We had the good fortune of connecting with Katrina Niesen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katrina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have been an instructional designer for Scholastic for 3 years now, but engaged in teaching sourdough as a ‘side gig’ for most of that time. I enjoy teaching others and found it gives me purpose and feels so good! Lately, my sourdough education business has grown with more and more people asking for classes and resources. It’s come to a point where something’s gotta give, and I am not willing to give up sourdough, so I’d like to try and make it my full time work and source of income.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always had a talent for creating engaging lessons and presentations for learners-I love to teach! Much of that has helped me in my sourdough education business. After having my daughter, I needed an outlet to shine in and feel like myself again. Sourdough became that for me. It was also a way to teach again. I started sharing on social media and playing with artistic designs and it took off. Baking a beautiful loaf of sourdough became my creative outlet and way to feel like myself again. It helped me overcome postpartum depression as well. I wanted to share that with others and so I began teaching sourdough to help other people/mothers especially learn a new fun and meaningful skill.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to Lullabar for some coffee and child care so we could catch up! It’s vibe is so cute. We could eat at Valentina or Corner Pizza. I love the food and the owners are so nice! They’ve attended my classes as well. We would go to the Omni resort for a drink to feel fancy and then the botanical gardens are a favorite for nature walks. A stop at Praeger Brothers or Izola for a croissant would also be a must since I can’t go without a croissant for long haha.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many people! My good friend Olivia Melin-who pushed me to start teaching others. The Lullabar in Carlsbad-they hosted my first sourdough workshop and have cheered me on all along the way. Madelin Marshall for being my original inspiration and sourdough teacher. My ‘bread community’ on social media-so many have been my cheerleaders!

Website: https://www.thesourdoughmama.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.sourdough.mama/?next=%2Fthe.sourdough.mama%2F

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Sourdough-Mama-100095442251865/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG-RkeCbSbemxx38H1QeKoQ

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesourdoughmama

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