Kathy Zucker

Award winning writer • startup founder • mom of 3

Speak Up

Support Your Community With Every Step You Take – Physiclo

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I am getting a ‪‎workout‬ standing here ‪‎talking‬ to you, I say. I am standing inside a ‪‎party‬ room at a movie theater. Moments before, the ‪‎dad‬ of the birthday ‪‎girl‬ offered me a chair. My ‪‎friend‬ gestured for me to take it, but I declined, pointing to my pants. Why? Because I am wearing special leggings with resistance bands built in. Every step I take gives me a workout and helps me build muscle. They are made by a ‪‎startup‬, one of the owners is a ‪‎fencing‬ ‪‎Olympic‬ ‪‎medalist‬. That is so cool, my friend says. And then? She starts talking about her new ‪‎business‬ venture and how she would ‪‎love‬ for me to get involved with it.

When is your ‪United Nations speech? my friend asks. In two weeks, I reply. That is why I am wearing these pants, because I need to get in shape. I have a series of ‪‎events‬ to attend beginning in March, and I need to step up my diet and exercise so I look good. The timing could not be better to receive these pants because I don’t get as much exercise in ‪‎NYC‬ winter as in summer.

Fitness is a constant challenge. For the last ten years, my workout routine has consisted of lifting toddlers and taking them for long walks. Each winter, I gain weight and lose muscle. Each summer, I grow lean, fit and tanned. So when I saw a Kickstarter campaign for my friend’s company pop up on my social media feed, I was intrigued. And the more I read? The more I knew I had to try a pair of resistance leggings.

Today, I wore my Physiclo pants for the first time. And the result? After a day of normal weekend activity, my legs are aching.

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 Through Art – Red Anvil Comics

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What does your husband think about your career? he asks. I pause. It’s hard, I respond. I am changing so quickly and moving so fast that he has trouble keeping up. He is getting whiplash. But this is what I have to do. People are copying my work. I am not the best mom. The best writer. The best anything, really. What do I do better than almost everyone? Speed and energy. That is actually how I was described for an awards ceremony, as an energetic entrepreneur. The people copying you won’t be able to keep up, he says. They will drop out. That has been my experience, I answer.

We are sitting at my dining table, sipping coffee. He has driven an hour to deliver the illustrations I commissioned as a special surprise for people very dear to me. When I put out the call for help, I had no idea what to expect. So when a graphic artist of his stature responded, I was stunned. And with each step of the process, my delight has increased. I watch the drawings take shape over a weekend. Faces are inked in black. Detail is added. Color. It is like watching people I love suddenly appear on a movie screen. His skill and years of training are evident with every stroke of the pen.

For the last six months, I have been thinking about how to make an impact at an annual sports event. Last year, my husband and I created art that caused everyone at the competition to race out to the local printer to make copies. This year? I want to make an impact that will awe and inspire everyone who sees it. And the best way to do that? Is to amp up the winning concept. I knew what I wanted to do, but had no idea how to execute it. So I did what I always do in a dilemma – I posted on social media. And the response? Stunned me.

People instantly began tagging friends. Within hours, I had multiple responses. Pitches on email. One stood out. We quickly friended each other on Facebook. Began chatting on messenger. And by the end of the day, I had a project plan, complete with budget and timeline.

And the results? Have far exceeded my expectations. Yesterday, I received the final illustrations by amazing graphic artist Dave Ryan of Red Anvil Comics. I cannot WAIT to share them with the people they depict – I am practically bursting with the surprise. But anticipation? Makes gifts extra sweet.

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

Combine Business and Art To Change The World – Laura Tuzio Ross

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I first met Laura Tuzio Ross in 2012, when a dear ‪friend‬ introduced us. For years, I had been hearing about her. To finally meet her and her three beautiful ‪daughters‬ was a wonderful experience. Because Laura’s ‪‎business‬? Is a ‪family‬ affair. On the day I attended a ‪doll‬ show where Laura was exhibiting her creations, her ‪mother‬, ‪kids‬ and the ‪boyfriend‬ of the oldest one were all in attendance. And they were all helping.

One year later, I picked up the ‪baby‬ doll that Laura ‪designed‬ to look like my youngest ‪child‬. To get a chance to hold my baby even when she is grown up is a ‪priceless‬ ‪gift‬. And what made it even more special was learning that her ‪daughter‬ helped create the doll that I took ‪home‬, by rooting the baby-fine hair.

Laura employs other moms in her ‪Philadelphia‬ workshop, and allows them to bring their ‪children‬ to ‪work‬. Being able to grow a business while helping other ‪parents‬ is an incredible gift to the world. My hat is off to Laura for her ‪‎amazing‬ ‪art‬ and business ‎skills‬.

