.jpg)
Tell us about yourself.
Hello! I'm Katrina Alcorn. I’m the author of Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink. I live in Oakland, California with my husband and three kids.
How did you get to be where you are today?
I spend several years working in a fast-paced career managing a team of web designers for an award-winning agency in San Francisco. Shortly after my son was born and I returned to work in 2009, I become sick with the stress of trying to manage a demanding job and motherhood. I had to stop working for a year to recover. During that year I did a lot of soul-searching. Through my blog, I heard from hundreds of women around the country with similar stories of “maxing out.” This is what made me determined to publish a book about our collective experience of being overworked.
How do you help others be their best?
I want women to know that if they feel “maxed out” they’re not alone, it’s not their fault, and it doesn’t has be this way. Throughout my book I share examples of countries and companies that are finding innovative ways to help women balance careers and motherhood. Change is not nearly as impossible as it seems.
How do you help yourself be the best you can be?
I’ve learned the hard way to value my time, to say “no” to others’ requests even when I want to say “yes,” and to treat my health and emotional energy as the precious resource that it is. I’m lucky to work for myself now; I choose who I work with and have been blessed with great clients, and I have a lot more control over how I spend my time than when I was commuting to a full-time job.
Tell us about someone or something special in your life? My husband and kids are the light of my life. They make me want to be my best self.
What’s new in your life?
Since my book came out in September 2013, I’m starting to get intriguing invitations to do public speaking. I look forward to doing more of that in the year to come.
Have you ever been fired?
No, but I have fired others; it’s painful all around.
What are your real passions?
Writing. Yoga. Social justice. Chocolate. My family and friends.
If you won the lotto what would you do?
Write a novel, take my kids on a spectacular vacation, and buy my husband a Tesla.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
Write more books.
What do you like to do in your personal life?
Cook. Write. Read Exercise. Dance with my kids. Hike with friends.
Please give us one or two shameless plugs. Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink is available on paperback, ebook, and audiobook. Please read it and tell your friends about it!
Please give us one plug for someone else or your favorite cause or charity. I want everyone who is a mom or loves a mom to know about MomsRising.org—a national advocacy organization that is lobbying for paid parental leave, paid sick days, and other policies that would make life better for all American families. I’m donating 10% of the proceeds of Maxed Out to MomsRising, and urge you to give them $5, sign up for their newsletter, or sign one of their petitions.
Visit Kalcorn.com