In honor of Mother’s Day, Radhika Mellin—Editor of Mother’s Day Magazine—talked to Katie Klein about balancing the beautiful, messy, and demanding roles of motherhood and career.
Working moms play an important role in the U.S. economy—the labor force participation rate for all moms with kids under age 18 was 74% in 2024.
We’re not alone in juggling work and motherhood. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
This Mother’s Day, I chatted with Katie Klein, Vice President of Marketing, Comcast Business, Central Division—and a fellow working mom—about what it really takes to manage a high-powered career and a busy home life. She opened up about her routines, what keeps her grounded, and the systems she leans on when things get hectic. Her answers are full of wisdom, encouragement, and real-life strategies that just might help make your own days feel a little more doable.
Mother’s Day Magazine: Happy Mother’s Day, Katie! First, let’s talk about your most important role—Mom. How many kids do you have, and what are their ages?
I have two boys named James and Luke who are eight- and 11-years-old. Raising them has been an incredible journey, especially since they are completely different from one another. However, they both really enjoy playing sports, and when I’m not in the office, I’m essentially a glorified Uber driver. Most of our evenings and weekends are spent traveling to practices or sporting events, either baseball, football or soccer. Despite them being as young as they are, their competitive spirit is on an entirely different level, and I think we know who they get it from.
Mother’s Day Magazine: With that kind of competitiveness in the house, I can imagine how lively things must get! I imagine your workday is equally fast-paced. What does your job at Comcast Business look like day to day? Give us a peek behind the scenes.
I lead marketing and strategic initiatives for Comcast Business here in our Central Division. While based here in Atlanta, our footprint is massive, extending from Michigan and Illinois all the way down to the southeast into Florida. With the large areas we cover, Comcast Business and the teams I lead support small businesses and enterprises with everything from strategy and marketing campaigns to transformative initiatives that significantly enhance a business’s growth performance.
Outside of the exciting and innovative technologies we provide, we proudly and actively support our communities through numerous social impact initiatives. One exciting project that just kicked back off is our Comcast RISE program that provides 500 small businesses and entrepreneurs with a monetary grant, marketing, technology makeovers, business consultations and more. It’s one of those moments we eagerly wait for every year because serving our communities beyond high-speed, reliable Internet is nothing short of an absolute pleasure. So, if you’re a small business owner, visit comcastrise.com and fill out an application!
I’ve had the privilege of being in a leadership role for more than 20 years, and my nearly six years with Comcast Business has been some of the most rewarding. As Vice President, I build growth strategies and manage a cross-functional marketing team whose mission is to inform, align, and empower sales channels to deliver excellence to our customers and drive revenue to the business.
Mother’s Day Magazine: That’s so inspiring, Katie. It makes me wonder how you manage the day-to-day. As a full-time working mom myself, I often feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day for all the things I need to do!
When your to-do list is overflowing, how do you figure out what actually needs to get done first—whether at work or at home?
On any given day in the office, there’s nothing quite like having a prepared list of everything that needs to get done and being able to cross those items off. I love a good list – specifically sticky notes! I feel fulfilled when I not only mentally move on from an assignment, but also physically move it out of sight completely from my other priorities throughout the day.
At home, I’m notorious for creating lists for things that need to get done on, especially on weekends. Whether it’s navigating schedules for the kids, ensuring no one is late to practice or games, grocery shopping or just even when life in general throws a few unexpected things our way, lists are my best friend.
There are only so many hours in the day, and I always like to regroup and feel good about what have I accomplished and reassess what can be pushed to tomorrow, so that I can be the best partner to my teams and most importantly, my family.
Mother’s Day Magazine: Have you set any personal or professional boundaries that have helped protect your well-being? I know many moms struggle with setting boundaries.
I agree 100%; setting boundaries can be difficult, especially as someone who likes to get things done and maximize every moment within the day. One of the most important lessons I learned early on in my career was not just learning how to ask for help, but also understanding that it’s okay to simply say “no.” Setting boundaries are crucial for maintaining healthy relationships, personal and professional, prioritizing self-care and protecting your well-being.
My number one goal with my family is to always be present. I’m a big fan of the show Severance – on Apple TV+ that you can get with Xfinity StreamSaver by the way – you know the one where their work and personal memories are separated into two? I try to take that approach in a way that works best for me. When I’m leaving the office rushing to pick up my kids and take them where they need to be, I’m very much engaged in that. They aren’t seeing me answer emails or take work calls, but instead I’m talking to them about their day and what we have planned to do together.
It comes down to being intentional with my time when I’m outside the office. That means no phones, no emails or work conversations. My family and I have great open communication about what I do for work and what my role entails. It’s funny to think about, but when my children were younger, they thought I originally worked for the Atlanta Braves because of how close our building is to the stadium. Maybe they got so attached to baseball because they believed I could get them a professional contract. They know that what I do is important and if in the event I need to step away for emergencies I can. But I do not do them both at the same time.
Thankfully, I have a very accommodating team, and they understand not only how dedicated I am to being a great partner, but also how much I value the time I have when I’m not in the office. I want to make the most of every moment I have with my family. They understand how important my job is and overall, the impact of the organization I work for, but they also know that they are my number one at the end of the day.
Mother’s Day Magazine: I love how you strive to be present—whether it’s at work or with your family. Being truly present is something I aspire to as well and having support certainly helps. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child. What kind of support system do you rely on—at home or at work—and how do you ask for help when you need it?
A village is an understatement. However, the closest family we have is still about eight hours away. That, with the demands of my role coupled with the demands of my husband’s college football coaching job throughout the year, can make pulling in help a challenge.
