When I first met Katia at Belleair Coffee, I was immediately impressed by her passion for helping others feel comfortable with technology. During our conversation, she showed me just how simple—and fun—it could be.

I had never considered creating a song, especially since singing isn't one of my talents. Katia asked me a few questions about the story I wanted to tell and the style of music I enjoyed. Using just a couple of apps and my answers as prompts, she created an original song in a matter of minutes.

To my surprise, it was actually really good! More importantly, the experience demonstrated exactly what Katia does so well: she takes technology that may seem complicated or intimidating and makes it approachable, useful, and even a little exciting.

For Katia Mesquita, technology has never been something to fear. It’s something to explore.

Her curiosity started at eight years old, when she figured out how to program the family VCR to record her favorite television shows while she was at school. Decades later, that same curiosity—and a natural love of teaching—has inspired her newest adventure: Screenside Guide.

Screenside Guide provides patient, one-on-one assistance with computers, tablets, and smartphones. Katia helps clients with everything from video calls, photos, and printing to exploring newer technology such as artificial intelligence.

Her philosophy is refreshingly simple: no jargon, no rushing and no silly questions.

“I meet clients exactly where they are,” Katia says. “If they want something handled, I take care of it. If they want to learn, I walk them through it step by step.”

Originally from Brazil, Katia spent more than a decade working as an attorney before coming to Florida in 2019 to visit her son, Erick, who was attending high school here. Then COVID arrived, disrupting life and work around the world.

That unexpected pause became an opportunity for Katia to reconsider her own path. Rather than completing the requirements to practice law in Florida, she decided it was time to discover work she genuinely loved.

The answer had actually been there all along.

No matter what she was doing professionally, Katia found herself teaching and coaching others. At the same time, technology had remained a lifelong fascination. Completely self-taught through books, articles, and plenty of hands-on experimentation, she realized she could combine the two.

Screenside Guide was born.

Today, Katia leads the teaching and client experience while Erick, now 23, a finance student and certified IT technician, supports the technical side.

Interestingly, this technology-loving family also appreciates knowing when to turn it all off.

They intentionally enjoy device-free breakfasts and walks and even go primitive camping on a private ranch in Brooksville, where internet service is nonexistent. Their adventures include cooking over a fire, stargazing, and enjoying conversation without screens. Even their cat, Satoshi—named after Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto—joins them, appropriately leashed when exploring outside the tent.

For Katia, Screenside Guide isn't about making clients dependent on technology—or on her.

“My goal isn't to make someone rely on me,” she explains. “It’s to help them grow so confident that if they still choose to work with me, it’s for convenience, not dependence.”

That may be what makes her approach particularly appealing. Technology can change remarkably fast, but Katia believes nobody should feel pressured to keep up with everything.

Instead, she wants clients to discover what technology can do for them, at their own pace.

After a career that has taken several unexpected turns, Katia believes she has finally found the common thread connecting them all: teaching, curiosity, and helping others.

And with Screenside Guide, she's putting all three to work—one screen, one question, and one patient step at a time.