Kylie Kelce can do it all. She’s a mom, a podcaster, and a former athlete who knows the power of showing up. As Jason once said, “She’s not afraid to be who she is.” In a world where girls often shrink from the spotlight of sports, Kylie walks straight into it. Her journey didn’t start at the sidelines of NFL glory; it began on the turf at Cabrini, where she once wrote, “One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was to become a part of the Cabrini Field Hockey family. The experience gave me memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.” Those words are proof of roots that run deep, well before fame ever found her. Now, she stands as a beacon for young girls who’ve been told sports aren’t for them, not just by being visible, but by being real and sharing her own experiences.
Before she became a household name through the sidelines and spotlight, Kylie Kelce was just a tall girl who was mercilessly bullied for her height. She found comfort in field hockey, no matter how much her father Ed McDevitt tried to push her towards basketball. In a recent Instagram reel, she opens up about the insecurity that came with standing out early. The post’s caption aptly reads, “Growing up taller than most of her classmates, @KyKelce didn’t always feel confident in her body—until sports showed her what it was capable of .”
“I grew up significantly taller than most of my classmates,” she shares, her voice steady but reflective. As a little girl, she wanted to blend in, but instead, she stood towering above most of her classmates. “Of course, then went for field hockey, which is in the opposite direction,” she says with a small laugh, pointing out how the sport, low to the ground, fast and compact, felt like a strange choice for someone built like her. But that’s where the shift began.
Young Kelce learnt to celebrate her body through the confidence sports gave her. Field hockey became a proving ground, where what once made her different now made her dangerous. In the same reel, she tells fans, “So field hockey gave me, uh, an appreciation for my body. And I think that when you can see the strengths that you’ve been given and then things that you can work towards, all of that comes together to help you stand a little taller, roll your shoulders back, own your height.” Her words don’t just speak to growth; they breathe it. It is pretty evident to her fans that sports gave her the confidence in her body and personality. “I didn’t ask to be five 11, but, um, my reach in field hockey defensively was an absolute asset.” That quote lands like a victory lap. Kylie didn’t let the bullying get to her instead, she turned the unique thing about her into a strength.
Even though Kylie has left behind the turf, she continues to tackle motherhood every day.
Kylie Kelce’s thoughts on maternity
In front of the camera, Kylie Kelce is attending Mother’s Day brunches with pop star Taylor Swift. But at home, she is still struggling with motherhood. “I still have no idea what I’m doing,” she said, laughing through the chaos of parenting four young daughters. Wyatt, 5, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and baby Finnley, just eight weeks old. When she finally returned to her Not Gonna Lie podcast after nearly two months on maternity leave, she joked, “If I had to describe the change going from three kids to four kids in two words or less … ‘holy s—’?” Then, laughing again, she revised it to: “Let’s go with ‘not terrible.’ That sounds better.” The chaos is real, but so is the love—and so is the exhaustion. It also sends a message to young moms struggling with kids that they are not alone.
But don’t confuse her calm with comfort. On the ‘Can I Be Honest’ segment of her podcast, she debunked the myth that maternity leave is some kind of soft reset. “Maternity leave is not a break or a vacation—that is a crazy concept,” Kylie said. “Do you think I was just kicking up my feet and chilling without a care in the world? You’d be wrong.” And in case anyone needed visual proof, she held up her arm: “Specifically, my right arm is permanently, just permanently, in this position, claw included. I am going to have the sickest bicep on this side.” Kylie had made it clear to everyone that maternity leave is a time for self-care.
Finnley prefers contact naps, which means Kylie has been tethered to a tiny, snuggly human for the past eight weeks with no pause button in sight. “I birthed a child who prefers contact naps,” she wrote with a sarcastic smile, adding, “I got another Wyatt sleeper.” And even now, as she starts to get back into rhythm, she admits the sleepless nights still come standard. “Maternity leave is figuring out how to do things one-handed again. That is a skill that you have to master.”
Kylie becomes a beacon of inspiration to both young girls and struggling mothers. Like true feminist icons, she stands in solidarity with her fans, encouraging them through retelling her own experiences.
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