Katie is the kind of idea generator/executor that befriends a fellow mom on a press trip, they toss around the idea of starting a high-style lifestyle site for modern mothers, and 8 months later they are celebrating their new media companies launch. Mother was founded by Katie, a longtime San Francisco-based writer and editor for sites including Refinery29, and James Kicinski-McCoy, who has long run her own successful blog, Bluebird, from her hometown of Nashville. Katie is also just the kind of person to make this cross-country, bare bones operation look like something coming out of a fully staffed New York media office—her eye for stunning photography, meaningful-yet-clickable stories and inspiring interview subjects have gained Mother a cult-like following in its short 2-and-a-half-years of life so far. And if running her own media brand (and churning out daily content for it) doesn't keep her busy enough, she still freelances about subjects close to her heart for the San Francisco Chronicle's Style section and has plans to launch a second independent project this fall. Oh, and did we mention she has a toddler? Three-year-old Diego is her other partner in crime, and they can often be found at the movies and getting lots of snacks, or in their local toy store picking out a new superhero.
Proud Moment: "I'm really proud of the way I was able to help build a community around mothers with both Mother and my local moms' club, Cool Moms Club (don't cringe at the name!), which I launched with Jeanne Chan a year before I started Mother. Our group currently has nearly 400 members, most of whom have ties to creative industries like fashion, design, photography, PR, and entrepreneurism in general. To create that local community and see how we've all been able to support each other's professional and personal lives is just remarkable. It is literally a life- and sanity-saver for so many of us trying to do 'the juggle' and it's been the gateway to some of my closest relationships."
Words of Wisdom: "Treat people how we wanted to be treated, and that money doesn't equal happiness. And that life is too short to be mean or dwell on the negative."
Photo credit: Michelle Drewes
