Kathy Zucker

Award winning writer • startup founder • mom of 3

Speak Up

When The Next Generation Bonds, Your Community Grows – Cobra Fencing

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I don’t want to go to ‪fencing‬ ‪practice‬, my nine year old ‪daughter‬ complains. That is your ‪sport‬ and ‪Dad‬’s, not mine. You don’t have to ‪compete‬, I respond. But since you have to come anyway, we might as well bring your ‪equipment‬. And as soon as she arrives at the club and sees her ‪friends‬? She races to change into her gear and join them.

My eldest ‪child‬ has been fencing for the last five years. Her attendance has been sporadic. My ‪‎husband‬ and I do not enter her in tournaments since her coach does not think she is ready. But in the last six months, she has begun attending practice regularly. What has changed? She now has a steady ‪friend‬. The nine year old daughter of one of our oldest fencing friends has begun taking weekday classes. The two ‪girls‬ do footwork side by side. Are paired together in drills since they share similar size and ‪athletic‬ ability. They have met in the past, but seeing each regularly? Is the highlight of my daughter’s week. This is the reason why my ‪family‬ fences – because when the next generation bonds, our ‪community‬ grows.

Six months ago, I was walking into a store when I randomly encountered the mother of my daughter’s friend. She was leaving, I was entering. I reversed course and told the store greeter that I would be back. And then I spent the next hour shopping with my mom friend. Our families see each other from time to time over brunch and birthday parties. As the kids get older, we are getting busier. I missed the baby shower for her second child because I had to work. So this opportunity to spend time together? Was precious and not to be missed.

We tried on jewelry. Talked about the challenges of juggling career with children. And? We talked about our kids. We both have nine year old daughters. Everyone plays tennis in the area where my friends live, so my mom friend was wavering between enrolling her daughter in classes nearby or sending her to fencing practice. And that is when I made her a pledge. Standing on the sidewalk, I told her I would take care of her daughter at fencing like one of my kids. If we are at a tournament, I will help make sure she gets to her strip on time for pools and direct elimination bouts. As a former nationally ranked competitor and board member at multiple national and local fencing organizations, I have a lot of experience running and competing in competitions at all levels. Why am I doing this? To help the child of another fencing family. With both parents working in the corporate world, it is difficult for one of them to be physically present at events. But also? To give my daughter a reason to go to practice.

When The Next Generation Bonds, Your Community Grows

When kids see each other frequently, that is how friendships grow.

Posted by Kathy Zucker, Founder on Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Make Sundays Special For the Whole Family – Liberty Science Center Day of Drones

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Are you hungry? I ask. I thought you were asleep, ‪mom‬, my nine year old ‪daughter‬ responds. You only got one hour of sleep. That was two nights ago, I say. I got eight hours of sleep last night after I got ‪home‬ from the ‎UN‬ and now I am okay. What do you want for ‪Sunday‬ ‪breakfast‬?

Yesterday, I spent fifteen hours with ‪amazing‬ people at ‪the Speak Up Women conference. I walked to the train station in darkness, pulling my ‪pink‬ rollbag behind me. Bright lights spilled onto ‪NYC‬ sidewalks as ‪weekend‬ ‪partygoers‬ hailed taxis and entered restaurants. I thought about stopping for ‪dinner‬ but decided against it. The streets in the town where I live would be crowded with revelers celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. With an early morning on the horizon at ‪Liberty Science Center to watch model airplanes take to the sky both live and on film, the ‪best‬ move is to get home early.

