My next amazing, strong woman that I'm featuring with an InHERview interview is Kelly Brunt. If you haven't checked out my first InHERview, you can find it here.

I’ve met Kelly only a handful of times in person. In the small world we find ourselves living in, Kelly is married to the brother of a dear friend of mine that I have known for the last 13 years. Wow. Way to make us feel old, hey Tara?

Kelly is also a super-inspiring Instagramming mama Real.Mom.of.Insta (find her Instagram account here) that I found through the glory of hashtags and other moms in the Tri-Cities! She posts about the things every parent out there should be talking and thinking about, and I have so much respect for the way she throws it all out there and makes me feel like I am truly not alone in this crazy adventure of motherhood!

I tried to think outside the box a bit when I was asking Kelly questions, since I don’t know her too well personally. It was my intention to not only get to know her better, but to show you why it is I find her so inspirational!

Happy Blonde Woman Smiling: InHERview

The Interview

For those that don’t know you, tell us quickly who Kelly Brunt is.

Kelly Brunt is a born and raised prairie girl! I have always been a ‘tomboy’ and grew up playing sports. I love the outdoors: camping, hiking, fishing, you name it! I have a degree in Kinesiology and have my CPHR (Chartered Professional in Human Resources). I have been working in HR for 10 years. I am a mama to a three year old boy and 22 month old girl, dog mom and wife. Family is my everything. 💕 I am passionate about being involved in the community and giving back.

Did you always want to be a mom?

Yes! I always knew I wanted to have 2 or 3 children however I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to do this as my longest relationship before my husband of 7 years (together 13 years) was 3 months!!

Did you know that it would be this hard?

No definitely not. People said ‘having kids is hard’ but they didn’t really explain what exactly that meant. I wish people would have sat me down and given me the real down low.

Family Sitting Fireside by Water: InHERview

What inspired you to start your Instagram account?

To be honest I was sick of scrolling through FB and IG and seeing all of these ‘perfect families’ and these ‘perfect photos’. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing great family photos (they are tough to get) but I felt bad about myself as a mom that I wasn’t as perfect as everyone else seemed. I had bags under my eyes, my house was (and still often is) a mess, living off coffee for months, suffering from PPD with my second (I assumed since I didn’t have it with my first, I wouldn’t with my second) and could barely get out the door many days to name a few.

I wouldn’t trade any of this as I love my kids more than anything but I wanted to show the full scope of what being a mom is like. I wanted people with kids to relate; to be able to say ‘fewf I’m not alone’, people wanting to have kids to get to see the not so perfect days and as my cousin who is pregnant says ‘Kel you are scaring the shit out of me with some of your posts!’.

What (other than Instagram) do you use as outlets to deal with challenges in your life?

I enjoy being active, going for hikes and getting outside. I play on a women’s ice hockey team and soccer team.

I also go to counselling. Not because of my children :-p however if I am dealing with something challenging with them it’s often nice to talk about it with a third party who doesn’t have a bias.

I started going to counselling regularly after my sister passed away in April 2017. We were best friends, inseparable.

On that day, I not only lost my sister, I lost a piece of myself. I found out I was pregnant a few days after her passing which was a blessing in disguise. I knew I had to be healthy for the both of us. It’s honestly what got me through the most difficult days of my life.

- Kelly

What is your favourite thing about:

Your kids?

Their personalities. My son is 3 and is a typical boy loving cars, superheroes, hockey, and riding his bike. He is so persistent though. If he wants something badly enough, he keeps at it until he gets it.

My daughter is 22 months and so incredibly stubborn and fierce (no idea where she gets this from lol). If she doesn’t want her diaper changed, it isn’t getting done; you WILL NOT change her mind! She doesn’t take any shit from her brother and puts him in his place!

Yourself?

Giving back to the community. I love fundraising and helping those in need.

Your hubby?

His involvement with our children; he has them a lot during the week while I work but refuses to put them in daycare more than 2-3 days/week when he is home and able to parent. He often gets up in the night with them or gets up early with them when he can so I can sleep in.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Working part-time so I can be home with the kids more, same house and continuing to travel.

InHERview Rapid Fire Favourites:

Kids’ Book: Anything Bernstein Bears (it’s nostalgic!)

Non-kids’ Song: Fishing in the dark (bring on the line dancing!)

Childhood memory: Having a lemonade stand at our cabin in Saskatchewan

Vacation spot: Hawaii

Hobby: Fundraising

Season: Summer

Holiday: Christmas

Drink: Whiskey and Gingerale (I’m a prairie girl!)

Food: perogies

Place: Anywhere that I am surrounded by family.

As a mom, I have to say a big thank you to Kelly for being so honest and recognizing that the world needs more honesty, warts and all! Especially the parenting world. This shit is hard and things like post-partum depression are no joke. It’s refreshing to hear that Kelly is an advocate for counselling as mental health is just as important as physical health, if not more so in some cases!

I also love to hear about someone so passionate about giving back to the community. I just signed up for a volunteer event organizing Christmas hampers through Moms Gone Wild, which is another tie I have to Kelly as her and her friends were also involved in the Golf Tournament I attended back in September. They rocked their outfits as the Glamourous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW).

Kelly B, pictured far right.

Do me a favour and give Kelly a follow on Instagram! You won’t be disappointed with her hilarious, real and raw posts. I hope that I can be as inspiring to someone as Kelly is to me with her honest words.

InHERview,

Anya

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