Indy with Kids, Katy Mann in the Momlight
If you’ve ever needed a fresh idea about what’s fun to do with your kids in and around Indy, chances are good that you’ve scoured the Indy with Kids website created by local mama Katy Mann. Read on to learn about Katy’s journey leading up to the creation of this gem of a resource, challenges along the way, and her tips for other moms looking to tackle big goals.
Born and raised in southern California, Katy Mann planted her deep roots in Indy in a roundabout way. During an interview with a local church looking to hire a youth director, a few of the teens asked what kinds of things they would do if she got the job. Having never even visited, she promised to find every fun activity to do around Indy. Armed with her copy of the phone book (remember those?!), that’s exactly what she did, while also finding a passion for our city.
Summer is a great time to take advantage of all that Indy with Kids has to offer!
Peep their extensive guide to summer camps or this summer bucket list.
Katy became a mom in 2010, the same year she also “birthed” Indy with Kids to let others know how she was enjoying the city with her baby and her youth group. A huge turning point for Katy and Indy with Kids came in 2013 after she welcomed baby #3. Just after deciding to transition from her job to make blogging her full-time gig, Katy and her husband experienced the loss of their infant daughter. As she grieved, a friend in the blogging community offered to step in and run Indy with Kids, doing so for several months and recruiting other local moms to create content. During this time, the website grew and improved. ”There were so many new voices and it was so rich because of the model set up at that time of having other people contribute,” shares Katy. Today Indy with Kids has morphed from a blog to a full-fledged resource for caregivers in and around our city, reaching over 30,000 families every day.
Katy and her family call the northwest side of Indy home where they love to garden and raise fruit trees on their one and a half acres right in the middle of the city.
Katy admits that her biggest challenge in growing her business is simply being human. “I can’t be a machine and just constantly be working. Humans get sick, grieve, run out of time, and can’t be everywhere at once.” (We can relate.) Katy credits perseverance for the success of Indy with Kids. She started a business and has stuck with it for 12 years, evolving as the needs of her audience have changed and intuitively knowing when to give up if some aspect isn’t going well. “There’s nothing other than eating, breathing, and sleeping that I’ve done for 12 years, but I’ve run this website and stuck with it for [that long.]”
And if you’re a mama struggling with something new, Katy offers this encouragement: “Don’t give up! Try lots of different things. Be willing to reverse your course if there’s a wrong direction. And just be kind to people so that when you need people’s kindness, they’re there for you.”
Want to connect with Katy to chat about speaking at your event? She would love to hear from you!
Katy explains that her work with Indy with Kids is more than a job; it is her calling, and part of that means highlighting opportunities for all families to have memorable experiences around our city no matter their income level. Indy with Kids is also committed to another mission, and that’s promoting multiple local fundraising efforts throughout each year. In 2022, Katy and her team will come alongside Jameson Camp supporting their camp for children impacted by HIV/AIDS, Hannah's Memorial Playground at George Julian School 57, and the Riley Cheer Guild in memory of her daughter.
