We were lucky to catch up with Caroline Kelley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Caroline, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career

Unfortunately, today’s educational system is failing students in many ways. One of the most significant failures is lack of career preparation. It’s expected that after students get an education, they’ll combine their knowledge and interests to find a career that matches their skills. It sounds very simple. But the reality is, it’s not.

Students move from classrooms that are mainly theory based, to jobs and lifestyles that focus more on skills and knowledge, mostly without any training or preparation. They must quickly learn how to create resumes, master job interviews, gain job skills, manage money, create budgets based on income and career, invest, pay off debt – the list goes on and on.

So how can we prepare students for a more successful life after the education system? One way would be adding relevant classes that bridge the gap between theory and the real world. By weaving practical skills into courses such as Math and English, students are more prepared for their next step in life. An example of this would be assigning a project that requires students to research different careers, including required education, skills, and salaries. Another example is teaching how to create a budget based on a current salary, or teaching basic finance and investing skills. Bringing professionals into schools to talk about trade school opportunities is still yet another way to help bridge the gap and prepare all students for success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After experiencing infidelity and an unexpected divorce in 2019, I started an online platform called Cutewithkids. My initial goal was sharing lifestyle fashion that worked for moms with young children. But I also opened up about my own struggles – like starting over as a single mom and how I navigated all the ins and outs of a high conflict divorce. I blogged and posted practical tips for routines, self care, parenting, budgeting, and of course, divorce!

Managing my own platform opened me up to many social media opportunities, including interviews and partnerships with various businesses. At the same time, I began managing outside social media accounts for small businesses and coaching women through divorce.

What initially started out as a desire to connect with other divorced moms, turned into a fun career opportunity! I love working in social media because of how it connects individuals through shared experiences and interests.

For more information, please email me at cutewithkids@gmail.com or follow me on IG @cutewithkids

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2018, I was married and staying home to raise my two toddlers. I loved it! But I discovered infidelity in my marriage and found myself in a high conflict divorce. My family dynamic and dreams for the future changed drastically, to say the least. Pivoting in that stage of life was very difficult, because all of my friends were still having babies while I was dealing with attorneys and custody schedules. It felt like the train I was on had gone off the tracks and my entire future was up in the air.

With time, I chose to accept my new situation and rebuild my life as a single mom. I decided to live each day with passion and purpose, instead of worrying and planning out the future. My career in social media has been a huge blessing because it allows me the flexibility to work on my own schedule and still prioritize time with my kids.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that life goes according to plan. While we can control our own personal choices, we can’t control anything outside of that. My divorce certainly showed me that life does NOT go according to plan! I had no idea that at 34 years old, I’d end up a single mom with two kids under four. It was incredibly difficult to process. While there’s no way to avoid painful experiences beyond our control, life IS still full of wonderful opportunities. The career and personal opportunities that I’ve experienced since my divorce have been incredible and I am very lucky. I encourage anyone who is struggling with betrayal and divorce to find help, allow time for healing, and keep moving forward one step at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cutewithkids.com
• Instagram: @cutewithkids
• Facebook: @cutewithkids
• Linkedin: Caroline Kelley