Welcome to this months ‘Working Mum Series’ with the fabulous – Kate Maguire. As well as her role as a PR and Creative Director, Kate has an Instagram account to die for – search @themumlife_styled if you aren’t already following her. Kate describes herself as a ‘hippie heart and gypsy soul’ and when you look at her Instagram feed, it’s not hard to see why. With a passion for fashion (and Ibiza – who can blame her?), and a love for flowers, and most importantly, her two adorable daughters, it is very easy to get lost in Kate’s beautiful feed. Her wardrobe, as well as her daughters wardrobes are the epitome of effortless style, with a real mix of high street and high end. The result is an incredibly well dressed family. Read the interview below to find out how Kate managers job, as well as family life.
Happy reading
Lisa
xoxo
Cityrunmum talks to Katie Maguire @themumlife_styled
- Please introduce yourself – what is your job, how many children you have, where you are from etc
I’m PR & Creative Director for online fashion brand Sistaglam. I live in Kent with my partner and 2 daughters, Isabella 6 and Charlotte 1.
- How many days/hours a week do you work?
I try to base myself twice a week in the office and work a few days from home, but this can vary depending on photoshoots or meetings in town, no two weeks are rarely the same
- Describe a typical working day in your household (i.e. morning routines with nursery/school drop offs to evening)
I try to get up before everyone else, this usually means setting the alarm for 6am, but it allows me to squeeze in some pilates or yoga or just enjoy a few sips of tea in peace while watching the breakfast news headlines.
We try as much as possible, to have breakfast together as a family as it is usually the only time during the week that we all get to sit together.
Getting everyone ready is always a challenge, but is getting easier the older and more independent Isabella is becoming, and now I no longer have to prepare so much for Lottie during the day with the nanny.
I take Isabella to school and drop Lottie with the nanny, then head on my way to my office in North London which can take anything between 1 hour or 2, traffic depending!
A day in the office generally consists of catching up with our ecomms & social team, liaising with the store groups that we supply to, ensuring that all of their PR and asset requirements are met, and touching base with the design & production teams to keep tabs on the new products that are coming through and when they’ll be dropping.
We also shoot at least once a month and this will involve reccy-ing potential shoot locations, model castings, and moodboarding for the creative brief.
Another aspect of my job is socialising. Its really important that I keep in touch with press, stylists, talent and bloggers, whether it be over a quick coffee, a long lunch or after work cocktails.
- How do you balance working life with motherhood? And what/who do you rely on to make it work?
I consider myself very lucky that I’m able to do a lot of my work from home, and this allows me to take and collect Isabella from school a few times a week, cook dinner for them, spend time with Lottie during the day and generally just be present as a mum.
But it can be hard, and there are days when work can take over while I’m at home, and vice versa. If one of the girls are unwell or during the school holidays when I have both of them at home, I try to switch off for at least a few hours to spend time with them. For those days that I’m not at home, I have the most amazing nanny who has been working for us since Isabella was 18 months, so she really is part of the family. Both my girls adore her which makes knowing I’m not there to collect Isabella from school or when Lottie wakes up from a nap, a lot less guilt ridden. Grant, my partner, also helps as much as he can by working the odd day from home, or getting back to get the girls to bed if I’m stuck on a shoot or at an event.
- What is the best thing about being a working mum?
Freedom! I love the freedom that being a working mum allows me, not just physically but also emotionally and financially. Being a mum is absolutely the best job ever, and I love every minute that I spend with my girls. But honestly, I would not be me if wasn’t able to express myself creatively, socialise outside of the family unit, or if I were dependent on my other half.
- And the hardest?
The guilt. The guilt of not being there with your children every day. The guilt of not being the face they see when they come out of school or being the first one to hear of their day’s achievements. The guilt of not being the one to comfort them if they’re upset or tired. But there is also the guilt of not working full time. The email that you miss, or the meeting you’re unable to make.
- How do you unwind? Balancing motherhood with work can be relentless so what do you do to relax when you’re not at work/with the kid(s)?
