Kathryn Sansone
|
Kathryn Sansone, author of Woman First, family always
(Photography by Suzy Gorman) |
Kathryn Demmas Sansone (born
1962) is an
American homemaker and
personal trainer, best-known for being celebrated by
Oprah as an "unforgettable
mom", and having a meteoric rise from being a member of Oprah's audience to being a featured guest on
Oprah's television show, as well as being interviewed by Oprah for
Mother's Day in
O, the Oprah Magazine. Sansone also wrote the book,
Woman First, Family Always, which has been a top-1000 seller on
amazon.com. As of early 2006, Sansone has 10 children, ranging in age from 8 months to 18 years old.
Sansone was born Kathryn Demmas in
St. Louis, Missouri in 1962, to Dan Demmas, a printing broker, and Helen Georges, a homemaker. As a 16-year-old at
Clayton High School, she met her future husband, 17-year-old Jim Sansone (another native St. Louisan who later became a real estate developer). They married in
1987. Sansone graduated high school in
1980, and attended
Texas Christian University in
Fort Worth, Texas, studying education. She transferred to
St. Louis University, graduating with a degree in elementary education in 1985. She then taught 4th-6th grade for four years at Oak Hill / Villa Duchesne, until the birth of her first child.
After a few more children, Sansone and her husband built a gym in their home, and Sansone began teaching aerobics classes at local corporations, such as
CPI and
Barnes Hospital. She also briefly had a business, "Cha-Cha's", selling chocolate chip cookies (from approx. 1998-2000). In 2002, she became certified as a personal trainer, and gave group fitness classes in their home gym.
A big fan of
The Oprah Television Show, Sansone occasionally went to tapings with her family. In 2002, she went to the show for her 40th birthday. The show was about how some mothers with many children were still able to stay in good physical shape. During the audience Q&A, Sansone was one of the women who raised her hand to speak. She stood up, six months pregnant with her ninth child, and told how she trained with weights and stayed fit. On the spot, Oprah invited her on stage to give her a hug. A few weeks later, one of Oprah's producers called to invite her on the show as a guest.
In January 2003, Sansone received another call, to say she had been chosen as the featured woman in
O, the Oprah Magazine's "Mother's Day Interview" for 2003. Oprah and her entourage traveled to St. Louis and stayed with the Sansone family at their home for an entire day to produce the article.
As a result of these appearances, Sansone was flooded with questions from the public. In response, she began writing a book in 2004, full of common-sense tips about life and motherhood. The book was published in December 2005, a few months after the birth of her 10th child. Also in 2005, Oprah published her own book,
Live Your Best Life, with "all her best interviews", including the one with Sansone.
In 2004,
America Online flew Sansone and her husband to New York, for their first annual "CEO - Chief Everything Officer" award, as part of their "Life Management" program. One CEO award was given to
Maria Shriver, and Sansone was introduced as the "real-life example" of the award. Sansone is also on the jury panel to choose the recipients for the 2006 award, which will take place in May 2006.
Sansone and her family presently live in
St. Louis, Missouri* Kathryn Sansone.
Woman First, Family Always: Real-life Wisdom from a Mother of Ten, 2006, Meredith Books, ISBN 0696228327
* Oprah Winfrey,
Live Your Best Life, 2005, ISBN 0848731050 (contains interview with Sansone)
*
Kathryn Sansone official website*
"Oprah's Cut with Kathryn Sansone, Mother of 9", May 2003
*
"10 kids ... and just 2 hands", February 15, 2006,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch*
"Child's Play", July 1, 2005,
St. Louis Business Journal* "Fitting in fitness", 2003,
Fit Pregnancy*
Interview, "Written Voices Radio"
*
Book excerpt at selfgrowth.com
*
Reader reviews of the book*
Postcards from the Mothership, February 15, 2006 blog review
