mom crush ~ kelley smith

Name: Kelley Smith

Stats: Married to husband Aaron, mother to Reese and Tatum, and full-time employee at marketing agency VSA Partners as a Director of Client Engagement.

Why she's crush worthy:  First and foremost anyone who works in marketing, especially on the agency side, knows that it is an extremely demanding job and it is nowhere close to a traditional 9 to 5 gig.  (Do those actually exist anymore?)  On top of that add being a mom/wife and well that pretty much eats up every hour of your day, but Kelley doesn't stop there.  She's an athlete who did (does) triathlons, active mentor at local non-profit organization Horizons For Youth and she's actively on the up in up checking out the local dining hot spots.  Oh and did I mention that she shares the same views as I do on city living?

Meet Kelley Smith and hear her views on...

Being a Mother

• I knew I was a mom when…Is it odd to say that I still sort of feel like i’m “playing” a mom? Sometimes it all feels like the game of Life where I ended up with 2 kids and a husband and a house….all in the best way...just still doesn’t feel real!?
• My favorite thing to do with my daughters is…Hang out with them in bed before they go to sleep. It’s our chance to catch up with no distractions. It’s when they are the most sweet to me!-- lots of hugs and kisses and “i love yous”. Gotta make it last while I can!
• The trait I hope my daughters inherits from me is….Never take no for an answer. There is always a way to persevere. You may not get what you initially wanted, but the process in figuring it out will probably get you further than you expected.

Being a Full-Time Working Mom

• I love that my job gives me…The ability to be my best self. I always feel challenged to elevate my thinking and the work that we do for our clients. I enjoy collaborating with incredibly smart, talented colleagues who push me to constantly improve--It’s motivating and energizing. It’s inspiring to come home to my girls and realize that I have something interesting to offer them because I’m learning new things every day. I want to make them proud.

Being a Wife

• When we have an argument, we resolve it by…Talking it through in therapy! We found an amazing therapist a year before we were even married--our relationship with her is going on 6+ years. She’s been key in helping us figure out how we can be our best selves- together and apart. We met when we were 22 and 23. 10 years later, we’ve both grown so much professionally and personally-- but what’s so great is that we’ve done it together. The cliches about marriage are almost all true (it’s hard work, the work never stops, finding time for each other after kids is hard, blah blah) so actually being in these situations now and having the support/guidance of a neutral 3rd party has been so valuable to both of us. I tell all of my friends and people I love-- find a good therapist. There’s nothing like having that time each week where you can lay it all out on the table and have someone referee while you talk it out.

Herself

• No matter how crazy my schedule is I always find time to…Workout. It’s never been about being thin for me, it’s a way to find myself, connect with how strong I can be and how far i can push myself. It’s an outlet when everything else gets crazy. I always go first thing in the morning (6am) so there’s no excuse.
• People always think I’m confident and unflappable, but I’m really……I know that the best way to sometimes make it is to fake it! I think we all have insecurities and times of self-doubt, but in the end we are the only ones who can move ourselves past those feelings. We’ve all been there, thinking “i wish someone would tell me how good i look” or “i wish someone would tell me what a great job i’m doing”. But the reality is, when people do say those things, most of us completely blow the compliment off!  It’s made me realize that there is no amount of validation anyone can give me to make me feel better--it’s gotta come from within. So when i feel myself doubting my abilities--i remind myself everyone has struggles, everyone has insecurities and I’m no different. Where I can be different is in how I deal with all of that- whether it’s in my role as a mom or at work. My trainer has a saying, if you are going to doubt anything, doubt your limits. So powerful when you put it into action!

After featuring some truly amazing moms with this series, I always admire each mom's honesty and willingness to let down their guard to share a piece of truth from their life. Quite honestly it takes a lot for couples to admit when they're seeking help, but truthfully like Kelley, I think it's a necessity as years pass in your relationship with your significant other. People change, the world around you changes, and the most difficult part is figuring out how to adapt. It isn't something that we should have to do on our own and I truly am inspired by couples who are open about not being perfect - which is again why Kelley is such a crush worthy madre!