As the saying goes, you can’t have it all, and this is one area of my life that is seriously lacking! Monday – Friday there is very little down time for me, we usually don’t get to eat dinner until around 9pm, and I’ll very often be found asleep on the sofa by 10pm. Weekends are precious and are all about us as a family. Which leaves very little ‘me time’ but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
- What is your proudest mum moment?
My girls make me proud every day, and it’s the little things that make me grateful that they’re mine. For example, once while having dinner at the Ivy Chelsea Garden an elderly couple came over to tell us how they’d been watching our girls all the way through their meal and couldn’t believe how well they ate and how well behaved they both were. That was very sweet and I did feel proud of them, and of myself as their mum.
- Do you feel that motherhood has changed you, and if so, how?
Absolutely! I’m much less selfish. I often wonder about the pre-kid me who was so busy and so tired and think ‘what was her f***ing problem’?!
- What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing working mums at the moment?
Without doubt the cost of childcare. I’m very lucky to have the childcare that I have, and as a working mum, you cannot put a price on great childcare, it really is priceless. But I also know that if I were to work full time and have to pay for full time childcare, there would be very little value to any additional income once offset against the increased childcare costs.
- What is your proudest work achievement?
I always feel proud seeing my work in print. To take a small idea or concept and develop that in to a brief and then direct a team of people to create something you visualised is always satisfying, especially when it turns out just as you planned.
- What does ‘flexible working’ mean to you’?
When I returned to work after having Isabella (6 years ago) I worked in a much more corporate environment. Although my request to work 3 days a week was accepted, there was little or no flexibility, and I was expected to carry the work load of a full time job on those 3 days. Working from home wasn’t an option as far as the business was concerned and I began to miss important meetings on my days off which I then found very difficult to catch up on. It just didn’t work for me or the job role and I felt like a failure.
But I believe that most women that return to work after having children are there because they want to work, whether that be financially motivated or for career progression, or just to feel themselves again, they ultimately want to do a good job. And I really think that women who return to work after maternity leave feel as though they have point to prove, I know I certainly did. So flexible working to me means the ability to manage that work load around your own personal circumstances. Whether that be job share, part time in the office mixed with work from home to ease the cost of childcare, or later start times to accommodate school drop off. Working mums should be given the opportunity to make it work.
- What are your go to stores/websites/blogs for your working wardrobe, and what are your staple pieces as a working mum?
My day to day work look is generally jeans or leather trousers (also loving ultra shiny PVC at the moment) with anything oversized on top – Men’s T-shirts from H&M are always a favourite (I prefer the boxier shape of the men’s over the women’s), oversize shirts or sweatshirts. Finished off with a pair of good shoes. My Gucci princetown loafers have worked harder than any other shoes over the last season, closely followed by my Chanel sling backs – both a worthy investment.
Zara is my one stop shop for the girls’ & my wardrobes. I love how well they carry the season’s trends through, and their tailoring is my favourite on the high street. I especially love a prince of wales check blazer I picked up in the Zara sale last season (although they have an almost identical one this season). For something special Liberty is my ‘happy place’. I love that my favourite designers are all under one small and perfectly curated roof. Their haberdashery department is pure joy, and don’t get me started on The Shoe Lounge.
My mummy style crush’s and endless source of fashion inspo are:
@aninebing – no one wears jeans & a t-shirt better. Her grown up LA cool girl vibe is perfection
@thefashionbugblog – her style is always en pointe, effortlessly mixing high end and high street, while sniffing out unique and off the radar brands.
@becknyc – founder of the most beautiful brand Love Shack Fancy, Rebecca leads the most stylish lifestyle in NY with her two girls.
- Finally, what advice would you give to new working mums? I.e. those who are just going back to work from maternity leave, setting up their own businesses, or going for a new job?
It gets easier. Eventually the new routine will become the new normal. The separation becomes easier, and I honestly believe that time apart is good for us mums and children. So savour that hot cup of tea at your desk, or adult conversation by the water cooler, safe in the knowledge that your child is in an engaging environment, with other children and having a great time. It also makes the time you do spend together all the more precious.
