We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelley Cervenka Coker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kelley Cervenka thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

A big risk I took was quitting my full-time job to pursue content creation without a plan, just the feeling of being called to follow my dreams. To understand why I would take such a risk, with a very nano following and no clients lined up, we have to rewind to one year prior to my departure from my job, 2023. My dad had been battling cancer for 4 years at this point, and after a good fight, in May 2023, he passed away surrounded by family. Losing my dad and, before that, watching him slowly but very quickly get sicker in his final months when we were right by his side, taking care of him, was a wake-up call that life is short. There is no time to waste being unhappy or “waiting” for it to feel like the right time to pursue what I deep down really want. So, just 1 day shy of 1 year after my dad passed away (May 2024), I left my job to pursue content creation full-time. I’m now 1 year and 5 months into this journey, and while there are always ups and downs, I’m discovering a joy for life that took a back seat for a long time. The wins are motivating to keep going and help me believe I’ve made the right choice, and my drive to not give up on myself and continue to choose to see life as a temporary gift is a beautiful byproduct that I didn’t expect from such a dark time after being reluctantly introduced to grief. It is also so lovely to get to inspire other people to find their joys and positive perspectives on life through the content I create and share. So I think taking the risk has been absolutely worth it!

Kelley Cervenka, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I feel like the previous question summed up a lot of this. But basically, I am a content creator pursuing my dream of influencing, and eventually I dream of starting a clothing brand myself, but I am also a freelance social media manager and content creator for brands.

In my personal content, my goal is to help other people find joy for life, whether it’s encouraging people to wear the clothes that bring a smile to their face or it’s having an internet bestie to help them get outside and go for a walk so that facing the day is a little easier, I’m passionate about inspiring people to see the good.

From a freelance social media manager and creator for brands standpoint, I help brands create a presence online. I love creating visually appealing content for brands to utilize in their marketing efforts through engaging and stunning visuals in graphic design, photo, and video. I hope to lean more into utilizing travel with clothing brands in future marketing efforts.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes! That life is short and it is important to face what you truly want within. Memento Mori “remember you must die” is a huge motivator for me to keep moving and keep pursuing my dreams and what serves me and fuels me creatively.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being in the creative space of content, I think it’s incredibly rewarding to push through barriers of fear and be brave to actually take action on creative ideas. It’s also very rewarding to inspire other people to push through their own barriers to keep moving forward and seek their joy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelleyycoker/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kelcerveza

Image Credits

Madison Taylor Photo
Kelley Cervenka Coker