We caught up with Katherine Wintsch, founder and CEO of The Mom Complex; a regular blogger for the Huffington Post and Working Mother; 2015 Richmond Christmas Mother; RFM contributor; and published author.
While her two young children don’t always listen to her, many of the nation’s leading brands hang on Katherine’s every word. Companies such as Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, and LEGO trust Katherine and her team to reveal the good, bad, and ugly behind motherhood and then turn those insights into compelling new products and services for mothers.
Although Katherine loves making an impact in the world of marketing, her true passion is impacting the lives of mothers directly. Blogging for major media outlets has helped her connect with a larger audience nationally. As the Christmas Mother, Katherine had an opportunity to help families struggling here in RVA. Katherine’s experience as a business owner allowed The Christmas Mother Fund to collaborate with local companies to maximize fundraising in 2015.
“Forty percent of children in Richmond live under the poverty line, so each and every gift counts,” Katherine said. “Those $5 bills add up, providing toys, coats, bikes, hot meals, Santa visits, and holiday festivities for hundreds of our less fortunate neighbors.”
Keep reading to learn more about CEO, mother, advocate for children and families, author, and 2015 Richmond Christmas Mother Katherine Wintsch.
Mountains or beach? Yes, I married a guy from Switzerland, and yes I still say beach. Opposites attract.
Dogs or cats? Cats. I think animals licking people is weird.
What book is on your nightstand right now? I only read self-help books. The current one on my nightstand is You’ll See It When You Believe It by Wayne Dyer.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what food would you want to grow on trees? Brussels sprouts – but only if there was an oven, some olive oil, and lots of bacon also on the island.
Same island – what’s the one tech gadget you would want with you? My iPhone. Are there other gadgets?
What’s the last live performance – musical, play, or concert – you attended in Richmond? Grace Potter at Innsbrook. I took my 8-year-old daughter for date night.
What is your favorite way to spend a rainy Sunday? On the couch, under a blanket, beside the fire, binge watching Scandal, Homeland, or House of Cards.
What is your favorite vacation spot? Los Cabos, Mexico…just me and my hubby. Yes, we’re selfish enough to vacation by ourselves once a year.
What is your energy source? My passion for life and doing things that have never been done before.
Favorite family outing? Taking our children out to my parents’ farmhouse in King William County and watching them ride four wheelers with their cousins while we sip beer on the front porch.
Readers will be surprised to know…I love studying Buddhism and practicing meditation. I have a beautiful statue of the Buddha sitting in my kitchen window that my 90-year-old grandfather carved out of wood for me.
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Have you seen Katherine’s TEDxRVA talk from 2013? Unmasking Motherhood is an origin story of sorts for Katherine’s marketing consulting firm, Richmond-based The Mom Complex.
Slay Like a Mother by Katherine Wintsch will be released in March 2019. In the meantime, Katherine and her team are building a digital experience – visit SlayLikeaMother.com – that will share wisdom and experience from mothers who have played everything from the negative voice in their head to saying no and meaning it to dealing with divorce.
As a contributor to RFM, Katherine writes about the challenges of motherhood in In All Honesty.