People think that when you have a child, your world ends. And it does. But here is the thing. You get to go places you never would have gone without your child. I have spent endless hours in museums and kid spaces. And because of that, I now have business relationships with some of the largest companies in the world. Plus? I get to combine that with bits and pieces of my past, to create partnerships that are unusual and have significant reach.

When you attend kid events dressed for business, that is how people will treat you. You signal your intentions with what you wear. Every time you go somewhere, it is an opportunity to make a friend. And when you stay connected with those friends via social media? You build powerful relationships with people with different areas of expertise. Each of those friends is part of a knowledge pod that you may need once a year, once a decade, or never. But when you need information, it is super easy to activate a knowledge pod because the relationships are already in place. And this is a two-way street – when you share your knowledge with friends, it makes it much more likely you will get information when you need it.

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

Create Joy Everywhere You Go – Valentine’s Day

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I want to have a ‪Valentine’s Day party‬, my nine year old ‪daughter‬ says. I sigh. It is late at night. Can we revisit this in the morning? I ask. Okay, she replies.

The next morning, she begins ‪planning‬. ‪Homemade‬ sugar ‪cookies‬. Bowls of icing and sprinkles. ‪Painting‬ ceramic mugs. We set a small table with a flowered tablecloth. Tiny cups. Flowers floating in crystal bowls. As items are added to the table, she grows more and more ‪excited‬. I am going to shower and change into a party dress, she announces. Then I will invite my ‪friends‬.

Over the last seven years, my family has made friends with many nearby children. We never know what each day will bring. Today, the weather is bitterly cold. It is the easiest thing in the world to bring out the tables and chairs scattered all over the house and put them together in party configuration. I let my daughter take the lead in party planning since she has a much stronger artistic eye than I do for decorations and activities. She loves to give to other people, and to enlist her younger siblings in her efforts. And each time? She visibly grows in confidence.

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

Create a Life Plan Based On Past Experiences

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I want to be Emily when I grow up, the ‪‎toddler‬ says. She is holding a ‎toy‬ cellphone. A waist pouch containing lip gloss and ‪money‬. When she saw me giving her big ‪sister‬ a cellphone, she ran and got her toy. Will it fit in my pouch? she asks. Yes. I give her one of my ‪business‬ cards to keep with the phone. There. Now you have a waist pouch exactly like the one your sister wears when we go out on ‎adventures‬.

Having a ‪baby‬ who can keep up with the rest of the ‎family‬ is a huge part of why I have been able to accelerate my ‪career‬ while my ‎children‬ are young. When my ‪husband‬ and I discussed having a third ‪child‬, we held our breath. Would it be a ‪girl‬ who would sleep through the night at a young age like her sister? Or a ‪‎boy‬ who never slept? We would ‪love‬ a third child no matter what gender, but having a girl would be easier.

And at the twelve-week ‪pregnancy‬ ultrasound? We found out we were having a second ‪daughter‬. Who began sleeping through the night almost immediately after she was born.

Parenthood has taught me to expect nothing but be ready for anything. From time management to food shopping, every day is full of surprises. The first six years were an absolute nightmare. And I have bad days even now, nine years into parenting. But something happened when I hit the six year mark. Instead of being felled by surprises, I began to incorporate them into my routine. Kid refusing to go to school? Okay, sleep in while I work at the laptop a few feet away. It is actually easier to work when my toddler stays home since I do not have to deal with disruptions to drop her off and pick her up. I can stay in pajamas and feed her at intervals. Cook together. Work while she plays and naps.

Most expertise takes six years of constant work to develop. If you can survive the first six years of hands-on parenting, you may find that you have made an investment that lasts a lifetime.

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

Create Special Experiences Built On Past Joy – Liberty Science Center

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Wait for your sister, I say. You cannot enter without her. The older kids are running toward the ball exhibit. They spotted a new activity and cannot wait to try it out. An entire wall is covered with transparent tubes that suck soft balls upward and then dump them out for waiting kids to catch.

We are here to celebrate the opening of the new Star Wars exhibit. Talking movie props. Television cameras. Staff members and guests in costume to match cinema roles. I am hungry, my son says. We eat hamburgers and broccoli steps from R2D2. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed, my eldest daughter says. We are the last people here. We will come back next week to find the hidden Fabergé Egg.

I have spent most of the last decade at Liberty Science Center. My family became members when my eldest child was an infant, and as our family has grown, we have continued to visit favorite exhibits and explore new ones.

I would not be where I am in life without this organization and the amazing people who run it. They have supported every single aspect of my career, from startups to writer to public figure. So when I get a call to participate in one of their initiatives? I am happy to say yes.

Today, I was honored to be part of the group that welcomed Star Wars to the museum. And my kids? Cannot stop talking about meeting R2D2.

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