Sneak Peek: Embracing Change Table Talk

Change can be HARD. It can feel unsettling and daunting - especially when it’s unwanted or unplanned. But change, no matter its origination, can also be beautiful.

Join us Tuesday, April 13 in person at Thanks A Latte or virtually via Zoom as Katie Dortch chats about embracing change as a working mom. Check out our conversation below, and don’t forget to follow Katie’s adventures on her blog, The Inspiring Investment!

A big thank you to Satori Meals for sponsoring this event!

Tell us about your family.

Well, I have 4 kids that range in age from 13 to 3. I used to be a nurse, but now I work with my husband, Uriah. We recently celebrated 13 years of marriage! We live in Apex now, but I grew up in North Raleigh. We’ve lived in several areas around the triangle: Holly Springs, Cary, etc., and we love it here. 

Tell us about your day job.

We technically run two main companies: 

First - The Inspiring Investment - a real estate investing company which has traditionally focused on fix and flip and rental properties. We also have a blog that coincides with this brand - all about life, business, renovations and - of course - real estate.

Second - Brecken & Oaks RE - an intimate residential real estate team serving buyers and sellers in and around the Triangle.

I wear a lot of hats, but my main roles are operations, marketing and design. 

A typical work day starts with a cup of coffee. (Uriah usually brings it to me while I’m still in bed.) We tag team. He takes care of breakfast for the girls, takes them to school and heads into the office while I hang out with the boys a little bit, make sure they get fed, and try to get ready before our babysitter arrives at 8:30. On a good day, I get up earlier and get to spend some quiet time reading my Bible. After our sitter arrives, I’m off to work. Monday’s are our team meetings at 9:30 a.m. I begin each week looking at the goals we set for the quarter, writing out all the tasks to be done and prioritizing them.

On any given day, I am writing a process, creating a template, planning out content, crafting project updates for a lender, or sending a gift basket.

Being a working mom is hard, but what do you love about it?

It is hard to juggle work and motherhood. I have to be honest - it’s a constant learning curve. I’m still learning how to balance it all. 

As mothers, the work we put into correcting, mentoring, praying over our children - we may not see the fruit of that until much further down the road. One thing I love about my job is walking through a house we’ve toiled over for months and seeing it finished, all staged and beautiful. There is not much more satisfying than seeing a project come to completion. Especially when it comes to the sort of work we do. We see these homes that are at their worst, and to be able to be a part of creating beauty despite that - it may seem silly, because it’s just a house, but it’s pretty amazing. I can’t help but see symbolism in it, as I’ve seen this pattern in my own life. It makes me think about that verse: Philippians 1:6 "and I am sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

With four kids, a husband and multiple businesses, you’ve certainly seen lots of change. Tell us about that.

It’s funny you asked me to speak on this subject, because I actually don’t like change. But you are right, I’ve learned to do it. I mentioned above with balance, for example the hardest part is that balance is not concrete, it is fluid, based on the changing needs of those around you. For example: right now a good balance for me and my kids is working three days a week: no more, no less. In a year, that may be different. So many things in life are this way. So, as much as we crave structure and wish for consistency, we need to learn how to go with the flow. For a believer, it’s really an act of submission. 

What can women expect from the April 13 event about embracing change?

I plan to share an example of how God created beauty from ashes in my own life and how He used our entry into flipping houses to do that. I’ll share some strategies I use as a believer to adjust to change. I’ll also cite some examples of how we’ve done that through the years as our business has grown, developed and changed.