Kevyn Kellogg: The Bravest Woman I Know
“Don’t judge a book by the cover.”
It’s advice an adult likely gave you as a child. And I don’t know about you, but even as a writer, often I still pick out novels and cookbooks based on aesthetic. We judge people in this manner, too. Whether in line at the grocery store or accepting a package from the UPS driver or picking up kids at school, we’re always sizing up others, intentionally or not. And when I first met Kevyn Kellogg, I did just that.
A sweet, Southern, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, bubbly girl, I just assumed so many things about her. I can still picture Kevyn sitting at the news desk at the station in downtown Austin where we worked. I was as green as could be, settling into my first real job, and Kevyn was an intern, clocking hours alongside running cross country and studying at a private college in town. After weeks of working opposite shifts, we finally worked a weekend together. And if you’re part of a skeleton crew somewhere, well, that’s when you really get to know people.
Kevyn didn’t open up to me right then, and I truly can’t remember when we had a heart-to-heart, but once I heard her story, I knew I’d never forget it. I knew I’d never again judge a person by my assumptions about them or by a first impression. All people have layers, and we can never fully know what’s going on behind a smile, a happy hello, a seemingly perfect life, or any of the opposites of these, too.
I’ve started and stopped writing Kevyn’s story so many times because, though I want to celebrate the true and complete hero she is, there are so many details that probably don’t need to be strewn across the internet or in a book . . . that simply can be left in the past. From losing her father as a toddler to living with a mother who struggled with many things no child should witness—including engaging in abusive relationships and alcohol—to surviving the fallout of those relationships, and enduring incredibly scary situations such as police and SWAT calls to her house . . . Kevyn went through far more in her life before age fifteen than most people will experience in a lifetime.
One image I will never get out of my mind is that of Kevyn packing her belongings in two black garbage bags when she knew she had to escape her home situation as a teen. She had no plan, but she utilized her resources, and lived with friends. Then, when Hurricane Rita hit the Texas coast in 2005, she had to evacuate. She remembered a family her mom and siblings used to visit in Austin with whom they were connected through a marriage decades before. Kevyn contacted them, though her plan was just to visit before enlisting in the Air Force. A couple weeks later, they called Kevyn and asked if she’d try living with them for a bit before enlisting.
That family is the only family I ever knew Kevyn to have—a successful mom and dad and two older brothers. It looked like the perfect family, and had I never truly gotten to know Kevyn, I would have never known those four weren’t her blood. They stood beside her and walked her down the aisle of her wedding, and they gave her the abundant life she deserved and never received as a child.
There are some chapters of our stories that just can’t be rewritten. But a life like Kevyn’s is one that will always serve as a reminder of the power of faith and hope and living life with the best of intentions. She wanted to protect her family, to be a good sister and daughter, and even though she got let down to the ultimate degree, she never stopped chasing, praying for, and manifesting a better future until she found what she knew was possible for her.
Kevyn is now leading and loving a family of her own. She’s the mom of four beautiful girls: Parker, Eiley, Wynter, and Sawyer. She and her husband Josh still live in the Austin area, where her success story began. She continues to be the brightest light in a room, and the most encouraging and optimistic person I have ever met.
Let Kevyn’s story be a reminder to you that everyone has a past, and many are far more complicated than we can imagine. It’s also not what life hands you but how you respond to it that truly makes you who you are and creates your future. And finally, is there any other way to live than with a heart full of gratitude? Simply meeting this one wonderful human reshaped my way of thinking about strangers and friends alike. Thank you, Kevyn. I love you!
Q & A with Kevyn Kellogg:
Q: Where do you get your energy/what motivates you?
A: “I look for inspiration all around me and when I find it, that’s what motivates me! I am pretty project-oriented, so for me, I take on one to five projects at a time, haha! I also am motivated when I know I have a deadline approaching, for instance family or friends coming over, a birthday, a trip, etc.”
Q: Who (other women) inspires you? Or are there any specific social media feeds that inspire you?
A: “I can always find motivation/inspiration/healing in the Bible and women’s groups, just discussing life and all the things, and how God is working it all together, seeing the bigger picture . . . does that make sense? I find that connection with other women is more and more life-giving. I think we all yearn for that connection to feel heard, validated, and loved!
”I follow a few social feeds that keep me in check with the balance of life. I tend to follow more feeds that are ‘real’ than the ‘superficial life is so great all the time.’ I love those too, but I think they come off with a ‘life is easy-peasy,’ when the truth is, it’s not. It’s hard, and it is validating to hear and not feel alone in that, like I said back to the connection . . . it’s so powerful!
”Just a few I love:
@Ladiesandladles
@ArrowsandBow
@livefreemiranda
@joannagaines
@simplyonpurpose
@gritandvirtue
@Amynwolff
@bobgoff
Q: Pie-in-the-sky dream or ambition?
A: “Help people feel loved, worthy, and happy by however means I can. I love design, so whether that’s designing spaces that do that or spending time in conversations and connecting. I’d love to pass that on to my girls too. Being present is really important to me because I know all too well life is short. So just making the most of every moment we are here and being patient in all the processes!”
Q: Go-to recipe?
A: “I don’t really have a go-to because I love to change it up, but I do make these fairly often!”
—> Check back for Kevyn’s breakfast casserole and Kevyn’s meat and veggie chili!
