“Real solutions are critical because I face a lot of problems. All moms work whether they get paid or not, and we need all the help we can get,” says kathy ireland, who began her career as a four year old designer, selling painted rocks from her wagon. kathy became a supermodel who morphed into someone the Associated Press calls “a best friend to working mothers.”

A wife, mother, Sunday school teacher, Chief Designer and CEO of kathy ireland Worldwide® (KIWW®), kathy’s mission is “… finding solutions for families, especially busy moms.” kathy balances her responsibilities while leading the brand, Forbes, Newsweek and Wall Street Journal acknowledge as a $1.4 billion design empire. Women’s Wear Daily recognizes KIWW® as America’s 7th most popular in its category, House Beautiful celebrates KIWW® as one of the 25 “Great Furniture Collections” in America. KIWW® is the 23rd Most Powerful Licensed Brand in the world, according to License Global Magazine. This ranking surpasses Liz Claiborne, Tommy Bahama and Polo Ralph Lauren.

The genesis of KIWW® occurred in 1993 when founder kathy ireland brought her unique perspectives to American women with a collection of designer socks with Moretz Sports. Today, kathy in concert with her Brand Partners designs more than 15,000 collaboratively designed SKUS in furniture, flooring, lighting and accessories, window treatments, home office and entertainment, leather and microfiber, top of bed, bedding, candles, permanent florals, hand painted fine porcelain, decorative shelving, outdoor furniture, cabinetry, jewelry, apparel, skincare and fresh cut flowers are sold throughout the United States and in over 28 countries.

kathy is named Mother of the Year by the National Mothers Day Association. Because of kathy’s accomplishments in the world of design and business, American InterContinental University’s School of Design conferred upon her a Master of Fine Arts degree. Her design talents are celebrated by Architectural Digest, Furniture Today and Fairchild Publications names kathy one of the 50 Most Influential People in Fashion. To date, KIWW® has earned five Good Housekeeping Seals.

Even with kathy’s responsibilities caring for her family, designing, authoring books and giving motivational speeches, she actively works with various non-profits. According to UCLA she is one of the Top 10 Women’s Health Advocates in America. kathy is Ambassador for Youth for the National PTA and National Chair of Family Services and Parenting for Athletes and Entertainers for Kids. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “The education and development of our youth is our most vital responsibility. Since 1990, Kathy Ireland has provided support to the single mothers facing the challenges of teen pregnancy. I applaud her efforts to keep youth on a positive track. Please accept my best wishes for every future success.” She is active in the Special Olympics, and each holiday season, kathy partners with Feed The Children and underwrites the distribution of food, clothing and toys to children in need across the nation. kathy speaks annually at the United Nations to the Youth Assembly and is a Board member of the Alliance for Christian Education. kathy is a leading advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment through her efforts with the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation.

kathy is a pioneer in bringing this country its first and only national wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults, the Dream Foundation. As Dream Ambassador, kathy represents the Dream Foundation to corporations, helping to strengthen and build the resources necessary to make dreams come true for families.

Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, kathy was discovered by a scout from Elite Modeling Agency and by age 17, was traveling the world as a fashion model. She soon reached “supermodel” fame, appearing on covers of countless magazines, including Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and Sports Illustrated. She is the author of Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity, Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons that will Change Your Life, as well as three children’s books, What Mommies Do, An Angel Called Hope and Mona’s Favorite Words.

Although kathy is not fluent in Spanish, it is important for her to communicate with the millions of moms she serves who are bilingual and the result of this special relationship is that Autenticas Soluciones Para Madres Atareadas, will publish concurrently with the English version. An audio book featuring insights from ACafe by Chef Andre and JduJ Cultivated b y Nicholas Walker is also available.

kathy lives in Southern California with her husband Greg, an emergency room physician and commercial fisherman with their three children, Erik, Lily and Chloe.