We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Fenske a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Katie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I was a classroom elementary school teacher prior to becoming a mom. Being a working mom was a very challenging transition to me. I moved to an independent study charter school when my oldest son turned one. This teaching position was great because it offered me the flexibility to be a more, more so than when I was a classroom teacher.

But, after having my 3rd son and with all the changes in the charter school world and Covid, I did not feel that elementary education was where I was meant to be anymore. My passion for being a mom and helping other moms started pulling me out of teaching.

One night, while I was sharing these feelings 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 instantly, 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 my answers.

I started my own blog and social medias accounts where I shared my motherhood stories with the hope that I could bring awareness to the reality of motherhood. I called my blog “Burnt Pancakes” because of a phrase my shared with me several years back. After a really hard afternoon with my oldest son, I vented 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 I had been feeling about getting everything right the first time and has become my message to other moms.

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 felt confused and alone. Because of my experience potty training two boys already, I felt pretty confident giving them advice.

When it came time to potty train my 3rd son, I decided to document it for my YouTube channel and social media. I started my TikTok and Instagram accounts called @itspottytime where I posted short videos with tips on potty training. What I discovered was that thousands of moms were struggling with potty training and there really wasn’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 consultations to parents in need of support. If felt so right to talk with parents that were frustrated and struggling and to give them confidence that they could succeed. This was the support I needed when I was a first time mom.

In 2022, I left my teaching career of 17 years to go all in with supporting moms. I continue to take 1:1 clients and am working on a digital potty training course.

Following my vision to “talk with moms,” I launched my podcast in 2023 called Burnt Pancakes: Momversations. It is a place for moms to feel heard, learn so new tips, get advice from women who have been in their shoes, and realize that we are all just burning our first pancakes along the way.

Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I call my potty training business It’s Potty Time. My goal is to make the potty training process easier for modern day parents.

Parents today are dealing with so much more than parents of the past. Most moms are working moms and their children attend day care or preschool. The demands of society and the “Three Day Potty Training Method” don’t allow for potty training mistakes or the time it takes to potty train. And with big diaper brands advertising their Pull-ups as a tool for potty training (THEY ARE NOT) many parents end of feeling like failures.

By holding parents’ hands through the process and offering a research based method, I help parents navigate all steps potty training.

Most importantly, I have been in these parents’ shoes so I know exactly how they feel when they confess that they are frustrated or they think they “messed up.” Side note: no parent messes up, we are all just learning as we go.

Not only do I offer free resources through my social media videos, digital downloads and blog posts, I also offer 1:1 consultations over Zoom or telephone. Many parents opt for my package that includes texting messaging with me because they enjoy the daily support and ability to check-in during each phase of the process.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Having come from a teaching background, starting my own business at the age of 41 was not something I had planned on doing. But when something inside you just yearns for something more, you have to have the courage to listen to that voice.

As a mom to three young boys I had to figure out how to create a website, how to set up a scheduling system and collect payments, how set up an email list and landing pages, how to record and upload podcasts and most difficult of all, how to find the courage to show my face on social media.

But to be honest, everything can be figured out if you really want to and google has all the answers if you just have the courage to search.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

If you are a woman that knows you are meant for more, my advice is to go for it. Even if you aren’t sure what it will look like in the end, keep taking baby steps until the answers are revealed. It took almost a year and a half of working on my business on the side before I took the leap to quit my teaching job but it something I am most proud of.

When I was still teaching, I took ever second of free time I had to write blog posts. I remember staying up way too late working on my website because I new I had to get out of teaching if I was going to live my dream life.

It took a long discussion with my husband and a thorough look at our finances before I made the scary decision to quit a job that was dependable, consistent and paid well.

The week after I submitted my resignation letter, I received my first paying client and in the next few months, things took off. I am still in the growing phase of my business but I am grateful for the time I had while I was teaching to work on it as a side gig and now the opportunity to expand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://burntpancakes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itspottytime/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyoKUjaAUVV6zmaQU3BE8Qw
• Other: Podcast: Burnt Pancakes: Momversations Email: katie@burntpancakes.com TikTok: @itspottytime_

Image Credits
Bethany Jean Photography