Georgie Woollams, Founder, Katch InternationalI think, since I started my company, I have always felt like a mum, because Katch has always been part of my family. I began my journey with Katch when I was 26.
Before that, I was working in a company that never recognised how hard we worked or what we brought to the table, so I thought, “I am going to call it a day,” and took a massive leap.
As a founder, I wanted Katch to be about coming together, mentoring my team, supporting each other and creating opportunities for others to grow. One of my biggest aims was to foster a true family environment.
I remember having a conversation with a business person years ago who told me, “You can’t be nice in business.” Another person insisted that “family” is a cliché word to use for a company.
But for me, it isn’t, and I wanted to prove them both wrong. I’ve always believed that when you invest in people, you build stronger businesses and better leaders.
When you genuinely care about your staff, you cultivate leaders who are compassionate and invested in their work. It is crucial that they truly care about what they do, as this achieves the best results.
One thing I didn’t expect on this journey was how becoming a mother deepened my understanding of this philosophy. Caring creates great children, and when applied to work, it also fosters great leaders in the workplace.
When I became a mum, it knocked me for a six. I didn’t think anything would change, but it really did. The first 24 months felt like I was going back to university. I developed skills such as resilience, multitasking, empathy, negotiation and time management, all of which I utilise even more now in my work.
After Covid, one of the things we did with the London office was to transition fully remote and only work with working mums, and now, we have an amazing team that works hard and delivers fantastic results.
In the UAE, over two years ago, we implemented a maternity policy of three months paid leave and six months working from home, because family is important at Katch at every level, and no one wants to be at work while worrying about their child.
While on this motherhood journey, I realised there is a prevalent narrative around mothers returning to work that often overlooks the strength and qualifications we gain through motherhood. Instead of recognising our growth, it sometimes turns into a negative perception.
Now, when I handle a tricky client, I find that I’m more patient and calmer in difficult situations. With limited time, I’ve become much better at prioritising my tasks. I choose to listen and understand situations before jumping to conclusions. I believe that becoming a mother has made me a better leader.
Don’t get me wrong; sadly, there are some individuals who milk the system, and they are the ones in the industry who are talked about more, making it even harder to change the narrative.
While on this journey, I decided to set up a community interest company to advocate for a narrative change, including going to Downing Street to try and work with the NHS and other global organisations. It is so important that we reach more mums and change the narrative together.
I had no idea how much my role would change; I thought my baby would sit in a carrier while I worked. But something shifts within you, and it took me a while to realise that this change was for the better.
We, as women, need to speak up more. When I started speaking openly about my experience, I realised how many women were quietly going through the same thing. Experiences like mum guilt, feeling lost, and not understanding that our identities were being redeveloped.
That realisation led me to create Mum Love, a platform designed to help mothers talk honestly about the identity shift that can happen after childbirth and to discuss the positives.
In many ways, Mum Love is my extended belief in giving. It’s about sharing experiences that women often feel but rarely say out loud, and building support around one of the most intense transitions in life.
The surprising part is that by giving in this way, I’ve gained something unexpected. Not business growth, but a deeper sense of purpose.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing women in leadership can give is honesty about the parts of life that don’t look perfect from the outside.
This piece is me opening up completely and asking other mums to do the same to help each other in the long run and to nurture the next amazing generation.
By Georgie Woollams, Founder, Katch International
