Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Fenske.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was a classroom elementary school teacher prior to becoming a mom. I moved to independent study charter school teaching after my oldest son was ine. This job was great because it offered me more flexibility to be a mom than when I was in the classroom. But, after having my 3rd son and with all the changes in the charter school world and with Covid, I did not feel that elementary education was where I was meant to be anymore.
One night, while I was sharing this feeling with my husband, he asked me a life-changing question. He asked, “If you didn’t teach, what is it that you really like to do?” My response came out of my mouth almost involuntarily, almost as if my heart were speaking for me. I answered, “I like talking with other moms and helping them on their journey.” At the time this made no sense but over the next few months, I started to get answers.
I eventually started my own blog and social media account where I shared my motherhood stories with the hope that I could bring awareness to the reality of motherhood. I wrote about what it was like going back to work after my maternity leave ended, how I felt when my oldest son lost his first tooth, and the craziness that comes with raising 3 boys. I felt good opening up about my life and finding that other moms could relate.
I called my blog “Burnt Pancakes” because of a phrase a friend of mine shared with me several years back. After a really hard afternoon with my oldest son, I was venting with her about what a failure I felt at potty training him and she said, “Don’t worry Katie, everyone burns their first pancake.” That phrase helped me drop the mom guilt and shame I had been feeling about getting everything right the first time.
Right around the time I was about to potty train my third son, out of the blue, I kept getting people coming to me for advice. As a mom who struggled with potty training my first son, I felt so much empathy for these moms who were struggling and feeling confused and alone. Because of my experience with potty training two boys already, I felt pretty confident giving them advice but from a nonjudgmental and supportive viewpoint.
When it came time to potty train my 3rd, I decided to document it for YouTube and social media. I started my own TikTok and Instagram accounts called @itspottytime, where I posted short videos with the tips that helped me with potty training. What I discovered was that thousands of moms were struggling to potty train their children, and there really isn’t much help out there.
I decided to go all in and take the training to become a certified trainer. Following that certification, I started offering 1:1 virtual and telephone consultations to parents in need of potty training answers. It felt so right to talk with these parents that were frustrated and struggling and give them confidence that they would succeed. I offered the ongoing support that I wish I had had eight years ago.
I continue to offer virtual consultations but have added a digital potty training guide and am working on creating a digital course that will walk through every step of the potty training process and answer ALL the questions I get from my 1:1 clients.
In the spring of 2023, I also launched my own motherhood podcast. This is something that I have wanted to do since the time my husband asked me what I really liked to to. Chatting with fellow moms and getting to hear their stories simply lights me up. My podcast is called Burnt Pancakes: Momversations and it’s a place for moms to feel heard, learn so tips and advice from moms who have been in their shoes, and realize that we are all just burning our first pancake!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There has been a lot of figuring things out on this journey. I definitely had to get used to showing up on social media, something that was so new to me. In a sea of hugely successful social media influencers it’s hard to not feel like you are a tiny fish in a big pond but what keeps driving me is the thought that there is that one mom out there that needs my help.
I am grateful for my background as a distance learning teacher because it made starting a virtual consultation business so much easier. What I have come to understand is that as a solo entrepreneur, you have to figure out a lot on your own, but there isn’t anything that Google or YouTube can’t answer, you just have to look.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a certified potty trainer offering virtual 1:1 consultations where I walk parents through the potty training process. Most families have already attempted to potty train their child, and it isn’t going well. I listen to them to learn about their family and specific child’s personality and needs. From there I help address the issue and come up with a plan to get potty training back on track. Following the meeting, I offer additional text messaging support. I think this is especially helpful for parents because the potty training can feel long and frustrating so I want them to have me to fall back on.
One mom said she felt like she was texting with her bff who she wasn’t afraid to open up to.
What sets me apart from others is that I have definitely been in the shoes of my clients. Potty training my own kids wasn’t a piece of cake. I never want parents to feel like they are wrong or are messing up. For many, this is their first time doing this so of course, it is completely new for them. I let parents open up to me in a nonjudgmental space but give them the answers they need to be successful.
The feeling I get when a parent says at the end of a meeting, “Gosh, it was so nice talking this through with someone. I feel like I can breath a sigh of relief,” or when I get a client who texts me, “He pooped in the potty today!!!!” is the reason I do this work!
How do you think about luck?
There has been a lot of hard work on this journey, and I believe I have manifested this space that I am in right now. Back when I first said I wanted to help moms, I didn’t know exactly what that would look like, but I kept that feeling in my heart. Every time I book a new client or someone signs up for my free resource, I feel like I am here to make a difference for them.
Pricing:
- $125 (1 hour virtual/phone consultation, 30 days text messaging, 30-minute optional follow-up call, digital resource bundle)
- $75 (45 minute virtual/phone consultation, digital resource bundle)
- $12.99 Digital Potty Training Guide
Contact Info:
- Website: burntpancakes.com
- Instagram: @itspottytime and @burntpancakeswithkatie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itspottytime
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyoKUjaAUVV6zmaQU3BE8Qw
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burnt-pancakes-momversations-conversations-for-imperfect/id1669807930
Image Credits
Bethany Jean Photography (potty training pictures) Oak and Poppy Photography (last two outdoor pictures)