Yesterday morning, it took me twenty minutes to get to the United Nations. At the last minute, I decided to call a car to take me into Manhattan rather than risk being late by taking the train. One of the reasons why I live in the New Jersey perched on the Hudson River is because of the proximity to Manhattan. A trip that would consume days for most people takes me minutes. And all the time I save? I can devote to caring for my young family.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Include Your Family In Your Endeavors – #FiveBook

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Is that my hand? the ‪toddler‬ asks. Dozens of oversized ‪‎color‬ prints of her hand touching mine are scattered across the bed, ready to be bound into the ‪book‬ excerpts I am creating to bring to the ‪United Nations‬. Yes, sweetie pie. Can I have one? she inquires. My immediate instinct is to say no. I promised to bring fifty copies. I can’t bring forty-nine. But as I look at her little face, I cannot say no. She has already asked to attend the conference where I am speaking, which is how I learned the UN has a minimum age limit of ten. None of my ‪‎children‬ can come. Here. This is your copy.

I have been ‪working‬ flat out ever since we brought our new ‪car‬ ‪home‬. I snatch moments to sleep and ‪#‎eat‬ before tackling project after project. Articles. Conference calls. I am constantly aware of the time remaining before my UN talk. Four days to go. Three. Will I finish on time? On the final day, I finish the last call minutes before I have to leave to pick the ‪kids‬ up from ‪school‬. The ‪plan‬ for the final hours lies before me in crisp black text on a white screen. I hit send on the email and head out the door.

Two years ago, I began writing a book. The goal? To share my experiences to help other parents create fulfilling careers while putting their families first. Today, the printer proofs sit on my laptop, awaiting my review. Once I sign off on them? Whenever anyone asks me what I do, all I will have to say is, read my book.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Find Friendship and a Career – Speak Up Women

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We invest in our friends. Our time. Our money in going out to eat and attending celebrations together. Our emotional energy. Many of our friendships grow out of situations where we are thrown into frequent contact with the same people. Classes. Activities. Jobs. We each have limited bandwidth, so we have to pick and choose where to invest our time. Several years ago, I made the decision to prioritize friendships with people who are on social media. Why? Because that way, when the person moves away – and inevitably, the person leaves – all that investment is not wasted. Instead of waving at each other when we pass on the street, we check in on each other via daily status updates, likes and comments. And when we see each other in person? It is like no time has passed.

I also began to strategically focus on spending high-quality time with the best of the best. What do I mean by the best of the best? People who are at the absolute top of their fields. In June 2015, I was the NYC ambassador for a blogging conference hosted by a renowned marketing agency. I spent thirty-six hours with fifty of the most influential bloggers in the United States. The results were extraordinary. I came away with five to ten friends. Some connected to me immediately on social media, others sent requests months later. Now these people make me laugh and cry every day on social media. When they share their lives, their experiences make me think and see different situations from different perspectives. We share professional knowledge – two days ago a friend messaged me asking for my advice on a contract negotiation. This is a gift beyond measure, one that is more valuable than money.

I am looking to repeat that experience this Saturday, March 5th at the Speak Up Women conference held at the United Nations. Full disclosure – I am a speaker on the Community panel and am debuting my book there. Today, Thursday, March 3rd, is the absolute last day to register (use coupon code SpeakUpWomenFlashSale to get 40% off the regular ticket price). There will be people from the film industry. Venture capital. Philanthropy. Every single person involved with the event is donating their time. Why? Because we believe in this event. Speaking up is a highly neglected skill. It takes a lot of practice to be good at it, yet it is something that most people avoid at all costs. Why? Because they do not want to be branded as a loudmouth. A troublemaker. So when a crisis happens – and inevitably, crises come to everyone at some point in our lives – they are powerless to stop it, or to at least mitigate the impact.

I post every single day on social media, transparently sharing my life. Why? Partly to inspire others. To make friends who support me during good times and bad. But also? To protect myself and my family. Every single time I post – and I have posted tens of thousands of times across over a dozen social media platforms over the last six years – I am building my reputation. One of the first things that people do when they meet me is google my name. And when they see the pages of results that appear, they know to proceed with caution. Having a world full of people who are on their best behavior around me? Can only be a good thing.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Repeat Positive Experiences – Subaru Forester

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Are you okay with ‎buying‬ a new ‪car‬? I ask. My ‪husband‬ shrugs. It’s not like we have a lot of ‪#‎options‬, he responds. Two weeks ago, we received a recall notice for our station wagon. An airbag has been recalled because it could explode, sending metal fragments through the car. The manufacturer has been quick to respond, offering my ‪family‬ a rental car and customer loyalty coupon toward the ‪purchase‬ of a new ‪vehicle‬.

