Kathryn Sansone

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Kathryn Sansone, author of Woman First, family always(Photography by Suzy Gorman)
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 went 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 2003 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.

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[edit] Biography

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-Jewish Hospital. She also briefly had a business, "Cha-Cha's", selling chocolate chip cookies from 1998-2000. In 2002, she became certified as a personal trainer, and gave group fitness classes in their home gym.

[edit] Oprah appearance

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.

[edit] Awards

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 was also on the jury panel to choose the recipients for the 2006 award.

Sansone and her family presently live in St. Louis, Missouri

[edit] Works

  • Kathryn Sansone. Woman First, Family Always: Real-life Wisdom from a Mother of Ten, 2006, Meredith Books, ISBN 0-696-22832-7
  • Oprah Winfrey, Live Your Best Life, 2005, ISBN 0-8487-3105-0 (contains interview with Sansone)

[edit] References

[edit] External links