We have a very strong network of close friends who understand the struggles with work schedules and meeting the family needs outside. Whether it’s taking the kids to practice or picking up from school, they help us truly divide and conquer.
With my teams at work, they empower me to be my best for my family through the strong culture we’ve cultivated. I know that at any moment if I need to step away, my leaders and team members are going to be there for me and give me the running room I need to show up for my family.
Mother’s Day Magazine: It’s wonderful to hear that you have a supportive community around you. But what do you do when everything just feels like too much? Do you have a go-to way to find your footing again?
I try to evaluate the must-dos in my personal and professional life and make sure that the uncompromised-ables are addressed. I feel good when I can get those tasks done and evaluate what needs to be pushed back. I’m most fulfilled by filling in those extra spaces with quality time spent with my family.
Since our kids were born, we’ve had a tradition of reserving Fridays for a movie and pizza night. We have dinner together, do all sorts of activities like hiking and basketball, and enjoy a good game night that usually involves Uno and smack talking by my eight-year-old. We really embrace the time we have together as a family. When I’m in those moments, the woes from yesterday, challenges of today and “what ifs” of tomorrow completely disappear and that’s when I know I’ve been doing this mom thing the right way.
I do carve out time in the morning before work to jump on the Peloton, maybe go for a nice walk or simply just have a cup of coffee and listen to a podcast. Since becoming a mom and growing further into my career, I don’t have as much extra time as I used to, but one day I will go back to playing competitive tennis. I think a lot of parents, not just moms, can feel negatively about that in their lives and there have been moments in the past where I shared those sentiments. I also believe that growth and comfort cannot coexist, and my cup is always full.
Sure, a few things that I previously enjoyed doing are no longer part of my daily routine. But, my life is totally different now and filled with unprecedented moments of joy that come with the territory of being a parent. So, when I look back at my memories and ask myself if I would’ve rather picked up a racket one more time or watched my kids hit their first homerun? Patch them up after falling off their bike for the first time? Take all their fake money on a family game night of Monopoly? I know my answer.
Mother’s Day Magazine: That captures the season of life you’re in so beautifully—these moments with our children are so precious, so fleeting. I have an almost eight-year-old and can’t believe how fast time is flying.
What’s one piece of advice you’d share with other working moms who want to grow in their careers and take care of themselves?
There’s no such thing as work-life balance, it’s all about how you can synergize them together that fits within your unique needs. At a previous role when I first found out I was pregnant, I thought my career growth would be limited. It was the complete opposite. My leader was super excited for me and thinking back, every promotion I received at that organization was when I was on maternity leave. Being a mom didn’t hinder my growth; it enabled me to be better and bring more to my next role.
It’s more about being in a work environment that enables that kind of mindset. Being a mom is a badge of honor and not to be nervous about. I always think about how my own mom managed to make it work for her as well. She was an executive at a hospital and still managed to show up for her family every step along the way. I’d often ask myself “how can I be a leader at a company and still show up for my kids?” “How did she make it work?” There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for anything you do in life, and that’s especially true for parenting.
Mother’s Day Magazine: That’s such a powerful perspective. It’s so encouraging to hear how motherhood became a strength, and not a setback. In your experience, how has motherhood influenced your leadership style, if at all? Have you noticed any changes in how you approach work or manage teams since becoming a mom?
As mothers, we develop a heightened sense of empathy and understanding that comes directly from wanting to connect deeper with our families and address their needs. Mothers and leaders also need to be flexible and adapt to immediate changes of pace. When those unprecedented challenges come up, it’s even more crucial to maintain your resilience and patience. As confident as your teams need to be in you as a leader, so too does your family as a mom and a parent.
Being a parent has helped me prioritize things in my own life and understand where other people are in their own lives. I’ve also learned from so many other moms that there’s not just one way of doing things; everyone has their own style and unique needs and it’s okay if yours doesn’t look the same as someone else’s. As a leader and a mom, all I could ever hope for is that the teams I lead and the family I care for show up as the best versions of themselves every day, and I believe that it’s my responsibility to empower them to do so.
Happy Mother’s Day!
About Katie Klein
Katie Klein, Vice President of Marketing for Comcast Business in the Central Division, is a trailblazer, dedicated to driving impactful business results and fostering growth in the community.
With over 20 years of leadership experience, Katie has been at the forefront of transformative initiatives that have significantly enhanced the performance of the business services organization in this vibrant and expanding region. Her journey is marked by a strong commitment to strategic planning, relationship building, and team leadership, making her an invaluable asset to Comcast Business. Under her guidance, innovative marketing strategies have resulted in an extraordinary year-over-year increase in Comcast Business enterprise leads for 2024, achieved through substantial improvements to digital customer experiences tailored to the diverse business landscape. Katie’s visionary approach has also played a crucial role in adding new mobile lines to the company’s portfolio, underscoring her talent for driving growth through data-driven decision-making.
Academically, she holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has pursued coursework in Art History at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute. With certifications in Economic Development and Account-Based Marketing, her qualifications complement her extensive professional experience. Fluent in English and Spanish, Katie excels in communications, project management, and forging meaningful sponsorships. She has successfully managed high-profile projects, such as the multiyear American Heart Association Sponsorship and the Salesloft SMB Rollout, showcasing her ability to cultivate partnerships aligned with business goals and beyond. Katie’s leadership propels Comcast Business forward and sets a benchmark for excellence within the industry, inspiring the next generation of leaders.
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