Karen is a bartender, cocktail consultant, writer and healthcare advocate based in San Francisco. She currently works at Last Call in the historic Castro District and was named one of Imbibe Magazine’s 75 People, Places & Flavors to Watch in 2024 for her initiatives with Clear Spirit & Mind. Her work bridges the gap between cocktail culture and chronic illness, centering people navigating conditions like migraine, autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. She shares her personal life experiences with this in pursuit of a deliciously full life at Defiantly Well.

After 18 months of unexplained symptoms, Karen was diagnosed with Chronic Vestibular Migraine in 2019. Following her diagnosis, she began the Johns Hopkins Migraine Diet (introduced through Dr. David Buchholz’s Heal Your Headache) and began the complex process of identifying her personal triggers through elimination and experimentation. What could have been the end of her time in the world of food and drink became the beginning of something entirely new.

In May 2020, during COVID lockdowns, she launched Tartt Drinks, a blog devoted to migraine-friendly cocktails for the at-home bartender. It quickly became more than a blog. It became a bridge between her love of hospitality and a worldwide community of fellow migraineurs. Through recipes, requests, and conversations, she discovered that even with restrictions, cocktails could still be creative, beautiful and deeply human.

In 2021, Karen, under the mentorship of Dana Cowin through the Speed Rack Advisory Squad, hosted a series of migraine-friendly cocktail pop-ups that showcased her ability to combine bar expertise with inventive culinary workarounds. It was through these pop-ups that she launched a consulting firm, Clear Spirit & Mind, to bridge the gaps between cocktail and restaurant culture and chronic illness and disability, centering people with migraine, autoimmune conditions, and inflammatory disorders. 

Karen’s migraine-friendly cocktails have been featured in Bombay Sapphire’s Canvas Showcase, Speed Rack Trading Cards, Speed Rack’s cocktail book- “A Quick Drink”, Miles for Migraine social events and the “Talk Dizzy to Me” podcast. She holds a WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits (Distinction) through a scholarship from Women of the Vine & Spirits, and plans to pursue her Level 3 certification.

On the healthcare side, she served as a patient representative for the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine’s GRACE-3 panel, where she advocated for earlier referrals to vestibular rehabilitation and greater financial transparency in emergency care. She co-authored the article, “Nothing About Me Without Me: GRACE-fully Partnering with Patients to Derive Clinical Practice Guidelines. 

In 2021, she relocated to San Francisco to participate in a UCSF clinical trial for Emgality and has since been in several trials for devices and virtual reality systems created to help treat chronic dizziness and the challenges that come with it. She joined the California cohort of Headache on the Hill 2024, both in person and virtually, to advocate for better access to chronic care for migraineurs through several healthcare bills being considered for legislation. She was elated to be the patient speaker at the Miles for Migraine race in Golden Gate Park in 2024 and was honored to receive the Patient Advocate Award. 

Karen currently lives in San Francisco with her beloved cat, Olivia, and believes that no one should have to choose between joy and safety when it comes to enjoying a drink. Whether behind the bar, in the library researching cocktail and food science, in the kitchen designing inclusive cocktails, writing an article for Defiantly Well, or at an advocacy meeting, she is dedicated to helping others find comfort, creativity, and connection—one mindful sip at a time.