The world unleashes daily tidal waves of information, and in our current news cycle, it can be overwhelming. Our planet's energy is changing-not just industrially, but fundamentally and spiritually too. As the current conversation around global energy, technology, and the economy pushes our collective psyche to burst, how can we learn to ride these waves?
Katie Mehnert is staying in the water to find out. She's spent decades building her career as a health and safety executive working for Shell and BP. In 2014, she leaned in to form Pink Petro, a startup that's addressing the intersection of an inclusive workforce and the energy transition.
When Hurricane Harvey uprooted her work and life in 2017, she began to think less about controlling energy and more about how to grow from it. Grow with the Flow is all about personal evolution, because personal evolution is about planetary evolution. Each of us is a puzzle piece in our collective future, and each of us matters immensely. So be mighty, be bold, and grow. The world depends on it.
The modern architect of culture change in energy, Katie Mehnert is a diplomat, speaker, author, and sought-after expert shaping the workforce needed to address our world's energy transition. She's the founder and CEO of Pink Petro and Experience Energy.
Katie has held transformation leadership roles with BP and Shell in safety and environment. She's led global change programs in periods of global financial crisis, spills, divestment, and globalization. Katie also held consulting roles in power and utilities at Duke Energy, Entergy, and Enron. Her corporate path drove her to entrepreneurship to help energy companies prepare for the looming talent shortage and workforce diversity needs to address energy poverty and climate change.
She most recently testified before Congress on the clean energy workforce of the future, and she's published in Scientific American, Forbes, The Hill, CNBC, CNN, and other international outlets. She is also the founder of Lean In Energy, a global nonprofit solely devoted to mentoring in the energy sector.
Katie is a four-time World Major marathoner, having completed London, Chicago, New York, and Berlin. She and her husband Mark, an executive with Baker Hughes, live with their daughter Ally in Houston's Energy Corridor.
"Katie's honest and moving memoir talks with vim and humor about making the absolute most of what life throws at you. An inspiration for so many of us." - Yassmin Abdel-Magied, engineer and author of Yassmin’s Story and You Must Be Layla
"Most people support inclusion conceptually. Katie lives and breathes it, while modeling a road map for other leaders who want to dominate a marketplace, live a more purposeful life, and face fears head on. This is not just a book on tackling the energy challenge. It's an inspirational story about how to think creatively to make a big dream come true." - Lori Feldman, chief executive officer
"Grow with the Flow is a bible for success. Katie reveals how we can override the voice in our head that tells us not to try because we aren't ready. We will never be 100 percent ready. Seize every opportunity in your life and watch how many new opportunities will spring up every single day." - Ruchi Sharma, Lean In Women at Work leader
"Grow with the Flow is unfiltered, raw, vulnerable, and hilarious. This book is a road map that shows how to turn challenging situations into opportunities. It exposes toxic mindsets, work cultures, and behaviors that prevent growth, and gives you the tools to overcome those challenges to thrive." - Rita Hausken, strategist and leadership coach, founder of Shestainability, Lean In energy leader
"Katie is a powerhouse of energy—a woman of grit, determination, and dedication. This book is a peek into what it takes to be a badass, bold woman who runs with the wolves yet be vulnerable at times." - Payel Mitra, founder and president, Lean In Sustainability
"Katie's personality and passion make this book a compelling call to action. Katie is a perfect example of the saying 'actions speak louder than words.' She will inspire you to work through challenges and emerge stronger than you were before." - Maybelyn H. Plecic, professional services manager in Presidio, Lean In Wonder Women leader/author
"Katie Mehnert's story is about much more than persevering through devastation after a historic flood. It's about innovating and helping to revolutionize a massive industry while also rebuilding a family's life. In Grow with the Flow, readers will see why so many people have joined Katie's movement, why she was invited to testify before Congress, and why learning to frame your desired outcomes can be life-changing." - Josh Levs, author of All In, winner of the Nautilus Gold Award
"This is Katie Mehnert: raw and unfiltered doing what she does best - putting herself on the public stage and sharing her experiences. Grow with the Flow is an extension of what she set out to do after leaving the corporate world to start her own company, Pink Petro, and enduring the ups and downs unique to entrepreneurs in order to create a better, more equal culture in the energy industry. With this book, Mehnert has written her manifesto." - Rebecca Ponton, author of Breaking the GAS Ceiling: Women in the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry
"Katie's stories of survival, growth through hardship, and tenacious grit will have you cheering and fist-pumping your way through each chapter. We all face personal and professional demons, and Katie shows how recognizing them is the first step to conquering them. This is an inspirational read on how to be optimistic about what life throws at you so you too can Grow with the Flow." - Amanda Barlow, geologist and author
"What a vulnerable and authentic story about privilege, tragedy, and humility. We need more leaders like Katie Mehnert, who are selfless and resilient, to show more women and girls that it's okay to be fierce and powerful. The world is counting on us to use our resources to create a positive impact. Katie Mehnert's story is an example of how the universe works. When we are givers and expect nothing in return, then it delivers." - Julene Allen, founder/CEO of Women of Color in the Workplace
