Meet Kate

Hi friend! I’m Kate Battistelli, an author, speaker, podcaster, and former actress in the Broadway theatre world. My heart’s passion is to equip you to walk into your unique hand-picked destiny, trust Jesus with your future, and give you the courage to move fully into your next chapter.

I’m excited to share my newest book with you, The After Party of the Empty Nest: Mom is Not Your Only Name, because I believe it will give every empty nest mom the freedom to act on dreams deferred while juggling the responsibilities of raising children.The After Party reminds you that there is a second act, a future with your name on it filled with hope and surprises you can’t imagine … if you plan for it, believe in it, and walk fearlessly into it.

I want to inspire you to believe that God has a divine purpose just for you…a purpose planned before the foundation of the world.

Kate Battistelli with daughter, Francesca, and granddaughter

I’ve had a quirky and atypical life to say the least. Here’s a little bit about me.

I’m a Jersey girl living in Franklin TN with my husband Mike. We’ve been married for 40 plus years and we’re the parents of GRAMMY Award-winning Christian recording artist Francesca Battistelli Goodwin. She and her husband, Matt, have given us 7 beautiful grandchildren and they are the delight of our lives!

My Life So Far

When I was in my twenties, I was a singer and actress living the dream in New York City. For years I pursued fame and fortune, with the goal to become a Tony Award winning Broadway star. So, I moved to New York City chasing my dream. Back in the early 1980’s, I auditioned for the understudy to the leading lady in the Broadway National Tour of The King and I starring the iconic Yul Brynner, quite a heady opportunity for a young actress.

Long story short, I ended up taking over the huge responsibility of leading lady and I starred with Yul Brynner in The King and I for almost three years and over 1,000 performances all across the country. The best part of that whole crazy experience? I met my husband when he joined the tour as the Associate Conductor. We literally fell in love across the footlights!

We got married in 1983, met the Lord in March 1984, and had Francesca a year later. We eventually laid down our careers (a whole story in itself) to follow the Lord’s direction for our lives.

After a few years, we moved to Orlando FL and began building a life of homeschooling and started a home business.

I wanted a big family, but God gave us one child. After a scary ectopic pregnancy, I went through a tough battle with infertility and anger at God.

Kate Battistelli and Yul Brenner in The King and I on Broadway

After our daughter left home to pursue her career in Nashville I was lost and miserable. I was stuck in an empty nest, a season I’d never planned for. Then God dared me to write a book when I wasn’t a writer! He had an entirely different purpose for this new season of life. He showed me that mom was not my only name. I walked into the future He had for me, and I have never looked back!

When I found myself in my empty nest, I had no clue what was next for me, but God did. He dared me to write a book, and with fear and faith, I wrote my first book, Growing Great Kids: Partner with God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life. I realized God had dared me, so I wrote a blog post called The God Dare. That turned into my second book, The God Dare: Will You Choose to Believe the Impossible. Writing those books changed the direction of my life and I’m grateful God gave me the courage to step out and take His dare!

We never know what God has up His sleeve when we take His dare. Now I’m a writer, speaker, podcaster, and mentor, all roles I’d never seen for myself. But God has plans for us we can’t begin to imagine!

Here are ten fast facts about me:

I love to cook. You can check out my Recipe Index for inspiration.
I hate to clean. But I do like doing laundry. Go figure.
I’m a total word nerd and I appreciate good grammar and spelling.
I can knit and crochet when I have time, which is rare at the moment.
I love to make my own jams, preserves, pickles and more. I taught myself to can three decades ago and have been doing it ever since.

I’m a complete Broadway musical theater geek!
I was a certified childbirth instructor in the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth for five years.
I went to four colleges in two years and didn’t graduate from any of them. Thus my initial reluctance to write a book…but I did get on the Dean’s List!
I can touch type and write in cursive. That gives you a clue how old I am!
I like my coffee strong, with heavy cream, a sprinkle of salt, and a pat of butter. They call it bullet proof.

I love to write and teach and I’m blessed that women trust me to be a friend and a mentor.

A few of my favorite things.

The ocean. Anywhere, anytime.
Sunsets. I literally have hundreds of pictures of sunsets.
Flowers. Any and all. They make the world a prettier place.
Homemade jam. I’ve been canning for decades, and I love giving my yummy preserves away to friends and family.
Cooking. My mom was an incredible cook and birthed a passion in me for good food and good cooking skills.
Our weekly life group. Mike and I have been hosting it for years and it’s one of our favorite nights of the week.
Singing in the choir at our church.
Watching my daughter, Francesca, (an only child) raise her seven children. It’s inspiring to see her become an incredible mom to her kids.
Spending time with my husband because he’s the cutest, smartest, funniest man I’ve ever met.

Above and beyond all these things, I love spending time with Jesus through the Word, worship, or simply spending time in His presence.