Our Story

From a Teenage Diary to a Legacy of Purposeful Planning

Plan. Prepare. Proceed. Pursue.

Every great idea has a beginning. Mine started with a diary.

My name is Katrina Gaddis-Swoopes, and I'm an author, Certified Life Coach, and the founder and creator of Crushing Goals and Taking Notes™.

My love for journaling began when my mother gave me a diary for my 16th birthday. What seemed like a simple gift became the beginning of a lifelong passion for writing, planning, and creating.

When I needed another diary, I didn't wait to purchase one. I gathered loose-leaf paper, folded the sheets, stapled them down the center—the old-fashioned way—and created my own.

I didn't realize it then, but I was laying the foundation for something much bigger.

Years later, while working in corporate America, I found myself searching for a planner that could accommodate the demands of my professional responsibilities. Nothing quite met my needs.

So, once again, I created my own.

Armed with a one-subject notebook and a vision, I developed a project planner that provided the structure, organization, and functionality I needed.

What began as a personal solution eventually evolved into a business built around helping others do the same.

Today, I'm not simply creating stationery. I'm building a legacy from a passion that has followed me throughout my life.

About Crushing Goals and Taking Notes™

More Than Stationery. A Tool for Progress.

Crushing Goals and Taking Notes™ was founded on a simple belief: everyone deserves access to practical tools that help bring structure to their lives, establish priorities, and pursue meaningful goals.

What began as a passion for creating functional planners, journals, and notebooks has evolved into a stationery and creative services business serving individuals, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

We offer thoughtfully developed stationery products designed to support organization, productivity, and intentional planning.

Through our creative services, we also help aspiring stationery creators and entrepreneurs evaluate, structure, and develop their own planners, journals, and notebooks.

Whether you're organizing your personal goals, managing business responsibilities, or developing your first stationery product, our purpose remains the same:

To help you turn your ideas into plans and your plans into purposeful action.

Our Philosophy

Plan-Ability Starts With You.

At Crushing Goals and Taking Notes™, we believe that achieving your goals requires more than having a vision.

It requires a willingness to:

PLAN — Define your goals and establish your direction.

PREPARE — Equip yourself with the tools and structure needed to succeed.

PROCEED — Take intentional steps toward what you want to accomplish.

PURSUE — Remain committed to your goals and continue moving forward.

These four principles are at the heart of everything we do.

A Message From Our Founder

Throughout my personal and professional journey, one statement has remained at the center of my purpose:

"I'm just trying to help someone."

That simple motto continues to guide the way I create, serve, and do business.

I believe that sometimes all a person needs is a little guidance, the right tools, and a plan to help them get started.

And if something I've created or shared helps someone move one step closer to their goals, then I'm doing exactly what I set out to do.

Because I believe it can all be done with a plan.

Katrina Gaddis-Swoopes

Founder & Creator
Crushing Goals and Taking Notes™

What We've Achieved