A lifelong ‪NYC‬ resident, I got my license at age twenty-eight. I know my limits as a driver. And an unfamiliar rental car that I have no say in selecting? Is almost guaranteed to be a disaster, resulting in damage and expensive repairs. The ‪#‎choice‬ is clear. I call the manufacturer back and after a ‪discussion‬ that spans days, they agree to cancel the rental car and give us a larger ‪loyalty‬ coupon.

Did we consider a different manufacturer for our new car? Absolutely yes. But in the end, our prior ‪experiences‬ led us back to the same place. We ‎love‬ our station wagon. It has run flawlessly for nine years, requiring zero repairs. We are ‪happy‬ to repeat the ‪experience‬ with our new ‪SUV‬.

Are you trading in your old car? the car dealership representative asks. No, I respond. It’s worth barely anything. How many miles does it have? he asks. 31,000. That’s great for nine years! he responds. Why aren’t we trading in our car? Because there is so much damage to the exterior from impact with our parking column that the repair costs effectively lower the value to nothing. Also, we own a second indoor parking spot. Originally, we planned on buying a small car that I could use for work trips. A visit to a dealership quickly disabuses me of that notion. As my husband and I wander from car to car, our eyes are drawn to a small SUV. What do you think of this one? my husband asks. I have never before considered this model. But the more I think about it, the more I like it. The chassis is the same size as our station wagon, so I should be able to drive it. And with the higher roof height, the interior feels spacious enough for a growing family.

I look forward to many adventures filled with sunshine and joy.

Posted by Kathy Zucker on Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Friendship Leads to Success – Speak Up Women Conference

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There is one reason why I agreed to speak at the ‪Speak Up Women conference this Saturday 3/5. One. And that reason? Is the founder, ‪Jennifer Wilkov‬. I first met Jennifer through a ‪Jersey City mom who attended several of my ‪company‬’s ‪networking‬ meetings. Jennifer has constantly impressed me over the years with her ‎kindness‬, capability and professionalism. When she asked me to speak at her event, I said yes before I knew it was being held at the ‪United Nations.

When I quit my ‪job‬, I thought my world had ended. That I would never again ‪work‬ in a ‪corporate‬ environment. I started a ‪business‬ to keep my ‪career‬ alive. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I constantly thought about quitting, especially when I had two screaming ‪babies‬ throwing tantrums for reasons like I would not allow them to wear their shoes on the wrong feet. While I was on deadline, of course.

But then something happened. Life started getting easier. Why? Because I figured out ‪mom life thanks to the help of ‎amazing‬ people. And when my ‎kids‬ started ‪school‬? My new ‪friends‬ opened doors I never dreamed possible. I have been on national television numerous times. Published a book. Been photographed for a top magazine ad campaign. I won an international ‪social media‬ award that introduced me to amazing people all over the world. And all this? Happened because I am an ‪entrepreneur‬.

My favorite part of all those once-in-a-lifetime ‪experiences‬? Was sharing. I have brought friends on television every single time I have gone on camera. I share my knowledge. My connections. Help people avoid making mistakes. If I can change the life of someone who is doing something ‎incredible‬, I do everything I can to ‪help‬.

I am looking forward to meeting amazing people at the absolute top of their fields at the Speak Up Women conference this Saturday, March 5th. And I am especially looking forward to spending one-on-one time with one special ‪friend‬, who will get to take ‪home‬ the only existing copy of the final manuscript of my ‪book‬, Five: How a ‪Family‬ Can Create a Career.

To get my time and manuscript, you must be registered for the conference by midnight TONIGHT, Sunday 2/28. Click here to register.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.