mom about town
MEET CATHERINE
KOPPEL BY MADELINE PISTORIUS
C atherine Koppel is a New Orleans mom whose life has taken her around the world. As a journalist, she reported from Moscow, Washington, D.C., New York, and beyond, covering everything from global politics to the World Cup and the Bolshoi Ballet. Today, she balances her work as vice president of Media & Strategy at TEG with her love of family, travel, culture, art, cuisine, and exploring the Gulf South. Here, Catherine shares a look at the people, places, and passions that make her life full and home in New Orleans special. YOU’VE HAD AN INCREDIBLE CAREER AROUND THE WORLD. WHAT EXPERIENCE HAS IMPACTED YOU THE MOST? CATHERINE: Living in Russia specifically was extremely exciting. When I was a correspondent there, it seemed like every single story in the entire world had to make its way through Russia. So if there was a story about the war in Syria, there were peace talks in Russia that I was covering. Or, if we were talking about major international conferences, they were happening in Russia. The Olympics and the World Cup was in Russia. Russia also has the most phenomenal ballet scene you can even imagine, so I loved covering that. There was almost no international story that Russia didn’t have an opinion on and that I wasn’t covering.
Husband: Scott Balling Child: Flora, 11 Occupation: Vice President of Media Strategy for the Arhardt Group Hobbies: Rowing for the Survivor Rowing Club New Orleans WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU DO IN YOUR APPROACH TO PARENTING? CATHERINE: We try to expose her to as much as possible. I introduce books that maybe aren’t age appropriate. We watch plenty of shows, movies, or plays that might be a little bit too mature, but I just want her to be exposed to things so she has the ability to ask me about it and I can put it in the correct context for her. That’s kind of what my parents did for me, because it could turn into a conversation that they put [the subject] in context for me. I read Catcher in the Rye when I was in fifth grade, and I was able to contextualize that this is a more adult situation. So, nothing was forbidden fruit. But the process is that I can talk a little bit about it now and if she has any questions, I can answer.
daughter is doing. She’s also been traveling since she was a little teeny tiny baby, and she’s a fantastic traveler. International travel, learning about different cultures, and being interested in things outside of the United States as well as things inside of the United States is important to pass on. WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR DAUGHTER TAKES AWAY FROM WATCHING YOU BUILD YOUR CAREER? CATHERINE: Particularly, seeing women work. She loves coming to the office with me; I think she thinks it’s really exciting. She’s interested in what I do now and what I did as a journalist. I think that it’s important for kids to see what their parents do and to understand a little bit about the work world. I don’t expect that she’ll want to do the exact same thing as me, but I’m glad that she’s not completely offended by the idea of coming to the office with me. She loves the people that I work with and she sees the camaraderie and the hard work that they do. She reads the news and understands when we have clients who are having great successes and it’s being reported on—she gets that we had something to do with that. HOW DO YOU SHARE YOUR PASSIONS WITH YOUR DAUGHTER? CATHERINE: We recently went to the World Cup, and while that could have been completely boring to her, we wanted her to have that experience so maybe later on in life she’ll think that was something fun—and I think she will. But she actually loves going to the opera. That’s one of our favorite things to do as a family. She loves ballet. We like to see films together. In a couple weeks from now, I am bringing her to hear a Holocaust survivor talk about her life. Really, I just want things to be on the table and for her to see everything—plays, operas, films, concerts. Soccer games, rugby matches, and lectures, too, because even if she might find them completely boring at the time, there might be some conversation that comes from it.
EARLIEST TRAVEL MEMORY WITH YOUR DAUGHTER?
CATHERINE: My husband really loves soccer, and when we lived in Russia, he became a true expert on Eastern European soccer. He discovered an Estonian Premier League team called FC Flora. So, when she was just a little baby, we reached out to them and we were like, “Hey, listen. We’re coming to Estonia and we have a daughter named Flora. We’d love to come and just see the pitch.” And so we went there, and they actually took pictures with us for their social media. It was like a really fun thing. That was our first international trip with her.
HAVE YOUR TRAVELS SHAPED YOU AS A MOM?
CATHERINE: I have three siblings, and my father took all of us on international trips when we were very young children— to places like Russia, India, England, and Denmark. He absolutely felt like we should understand how the world works and understand history, literature, where people are coming from, and what makes them tick. I’m a huge believer that Americans should travel abroad very often and I try to do it as often as I can myself. I think learning another language to some level of fluency gives you so much insight into the culture that you’re learning about. One thing I really love about New Orleans is that we have so many French immersion schools here—that’s what my
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITION?
CATHERINE: My husband and I, and my mom, too, love to take day trips. We don’t overschedule, but we love to just explore, whether it’s driving down to the bayou, exploring the French Quarter for a couple
12 OCTOBER 2026 | NOLAFAMILY.COM
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