We recently connected with Mary Catherine Thampi and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary Catherine, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

One of my fondest memories of my childhood home is watching butterflies flutter around the lantana flowers lovingly planted by my mom, Mary. I loved observing butterflies and quickly realized their similarities to women. Just as butterflies are intricately patterned and beautiful, my mom always encouraged me to become the unique woman God created me to be-even allowing my individuality to shine in the clothing I selected.

Much like a butterfly trying to emerge from its cocoon, I endured a season of adversity in my late teens and early 20’s which resulted in me becoming a stronger and more confident woman. It was during this time of personal transformation that I began working in women’s retail fashion which proved to be a deeply healing place for me. Not only was I becoming a butterfly, but a metamorphosis was demonstrated each time a lady stepped out of a dressing room -in walked a caterpillar and out walked a butterfly feeling confident and beautiful.

Seeing this dramatic change in others sparked my passion to encourage and build confidence in women through clothing. My goal with Mary Monarch is to provide a safe and supportive place to help you express yourself so you may soar in every season of life. We want to help you discover the individual style that aligns with who you are and who you want to be. Mary Monarch desires to encourage women to FLY WITH CONFIDENCE in all aspects of life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Back in college, my Small Group Leader/Mentor from growing up, opened a boutique and offered me an opportunity to work at her store. During my time here, I was able to see the positive effect that fashion had on the women who shopped at the boutique. I witnessed an almost tangible increase in confidence as a woman would enter the store, and we were able to help lead her to finding clothes that aligned with her unique style.

At Mary Monarch our goal is to provide unique, stylish, and distinctive pieces. Our lines are curated to allow a broad range of ages/preferences to shop. We aim to not just be an online retail store but to provide a personalized customer experience that is positive and encouraging. We hope to create a safe space for women to find their own unique style.

We understand that all women today face a lot of pressure and challenges in life that may negatively impact their confidence. Fashion alone cannot solve these problems but can play a role in restoring confidence. When women are able to think positively towards themselves, it changes EVERYTHING.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the obstacles that I endured during my season of adversity was overcoming a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a car while running. During my sophomore year at the University of Arkansas, I was training for a half-marathon, when I decided to go for a run on a beautiful October day! During my run, I came to a street crossing with four lanes and a crosswalk. I pressed the button for the walk signal, and as it was my turn, I began to cross the street where the first 3 cars stopped, however, the 4th car didn’t. I floated in and out of consciousness, but what I do remember is just praying to God and asking for His help. I was transported to the hospital where my major injury was a severe concussion/brain Injury. Some of the challenges I faced, as many people who suffer severe concussions experience, was continual neck pain and headaches, anxiety, decreased confidence, trouble with school, concentration and memory changes. I have undergone orthopedic injuries with ACL reconstructive surgeries on both knees, however, experiencing a traumatic brain injury was a new challenge for me. During my recovery, I discovered hot yoga that proved to be a very positive space for me, as I saw many benefits both physically and mentally. From a physical standpoint, it helped with the tension in my body from the continual headaches and neck aches, along with my flexibility. The mental benefits I experienced included helping with anxiety and stress, along with improving my focus and concentration! Hot yoga had such a positive impact on my recovery that I decided to become a hot yoga instructor years later, as a way to give back to others. Another impactful opportunity that proved to be healing for me was working in retail fashion sales. It was a rewarding experience, as I was able to encourage women in finding their own style, which in turn, helped build their confidence. Since confidence was something I struggled with in my season of adversity, it was fulfilling to be able to foster their confidence! It was such a joy to be able to support them not only in their style transformation, but also to be a part of their life journey! Healing and recovering from this injury was challenging, however, I’m beyond grateful for the support of my family, friends, and medical professionals during this season, and most importantly, God who ultimately showed a miracle on that October day.

During my season of adversity, it showed me the importance of leaning into your Faith and having encouragement from a strong support system! As my dad always told me, we can’t always control what happens to us, however, we can control how we react and respond! This is something that has stuck with me, and I want to use my story to encourage other women! My mission with Mary Monarch is to encourage women to fly with confidence in all seasons of life! I’m launching my clothing brand, Mary Monarch, in October 2023, which will be the 10 year anniversary of this life changing experience! If you can turn your pain into a purpose to encourage others, it’s all worth it!

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My cofounder/business partner is my amazing husband, Justin. Mary Monarch has definitely been a vision the Lord has put on my heart for a long time, however, Justin was the person who really pushed and encouraged me to step into founding the business! He has been such an instrumental support and encouragement through this whole process, and I give him and God the credit!

Justin and I actually met in surgery! I previously had a career in medical device sales in orthopedics and my husband, Justin is an anesthesiologist. We had a mutual friend that worked at one of the hospitals that we both worked at, and she tried to set us up, as she thought we would be a perfect fit! She texted a picture of myself to Justin, and he respectfully responded that I was beautiful, however, he was currently dating someone. Fast forward 6 months, and we happen to be working in the same operating room. I was working with the orthopedic surgeon, as I represented the product he needed for his patient, and Justin was administering anesthesia. I was conversing with the surgeon, and all of a sudden, Justin starts to pipe into the conversation and intercepts the discussion. He was intentional in the conversation, and after surgery, we formally introduced ourselves and then realized, wait, this was the person I was supposed to be set up with! I thought he was so sweet and cute, that when I got home after work, I searched for a picture of him online and sent it to my mom and best friend, and was like look who I met today!! We followed each other on social media (and Justin would DM me on many of my Instagram stories for months), and many months later, Justin asked me out! From then on, Justin became my best friend, then boyfriend to fiancé, and now husband and business partner!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marymonarch.com
• Instagram: shopmarymonarch
• Facebook: shopmarymonarch
• Linkedin: Mary Catherine Thampi

Image Credits
NLA Projects Instagram: NLAweddings Photographers: Nathan and Laura Armstrong