Meet Kate Jouglet

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kate Jouglet. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kate, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

In the fleeting moments of my toddlers’ nap times, I indulge my creative side in a quiet flurry, racing to complete my thought or project milestone before the next person cries for me. I can be found bustling through home improvement projects, writing articles for my blog, writing or illustrating a new children’s book, editing my videos or photography, cooking or baking, drawing digital art for my Etsy store, and my latest endeavor, developing a homemade laundry detergent business. I thrive in the busy moments of life, feeding my kids while hammering something to a wall, painting my cabinets with my two year old, or recording my next blog article using talk-to-text while on a walk with my kids. I sing and dance while doing the dishes. I find creativity in the mundane. I feel energized and enjoy having the mental space to exist and explore this creative time of life, an extreme contrast to two years ago.

I had moved cross-country with my husband just months prior, worked as a full-time corporate worker, and was dedicated to being the best first-time Mom. My husband is an airline pilot and travels several days a week overnight. I would be the sole caretaker for my infant, having sleepless nights several times in a row, and would still need to show up at work when it was hard to even find time to shower. My life was a big ball of nonstop responsibility with no room for creativity, my biggest mood enhancer. Things are so different now. I am lucky to have a supportive spouse that can financially support our family and feed my creativity often. In a role where many, including myself, feel or have felt lost, motherhood, I have finally figured out how to balance two babies, marriage, have fun, and still “fill my cup.”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I created the Hearth and Home of Kate brand to show viewers what life is like as a pilot wife and mom, both positive and negative. I also have different niches, like only baking and cooking gluten free foods, completing home projects independently, and being a “single married mom” when my spouse is traveling, all while still being a 27-year-old who enjoys pop culture, going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and rap music. My platform includes a Threadless shop where I sell clothes with photography from around the United States, Oden Owl’s Ordinary Day (my first children’s book for sale on Amazon), a WordPress blog, and an Etsy shop where I sell digital art for download. I am currently tidying the final details of my new homemade laundry soap business, Kate’s Homemade Laundry Soap by Hearth and Home of Kate. I am extremely excited to share the same natural soap I make and use on my own.
My story is different because my entire life was dedicated to a much different career prior to being a Mom. I grew up in rural central New York. As soon as possible, I moved out of state to Daytona Beach, Florida. I attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) where I earned an undergraduate degree in Homeland Security. I loved the art of disaster relief, emergency management, and business continuity (think grant writing, creating emergency plans, or finding ways to “back-up” a workplace if the location is no longer accessible).
I also met my love there. He proposed and we felt the “call of the west” after graduation. We moved to Prescott, Arizona, where we married, continued our studies at ERAU, and worked full time. Our stay in AZ reached its natural conclusion when we graduated, earned long-term jobs in Indiana, and were expecting our first baby. Once in Indiana, I worked a corporate job in my field-of-study for two years. Work and life balance was not easy for me with a pilot husband. When we were expecting our second child, it became evident we could not continue the lifestyle we had lived prior and maintain my mental health. After two degrees, three professional certifications, and working my way up to my corporate role, it was time for me to shift gears and focus on being a mom. This shift also illuminated the creative opportunities I had been craving. They are even more fulfilling and fun than I imagined. I am proud to show my kids that anyon can change the course of their life, shift goals, and follow their heart any time if the current life circumstances are no longer serving them. I am also proud of my spouse and thankful that he has the ability to provide for us financially.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Resilience, Adaptability, Confidence – Life is not always easy and never goes according to plan. Having the ability to keep going, adjust to the curveballs, and continue on just as sure of yourself as before is imperative. The sooner I realized no one really knows what they are doing so everyone is just doing their best and trying to figure out, the easier it was for me to feel confident.

While growing and improving, the best advice I can give comes from my Dad, always do something. If your application is turned down, submit one elsewhere. If you can’t find a career you are passionate about, try different jobs, internships, or interviews to help figure it out. Life will not change if you do not make it happen.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I face the same struggles as every other creator and entrepreneur, including wanting more social media and blog followers, book sales, and shop visits. However, the biggest obstacle I face is never having enough time or energy in the day to accomplish all of my personal goals. If I was awake most of the prior night with a sick baby, I try to give myself grace and accept that creative progress might not occur that day. Changing my expectations to welcome slow progress has been challenging for me since I am so ambitious and excited about new projects, but it’s necessary for my entire family’s physical and mental wellness.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Adrian Jouglet

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