Real Mom. Real Talk. Real Hustle

Do you ever sit back and find yourself incredibly lucky to cross paths with certain people? This is Kayla White for me. If you know her or have met her even once, then you know. The energy she exudes is truly unmatched. She has a way about her that allows anyone into her space. She hears you, she listens to you & she communicates honestly with you (mixed in with some wit of course).

As I started thinking about writing her ‘Spotlight’ piece, I could not, for the life of me, jog my memory as to what event it was that brought her into my orbit. Thankfully, she has hung around a bit and has been an amazing partner in many of my wild ideas and someone who I can also bounce ideas off of.

Now that you’ve got a tiny picture into the type of person Kayla White is – let’s dive deeper into who she is as a Mom, a photographer & friend.

Kayla is a Mom to two sweet daughters ages 8 and 5. On the outside, it looks like Kayla always has the balance of Mom and Entrepreneur perfected but she’ll also be the first to tell you that’s not always the truth. If you follow her over on Instagram , you’ll see her mixing a bit of authenticity and humor along with her astounding talents as a photographer. She will always keep it real with y’all when it comes to running a business, being a creative and showing up as a Mom.

So, how does she do it? A typical day is anything but typical. Every day looks a bit different from the next but one thing that helps juggle her business with being an active Mama is by stacking tasks. This means she will spend one day on marketing, another on admin and so on.

Sometimes, other spaces in her life have to take a backseat to the editing process as, for her, it’s incredibly important to deliver her work as soon as possible. Admin, marketing, etc. will always take a backseat to the editing process during the week. She knows first hand how eager one is to receive the photos after a session. There is no better moment than opening up your email to find “Your Photos are Ready!”

You can find Kayla photographing newborns, families, couples, events and even branding sessions. You know what does not take a backseat? Her family. Although she will have families and events to photograph on the weekends – the laptop stays shut until Monday. Even though her camera is busy clicking away it isn’t until Monday morning that the editing process will begin. This allows her to stay fully present with her family outside of her photo sessions.

But wait, there’s more! Kayla goes beyond the lens and focuses on visual storytelling with social media strategy for small brands. You can find Kayla working with small business owners, to capture branding photos making their company’s story shine, and then work alongside them to utilize those photos to build out their social media content. While expressing herself creatively, she is also able to use her strengths in marketing and social media to level up her clients experience and outcome.

Of course I asked Kayla a few questions about what it’s like to be a Mom. Let’s hear directly from her:

What’s your favorite part about being a Mom?
I figure if I ever know that I’ve made the right choices as a parent, it will be when my kids are parents themselves! It’s hard to be working so hard and focusing so much of your time and attention on this thing called parenting when there is no clear indicator that you’re doing the right things! It’s those small moments thought that bring me so much joy and fill my cup right up! I love peeking at my kids playing together outside when no-one else is around. I love when I see them being kind to new friends at the playground and I love when they look at my with those sweet eyes and tell me they love me. Parenting is so bittersweet at every turn, but oh the sweet is so, so sweet!

What is your proudest moment as a Mom?
I love hearing positive reviews of my kids from their teachers, other parents and coaches about how kind my kids are. I know my kids are the best, but knowing that when I’m not around and watching, that they are thoughtful and polite makes me feel like maybe we are doing something right as parents.

When you get time to yourself, what do you like to do?
I love escapism which means I’m just as likely to be found reading a book, as to be found binging a Bravo show.

What advice would you give a new Mom?
” The days are long but the years are short”, it’s such a silly little quote, that’s been handed down from generation to generation for a reason! Sometimes the length of time between wakeup and bedtime feels never ending, but goodness if they don’t spend everyday growing, changing and needing you a little less. Getting photos of your kids isn’t just about marking who they are today for today, but it’s really about giving your Mama heart a gift 10 years from now when they are all grown up and needing you less. It’s about having those long days that you’ll eventually miss, saved forever.

 Tell us about something funny (and maybe relatable) that happened to you as a Mom.
A few weeks after my youngest was born the whole family headed to the store to get out of the house, and get some errands done. I woke up that morning feeling like I really had this Mom of two thing under control. (insert eye roll here) A little bit into our trip the baby started screaming at the same time our toddler threw a fit. We’re in the middle of the very crowded store and suddenly there were tears from both kids, an overstimulated toddler throwing a tantrum and no groceries in our cart! My husband whisked our oldest away to distract her and I found myself sitting on a random store work ladder, nursing cover tossed to the side, leaking milk out of one boob and hoping my wiggling newborn could do me a favor and cover the other, very exposed one! In that moment I realized, I don’t think I’ll ever actually have a handle on this Mom thing, and I bet other Mom’s don’t feel like they do either!

What is your favorite shop to go to or yourself? For the kiddos?
The Sweeter then Fiction bookstore is a new favorite shop for me! We also can be found digging through the vinyl stacks at the Record Stop Downtown. I’m a huge fan of thrifting though so when I’m not at Community thrift in N. Charleston, I’m just down the road at Closet Case!

What is your favorite restaurant to go to with the whole family? & for date night?
My husband and I love to try foods, so we rarely visit the same restaurant twice! ( There are so many good options how could you?!) You can often find us at LowLife on Folly when we’re both with or without our kids! ( The ketchup sauce is so good!) We have returned to Chubby Fish downtown time and time again for a date night and it’s never disappointed!

What is your favorite family event around Charleston?
We love hitting up all the Folly events, if Main street is closed with live music, you can find us there!

Thank you Kayla for being a big part of CHS (working) Moms ! You’ve been a big part of our spotlight series showering these Mamas with love through your photography. If you haven’t already, be sure to give her a follow on Instagram.