Episode 167: The Power of a Knot with Kathleen Borsch of Knots of Grace
What You’ll Find
Today we have Kathleen Borsh!
She's the creator and artisan behind Knots of Grace®, where she designs beautiful and functional knotted rosaries for modern Catholics.
Inspired by her diverse experiences and faith journey, Kathleen’s rosaries are decorative and serve as daily reminders to pray, helping people connect with God and find peace.
Kathleen's Family (03:20)
Kathleen was blessed with a small family. She and her husband have one daughter, and her father-in-law lives with her part-time (and he’s the Chief Knot-tier).
In the fall when Kathleen does the market circuit, her father-in-law will accompany her, and she makes sure he has plenty of time to talk with the ladies (because he IS a ladies man).
Inspiration (05:00)
A friend of Kathleen was running the Santa Shop at her school, and she bought a doorknob Rosary there (similar to what she makes now) before they moved abroad, and it was with them everyday. It was one of the stepping stones that brought Kathleen back to her faith again.
When her family moved back to the states, she took a year to learn how to tie the knots for the Rosaries, and the next year she donated 20 to the school. That’s how the door Rosary became the flagship product.
A Mentor & A Patron (07:00)
Kathleen never met the woman whose Rosary led her into business, and she has never claimed a patron specifically, but Mary (the Mother of God) keeps her doing what she’s supposed to be doing.
Several years ago Kathleen began finding all these Rosaries with a Saint Benedict medal on them, and she was drawn to them (but she wasn’t sure why). Then, many people were telling her why THEY were drawn to these medals.
So now, when she finds a medal or crucifix or cross she’s drawn to, she’s driven to learn more about that Saint through the beauty.
Many times, Kathleen will purchase a material,and as she sits with it, she’ll be moved to create with it in some way (not always immediately).
A Typical Day in the Shop (10:20)
There’s no “typical” day in the shop, but Kathleen does work every day.
There is, however, batch creation, meaning…
If Kathleen is working on her runner’s Rosaries, she’ll spend a full day making them. She does that so she can quality control the process AND it helps her to stay on task and know exactly what she’s doing.
She’s also a person who likes to complete her tasks, so if she can get something all done in a day…she feels REALLY accomplished! If she has something she’s working on and it’s sitting there too long, it’ll go back in the box.
Most of each day is spent doing back-end work (social media, emails, marketing, marketplace work), Kathleen is part of a Marian Servants community (which meets during the week), filling orders, and then at the end of the day she has time to create.
In the week before a market, she’ll be doing extra work to make sure the right products are made, labeled, and ready to go, AND she’ll spend some time making custom orders.
Setting Up for Success (12:55)
A great morning for Kathleen starts with a good bedtime the night before, plenty of water, and beginning the day with prayer and journaling.
Prayer is THE secret to productivity, and it allows Kathleen to stay open for giving and receiving as well.
Joy in Business (14:05)
The most enjoyable part of business for Kathleen is attending shows, markets, and conferences! Those are her favorite things to do in the whole world, and while they DO exhaust her, they also energize her at the same time.
It’s instant feedback and instant understanding of the needs of her customers. Kathleen will talk with her customers and help them to find the right product (if she has one that will fit their needs).
Earlier this year, she went to the Walking with Purpose conference, and being around other women who are on fire for their faith is an excellent experience.
The Hard Parts of Business (16:05)
The least enjoyable parts of business for Kathleen are the online marketing tasks. She actually DOES love it, but it has the potential to keep her from doing other necessary parts of her work.
If she could hand over social media to someone, she would!
Favorite Products (17:00)
Kathleen doesn’t have a “favorite” of all time, but she does often have a “favorite of the month.”
Her current favorite is the runner’s Rosary. The beads are all exotic wood, abacus style beads (as Kathleen calls them). She purchases the cording from veteran owned companies, and the other thing she loves is the tassles—because they’re like the tassles on Jesus (think of the woman with the 12 year cycle who was healed).
The pocket Rosaries are another favorite! Knots of Grace has a Serenity Prayer Pocket Rosary (which was originally made for a moms group—and it’s an excellent prayer for moms).
A best-seller is the Saint Benedict Door Rosary (I have one and LOVE it!). It can go on any space, it’s fairly lightweight, and it’s kid-proof. It’s available in several colors, and Kathleen particularly likes to make them for college students.
The Product that Requires the Most Work (21:20)
The product that takes the most work isn’t even available on the website! It’s a Steering Wheel Rosary.
Imagine a bangle bracelet with 10 beads that can hook onto the steering wheel that allows you to pray the Rosary as you drive.
Needless to say, this one was inspired by Atlanta traffic (if you’ve ever braved Atlanta, you understand!)
Kathleen loves these, and they always sell out at market, but for the work they take—they are a bit too expensive.
Upcoming Projects (24:10)
Kathleen is always working on something, but currently she’s working out how to offer more personalized products. Before Christmas, she’ll have easy ways for her customers to personalize her products…
This makes it easy for Kathleen to pray for the wonderful souls who are purchasing her products.
She’s also going to be launching some products that will support businesses in the coaching space, to remind their clients of the good works they’ve been doing.
Kathleen is making peace a part of her own life by only taking on one project at a time.
The BEST Investment (26:05)
Coaching with a Catholic coach is the best investment Kathleen has made in herself and her business over the last 3 years. To surround yourself with like-minded people is such a gift.
Running crazy ideas past a coach, or other Catholic businesswomen is a wonderful thing to do.
Another positive of Catholic coaching is taking the mainstream ideas and making them work in a faith space.
Kathleen likes to speak with Catholics who are not especially faithful, because there was a time that she had also taken a different path. Her unique story allows her to reach and speak to those clients as well.
A's to Our Q's (30:05)
There are many back-up meals in Kathleen’s back pocket, but her favorite one is a Chipotle-like bowl. You have a bed of rice, you make a circle of whatever veggies and protein, then put your sauce in the middle (because you eat with your eyes first). She’s got a Mediterranean version, an Asian version, and if she doesn’t know what she’s making that night, that’s her go-to! Another go-to in her house is a fried rice…ass a little egg, some veggies, and you’re good to go! She’s also got a Zaxby’s salad…instead of a bed of rice, you use a bed of salad! If it takes longer than 45 minutes to make dinner…it’s too long!
Kathleen’s guilty pleasure is Hallmark movies! Especially when she was working full-time in Human Resources, because every movie has a happy ending with happy tears.
The latest book on Kathleen’s Kindle is Jeff Cavin’s My Life on the Rock. Listening to him on the Hallow app made her want to read his book. There’s another book called Improving Your Sportsmanship through Catholic Teaching by John Acquaviva PhD that she’s looking forward to reading!
More from Kathleen
You can head to knotsofgrace.com and find ALL the products!
Every Monday, Kathleen shares a devotion called a “hug”. If you go to freejournalpage.com (or knotsofgrace.com).
There’s also a special discount code for our listeners! DAY10 is the code!
Kathleen also has flat rate shipping in the US (which is amazing!)
Finally, you can find Knots of Grace on Instagram!
