Hi Katie, tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do, how old are your children and what happens with your kids when you are at work?
I’m Katie, mum to a wild child – Rafferty, who is 2 (and a half – apparently the ‘half’ is very important!) and 2 equally as wild rescue dogs – it’s a pretty wild house. We live in Dubai and I own a ‘tablescape-in-a-box’ and tableware company – Lavender & May, which I set up 8 months ago.
Rafe isn’t at nursery yet due to the pandemic, but hopefully he will be able to start after the summer. We’re lucky enough to have a full time, live in nanny who absolutely supports me being a working mum. My husband travels a lot too so it’s key for me to have someone who I can absolutely trust to keep things ticking along as smoothly as they possibly could be!
1. One word to describe how being a WoMo makes you feel?
Happy!
When Rafe was first born, I wondered how I could ever go back into my previous career – I was Head of PR for Harvey Nichols in the Middle East, and really felt like I had lost my identity. When I started L&M, I felt myself again and it all just clicked back into place!
2. What’s the funniest experience you have had juggling kids and work?
My little one is quite opinionated (!), and over our lockdowns, we have had people come and collect their orders, when Rafe would see them, he would shout ‘go away people, this is my house!’. Totally mortifying when you’re trying to look like you have it all together! Or the standard, runs into my office naked whilst I am on video calls!
3. What is the one piece of advice you could offer another WoMo?
Make your time count! I try to make sure that every working hour I’ve scheduled, I get everything I need to do done, and then every ‘mum hour’, I am entirely dedicated to Rafe. I try not to let the 2 spill into each other, but sadly, it’s not always possible. He’s still young enough that he doesn’t mind too much if we’re in the warehouse packing orders together if we absolutely need to be.
4. What’s the least amount of sleep you’ve gone to work on and how did you cope?
Probably less than an hour! Rafe is a terrible sleeper and my husband travels frequently to the US as he works for a US Government Agency so if Rafe isn’t awake and kicking me in the back, my husband is calling me from the US to ask about my day (forgetting it’s a 9 hour time difference for us!). I think I’m used to the lack of sleep from my previous career – runway shows and events meant for pretty late nights!
5. What have you learned about yourself as a WoMo?
I’m far more capable than I think I am! I think all women realise just how capable they are when they become WoMo’s. I never realised just how much I could actually do, and achieve in a day – sleepless nights, breakfasts for everyone, pack snack bags and get my little dude ready, plan his day, brief the nanny, prep lunches and then get ready and start my day! I’m constantly in awe of working mums, and all they achieve, and then get a small sliver of pleasure when I realise that I’m included in that too!
6. If you had a working mother’s anthem or mantra, what would it be?
In the words of Elsa, just ‘let it go’. Don’t let a bad hour become a bad day, or a bad day become a bad week!
7. What is your guilty pleasure to combat WoMo guilt the best?
A glass of wine and a good chat to friends in the same position about how tough things can be. Or a really good couple of quality hours with Rafe doing something he loves – whether it’s a trip to the beach, a swim or ordering him an ice cream and sitting in the garden, then some really precious alone time with a chilled wine and a great book.
8. Would you rather be dealing with a tantrum or presenting in a board meeting?
I’ve spent the day today in tantrum town so… a board meeting every day of the week. No CEO is as scary as my little one in the midst of a tantrum!
9. If you asked your child what your job is, what would they say?
‘mummy makes things pretty!’
10. What’s the one thing you wish you’d known before you became a WoMo?
That some days, things will just go to sh*t! And just to go with the flow, you can’t achieve everything in a day, and be everything to everyone. And that’s ok. It will all even out in the end!
11. To date, what has been your best WoMo achievement?
Lauching Lavender & May, during a global pandemic, when we were all really trapped at home. Rafe was climbing the walls with cabin fever, my husband was on constant (loud) video calls and I was there trying to build a website over Zoom with people I had never worked with before, juggle a frustrated 2 year old and source products I couldn’t touch and see over the internet and relying on pictures and a heck of a lot of trust that the products would be how they were described when they arrived. But somehow, it all worked out and things are going well!
12. What do you want to teach your kids about working mothers?
That whether your mum works in a board room, a home office or as your mum, it’s all work and there’s no right, and no wrong. Different situations work for different people!