WCCO meteorologist Katie Steiner said she always felt called to be a mother. Despite this, she never fully understood what to expect until she had her first baby. Now, Steiner feels she is working two jobs, one as a mother and one as a meteorologist.
“I feel unbelievably blessed to be able to say that and to have such a great work-life balance,” Steiner told “Practicing Catholic” producer Rachael McCallum in a program set to air at 9 p.m. Feb. 28 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Steiner typically works weekends, if she can, which allows her husband to watch their three kids while she goes to work. She said it’s beautiful to be able to keep one foot in her career and be a full-time mom during the week.
Steiner said she believes that the age at which people think about having children, women especially, is trending older, with more women putting their careers first. Culturally, Steiner said she thinks this is due to society moving further from a religious foundation.
“As Catholics, that is part of our wedding vows,” Steiner said. “When we get married, the priest asks if we are open to children and the children that God is going to give you. That is part of our route to heaven.” Steiner said she thinks that “As the culture has gotten less and less Christian, that focus on having children before career has gotten lost because a lot of us maybe aren’t necessarily focused on our faith as we’re starting off.”
Steiner said she doesn’t think it’s a bad thing to focus on a career but suggested that people keep God first in their lives.
“(I)f you are able to keep your identity in Christ and as a child of Christ and God, then you can put what he is calling you to do first, as opposed to your job,” Steiner said. “And maybe he is calling you to put your job first. That’s something that you have to discern and you have to talk about and you have to think about.”
Steiner said this can be a constant discernment, but prayer is the best way to approach this discernment.
“Go to the adoration chapel,” Steiner said. “Sit with God in prayer as much as you can. … I don’t know how to pray, I’m so bad at it, but I feel like all God wants is us and he just wants to spend time with us, and he doesn’t care if you do it right or do it wrong. Just go to the adoration chapel. Sit in silence and in prayer and just give God what you have that day, and he will make it clear. He might not come down in that little voice, but he will tell you what you need to know.”
To hear more from Steiner about her work-life balance as a meteorologist and a full-time mom, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. March 1 and 2 p.m. March 2.
As part of the program, Brian Cox, a youth minister at St. Paul in Ham Lake, shares his transformation story and how his journey to faith shaped his ministry with young people. Also, Bishop Kevin Kenney shares how to bring suffering to God, especially during the Lenten season.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
