Earlier this year, I was asked to sponsor Pixsweet pops and conduct a vision board exercise at the Start Loving You conference in San Diego, California. It was an incredible opportunity to meet like-minded Lady Boss Mamas, including the beautiful and kindhearted Kristen Hewitt.

Sitting next to Kristen during the conference, I was able to get to know more behind the impressive resume she has, and find someone who has not had an easy road to motherhood. Despite all odds, Kristen kept her hope and was able to conceive - not once but twice (with a little help from IVF)!

Kristen with her two daughters, Lila and Emylia.

Still after climbing up this big mountain successfully, she then found herself on a new uphill battle with stage 4 endometriosis. Which recently prompted a huge decision in her life involving a hysterectomy!

So how does someone cope with all this and still find peace, choose to be grateful (even co-creating a gratitude journal with Carrie Elle), and teach self-love to her daughters?

I decided to sit down with Kristen to find out exactly that! Read our interview to learn more about this amazing woman who is inspiring others (including me) to live their most authentic lives!

Briefly describe your job and how you got started in this capacity for all the Lady Boss Mamas to get to know you.

My "day" job, which is really a "night" job, is acting as a sideline reporter for the Miami HEAT on Fox Sports.

I started in broadcasting while working in college, and always knew I'd work in media. I was picked up by Sunshine Network in college and have been with Fox Sports since 1997 in a variety of jobs.

After going through seven years of fertility treatment though once I became a mom I knew I had to slow down.

So I started a blog kristenhewitt.me (formerly mommy in SPORTS) and recaptured my love of writing. My goal is to inspire myself and others to live a fearlessly authentic life.

I also have a podcast called BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE, and own a marketing agency called misMEDIA.

I pivot every two years and keep trying new things, it keeps my spirit alive! And I love to help empower other women, I feel like it's my calling to help others reach their full potential. And inspire them to keep going, who we are is what we've overcome.

Lady Boss Mama Kristen Hewitt is a sideline reporter for the Miami Heat on Fox Sports.

How do you define hope in 1-2 sentences.

Hope is unwavering faith that what you want and need most will manifest in your life.

In what way has hope played a big part in your life in the last year?

Hope is the middle name of our first born, because we never gave up hope that we would someday become parents.

Kristen is pictured here cherishing every moment after the birth of her miracle baby girl.

But in this past year, I have relied on hope to be OK after a hysterectomy I didn't want. After struggling and living with stage 4 endometriosis, going through seven years of fertility treatment including two rounds of IVF, I was tired of hurting. The surgery and recovery were harder than I imagined, but I stayed grateful each day for each small win, and kept up hope that I'd eventually get through it. And guess what? I did. A great remember for anyone going through a difficult trying moment, that this too shall pass.

If hope was a flavor what would it taste like and why?

I feel like hope would taste like whip cream. Light, airy, positive, fun, and just a little bit sweet and decadent. We all need a little whip cream every once in a while!

How would you describe parenting around work using an analogy?

I don't parent around work, I work around parenting. I always say decide what's important and build your life around THAT. My kids are the number one priority in my life, and then everything else. You can have it all, just not at the same time. So pick what you need and want in this season of your life and do it. There will be time for other things later!

For Kristen, her family is her number one priority. She works around the family not the other way around!

Kristen writes on her blog about what really happens when deleting Facebook from her phone:

I’d noticed that while on Facebook I would just feel awful. Reading the negativity, people judging each other, and me comparing myself to others, it just felt toxic. So six weeks ago in a rash decision I deleted the app from my phone and made sure all my notifications were off so I wouldn’t be tempted to look down every five minutes.

What 2-3 tips would you give other lady boss mamas for hope?

