What is your life’s purpose?
My purpose is to improve the lives of mothers while living a beautiful life of my own.
How are you living your purpose?
I’m on a mission to reduce the pain points mothers experience in their lives. Ten years ago, I launched a company called The Mom Complex, where my team and I work alongside the largest product manufacturers and retailers in the world to study external pain points (getting dinner on the table every night, finding what you need at the grocery store, breastfeeding a newborn, etc.) into new products and services that make their lives easier.
Our work has led to organic baby food that babies actually like, packable toys for busy families on the go, and shopping carts that hold infant car carriers without obstructing your view of the store.
However, not every pain point can be solved with a new product, experience, or service. My research shows mothers experience two types of pain points: external and internal. External pain points are the things others can solve for you, such as overly complicated dinner recipes and toys with too many small pieces that are easy to lose. Internal pain points are those you must solve yourself. These include the mean voice in your head that’s constantly criticizing your every move, your lack of confidence in your decisions, and your inability to love yourself as unconditionally as you love your children. I wrote Slay Like a Mother: How to Destroy What’s Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Want
How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose through personal pain. For twenty years, I suffered at the hands of what I refer to as my “Dragon of Self-Doubt.” Despite both personal and professional success, from the time I was a teenager to well after I gave birth, I lived with the deep-seeded warped belief that I wasn’t good enough and that I always needed to do and accomplish more in order to be loved.
Eventually, I went through years of therapy, read dozens of self-help books, and binged on Oprah episodes every chance I could. Along the way, I discovered I was desperate to impress other people because I was so unimpressed with myself. And then I decided that nonsense had to stop. I did the hard work and the homework to learn to love myself, mistakes and all, and now I’m helping women around the world do the same. It’s incredibly rewarding to help moms slay their dragons of self-doubt, and I’m living proof that it can be done.
What advice do you have for purpose seekers?
Follow the things that fill you with life and energy. Several years ago, after speaking to a crowd of 250 women about how to eradicate the pain points in their life, I sat in my car in the parking lot and cried—a lot. I knew those women needed to hear what I had to say as much as I needed to say it and I decided to make moments like those my purpose in life. So, put yourself out there, start doing things that make you uncomfortable, get vulnerable, and see what happens. Oprah always says that your purpose is where your passion meets the world’s great need. Keep your eyes open for the needs of others and how your passion can align to make the world (and your own life!) a better place.
Skiing with my family
What resources do you recommend?
If you want to see if the negative voice in your head is the meanest mean girl you know, check out this video. If you want to know that you’re not alone in your battle to love yourself, watch my TED talk on the topic. If you want to learn to slay your dragon of doubt and come out victorious on the other side, read Slay Like a Mother: How to Destroy What’s Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Want
Connect with Katherine Wintsch
Websites:
https://momcomplex.com
https://www.slaylikeamother.com
Book:
Slay Like a Mother: How to Destroy What’s Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Want
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/SlayLikeaMother
https://www.instagram.com/slaylikeamother/
https://www.facebook.com/momcomplex
https://twitter.com/themomcomplex
https://www.instagram.com/themomcomplex/
KATHERINE WINTSCH is an internationally recognized expert on the topic of modern motherhood. The majority of her expertise comes from studying the passion and pain points of mothers around the world—the rest is accumulated from a little trial and a whole lot of error while raising her own two children with her husband in Richmond, Virginia.
As the founder and CEO of The Mom Complex, Katherine and her team help develop innovative new products, services, and marketing strategies for the world’s largest mom-focused brands, including Walmart, Babyganics, Pinterest, Kimberly Clark, and the Discovery Network.
Katherine’s sought-after research and expertise have been featured by Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company, and she regularly writes about the topic of motherhood on her popular blog, In All Honesty, and for Working Mother magazine.
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