From SAHM to School Founder: Kate Kennedy’s Purposeful Reinvention
Description
In this episode, Sharon Macey welcomes Kate Kennedy — writer, minister, nonprofit founder, and mom of four. Kate’s path has taken her from TV producer to ministry, to founding the Boyce Ansley School in Atlanta for children experiencing homelessness. Her debut memoir, Once Upon a School: A Story of Dreaming Big, Falling Hard, and Bouncing Back shares the grit and heart behind that extraordinary journey.
Kate opens up about her years as a stay-at-home mom, the identity shifts of raising four kids, and how “mom skills” became her foundation for leadership. Today, as Minister in Community at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and a doctoral student in creative writing and public theology, she continues to explore faith and purpose in new ways.
Sharon and Kate discuss the power of noticing just one person’s need, finding your voice, and the surprising ways motherhood equips us for leadership. It’s a conversation about reinvention, falling hard, resilience, and how embracing “just being” can be the most radical act of all.
[00:00 ] Introduction
[02:39 ] Meet Kate Kennedy
[02:48 ] Choosing to stay home and embracing motherhood fully
[05:13 ] Identity shifts and the crisis of “who am I now?”
[08:57 ] The moment that sparked the idea for a school
[12:05 ] Founding the Boyce Ansley School for children without housing
[14:00 ] Balancing family life while launching a nonprofit
[15:55 ] Transferable mom skills that became leadership superpowers
[18:40 ] Writing Once Upon a School and what the journey taught her
[35:44 ] Kate’s MORE and the power of simply being
Meet my guest Kate Kennedy:
Website: KateKennedyWrites.com
Instagram: @kate_kennedy_writes
Book: Once Upon a School: A Story of Dreaming Big, Falling Hard, and Bouncing Back. Barnes & Noble: https://go.sylikes.com/eY7COy6iyWhG (Also available on Amazon and Bookshop.org)
Looking for More? Join the Mom To MORE® Community and grab your freebie: 6 Ways To Reinvent Yourself Beyond Motherhood at momtomore.com
Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook and now on Pinterest. @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.
Keep an eye out for episode #47 of the Mom to MORE® podcast where Sharon joined by Leah Steinkirch, COO of Prowess Project. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