Be Grateful. Every damn day. Even when the laundry is piled up. Or someone you love is fighting cancer. Or if you are chronically ill and so tired of feeling awful every day. Look in the mirror, look around your house, look at your beautiful kids and see the GOOD. It's all around us. Gratitude helps you fall in love with the life you already have.
Be the Love. When you most need hope or help, be the love you want to see in others. Reflect it, give it, soak it up around you.
Be Still. So many times when we are seeking something we get caught up in our heads and our lives. But find some stillness to radiate hope, be it meditation, yoga, a walk, journaling, whatever brings you peace. Stop hiding in the busyness and find yourself in the quiet.

Kristen likes to refer to herself as a recovering "perfectionist." But in reality, she is a kaleidoscope., doing a million things while spinning in a thousand different directions, and that’s exactly how she likes it!

Tell us about your daughters - names and ages! What is your biggest hope for them as they grow up?

Lila is miracle number one, age nine. Emylia is IVF miracle number two, age six. My biggest hope for them is they stay true to themselves, learn to love and accept themselves as they are, and they be who they want to be.

Kristen writes on her blog about her best day as a mom so far...

I didn’t buy a book, or google it, or read tons of blog posts on the subject. Instead I looked within. I decided to try to model better behavior and ask her a few times a week to tell me what she did that was special during her day. Not just activities, but things she did herself that she was proud of. I’ve asked her who loves her, and a few times I’ve even asked her to say, “I love me.” She felt silly doing it though. (Quite honestly so do I).

What question were you expecting me to ask? Pretend like I did ask and answer that question!

Are you being who you want to be?

Nope. I have no idea who I want to be when I grow up and I'm totally OK with that. Forget about the destination and enjoy the journey. Eventually we'll get there, when we are meant to. And they when we arrive we'll buy a ticket to somewhere else, it's called life.

Kristen talks about not having any idea what she wants to be when she grows up. A good reminder for us all to enjoy all the twirls and spins of life without worrying about the destination.

Kristen writes on her blog about how dreams can change in your 30's:

I spent the first few years of my thirties enjoying being a reporter while struggling with infertility . Like really struggling, it took seven heartbreaking years to get pregnant. After I became a mother, I slowly evolved my career into being a part-time reporter, part-time producer, and hands-on mom. After the birth of my second child though, I’ve become restless. I’ve been reliving the dreams in my mind that I once had for myself years ago, and trying to figure out how to achieve them. Or if I even want them anymore, especially with kids, whom I hate leaving for more than SIX TO SEVEN hours at a time.

What are 1-2 questions you have for me about hope?

How do you stay hopeful for more children when you suffer a loss?

Oh that is a great question Kristen! I would say that my hope is supported by a deep profound feeling that the universe has my back. What will be will be. And I cannot control any of it (no matter how hard I sometimes try)!

READ: Live in the moment: 5 reasons to trust the timing of your life

I have also been working hard to stay focused on the present moment (by listening to a lot of Eckhart Tolle). Not always easy for me since I am very ambitious, anxious to reach my next goal!

Finally, as you say, I have been inspired with my recent loss, to remain grateful for what I do have right in front of me! There are so many blessings around us - we just need to pay attention and open our hearts to them!

One of Laura Kyttanen's favorite quotes from Eckhart Tolle regarding being in the present moment.

Following our interview, Kristen had to rush to Orlando to be with her family as her sister-in-law is fighting a very serious case of pancreatic cancer.

Life can hit us with some pretty difficult and messy stuff, which even though it makes us stronger in the end, it is definitely not easy as we are going through it. Which is why hope is so important and I am so glad that this is the theme for my discussion with Kristen!

Please send your love and good energy to Kristen and her family. There is power and magic in our energy and prayers.

Thank you Kristen for taking the time to share your story with us and for being an incredibly inspiring Lady Boss Mama! My heart goes out to you and your entire family during this time of uncertainty and I am hoping for the best.

And thank you to all my readers for following along on this journey to discover Lady Boss Mamas in hopes to find more grit, more soul and more magic which inspires and empowers!

x

Laura

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