Modern Mom

When you’re the co-founder of Clique—parent company to uber popular lifestyle sites WhoWhatWear, MyDomaine, and Byrdie—as well as an author and host behind the careercentric Second Life podcast, business is your M.O. New mom Hillary Kerr dishes her secret to staying on top of it all with a baby in tow, as well as a sneak peek into her nursery, and how the jig is up on “having it all.”

MINI | Thank you for inviting us into your nursery! Tell us all about it!

HILLARY KERR | It’s a pretty serene space with a few whimsical touches. It was important to us to create a room that didn’t feel heavily gendered or babyish, and we wanted it to work with the rest of our home, and I think we accomplished that mission, with the help of our amazing designer, Deborah Gleiberman of DL Rhein.

MINI | What was your inspiration for the nursery?

HILLARY KERR | We started with the color palette and knew we wanted to include a fair amount of green from the start. My husband and I both love stripes, so there had to be a stripe moment, as well. And we wanted to design a space that had loads of space for books, as we are both big readers and hope Clark will be too!

MINI | What are some of your favorite elements in the space? Where did they come from?

HILLARY KERR | The wallpaper is definitely at the top of my list; it feels a bit Where The Wild Things Are and Clark really loves looking at it. Finding the right wallpaper was the biggest part of this project; we looked for months until we found the right one. I also really love the big giraffe in his room, too. I’d seen it in the Pottery Barn corporate offices on a work trip years ago, and always had it in the back of my head.

MINI | Tell us how you decided on his name. Were there other names that got a veto vote from either you or your husband?

HILLARY KERR | There’s not much of a backstory to his name besides the fact that we both liked it and how it sounded with my husband’s last name, Leahy. It’s such a melodic name, so we knew we wanted something that would compliment it, and Clark seemed like the right fit. Luckily we were on the same page about names, though it’s a good thing Clark was a boy, as we’d never decided on a girl’s name.

MINI | We know schedules can be hectic— so tell us about yours! What does a typical day look like right now with a baby?

HILLARY KERR | At the risk of jinxing our schedule, things are working pretty well right now. Clark gets up around 6:30 a.m. every morning; you can practically set a watch by his wakeup time. We hang out as a family until his breakfast at 7 a.m., and then I pack up for the day and leave for my 8 a.m. workout class, and my husband does the handoff with our amazing nanny. My first call is usually at 9:30 a.m. while I’m driving to the office, and then I typically have back-toback meetings all day. I try to leave the office by 5:45 p.m. so that I’m home around 6:15 p.m. to do bath, bottle, and bedtime with Clark. He goes down around 7 p.m., and then I usually am back on emails and Slack while making (or ordering) dinner. My husband often doesn’t get home until 8 or 8:30 p.m. or later, so that post-Clark bedtime, pre-dinner window is a good time for me to catch up on any outstanding work that I didn’t get to during the day. My husband and I always eat dinner together, and catch up on the day; that time together is important to us. On a good night, I’m showered and in bed reading by 10 p.m., with lights out around 10:30 p.m., but that’s the goal, not always the norm.

MINI | How are you staying on top of everything with a new baby?

HILLARY KERR | I’m a firm believer in scheduling everything. So whether it’s work or workouts or shopping for a friend’s birthday, everything is in my calendar. I am also make tons of lists—for everything from grocery shopping to bigger work projects— to help me keep track of everything. Without iCal and Evernote, I’d be toast!

MINI | What do you think about the idea of “having it all?”

HILLARY KERR | Sounds like a lot of pressure! I don’t love that phrase “having it all,” because I think it’s a bit sexist. No one ever says that to men, or asks men about “having it all” or the struggle of being a working dad, you know? I’m just doing the best I can, and taking it one day at a time.

MINI | What has surprised you most about pregnancy or motherhood?

HILLARY KERR | I think I’m most surprised by how much I like my kid. Don’t get me wrong; I knew I’d love him, but I didn’t realize that I would like who is as a person so much. He’s young, but he has such a distinct personality, and it’s one I adore tremendously. I don’t think I realized he’d be such a person so early, if that makes sense?

MINI | We love following your fitness posts on Instagram! What is your current fitness routine and diet?

HILLARY KERR | I’m really quite a big fan of Kelly Leveque’s book Body Love and her @bewellbykelly Instagram account, which is just a font of helpful information. She has a truly science-based approach to nutrition, and I love that it’s really more about a lifestyle than a diet, per se. I try and follow her plan as much as possible because it makes me feel great and has done wonders for my skin. As for fitness, I’m pretty devoted to Lauren Kleban’s LEKfit bounce classes. It’s a dance-inspired combination of cardio on a mini trampoline (yes, you read that correctly) and sculpting, and I try to do four classes a week, minimum.

MINI | What baby gear are you using most right now?

HILLARY KERR | We recently got a Beaba baby food maker, which I am obsessed with. My husband and I love to cook, so making Clark’s food is a fun new project for us. I’m also a huge fan of our Hatch changing pad and scale, which is sleek and connects with an app on your iPhone. I use the app to track Clark’s meals, weight, height, everything. It’s really user friendly and I appreciate having all that data in one place.

MINI | If you could give Clark one piece of advice, what would it be?

HILLARY KERR | Register to vote. I wish he could vote in midterms. But seriously, I didn’t pay attention to our political system until very late in the game, and I hope that we are going to raise a kid who understands the importance of voting and activism much earlier than I did.

Fast Facts

Typical coffee order

Almond milk flat white.

Favorite kids movie

The NeverEnding Story.

Signature scent

Rose 31 by Le Labo.

Can't stop listening to

Pod Save America and whatever's on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Always in my fridge

Pickled jalapenos. Califia Farms Black & White Cold Brew Coffee, baby spinach, spicy chicken sausage, sriracha, and a hunk of good Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.

Favorite kids book

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Before kids, I never thought I would

Exercise in the morning.

Last book I read

Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff.

Favorite local shop

Helen’s for wine, McCall’s for meat, butter, and the best bread, and the Reckless Unicorn for baby gifts.

Ultimate Getaway

Renting a house on Kauai’s North Shore is my happy place.

Favorite local restaurant

Botanica for the fattoush-y salad with lamb, Trois Familia for the potato tacos, and Homestate for queso and brisket tacos.

Ideal date night

Any date night is ideal, these days.

On my nightstand

A million baby books, Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, Yes We (Still) Can by Dan Pfeiffer, and I’m re-reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

Photography by Jenna Peffley | Makeup by Joey Maalouf