What led me to this interview: I want to raise my daughters so that they know they can be anything…a scientist, a dancer, a teacher, an inventor, a doctor, an artist…we don’t care what they do, we want them to be passionate about their path. I try to find inspiration around me that helps me as a mom achieve this tone for our family. Kate T Parker is one of the inspirations that has helped SHOW my daughters that they can do and be anything. Kate a mom, wife, Ironman, professional photographer, and New York Times Bestselling author. Her book, STRONG IS THE NEW PRETTY proudly sits in our living room and I love nothing more than seeing my girls thumbing through it. Kate has worked with Disney, Athleta, Kellogg’s, and NBC. Her work has been featured in, O Magazine, Vogue, People, Good Morning America, Shape Magazine, Vanity Fair, ESPN.
Kate is blazing her own trail which led me to wonder how she became so driven and accomplished. In my Instagram creeping, I discover that her mom, Kathleen Taylor, is a trailblazing artist! When I looked through Kathleen’s profile, I remember saying out loud, “She gets it from her momma!” Kathleen was gracious enough to share her experience of mom life with me! The following are some of the lessons learned on Who Is Your Momma from the legendary Kathleen Taylor!
Kathleen Taylor is a force all her own! She has a vibrant spirit and she is the type of woman who makes you feel at ease immediately! Kathleen is an artist, a wife, a momma to 4, and a grandma to 9. She and her children are still very close today and get to spend time together often including summer getaways at the lake in Michigan.
Kathleen has a blended family and when her children were young her two daughters suddenly had two brothers. Katheleen spoke about how smoothly that blending was for her, her husband Frank, and their four children. For their family the transition was seamless. I can’t help but think that was coming from all the love and calmness that Kathleen so naturally exudes.
Kathleen always wanted her kids to know they were loved and that home was a safe place. What a wonderful feeling for a child to feel from their momma.
As she raised her kids, their household was busy, but Kathleen made sure that siblings always attended each other’s events whether they wanted to or not. It seems to me that this focus on family was of high importance to Kathleen from the start and still is to this day. Throughout their lives, they have continued family dinners with their extended family and today Kathleen’s four children are so supportive and close. It makes it pretty obvious that Kathleen passed that connection on to her children.
Raising her children, Kathleen would worry about high school drinking and “mean girls” but she discussed how she followed her instincts and focused on raising children who were trustworthy, kind, and loving. It’s ironic to me that Kathleen was worried about mean girls and today her youngest has created this amazing dialog about celebrating children just as they are. I am guessing there were many dinner time conversations about celebrating people for who they are.
Kathleen shares her experience with adoption and her oldest daughter, Megan, adopted her son Sam. The love and joy that adoption has been in their life is beautiful.
One of my favorite lines from Kathleen when she was talking about her daughter Kate, was “We always enable her to follow her dreams and ambitions, but never pushed her.” What a gift that is to give your children.
Kathleen is an incredible momma who raised an exceptional family. Thank you Kathleen for all of these wonderful lessons! You are one amazing Momma!
