Sincerely, Katherine. By Katherine Dudtschak

Life, Gender, Inclusivity, and Leadership for the Future

Sincerely Katherine.: Life, Gender, Inclusivity, and Leadership for the Future by Katherine Dudtschak traces a personal journey of discovery and affirmation. But the book goes beyond that, showing how Dudtschak’s experiences enabled her to become a champion for inclusivity.

The book begins with Dudtschak’s childhood, then takes us through her rise within the ranks of one of Canada’s banks. Born with a masculine name and appearance, Dudtschak had always been secretly drawn to the feminine. However, it wasn’t until she saw a poster about gender inclusivity in the hallway of her daughter’s university dorm that she connected the dots.

At the age of fifty, and while she was a top executive at a Canadian bank, Dudtschak affirmed her gender, coming out as Katherine. As explained in the book’s Introduction, Dudtschak refers to herself as she/her throughout the book because she has always been Katherine, or Katie. It just took time to actualize that.

Sincerely Katherine shows us the challenges Dudtschak faced in transitioning into her feminine self. Dudtschak shares her fears about rejection and non-acceptance and the long process of becoming Katherine. She discusses the acceptance provided by her colleagues and by top management. She also explains how her openness and transparency enabled her to drive forward inclusivity initiatives at the bank.

Dudtschak notes that her openness about who she was enabled others to also share their own journeys. She speaks to the value of truly knowing where someone is coming from in order to enable them to achieve their full potential.

Sincerely, Katherine makes the argument that we all make our best contributions when we can show our authentic selves, rather than hiding aspects of who we are. Organizations are more effective when people feel safe and seen. But beyond organizational performance, Dudtschak states that inclusivity is the best path forward if humanity hopes to meet the challenges of living sustainably.

In the course of the book, Dudtschak discusses many issues, including intergenerational trauma and its effects, the notion of gender as a spectrum rather than a binary concept, suicide ideation among marginalized groups, and the importance of mentorship in helping us actualize our full potential, among others. She outlines the important work being done by Jack.org, Bell Let’s Talk, and Kids Help Phone. Sincerely Katherine discusses the mental health challenges faced by the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and explores concepts of duality and non-duality.

Many memoirs or autobiographies focus exclusively on the featured individual’s experiences, and Dudtschak’s backstory does make for an interesting read. But Dudtschak takes things further by explaining how her life trajectory enabled her to make a stronger contribution to the organization and beyond.

Dudtschak argues that while diversity is a fact, inclusivity is a choice, and that furthermore, fostering an inclusive environment and culture is in our best interests as a society. Sincerely, Katherine is a courageous work, and Dudtschak comes across as being both authentic and passionate. At a time in history when inclusivity efforts are facing a pushback in some locales, Sincerely, Katherine offers a message that is both timely and important.

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About the Author

Katherine Dudtschak is one of Canada’s most recognized leaders. She is the President and CEO of one of Canada’s fastest growing and purpose-driven banks. She has served as a CEO, leading the repositioning of a bank in 19 countries, and leading a team of over 25,000 advisors who steward over 15 million client relationships. She has received many honours, including Norway’s Social Human Equity Conference recognition, the Business Leaders’ Honours Award from Catalyst Canada, and the Legacy Award from CGLCC.

Katherine is a community builder, investing her efforts in the areas of human rights, mental health, immigration, poverty prevention, education, and economic development. She founded Incluvest Foundation, and sits on the boards of United Way Greater Toronto and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Katherine grew up on a small farm in Southern Ontario and is a proud mother of four children. She holds an MBA and ICD.D designation, and lives in Toronto and Prince Edward County.

About the Reviewer

Ontario resident Lisa Timpf writes poetry, book reviews, short stories, and creative nonfiction. Her speculative poetry collections Cats and Dogs in Space (2025) and In Days to Come (2022) are available from Hiraeth Publishing in print and electronic formats. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing projects at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/. Lisa is also on Bluesky, @lisatimpf.bsky.social, and her author Facebook page is @lisa.timpf.author.

Book Details

· Publisher: Page Two Books, Inc.
· Publication date: ‎March 31 2026
· Language: ‎English
· Print length: ‎248 pages
· ISBN-10:‎ 1774586924
· ISBN-13: ‎978-1774586921