Who We Are
We are a team of highly trained Career Coaches (Ph.D.s and M.A.s) who understand that career and mental health are inextricably linked; our mission is to improve wellbeing by helping people find and get hired in the right career.
DR. Katherine Kirkinis
Chief Executive Officer
(Ph.D.)
Janelle Baptiste, Esq.
Immigration Lawyer (JD)
Ted Kirkinis
Director of Intake
Darlene Taylor
Career Coach (MSW)
Julia Hawkes
Vice President & Director of Partnerships
Jonathan simons
Executive Coach (MSW, MBA)
Eva Simpson-Abrams
Career Coach (LCAT, MT-BC, MS)
Janet Najera
Career Coach Intern (MSW)
Niki Yarnot
Director of Clinical Services (MSW, LASW)
Dante Rosh
Executive Coach (MA)
Heidi Peveto
Career Testing Specialist
(LPC, CCC)
Julia Simkus
Professional Resume Writer (MA)
Dr. Rowena Winkler
ATS Expert (Ph.D.)
Kathryn Dirrig
Executive Coach (MSW)
Jasmine Bass
Career Testing Specialist (MSW)
Morgan dunn
Career Testing Specialist
(MS)
Why We’re Here
Katherine Kirkinis, Ph.D., Founder
I started my career as a psychotherapist in NYC working with adults around identity issues (racial and gender identity, to be exact). However, it turns out that when you ask people about identify and mental health, people talk about their careers. It turns out that career, identity, and mental health are deeply intertwined for most people. My psychology work naturally became centered around themes of career change and wanting to feel more fulfillment in their work lives.
My practice became shockingly popular—most therapists dread working with career issues and they were sending all their career confused clients to me! I had so many clients coming for career coaching, but no way other than the traditional route (lots of sessions) to help them, and I was frustrated that only the very wealthy could afford this type of support. That fueled me to go back to school to pursue a Ph.D. in vocational psychology and to learn more about career assessment and testing.
I continued my career coaching practice while taking a full course load and conducting research, which was…a lot of work! It took many years of testing and experimentation, but I found that with a data-driven approach, I could help clients get to the answer of “what should I do with my life?” in as little as a few hours!
When I was completely overwhelmed with the influx of clients, I asked the smartest, most talented people I know to join me, which now make up our amazing team! As our work evolved, so did our clients' needs. We have since added supportive Career Coaching and Professional Branding services to the mix to create full-service, holistic career support. On top of that, we’ve made Social Justice a core part of our mission as we work to level the playing field in the workplace.
At Wanderlust Careers, we don’t just help people find jobs—we empower them to thrive and build a life they love. Whether they’re navigating a career transition, improving performance, or seeking greater satisfaction in their current role, our focus is on unlocking each person’s full potential for life satisfaction..
We’re proud of the impact we’ve made so far, and as we grow, our commitment to inclusive, holistic career development remains at the heart of everything we do. WC is more than a company—it’s a movement to redefine how people think about their careers and futures.