a very interesting challenge!
I’ve also learned that entrepreneurship requires a remarkable tolerance for uncertainty. Algorithms change, markets shift, partnerships evolve, and sometimes the strategies that worked beautifully yesterday simply stop working tomorrow. You have to be willing to reinvent yourself and your business repeatedly.
On a personal level, I’ve navigated major life transitions while raising two daughters and continuing to build something I’m proud of. There have been seasons when balancing motherhood, entrepreneurship, financial responsibilities, and my own well-being felt overwhelming.
But those experiences have also taught me some of my most valuable lessons: that success isn’t always linear, that asking for help is a strength, and that starting over doesn’t mean starting from scratch.
Perhaps the greatest lesson has been learning to trust myself. As a former teacher, an artist, and an entrepreneur, I’ve discovered that the qualities that make me a little unconventional are often the very qualities that make my work special.
I’m approaching my 50th birthday with a renewed appreciation for resilience, possibility, and the freedom to keep reinventing my life. I wouldn’t necessarily choose every obstacle again, but I wouldn’t trade the wisdom I’ve gained from overcoming them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At heart, I’m a storyteller, an educator, and a creative entrepreneur. I’ve always been fascinated by the ways people connect, explore, play, and discover something new about themselves and the world around them.
I’m the founder and CEO of Alley Kat Adventures, an experiential entertainment company specializing in interactive scavenger hunts, corporate team-building adventures, and creative experiences for travelers, families, and groups. Since founding the company in 2018, we’ve expanded to nearly 1,000 cities and welcomed more than 75,000 participants!
What makes our experiences different is that they’re designed to be much more than ordinary sightseeing tours or traditional scavenger hunts. We encourage participants to engage with their surroundings, interact with people, think creatively, laugh, collaborate, and sometimes step just a little outside their comfort zones. I love creating opportunities for people to experience a familiar place in an entirely new way.
My professional background is wonderfully eclectic. Before becoming an entrepreneur, I spent 14 years as an educator and earned National Board Certification, one of the highest distinctions in the teaching profession. I’m also a SAG-eligible actor, a model, and an event designer. Each of these pursuits influences the way I approach my work. Education taught me how to engage people, acting taught me the power of storytelling, and entrepreneurship taught me how to turn creative ideas into something tangible.
I’m especially proud that Alley Kat Adventures has attracted national media attention, including features in Business Insider and Travel + Leisure, and that we’ve had opportunities to create experiences for corporate groups and major events, including an official community activity for an Adweek conference.
But what makes me proudest isn’t necessarily the number of cities we’ve reached or the recognition we’ve received. It’s knowing that something I dreamed up has created thousands of moments of laughter, connection, discovery, and joy for people I’ve never even met.
I think what sets me apart is my willingness to combine seemingly unrelated interests and turn them into something new. I’ve never believed we have to fit neatly into one professional box. I can be a teacher, an artist, an actor, a business owner, and a lifelong student of human nature all at once.
Ultimately, my work is about helping people rediscover their sense of wonder. I believe adulthood could use a lot more curiosity, spontaneity, imagination, and play. And if I can build a career around bringing a little more of those things into the world, I consider that a pretty wonderful way to spend my life!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that life rarely unfolds according to plan, and sometimes the detours turn out to be the most extraordinary parts of the journey.
I’ve learned that resilience isn’t necessarily about being fearless or having everything figured out. It’s about being willing to begin again, even when you’re uncertain about what comes next.
As an educator, I learned that curiosity and creativity can transform the way people experience the world. As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that success requires flexibility, persistence, and a willingness to take risks. And through some significant personal challenges, I’ve learned that starting over can actually be an opportunity to rediscover who you are.
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned not to define myself by any single role, relationship, accomplishment, or setback. We’re all so much more than our résumés, our circumstances, or the expectations other people place upon us.
Lately, I find myself thinking less about what I should have accomplished by now and more about how I want to spend the years ahead. I want to keep creating, learning, laughing, loving, and finding beauty in unexpected places.
I also believe that joy and playfulness aren’t frivolous. They’re essential. Life can be incredibly difficult, and that’s precisely why we need more opportunities for wonder, connection, and adventure.
If there’s one thing I’d tell my younger self, it’s this: Trust your instincts, don’t be afraid to take the unconventional path, and remember that you can always write a new chapter.
The story isn’t over just because the plot changed!
Pricing:
- $200 – private city hunt for up to 10 guests.
- $25 – public city hunt ticket per guest.
- Personalized quotes for custom events/large groups.
- Private business coaching – Email to inquire about rates
- $225 – 12 week small group virtual Kat-led creativity workshop
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alleykatadventures.com
- Instagram: @alley.kat.adventures.com
- Facebook: @alleykatadventures
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?trk=guest_homepage-basic_google-one-tap-submit
