Katherine
Vargo

Steady state is a term from endurance training — the effort zone where you're working hard but sustainably, efficiently, without burning out. It's the zone serious athletes spend years developing because it's what carries you through the back half of a race when your legs are gone and the finish is still far away. You can't manufacture it in the moment. You have to build it over time, intentionally, with the right training.

I named my coaching practice after it because the same is true of how people perform at work and in life. Sustainable output isn't about motivation or willpower. It's about design — habits, recovery, stress management, and the self-awareness to know when you're redlining before it becomes a problem.

I'm Katie Vargo. I've spent the last 20 years living in two worlds that don't usually talk to each other. In one, I was building enterprise technology infrastructure — Linux systems, Kubernetes clusters, cross-functional engineering teams, and a stint at Microsoft. In the other, I was competing in Ironman triathlons, earning my USMS swim coaching certification, teaching group fitness classes to everyone from college students to SilverSneakers participants, and dragon boat racing with the Pittsburgh Paddlefish.

Those worlds inform everything I do now. Through Steady State Coaching, I work with corporate teams and individuals who want evidence-based wellness coaching — workshops, 1:1 packages, and wellness program consulting that treats burnout as the systems problem it actually is. Through Endorphin Designs, I build digital fitness products for endurance athletes and coaches — swim training programs, AI-powered workout tools, and resources built by someone who has actually stood on a starting line.

This site is the hub. Welcome to it.