Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve me surrounded by my extended family while my mom would say, “Katy, tell that funny story about…” or “Katy, act out that SNL sketch with the Spartan Cheerleaders.” And I was all, “Mooooooom! That’s so embarrass…hang on, does anyone have a boombox? This is way funnier with music.”
And I guess you could say that’s why Katy in a Corner exists. It’s just an extension of a childhood spent performing. (See my video page for evidence.)
My Professional Background
Once upon a time, I wanted to be a motivational speaker. Actually, I was a professional motivational speaker for about 5 years.
Which is pretty hilarious when we consider what happened after motherhood:
Nothing says “motivational speaker” like sitting in a laundry basket wearing your pink, fuzzy slippers and eating Pringles…while your kid face plants in front of the suitcase that’s been hanging out in your kitchen for a few months.
Amiright?
Wait, we were talking about professionalism.
I have a BA in Telecommunications from the University of Georgia. I also studied abroad in England for a year as an Ambassadorial Scholar for the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. After college I worked for Monster.com and SkillPath seminars where I delivered hundreds of presentations to tens of thousands of students and professionals both in the US and the UK.
I also blacked out the first two times I spoke in public. Seriously. Fell. Over.
Just to give you a tangible example of how God likes to keep me humble.
My Family
In 2005 I married Brian, my high school sweetheart…
…and we began our lives together as a military family.
(How is this photo NOT on Awkward Family Photos yet?)
Brian is a pilot in the Air Force, and Top Gun was my favorite movie as a kid. So, we’re pretty hot for each other.
Which leads me to 2010 when I gave birth to our son J.J. while we were stationed in England. He was the type of baby no one wanted me to have because he was perfect. We carted this kid all over creation, and he never fussed.
(Who takes a baby to a bullfight?)
And then he became a toddler.
Joke’s on me.
In 2011 we had our daughter Averi while we were still in England. She is almost exactly 18 months younger than her brother, and we learned something very valuable through her conception. Sometimes the second pregnancy is much quicker than the first. And not all babies are created equal. Averi was what we like to call “expressive” from the start.
Extremely expressive.
She’s also a bit of a performer like her mama.
(I catch myself doing that cork thing pretty often, actually.)
I adore our little family. God has richly blessed me through them. But military life, marriage and motherhood hasn’t been all Skittles and beer for me. I had a miscarriage in January of 2013 at approximately the same time our marriage was on thin ice. I talked about that some here.
But by the grace of God (and that alone) we are here today as one, united family.
Stronger because of our trials, thankful for the friends and family who encouraged us through the valley, and in awe of God’s grace.
This Blog
What began as a way to fill some time while Brian was deployed became a community of friends who carried me through THE hardest times in my life. I honestly don’t know where I’d be today without the encouragement and prayers of my readers. I’m amazed by their thoughtfulness. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for their friendship. And I’m on a mission to continue to create a place where we can celebrate life, marriage and motherhood for what it truly is: hard, painful, joyful, hilarious, and totally worth it all.
Because of the community it has created, I have come to love KatyInACorner.com and hope to continue to pour my heart into it until God calls me to do something else. For that reason I strive to interact with my readers and potential sponsors as professionally as I can while still posting photos of myself in a laundry basket eating Pringles.
It’s a delicate balance.
In July of 2013—less than one year after I started Katy in a Corner—I realized a blogging goal of mine when I spoke at the BlogHer conference in Chicago.
My topic was “5 Vlogging Hangups and How to Overcome Them.” I basically gave everyone an encouraging slap on the butt and told them to go “like” me on Facebook.
It was a pretty special experience for everyone.
Contact Katy
For press or advertising inquiries, please email info@katyinacorner.com to request my Media Kit.
If you’d like to book me for your conference or event, please note that I won’t leave my family and hop on a plane without a few guarantees:
1) I require a giant screen that will magnify my face to 4,000 times its actual size (see above photo).
2) Yeah, I’m pretty set on the giant screen thing.
Seriously, though, I love to speak now that I no longer hyperventilate when I do it. Give me a shout at info@katyinacorner.com.