Kathryn Borel Jr. was born in 1979 in Toronto, the daughter of a hotelier. After several years she became the older sister to Nico, who was named after the family cat. She spent her early years living in hotels in Paris, Bermuda, Dallas and New Jersey, finally settling in Quebec City.

In 2002 she moved to Toronto to follow a man. The relationship ended.

She continues to live in Toronto with her extensive robot collection. In her decade-long journalism career, she has written and broadcast for many local and national top-rated programs on CBC Radio One, including Metro Morning, GO! and As It Happens. She was one of the founding producers of Q, where she holds the official title of “Producer” and the less official title of “Mayor of Awesometown.” She has a popular wine column on Ontario’s weekend morning show, Fresh Air. Corked is her first book.